The Grandstand

prepare....

for the return of The Grandstand. Stay Tuned.....

posted by -dig- @ 8:14 PM 0 comments

OH The Parity!!!

Say what you will about the structure and fairness of the NFL, I don't think there is any way to deny that the system has created a league where each club at least has a chance to field a competitive team. The Colts, arguable the league's best team, operate at the low end of the revenue spectrum, while teams like the Redskins & Texans pull in a ton of revenue but are hardly challenging for a playoff spot. The main reason for this is the hard salary cap in the NFL, combined with the ability for teams to cut & sign players mid-contract and dynamic scheduling based on performance. Revenue sharing also occurs for national television deals and ticket sales, but local sponsorship income and luxury suites are exempt from sharing and cause the huge gaps in revenue that exist between the small- and large-market clubs.

Despite this considerable gap, the other rules (notably the payroll cap) have caused teams to focus on building via the draft & shrewd personnel decisions, leading to an entirely new and exiting "game inside the game." This is something that is unique to the NFL and, I think, drives much of the interest in the NFL draft. Also, the market for management and coaching will continue to explode, as teams realize the playing field is (relatively) level and the only way additional funds can help is by spending more on those who make the tough personnel decisions.

Tell me if I'm way off base here, but this seems to be a good system (for fans of the sport, not just the large-market teams) that other pro leagues should model themselves after....

posted by -dig- @ 3:23 PM 0 comments

Don't talk to me about playoffs....

I fail to understand college football "traditionalists" who claim any playoff system would destroy the integrity and individual personality of the sport. Many believe schools are unwilling to support a playoff-based postseason because it would deem bowl games irrelevant. The issue is the lucrative financial rewards schools receive from sponsors of these bowl games - the private companies (FedEx, Tostitos, Nokia) have signed agreements with large conferences (and the football powerhouses that dominate them) to essentially give the big-name schools a monopoly over the most lucrative bowls.

This creates a system where only the large schools from BCS conferences will make the money that allows them to expand their programs, improve facilities, recruit top athletes, and essentially improve their football programs. I understand that these companies want to attract the large and loyal fan bases that tend to follow big-time schools, ensuring a massive live audience and high television ratings, but the national championship (at the very least) should be determined by a team's merit rather than what they did in 1965 when the current fans graduated or how big and football-crazy the state is.

Even from a financial standpoint, adopting a playoff system makes sense for every university, including the ones benefiting from the current system. A 2004 proposal (including a 16-team playoff, I think) would have generated $376 million, more than twice the current amount for those teams participating. This system also creates an incentive for football programs to improve, as the money they make from one good season will put them in a position to improve their schools. The competition, meanwhile, should improve all of college football for its consumers: the fans.

The only semi-legitimate argument I have heard from playoff haters is that regular-season games would lose the exciting, do or die mentality they currently generate. I think this is far outweighed by the benefits of the new system, which is not only more fair and satisfying, but also creates a series of exciting playoff games to replace the largely ignored and irrelevant secondary bowl games. I don't know anyone who watches a bowl game if it has no national championship implications or doesn't involve their favorite team. A playoff system would draw in a whole new viewership while creating a new incentive for players and coaches, who still have a shot at a national championship, to perform at their best. An 8- or 16-team playoff (with separate sponsorships for each level and financial rewards for advancement) would still make each game important, and could easily accompany the 50 or so other bowl games that reward the decent, but not best, teams....

posted by -dig- @ 5:20 PM 0 comments

AROUND THE WORLD.....

Allow me to turn your attention to the other side of civilization for a [brief] moment, just because I wanted to mention something I deem important and symbolic. I know some of our, uhhh... "readers" may not follow European football very closely, but just bear with me for a moment because I have more of an overarching point here.

Zinedine Zidane, probably the greatest footballer on the planet, has agreed to return to the French international squad at the age of 33. Zidane also announced that Claude Makelele (32), who I think is the most underrated player in the world, will follow his lead and try to pull France out of an embarrassing 4th place standing in their qualifying group. A couple days later, Juve defender Lilian Thuram agreed to join the pair and come out of international retirement. I think it is admirable how three world-class players who make a TON of money with arguably three of the best clubs (Real, Juve, Chelsea) in Europe are prepared to jeopardize the tail-end of their careers for the love of their country and the honor of representing France on the international stage. The three stars -- particularly Thuram & Zidane -- have nothing to prove with either club or country, and are risking exhaustion and contract extensions to try and restore glory to a fading French team. Thuram, who scored twice in the 98 World Cup semis when France beat Croatia 2-1, and Zidane -- who scored a double in the 98 final before garnering his first of three player of the year awards -- may be the two most important players from the French victories at the 98 WC and 2000 Euro, so its not as if they are gunning for one last shot at intl. glory. Makelele, who was left off those teams, is in the prime of his career -- I think he is the biggest reason for Chelsea's success, as his position as holder allows Frankie L., Cole, and Gudjohnsen to push it forward. He could do the same thing for France -- who still have Viera in the middle and the planet's best goalscorer (Henry) up front with Trezeguet and Wiltord.

Zidane is unquestionably the greatest player of his generation and probably slides right in after Maradona and Pele among the game's legends, so not only is his elite status already secure in the annals of football, he risks tarnishing that legacy by playing on a squad considered a long-shot to triumph in Germany next year. France, just three points behind group leaders Ireland with one game in hand, should have no trouble qualifying for the Cup with its renewed talent and leadership, but they are still a step below favorites Brazil, Argentina, and England. That makes the patriotic moves by Zidane, Thuram, and Makelele even more impressive -- they are doing it simply for the love of football and the sincere desire to see France well-represented on the world stage. In fact, after carrying the French to the 98 Title match, Thuram said, "I'm no hero. I did my best but the team won, no just me." Contrast this attitude with athletes making millions in America, whose politicians and culturally-isolated masses claim is the most patriotic nation in the world. If that were the case, why does Sheffield refuse to play in the World Baseball Classic because his "season is when he gets paid" while the elite NBA players spit out b.s. about safety and nagging injuries to avoid competing in the Olympics? Meanwhile, Dominicans like Arod & Tejada (who are both better and better-paid than Sheff) consider it an honor to play in the Classic, and Portugal & Argentina sends the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, and Roberto Ayala to Athens. I think its ironic how American athletes (who I realize are not an accurate reflection of our whole culture) that are presented with a chance to represent the U.S. against the world's best choose their own personal and monetary comfort while the anti-U.S. (France) has players with more to lose and less to gain gladly accept the challenge.

BACK TO THE STATES: The Hawks/Joe Johnson Saga. While I sympathize with Belkin (whose 30% stake is larger than all of the other 354 co-owners), this is simply not the way to do business in the NBA, and if he had issues with the deal he should have brought it to Knight’s attention either in private or before it was offered. The five year, $70 million contract itself is a gamble for a player who had a lot of open looks and easy buckets created for him in Phoenix, and adding two first-round picks (albeit lottery-protected), a $5M trade exception, and Boris Diaw (whatever) certainly seems excessive given the fact that Johnson wants to leave the Suns and come to ATL anyways. I mean, if he wants to leave and PHO doesn't want a malcontent on their roster, why offer so much just to force their hand? Still, showing a lack of faith in your GM jeopardizes future transactions as teams will be worried about ownership certification and the actual bargaining power of who they are dealing with. I do think this will ultimately be another idiotic move of the Billy Knight era, but there is still a right way to do things.....

FOOTBALL: I can't wait until the college football season starts, and I'm almost as excited about the NFL. I'll post later about more specific stuff, since my Les Bleus tribute ran a little long. Let me just say one last thing about the TO situation that's already been put out there by a number of people, including someone [whose name I forgot] is the latest ESPNmag. How is it that Larry Brown (who we’ve discussed) abandons a lucrative, guaranteed contract in Detroit with his reputation intact while T.O. is vilified for trying to improve an unfair deal? His deal might look nice on paper but if you look at the guaranteed money and the yearly salary towards the early years it’s criminal. This is the guy who made a miraculous comeback (against medical advice) to keep the Eagles in the Super Bowl, but he is being criticized by Philly fans as selfish (I’m not saying his actions were completely self-less, but show a little appreciation). Also, isn’t T.O. working hard in camp while Brian Westbrook and a number of others are holding out? I think the real enemy here is the NFL’s CBA, which expires in 2008. Outside of signing-bonus money, which is prorated over the length of the contract, nothing is guaranteed, and a player can essentially be cut before any season with a minimal cap hit. If a contract is unfair, the only weapon a player has is to hold out, while the team can simply cut him. Last time I checked, don’t both parties sign the contract? Also, in reference to the Larry Brown vs. T.O. handling by the public and media, do I think race is involved: YES.

HOCKEY: It's fun seeing all these big name players move (Forsberg to PHI, Thrashers sign Bobby Holik!), but I think when the season starts, I still won't care.....

posted by -dig- @ 1:17 AM 0 comments

Media, etc.

First of all, special thanks to ABIN for keeping this blog alive.

Sorry to backtrack, but I just wanted to post a few comments/responses regarding the current state of sports media before moving on to what is a very exciting time right now: the middle of baseball, with the deadline approaching; basketball free agency; NFL camps beginning; college football right around the corner; and not to mention the transfer market in European football. [ps. Bandy, did you hear Viera transferred to Juventus? I think they, and of course, Chelsea, are the early favorites to win the Champions League, although you can never count Milan out.]

Sports has been slowly morphing into just another form of entertainment for some time now, but I agree that current coverage is bordering on sickening, and for a variety of reasons. I can't even bear to watch Sportscenter from start to end, because every other segment is a "feature" or graphic-laden recap [what is this Reset bullshit they show like half way into the show? I mean have our attention spans become so short that we need reminders of what we just saw? THen there is the coming up segment... they're constantly either telling us what we just saw or are about to see, without actually showing us anything].

It makes sense that pro sports leagues, most notably the NBA, and their partner networks try to create "stars"/celebrities rather than letting the game speak for itself. They are not trying to sell their "product" to people like you and me, who follow sports no matter what because we love the game, and will follow athletes based on performance, not how they look or who they date. Stern & Co. are trying to attract the casual fan who needs a reason to watch a game or buy a jersey, someone unique and seemingly perfect. People live through their sports stars, so they want players who are not only talented and winners, but also good looking and magnetic [Jordan, Tiger, Becks, AROD]. This is why guys like Bonds, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, Tim Duncan, etc. have not transended sports to become major celebrities -- they simply don't have the charisma and look that can be sold to casual fans. I don't see how this can change -- after all, isn't this just a reflection of American culture, where the masses are more concerned with sex, drama, and gossip than actual merit? Plus, there are simply too many sports in this country for most people to follow each one closely, and while that remains the case the casual observer needs a simple, attractive package that's easy to digest and follow.

Back to ESPN: We learned in 9th grade Mass Media that the media does not report what we think is important, but actually tells us what is newsworthy based on what they choose to cover. In the case of ESPN, they are so dominant that they create sports stories rather than reporting them. The other networks/websites are forced to play along or else. More importantly, they create stories that only they can scoop and update, forming their own monopoly on information that they told us was important. Our only savior is the internet and alternate web sites, but they don't have the balls to criticize the players and coaches too much because so much emphasis is put on scooping a story and reporting it before anyone else. Look at the Larry Brown situation. I mean, the guy's a great coach, maybe the best in the league along with Pop and Phil, but what he did to the Pistons (advising a rival team during the playoffs, creating a distraction and betraying his team) is absolutely inexcusable. He should be punished for tampering and not allowed to coach for the remainder of his contract, but instead he gets a buyout? Now he's going to make $10M/year from the Knicks when he decides to take that job, and will be rewarded for his lack of professional respect. So, why is no one saying this? Well, writers don't want to get on any high profile coaches bad side, especially when he is about to go to the world's biggest market to take on a high profile job after a summer of controversery, resulting in one of the season's biggest stories. The last thing an "insider" would want is to be shut out from a developing story, or to gain a reputation as an honest critic. As professional journalistic integrity is withering away from sports, it us up to us, noble and honest bloggers, to keep it real and tell it like it is.....

NEXT UP: NBA Free Agency, Drew Rosenhaus and NFL policies that don't protect players, lots of MLB....

posted by -dig- @ 4:30 PM 0 comments

I [still] love this game...

I'll try not to repeat what's already been said, since I think we can all agree that teams like Indiana and Boston [Gomes at 50?] made out like bandits while Rob Babcock has no clue [although I do like the Ukic pick @41].

I think this draft was particularly unique because it comes on the cusp of the new CBA, allowing teams to take advantage of the new provisions while drafting players who would have been ineligible under the new agreement. Why would you take a 21-year old SEC player who's pretty close to hitting his ceiling when you can secure the rights to a potential stud like Mile Ulic or Cenk Akyol, leaving them in Europe for a couple years without paying them a cent? Also, under the new CBA you can send 18-year olds like Blatche and Amir Johnson to NBDL [the limit was 20 before] and bring them up whenever they're ready, allowing non-rotation high schoolers to develop at a much faster rate. Plus, you can always offer the non-drafted college players a spot with the expanded 14-man roster. I know this all changes next year b/c the high-schoolers and 18-year old Euros will be out, but for this draft it was huge.....

I agree that Granger will be sick, and I don't understand why the Nets or Magic didn't grab him. I like Wright, but can't Granger do most of the same things with better size, defense, and rebounding, all things they need in New Jersey? Plus, he can get out and play on JKidd's break much better than Wright. I like Vasquez, too, but it seems like the Magic have more faith in Grant Hill than most if they got the big man rather than a swingman who can shoot and probably play the point better than Steve Francis.

It seems that a lot of teams, esp. the Lakers, used Gerald Green as a smoke-screen to get the guy they really wanted. I can understand the lakers avoiding Green [and Granger, for that matter] b/c they have top players at the same position [Kobe and Odom], but I'm shocked that Toronto picked Graham over Green. The rest seemed to need a player who could contribute immediately or already had the position filled, but ultimately I think this will be a bigger steal than even Granger....

For some reason, I'm not as thrilled with the Salim pick as everyone else seems to be. Sure, he's an elite shooter who can create his own shot, pull up, and defend decently, but I don't see how he translates to the league. How can he play the point when he doesn't handle the ball particularly well and has never played the position? Also, it seems like he's usually coasting in 3rd gear and doesn't have that fire in him [until the end of the game] -- qualities that don't exactly help an undersized 2's chance of making it. I think he can certainly contribute, but with the value on the board [Ukic, Turiaf, Blatche] I probably would have gone in another direction. I do think Akyol could be good down the line...

As for Schemes [Morris] and the others who want to go back to college, I think they have to prove [with reciepts, etc.] that they paid for EVERYTHING during their NBA tour, which will be difficult since Schemes went to a SFX-sponsored workout. I think a UC Irvine player actually did this successfully [according to Katz] in 2001, and was allowed to return for a senior season only to be never heard from again....

Parting note: I completely agree regarding Stu Scott. I think bandy and I discussed this during the Finals, when he was tormenting the players' families while they were trying to watch the game. He seems to have made a career out of shouting mainstream rap lyrics at the most akward and unfitting times, plus he claimed in ESPNtheMag that he once ran a 4.6 forty [bullshit].

Post your all-star picks for the NL and AL, if you have time. I'll put mine up in a couple of days. ALso, Bandy I'm anxious to hear your rant on sports media so we can get a discussion going. Where the hell is Mouser?!?

posted by -dig- @ 11:27 PM 0 comments

NBA Draft: Who's In & Who's Out?

OK with the deadline to officially declare upon us I thought we should speculate on who's in and who's returning to school. Sadly, I think it's fair to say there is almost no discussion regarding this matter, because virtually everyone who has declared is going pro. Here's a few of the guys who are up in the air:

Antoine Wright, SG, Jr., Texas A&M
Von Wafer, G, So., Florida State
Shavlik Randolph, F, Jr., Duke
Anthony Roberson, PG, Jr., Florida
Randolph Morris, C, Fr., Kentucky
CJ Miles, SG, HS Sr., TX
Ike Diogu, PF, Jr., Arizona State
Brandon Bowman, F, Jr., Georgetown
Jarrett Jack, PG, Jr., Georgia Tech
Dee Brown,PG, Jr., Illinois
Linas Kleiza, So., Missouri
Andrew Bynum, St. Joseph High
Torin Francis, Jr., Notre Dame
Carl Krauser, Jr., Pittsburgh
Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Jr., George Washington

I guess the biggest questions are Diogu and Bynum, but with both near locks for the first-round [Diogu particularly] I don't see either withdrawing. Shavlik and Francis will probably return, as will Dee Brown since he broke his foot or whatever last week. Kleiza will likely go to Europe if he doesn't enter the draft, and I guess Miles could go to Texas. I think it's worth mentioning that these kids are getting some poor advice from agents-to-be who lose nothing if they are not selected, and don't really invest much in the process, particularly when they have other clients going through the same thing who they have to file paperwork for, attend meetings with, etc. I don't even know why I put Wright, Schemes, JJ, Roberson on the list, because those guys are gone....

posted by -dig- @ 5:49 PM 0 comments