BLAME IT ON MEO! (By Bill Rogan 6-29-06)
Perpetually bad professional sports organizations seem to have long-term leases on ineptitude. When that happens, an owner should simply fess up and say, “To our fans, I apologize for what our organization has become…and that is a laughing stock of the highest degree. I’ve tried everything to bring you a winner but nothing has worked. I’ve fired managers and gm’s, made trades that didn’t pan out, drafted bums…and I even soaked you, our loyal fans, with paying for a new stadium as a panacea to our woes. Nothing has worked. So, I want to take this opportunity to say that I’m obviously the problem and I’m going to sell the team to someone who can bring you a winner. Also, I won’t sell to the highest bidder but only to someone who promises to keep the team in town.”

Of course that will never happen? Although it would be nice to see David Glass of the Royals use that little speech. Or Kevin McClatchy of the Pirates. Do you think Knicks fans would be thrilled if James Dolan uttered those words. There are others too. Donald Sterling of the Clippers. Sure they made the playoffs this year but one decent year doesn’t make up for decades of garbage. Do you think Clevelanders wish Art Modell would have blamed himself for mismanaging the Browns and sold the team to a local group?

The reason many of these guys don’t sell is because they are too inept to realize they are inept. Being successful in business doesn’t mean they can run a pro sports team. But they think they can out of arrogance and their massive egos. Why else would they buy a team to begin with? It’s because they are successful in business but nobody knows they are the king of copy machines or sell massive quantities of vitamins or cars or whatever.  When these rich guys buy a sports franchise then people know who they are. Instant celebrity.

Of course some owners are better than others. Most teams go through up and down periods and some rare ones stay on top almost always. But the owners I’m going after, the owners who are incompetent morons, those are the guys who need to look in the mirror and then sell the team. Just go back to peddling cell phones or pharmaceuticals or whatever you did before ruining a sports franchise.

SLEEP INDUCING VOI, (YAWN), VOICES.....(By Bill Rogan 6-22-06)
One of the reasons I subscribe to the major league baseball packages on TV and radio is to watch and listen to any game I want. Another reason is to hear the broadcasters. I’ve always been fascinated by baseball announcers and used to enjoy listening to them. Note that I said, “used” to enjoy listening to them.

With a few exceptions, baseball broadcasting is not what it once was. While many aspects of life are better now than in the past, I don’t think that is the case in the baseball broadcast booth.

There are too many bland and vanilla play-by-play and color announcers. Many announcers would be lost without a stat sheet in front of them and copy of the next big ballpark promotion.

Where are the personalities? Where are the opinions? Where are the criticisms? Where is the clever wit and sharp humor? The modern day baseball announcer puts me to sleep.

One problem, I believe, is the fact that many teams are overly sensitive to criticism. Announcers like to stay employed. This means broadcasters will sugarcoat mistakes and won’t say anything that may be construed as controversial or unpopular. Root, root, root for the home team and if they stink don’t say so. Maybe no one will notice.

I’m tired of announcers talking down to me, rattling off meaningless stats, covering up for bad managerial moves or just droning on in their “perfect announcer voices.”

So many of these guys try to sound so polished and so articulate and that they come off as unnatural and robotic. Their comments are so measured its as if they are afraid to make a mistake. This creates, for me, a painfully boring broadcast.

I’m not a Mets fan by any means but I enjoy listening to the Mets TV announcers Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez. Cohen knows the game, doesn’t kill me with stats, sounds like a normal human being and will be critical when warranted. Hernandez says what is on his mind. Earlier this year, he ripped the Padres for having a woman in the dugout. You may agree or disagree with his comment but at least he made it. He gave his opinion. Do you think other broadcasters would have made the same comment? Of course not.

Thank goodness there are still some baseballcasters who are a pleasure to listen to such as Vin Scully of the Dodgers, the gold standard for baseball broadcasting. Give me the Reds Marty Brennaman, the Pirates Lanny Frattare or Bob Uecker of the Brewers any time.

How I miss listening to guys like Ernie Harwell, Bob Murphy, Phil Rizzuto and Harry Caray. Many people would not consider Rizzuto and Caray to be textbook announcers. But they were personalities and their love of the game and the joy they had broadcasting came across the airwaves very clearly.

Its time that teams took the shackles off their announcers and let them put across an enthusiastic, entertaining yet informative broadcast without fear or repercussions if they say something that might ruffle the feathers of the players or some suits in the front office. Return to the fans announcers that we look forward to listening to each and every game.

NOT EVEN TRYING…….(By Bill Rogan 6-16-06)

I’m not a fan of Nebraska football. Actually, I’m thrilled I’m not a fan of Big Red. Or, should I say, Little Red. Better yet, I’m not a fan of the Nebraska Yellowhuskers.

I’m also thankful I am not a season ticket holder to Nebraska games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Why? Because I don’t want to pay good money to see Louisiana Tech, Nicholls State or Troy come to town this season. Come on Nebraska, play some decent non-league opponents! I’m not saying its wrong to schedule a creampuff team. But I am saying it is wrong to schedule three of them. Also, a team in the Big 12, or any power conference, should never have a Division 1-AA team on the slate like Nicholls State out of something called the Southland Conference.

I’m sure I’ll hear from the vocal Husker fans and it won’t complimentary towards me. They’ll point out that Nebraska will play at Southern Cal. Well, they should play Southern Cal. And they should play other schools from BCS leagues.

Nebraska fans are loyal, perhaps too much so in this case. Those who set up the schedule know that the fans will show up in droves, dressed in red, to see their team play, no matter whom the opponent will be. If there were a bunch of empty seats for those three ridiculously soft non-league home games, maybe they would consider playing better competition. But apparently the school wants three automatic wins and the fans will show up anyway.

I’m also angry that Oklahoma and Nebraska don’t play every year anymore because of the Big 12 North and South Divisions. Would it be possible, in a year they are not penciled in to play a Big 12 game, to actually meet in a non-league game. Why not?

Oklahoma is taking the soft route on September 23^rd when they shamefully host Middle Tennessee. Troy visits Nebraska that same day. Wouldn’t it be better for college football if Oklahoma faces Nebraska that afternoon? Don’t you think national TV might be interested in such a match-up? Or, are both schools frightened that they might lose.

Am I picking on Nebraska? Yes. But other schools are also on my hit list of yellow bellies for scheduling multiple automatic wins. Miami plays Florida A&M and Florida International. Penn State pads the win total with Akron, Youngstown State and Temple. Michigan has Central Michigan and Ball State. South Carolina takes on Wofford, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee. Who wants to see any of those games?

Again, let me drive this point home. I don’t mind when a team has one non-league gimme on the schedule. If a big time school plays more than one non-league patsy? Its gutless, spineless, disgraceful and a disservice to the players and fans.

STILL LIQUORED UP?…..(By Bill Rogan 6-8-06)

“Michael Jordan missed game-winning jump shots. Tiger Woods missed putts. Does that mean they’re not as good as you think they are? I’m the best kicker in the history of the game, regardless of whether I missed my last kick or not.” Mike Vanderjagt.

Let me read that last line again.

“I’m the best kicker in the history of the game, regardless of whether I missed my last kick or not.”

Maybe former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt never heard of a fellow named Adam Vinatieri. Perhaps when Vinatieri was booting field goals in a blizzard against the Raiders or splitting the uprights to win Super Bowls against the Rams and Panthers, Vanderjagt was practicing. Not practicing field goals, practicing running his big yapper.

Field goal kickers are judged primarily on if they make big kicks. I don’t care if he makes 3 field goals in a 30-7 week 6 win. I want a kicker who makes clutch, season on the line kicks. Name a big kick Vanderjagt has made in that spot. Can you?

I recall a few missed kicks in big spots. In overtime against the Dolphins in the 2001 playoffs, Vanderjagt missed a 49-yard try, wide right. Last year, against Pittsburgh, he could have sent that playoff game into overtime had he made a 46-yarder. He missed it. Not just a little wide right. A lot wide right. Granted, 49 and 46-yard field goal attempts are not automatic. But if you are the self-proclaimed “best kicker in the history of the game” you should make the kicks. If you don’t make the kicks, pipe down.

You don’t hear Vinatieri, Jason Elam, David Akers, John Kasay, Matt Stover, Neil Rackers, Olindo Mare or John Carney chirping about how great they are. Many football players don’t think kickers are real players. That is why kickers tend to keep a low profile. When a guy like Vanderjagt shoots his mouth off, he gives kickers a bad name. That is why Peyton Manning called Vanderjagt “an idiot” and a “liquored up kicker” after Vanderjagt made disparaging remarks about the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

I know Vanderjagt has a terrific FG percentage. I do think he is one of the best kickers in the league and that the Cowboys made a good move to get him. However, with a playoff game on the line, I don’t have faith he’ll come through. For the record, I’d take any of those guys I mentioned above to kick a clutch playoff field goal ahead of Vandermouth.

MY FRIEND STANLEY…..(By Bill Rogan 5-24-06)

It’s been almost two years since we’ve seen the Stanley Cup presented to the NHL Champions. In June of 2004, the Tampa Bay Lightning won Lord Stanley’s Cup and next month we will see another team hoist the best looking trophy in sports. They’ll skate around the rink, pose for pictures and grown men will cry their eyes out.

Unfortunately, many people won’t see this moment because it will occur in June. Who thinks of hockey in June? Hockey is a winter sport.

As much as I love hockey, I find it difficult to maintain focus on the playoffs when the weather warms up. If I, as a diehard hockey fan, lose interest as the playoffs advance, then how in the world will a casual fan be up for pucks in May and June? If my beloved New York Rangers were still in the hunt, my interest would be sky high. I’m sure fans of the teams still alive are still fired up. But if your team isn’t in it, how quickly do your thoughts switch to baseball, barbecues and outdoor activities? Pretty fast, at least according to television ratings, or lack thereof, for the NHL post-season.

It is pretty certain the NHL won’t cut the schedule from 80-games to 60, although that would create a better product and allow the playoffs to end in early April instead of mid-June. Finances dictate an 80-game season. But what about a compromise to a 70-game slate?

If the NHL went to a 70-game season and played more playoff games on back-to-back nights before a day off, then we would see matchups conclude in a week to ten days instead of two weeks if it goes the distance. Then we would see the Stanley Cup presented in early or mid-May when there is still a decent interest level. To keep holding the NHL’s crowning moment in June when fewer people care about the sport is asinine.

AIR BRUSHED ASIDE…..(By Bill Rogan 5-16-06) When I was a kid, I always wanted to play for the New York Yankees, for two reasons. I wanted to play baseball for my favorite team, which every kid wanted to do back in the 60’s and 70’s. Now, I don’t know what kids want except to get fat and lazy while playing video games. The other reason was to get my picture on a baseball card. I loved baseball cards back then and would collect them, study them, read the stats on the back of them, flip them and yes, sometimes swindle them from my friends. I would imagine how I would pose on a baseball card. I didn’t like the mug shots. I loved the action photos. The photos of a player just swinging a bat or in a fielding or pitching pose were ok. I never got the chance to get on a baseball card. The big problem was making it to the major leagues. Only two things kept me out of the big leagues…. talent and ability. The desire was always there and I blame my parents for not providing me with the proper DNA. Other than that, my mom and dad were awesome. However, I almost got on a baseball card. In 1988, I was sitting in the visiting dugout in Milwaukee’s old County Stadium, chatting with forgettable Yankees relief pitcher Cecilio Guante. It was an interesting conversation. I could barely understand what Cecilio was saying and I’m sure he had no idea what I was talking about. But it was a friendly chat as I recall, a chat that was interrupted by a man who wanted to take Guante’s picture for next year’s baseball card. The tubby guy with camera stuff hanging all over his body simply told Guante to pose on the dugout steps. I was right behind Cecilio and casually positioned myself to get in the picture. I could see the camera lens and I also moved my arm to the right to get as much as myself as I could in view. After the photographer took a few pictures, he shook Guante’s hand and then Cecilio and I continued our talk. The following spring, when all the cards came out, I frantically searched for a Cecilio Guante card. After buying a ton of packs from all the different companies, I finally happened upon a Guante card. I can’t remember which company produced the card. A Rangers uniform was airbrushed on Guante who was traded to Texas late in the 88 season. And there in the background, for all to see, was…a bright blue dugout bench. I was nowhere to be found. I was airbrushed out. Not a hint that I was there. My one chance to be on a major league baseball card was eliminated by an overzealous graphic artist. Not that I’m bitter about it. CANDIDATE FOR NATURAL SELECTION....(By Bill Rogan 5-5-06) I don’t know Mike Metzger. I'd never heard of him until yesterday when I was watching him fly over the Caesar's Palace fountains on a motorcycle. He threw in a mid-air back flip for good measure. Mike Metzger is an idiot. The 30-year old daredevil put his life in peril for what reason? To jump fountains on a motorcycle? Big deal. While some might have been impressed with his successful stunt, I was not. The man has a wife and two young children. Putting his life in danger to accomplish something he says he always wanted to do was selfish. Did he think of the consequences for his family if he crashes and becomes incapacitated or even dead? If Metzger were single, I would still think his stunt would be an asinine thing to do. There is no reason for it. But, as a man with a family, it is time this X Games daredevil grow up and stop these death defying acts. It only takes one time for something to go horribly wrong. Another concern of mine is the brainless kids out there who may try to emulate Metzger. While Metzger is a fool, he is a talented fool. To do what he does obviously takes skill and ability. These knuckleheaded doped-up kids who hang out at the skate park doing tricks and stunts all day long probably don’t have the same skill as Metzger. How many of these kids will end up in a wheelchair or six-feet under after attempting a similar, ridiculous act? Maybe Metzger has a death wish. Who knows? If he ends up killing himself I’ll feel bad for him out of human compassion, but I’ll feel a lot worse for his family.   MISTAKE? REALLY?......(By Bill Rogan 5-3-06) Since the Cardinals selected Matt Leinart with the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, I’ve heard an untold number of media folk and football fans in general say that the former Southern Cal Quarterback made a mistake by staying in college for his senior season.  The reasoning being that he would have been the number one pick in the 2005 draft and he would have gotten the $24 million dollars in bonuses that the 49ers gave Utah QB Alex Smith. Instead, Leinart will probably get in the neighborhood of $10 million in bonus money. Still a pretty nice neighborhood, don’t you agree? But the critics like to point out that he lost $14 million by staying at USC. So what did Leinart gain by staying in college? I’ll break it down. He played for another National Championship, even though Southern Cal lost a classic to Texas. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist. He didn’t win it like he did as a junior, but his teammate Reggie Bush won it. Leinart played in one of the greatest college football games ever, when his 4th and 7 pass in the 4th quarter at Notre Dame led to his quarterback sneak on the final play to give the Trojans an unforgettable win over the Irish. He earned his college degree. Now, I don’t know Leinart personally, but as the starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner for the defending National Champions, I am guessing Matt didn’t have too much trouble landing a date every now and then. Also, correct me if I’m wrong, the women in Los Angeles are not that bad looking. You cannot put a price on all the things Leinart experienced in his final season at USC. Instead of worrying about Leinart’s bank account, the critics should think about what Leinart would have missed out on had he turned pro after his junior year. Now he is in the NFL. He’ll be living in a nice, warm city and playing in a brand new stadium. He has the chance to turn around a franchise that seems to have suddenly gotten interested in winning. He will be paid handsomely and, unless he turns into John Daly or Mike Tyson, he is already financially set for life. Mistake to stay in school? Hardly.   A MASSIVE HEADACHE.....(By Bill Rogan 4-27-06) The Nuggets have suspended perpetually angry Kenyon Martin for at least the next two games. The power forward was dissatisfied over his playing time in Denver’s first two playoff games, losses to the Clippers. Martin unleashed an obscenity-laced tirade against Nuggets Head Coach George Karl at halftime of game two after just seven minutes of PT and refused to play in the second half. In the playoffs. Not game 17 of the NBA season, the playoffs. He deserved to get suspended and it will likely be addition by subtraction for the Nuggets. Me-First Martin is not nearly the player he thinks he is. Or the player General Mismanager Kiki Vandeweghe thinks he is. The contract Vandeweghe gave Martin is more obscene than the player himself. We see the name “Kenyon Martin” and the words “obscenity-laced tirade” in the same sentence way too much. If Kenyon isn’t cursing out coaches, he’s cursing out fans, reporters or anybody else who dare shares the air with K-Mart. Which leads me to ponder, if Kenyon Martin is this irate playing basketball and owning a 7-year, 92-million dollar contract, how unhappy would he be if he did actually work at a K-Mart? Or a car wash? Or anyplace where he wasn’t pulling in the income he currently gets. How would you like to be the boss and have to say, "Kenyon, clean-up on aisle 12"? The best thing the Nuggets can do is to trade Martin. It won’t be easy. It might be near impossible considering his lack of character, his bad knee, his selfishness, his overrated game and his ridiculous contract. However, there are suckers out there. Some naïve team (naïve…a nice word for stupid) will take a flyer Martin. If I were the Nuggets I would search high and low for that team. The only thing I would ask for in return would be 50-pairs of sneakers and a dozen basketballs. YANKEE STADIUM......By Bill Rogan (4-12-06) If all goes according to the Yankees grand plan, the 2009 home opener will be played in a brand new stadium with luxury boxes galore and all the modern amenities. "State of the art" is one of the phrases being used to describe what will be the new playground for the Yanks. The Steinbrenner family and minority owners will benefit financially from this deal.  For baseball fans everywhere though, the move stinks like urine on a subway platform. Yankee Stadium is baseball’s most historic facility. It is irreplaceable. There is no reason for the Yankees to play elsewhere. Yankee Stadium full of fans is as beautiful a sight as there is in sports. If they want more luxury boxes, then fine. Build all the luxury boxes you want in the mezzanine section of the stadium. Upgrade the current stadium like they did in the mid-70’s. We aren’t talking about Three Rivers Stadium or Veteran’s Stadium. Nobody cared when those eyesores were blown to smithereens. This is Yankee Stadium! The thought of it coming down is heartbreaking. The 4-million people who passed through the Yankee Stadium turnstiles last season didn’t seem to mind watching games there. Why do we get attached to ballparks? I’ll tell you why. An 80-year old man can take his 10-year old grandson to a game at Yankee Stadium and say, “When I was your age, I sat over there and saw Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig play. When I took your dad to his first game we saw Mickey Mantle hit one way up there. Look, there's Jeter.” In Boston, an old-timer can go to Fenway Park with his son and grandson and talk about baseball and life in a place that has seen major league baseball for more than 90-years. Ted Williams called Fenway home. So did Yaz. At Wrigley Field in Chicago, generations of families have witnessed the Cubs win and lose…mostly lose. But they did see Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo try their best to bring a pennant to Wrigley. The Red Sox and Cubs organizations have no intention of leaving their current homes and for that I praise them. It would be a crime to tear down those ballparks, just like it will be a crime to take the wrecking ball to Yankee Stadium. You can’t replace the history with a new ballpark. Perhaps I’m being sappy here but when I’m an old man I’d like to go see the Yankees play in the current Yankee Stadium. Just like I did when I was growing up.