My Hope For The New Year In Sports.

If I am granted something for the New Year in Sports, it would be a return to the fields or courts of competition. I, like so many others I suspect, am so tired of sports playing out in the boardrooms and courtrooms around the country. I love the competitive aspect of all sports, but have grown weary of stories, like Jerry Sandusky, the labor standoffs, free agency fights, rising prices to attend games, spoiled athletes, boorish behavior from owners and the myriad of items that have infiltrated the sports pages around the country. These are all issues that we face in society and I am not advocating for us to ignore or sweep them under the rug (See Penn State). I am just hoping that the people, who compete, own or manage our sports teams will start to look at the responsibilities that come with high profile people. Our political figures are still working on this also. I just want to sit back, have an ice cold beer, some healthy (yeah right) snacks and enjoy the on the field events. Is that too much to ask for? I hope not.

I will be taking the next couple of days off to enjoy Christmas with the people that matter most to me, my family. To my readers I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or a Happy Holiday.

I May Have To Wait A Couple Of Weeks To Watch The NBA.

Now that the lockout is over. The free agency signing is coming to a close. The couple of exhibition games are out of the way. I am trying to decide if  I am ready to watch NBA games or do I want to wait for a couple of weeks.

My decision has nothing to do with boycott to show my disdain for the battle between millionaires and billionaires. It is simply, do I want to watch tired out of shape players attempt to play ball, or wait until they are actually in game shape. Over the next couple of weeks the millionaires will being working themselves into playing shape and the crispness of the game will suffer. I love basketball of all types and look forward to seeing quality games and great plays. I do not enjoy watching players bent over pulling on their shorts because they are winded, I do not enjoy shots clanking off the rim because the players legs are not under them and leaving shots short. I do not enjoy a player standing completely still as another player glides past them for a lay up and there is no defensive attempt. I also know that try as I may, come Christmas day, when I get home from work, I will turn the TV on and enjoy the return of professional basketball. So much for my resistance.

My Commitment to Old School Sports!

Of all the three blogs I write this one, for some reason, is the one I struggle with the most. I am not sure why that is. I love sports of all types and follow them throughout the year. I guess part of the cause is not quite finding a particular niche, to speak from. In the new year I am committing to my readers to overcome the issues that have held me back and publish posts at least five times a week. Is this going to be easy, No, but I know the rewards will be higher then the work. On some days the posts may be shorter then others but for better or worse, I will have my opinions out for you to read. As with my other blogs, simplicity will reign. I am also sure that as the year progresses I will tweak and evolve. Hang in there with me. It will be worth the time and effort. This I promise.

Mike Krzyzewski Deserves The Accolades!

After a week of the sordid Penn State mess and listening to the breakdown of the labor talks in the NBA, it was quite refreshing to have college hoops to watch and cheer for. At the top of my list was watching Coach K win his 903th game and pass, his mentor, Bob Knight. Even better was the fact that Knight was working the game as an analyst for ESPN. You can say what you want about Knight and his sometime boorish behavior, but there is no better color man for college basketball and listening to him during this telecast and any others is pure pleasure for the die-hard fan.

Seeing the love and friendship between Krzyzewski and Knight gives us all hope that college games can be enjoyed and savored. Mike is the best coach and leader in any sport has at the moment. I know people can argue about who is best of all time. The name John Wooden would easily be placed there, but not ahead of Coach K.  Mike has been an iconic figure for years at Duke, where he has made them one of the premier sports teams in history. He has taken on and delivered for the USA Basketball program and brought us back the Gold Medals, that we should have. He works tirelessly for the Dickie V foundation and it's fight against cancer, and has been an inspiration with his books and lectures.
My wife, Pat, is a Cameron Crazie and I think I am secretly right there with her. Congratulations Coach K and I hope to witness your 1000th win in the next couple of years. 

Sorry, But I Have To Give My Opinion On Penn State!

I am sure, that like me, you have heard the sordid, story out of Happy Valley and are getting to the point that enough is enough. Well I wanted to have my say on the subject. Penn State officials have started to move in the direction they have to, by dismissing Joe Paterno and some of the other people involved. They need to do more. There are games to be played for the football team and they should play them. Penn State should take the money earned from those games, including television revenues, and give it to organizations that support abused children. They should take the lead in changing, not only the environment at Penn State, but at all universities, and make sure that coaches and administrators are not protected from criminal activities. They should work to educate other schools, the legal system and police system to not only look at the law, but at moral issues, so this never happens again.

Penn State has to reach out to the victims. Find ways to protect them and then help them heal. They should provide, any counseling and financial need all of these victims warrant. They should provide counseling for the families of the victims, so they are better able to support their family members during the healing process.

Penn State should take the lead and work with other institutions of higher education to change the environment from one of privilege, for their sports figures, to one of support and assistance to the entire student community.

The law enforcement people from the local district attorneys to the local police departments, need to be independent of the universities they are in charge of overseeing. They can no longer turn a blind eye, toward the law breakers that are athletes, coaches and administrators. They should not be free to break laws and pursue their own agendas and be held to the same standard as the general population.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Paterno and his achievement as the winning est coach in college football. I wrote about the clean program and no hint of scandal during his forty plus years as head coach. I am now saying that Paterno blew his legacy. He can no longer be thought of as a leader of young people, who deserves the accolades, we have laid as his feet. He deserves none of the praise for the things he accomplished before. He deserves our revulsion and disdain for not protecting those young children. I cannot think of a worse crime then the exploitation and sexual abuse of our children. Paterno destroyed his legacy, all by himself.

Steelers Take down the Patriots!

Yesterday the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New England Patriots and I am not sure why they even bothered to play the game. Watching the Pre-game shows the, so called experts, with the exception of former Steeler coach Bill Cowher, stated the Steelers could not contain Tom Brady and would loose. Well guess what, the "Steel Curtain" held Brady to a season low 198 yards and their lowest point production in over a year. I will give Bill Belichick and the Patriots their due. They are a great football organization, but the Steelers are second to none in the last forty years. The black and gold have been a team that is always in the hunt for a title and yet they seem to be pushed into the background whenever the "experts" talk about great franchises. All the Steelers do is win and I have news for the rest of the NFL. The Steelers will continue to win.

Congratulations to Joe Pa!

Let me start first and state I am not and have never been a Penn State fan. Growing up in the Pittsburgh area I have always been a fan of the University of Pittsburgh. I also, this will show my age, remember when Joe Paterno was not the coach at Penn State. Rip Engle was the coach and Paterno was his assistant. That being said, I wanted to congratulate Joe Paterno for his 409th victory and becoming the all time leader in Division 1 football. Paterno deserves this. He is not only the number one coach, he is also an example of how to have and maintain a winning program, without compromising principles. Joe has not had as much as a whiff of scandal during his 46 year reign in "Happy Valley". He has contributed over four million dollars to Penn State University and has a library wing named after him. So, Joe, congratulations and may you continue to set an example of how to succeed and continued success on the field for your Nittany Lions, except when playing Pitt.