With the offseason acquisition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat are poised to bring home their second NBA championship in five years. But there will be few dozen people who won't be too happy if that happens.
With season-ticket sales rocketing, Heat executives decided to fire 30 members of its ticket sales team on Friday. The work was already finished, and why not save a few bucks to give to the team's newest members? Pretty classless move, if you ask me.
The team confirmed the firings on Friday as team vice president of sales Steve Weber delivered the bad news. With an "exhausted inventory of season tickets, we no longer require a season ticket sales team to sell tickets," the statement said.
The waiting list for season tickets is about 6,000.
"While the decision to release part of our sales force was a difficult one, we greatly appreciate their contributions to our company," said the statement, which went on to wish those fired success in future endeavors.
The translation is "Thanks for doing all of the year's work in three weeks, now go find a new job." With their new deep pockets, maybe LeBron and Bosh can offer a little severance package?
Speaking of LeBron, a fan wearing a No. 6 Heat jersey recently was escorted from Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Indians. The fan was booed heartily, and I can only imagine what happened when he reached the boundaries of the stadium.
Sure, this guy is a bonehead, but does it give anyone the right to get angry or assault him? I went to a Red Sox-Yankees game in 2004 at Yankee Stadium and wore a No. 15 Kevin Millar shirt. I was pelted with peanuts for most of the 2-0 Boston victory.
All because I liked a different team. I know the same thing likely happens at Fenway, but why? God forbid someone else roots for a different team. When assaults occur - either verbal or physical - those fans have lost all touch with reality.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Neither here nor there
Hitting a few headlines from the sports world:
- Washington Nationals phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg missed Tuesday night's start with stiffness in his arm. Every start the 22-year-old right-hander has made has also made national headlines, but what was supposed to be his 10th start ended before it began.
In nine starts for Washington, Strasburg is 5-2 with a 2.32 earned run average. He has 75 strikeouts and 15 walks in 54 1-3 innings. The team's most prized player and still just a rookie, Strasburg has a bright future ahead of him. But here's to hoping he doesn't go the way of David Clyde.
- Former Raiders hard-hitting safety Jack Tatum died on Tuesday after suffering massive heart attack. He was 61. I was merely seven months old when Tatum's hit on Darryl Stingley paralyzed the Patriots wide receiver from the neck down, so I can't give a firsthand account of the incident.
But I have seen the replay, and the incident fueled my dad's hatred for the Raiders. "A bunch of cheapshot artists," he would tell me growing up. At the time, I was a Raiders fan, mostly because of Bo Jackson.
Tatum certainly didn't get much love on Boston sports talk radio on Tuesday. Even former Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan struggled to find kind words to say about a man that ended another player's career with a vicious hit, collisions he took pride in and used to sell three books.
- How fitting is it that Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco will be teammates? That NFL's two biggest showmen will line up on opposite sides after the Bengals signed T.O. to a one-year deal worth $2 million.
Owens has a shot to make an addition $2 million with bonuses, meaning that when Carson Palmer doesn't throw the ball his way, the barking and whining will begin. I can only assume a game of "Can You Top This?" will begin between the two diva receivers upon each touchdown scored.
Then again, how many TDs are we expecting from T.O.?
- Washington Nationals phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg missed Tuesday night's start with stiffness in his arm. Every start the 22-year-old right-hander has made has also made national headlines, but what was supposed to be his 10th start ended before it began.
In nine starts for Washington, Strasburg is 5-2 with a 2.32 earned run average. He has 75 strikeouts and 15 walks in 54 1-3 innings. The team's most prized player and still just a rookie, Strasburg has a bright future ahead of him. But here's to hoping he doesn't go the way of David Clyde.
- Former Raiders hard-hitting safety Jack Tatum died on Tuesday after suffering massive heart attack. He was 61. I was merely seven months old when Tatum's hit on Darryl Stingley paralyzed the Patriots wide receiver from the neck down, so I can't give a firsthand account of the incident.
But I have seen the replay, and the incident fueled my dad's hatred for the Raiders. "A bunch of cheapshot artists," he would tell me growing up. At the time, I was a Raiders fan, mostly because of Bo Jackson.
Tatum certainly didn't get much love on Boston sports talk radio on Tuesday. Even former Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan struggled to find kind words to say about a man that ended another player's career with a vicious hit, collisions he took pride in and used to sell three books.
- How fitting is it that Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco will be teammates? That NFL's two biggest showmen will line up on opposite sides after the Bengals signed T.O. to a one-year deal worth $2 million.
Owens has a shot to make an addition $2 million with bonuses, meaning that when Carson Palmer doesn't throw the ball his way, the barking and whining will begin. I can only assume a game of "Can You Top This?" will begin between the two diva receivers upon each touchdown scored.
Then again, how many TDs are we expecting from T.O.?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Haze of old
Rookies in pro sports routinely have to put up with a lot of crap from the veterans on the team. Call it initiation, a rite of passage, hazing. It can include forcing the rooks to wear silly clothes to the team facility, taping them to goalposts or making them carry a vet’s pads off the practice field.
Cowboys rookie Dez Bryant, however, has no interest in such tradition. After practice on Sunday, the wide receiver from Oklahoma State was commanded to take Roy Williams’ pads from the field. Bryant refused and now, for some reason, the football world is aghast.
Veterans and former players from other teams are lambasting Bryant for his insubordination, and Williams promised there will be consequences.
But Bryant deserves some credit for taking a stand against this archaic, idiotic, inane practice. When is this frat boy garbage going to end?
Professional athletes (“professional” being a key word) shouldn’t act like high school seniors picking on freshmen. They ought to act professionally.
Perhaps if a more respected Cowboys veteran — Tony Romo, Marion Barber, DeMarcus Ware, etc. — had asked Bryan to carry his pads, he would have. But Bryant shouldn’t have to obey a guy that’s going to be behind him on the depth chart when the season opens.
Bryant’s refusal doesn’t imply that he’s a bad teammate or has an attitude problem or doesn’t respect his NFL elders. For those who didn’t get the message the first time, Bryant put it into words on Sunday
“I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads,” he told reporters.
I, for one, hope other rookies follow suit.
Cowboys rookie Dez Bryant, however, has no interest in such tradition. After practice on Sunday, the wide receiver from Oklahoma State was commanded to take Roy Williams’ pads from the field. Bryant refused and now, for some reason, the football world is aghast.
Veterans and former players from other teams are lambasting Bryant for his insubordination, and Williams promised there will be consequences.
But Bryant deserves some credit for taking a stand against this archaic, idiotic, inane practice. When is this frat boy garbage going to end?
Professional athletes (“professional” being a key word) shouldn’t act like high school seniors picking on freshmen. They ought to act professionally.
Perhaps if a more respected Cowboys veteran — Tony Romo, Marion Barber, DeMarcus Ware, etc. — had asked Bryan to carry his pads, he would have. But Bryant shouldn’t have to obey a guy that’s going to be behind him on the depth chart when the season opens.
Bryant’s refusal doesn’t imply that he’s a bad teammate or has an attitude problem or doesn’t respect his NFL elders. For those who didn’t get the message the first time, Bryant put it into words on Sunday
“I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player’s pads,” he told reporters.
I, for one, hope other rookies follow suit.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Giving out Hall passes
Every year at this time, names are thrown around for possible induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, by far the most prestigious of all Halls.
Personally, I don't think Andre Dawson's numbers stack up, but the entire landscape is changing thanks to the Steroid Era. Here's a small list of guys, although some have been linked to PEDs, who are first-ballot players when their time comes.
Manny Ramirez - 500 home runs and maybe the most feared right-handed hitter of this generation.
Jim Thome - Quietly continues to climb up the ladder on the all-time home run list.
Alex Rodriguez - He's sitting at 599 homers, and only a handful or so of guys have reached 600 for a career.
Ichiro Suzuki - Between his obvious hitting prowess, he's a 10-time all-star, has speed and few play a better right field than the Japanese import.
Ken Griffey Jr. - Do I have to give reasons? If not for injuries, we'd be saying, "Barry Bonds who?"
Derek Jeter - One of the best players on the best team for a long, long time. Even take him off the Yankees, and he's still a likely Hall of Famer.
Mariano Rivera - He's been so good for so long and continues to get the job done in the twilight of his career. Then again, who says he's in the twilight?
Tom Glavine and Randy Johnson: Could very well be the last pitchers in history to eclipse the 300-win plateau.
Here's a list of guys who are likely in, but maybe not on the first ballot:
Omar Vizquel - This generation's top defensive shortstop. If he had a bit of a better bat, he'd be in the Jeter category.
Pedro Martinez - He's only got 219 wins, but no pitcher (maybe Sandy Koufax) was more dominant during a 5- to 7-year stretch than Pedro. And he got his ring.
Chipper Jones - He's truly an ambassador for the game, hit 433 home runs and has been an institution in Atlanta. I'd like to think he's in.
Guys who haven't done quite enough yet, but should they keep pushing ....
Albert Pujols - The numbers and awards keep piling up for this guy, and it's only a matter of time.
Joe Mauer - He just signed a deal that'll keep him in Minnesota for a long time, a place where he's comfortable. No pressure in Minnesota, so his MVP-type seasons will keep coming. And he's a catcher, meaning these numbers will be unprecedented for the position.
Ryan Howard - He's nearly halfway to 500 home runs already, and he's got an MVP award. The Phillies were smart enough to pay this man.
Guys who probably won't get in until something changes with the perception of steroid users: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Raphael Palmeiro.
That last group I really feel for, because they didn't need the PEDs to be good. They were good. They needed the PEDs to be great. Greed took over.
Now I know I missed a few here and there, so feel free to chime in about any of these guys, or those I omitted.
Personally, I don't think Andre Dawson's numbers stack up, but the entire landscape is changing thanks to the Steroid Era. Here's a small list of guys, although some have been linked to PEDs, who are first-ballot players when their time comes.
Manny Ramirez - 500 home runs and maybe the most feared right-handed hitter of this generation.
Jim Thome - Quietly continues to climb up the ladder on the all-time home run list.
Alex Rodriguez - He's sitting at 599 homers, and only a handful or so of guys have reached 600 for a career.
Ichiro Suzuki - Between his obvious hitting prowess, he's a 10-time all-star, has speed and few play a better right field than the Japanese import.
Ken Griffey Jr. - Do I have to give reasons? If not for injuries, we'd be saying, "Barry Bonds who?"
Derek Jeter - One of the best players on the best team for a long, long time. Even take him off the Yankees, and he's still a likely Hall of Famer.
Mariano Rivera - He's been so good for so long and continues to get the job done in the twilight of his career. Then again, who says he's in the twilight?
Tom Glavine and Randy Johnson: Could very well be the last pitchers in history to eclipse the 300-win plateau.
Here's a list of guys who are likely in, but maybe not on the first ballot:
Omar Vizquel - This generation's top defensive shortstop. If he had a bit of a better bat, he'd be in the Jeter category.
Pedro Martinez - He's only got 219 wins, but no pitcher (maybe Sandy Koufax) was more dominant during a 5- to 7-year stretch than Pedro. And he got his ring.
Chipper Jones - He's truly an ambassador for the game, hit 433 home runs and has been an institution in Atlanta. I'd like to think he's in.
Guys who haven't done quite enough yet, but should they keep pushing ....
Albert Pujols - The numbers and awards keep piling up for this guy, and it's only a matter of time.
Joe Mauer - He just signed a deal that'll keep him in Minnesota for a long time, a place where he's comfortable. No pressure in Minnesota, so his MVP-type seasons will keep coming. And he's a catcher, meaning these numbers will be unprecedented for the position.
Ryan Howard - He's nearly halfway to 500 home runs already, and he's got an MVP award. The Phillies were smart enough to pay this man.
Guys who probably won't get in until something changes with the perception of steroid users: Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Raphael Palmeiro.
That last group I really feel for, because they didn't need the PEDs to be good. They were good. They needed the PEDs to be great. Greed took over.
Now I know I missed a few here and there, so feel free to chime in about any of these guys, or those I omitted.
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