Brian Stow

I haven't written about this yet, because there hasn't been a lot to say, besides what a tragedy it was.  On Opening Day in LA, after a Dodgers/Giants game, Brian Stow was beaten in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium simply because he was a Giants fan.  Having been at Dodger Stadium (and also rooting for the visiting team) I can say from experience that it can be a very scary place.  Dodger fans love their team and they will make sure you know that, and know you are wrong if you are not rooting for them.  However, they sometimes cross the line.  You are supposed to be there for the love of the game, not to assault the visiting team's fans.

Since that day, Brian Stow has been in a medically induced coma.  He was finally able to be transported back to San Francisco from LA, but he is still in the coma.  That's almost 2 whole months.  He has swelling in his brain and they are using the coma to prevent seizures.  Many people, including Barry Bonds and Tim Lincecum have donated to his fund, and the Dodgers and the city of LA donated money towards the reward of finding the person responsible for this.  In the past week, the LAPD has arrested a person they believe to be responsible for this horrific beating.  Hopefully in the near future they catch the other person responsible.

The one thing that I'm not sure I agree with on this, is that the Stow family is suing the Dodgers for negligence.  They are basically saying that the Dodgers are responsible for this and did not do enough to protect Brian Stow.  Having worked in sports and having been to many different sports venues, I would say that unfortunately there isn't much more that can be done.  When you have tens of thousands of people at an event, and especially when alcohol is served, it is nearly impossible to make sure every single person at that event is alright, without having a security person for every one there.  While I was at Dodger Stadium, I saw a very strong police presence.  The people the Stow family need to focus their anger on are the two people who used their fists to assault this person, simply because he was wearing a Giants jersey.

With all of that being said, all of my sympathy goes out to Brian Stow and his family.  I pray for a full recovery and that  you will get to see many more Giants games in your future.

Have we learned nothing?

Once again, a basketball player used an anti-gay slur and was caught on camera.  Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls said something to a fan during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.  Last month it was Kobe, and now this.  Did we learn nothing from the Kobe incident?  You can't say things like that, especially during the playoffs and not expect it to be noticed.  I honestly do not care what the fan was saying to Noah.  Yes, the fan may have been out of line (I have no clue...I haven't watched a clip of the incident) but as a professional basketball player, you have become a public figure and you cannot say things like that.  The NBA had taken such a great step forward last week with the president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns had come out, and now it feels as if we had taken a step back.  Joakim Noah needs to be treated exactly as Kobe was.  He needs to be fined, and he needs to make a public apology.  I know he has already said he was sorry and was out of line, but honestly, it's not enough.  I've said it before and I'll keep saying it...if we keep letting people get away with saying things like this, then the hate will never stop.  We need these athletes, as well as every other public figure, to let people know that this is not okay.  The F word or "gay" should never be used as an insult.  And until they stop, no one else will.

Jorge pulls himself from lineup...wrong on so many levels

So before yesterday's Red Sox/Yankees game, Jorge Posada saw that he was batting ninth, and decided to remove himself from the lineup.  He apparently told Joe Girardi that he needed a mental day off.  During the game, his wife tweeted that he had a stiff back.  And of course, all the media outlets have reported that he is batting less than .200.  The only person who knows the truth, is Jorge Posada.

Now here is one of the reasons this is wrong.  Unless you are injured, you play.  You are Jorge Posada.  You have been with the Yankees since '95/'96.  The only way to get out of a slump and improve your batting average, is to play.  You can't get hits sitting on the bench.  Have some respect for your fans, your team, and yourself.  If you don't want to play because you don't think you can hit, then it's time to retire.  Especially when you are the designated hitter.  If you don't want to hit, there is no point to being on the team.  You can't help them.

Now the other reason why this is wrong.  Brian Cashman, why did you decide to make this known to the public.  You are the general manager of this team, do your job.  Protect your team.  There is no need to bring this to the media's attention.  You just created a firestorm or questions and scrutiny.  Maybe you did it because you wanted people talking about your team, and I get that.  But the Yankees already have so many haters, you don't need any more.  If you want people talking about your team, you need it to be in a positive light.

So here's my take on it.  If you are a baseball player, you play.  Simple as that.  And if you are front office staff, you keep clubhouse issues in the clubhouse.

THE LAKERS LOSE!!!

Yesterday, one of the best things happened.  The Lakers not only were knocked out of the postseason, but they were swept.  No, I'm not a fan of the Dallas Mavericks, but I would pick anyone over the Lakers.  And not only did the Lakers lose, they did it with absolutely no class.  Never mind that your coach is one of the most highly respected coaches in all of basketball.  Never mind that you are one of the most storied franchises in the NBA.  You saw that you were going to lose, and you decided to play schoolyard basketball, and show people that you truly do not have any class.  Lamar Odom being ejected was one thing.  No, the shove to Dirk was not okay and should not have happened, however I'm not sure he should have been ejected for that.  (Granted, I did not see it live...I only saw YouTube videos of it.)  But Bynum...are you freaking kidding me?  You acted like a child.  You knew you were out of the postseason, so you threw a fit.  He's all of five feet tall, you're probably a foot taller than him, and you elbow him in the chest when he's going up for a shot.  You just showed your fans, Mavs fans, basketball fans in general, and the world that you are a classless little bitch.  And then the Lakers in general...you lost by 36 points.  You're supposed to be the team to beat, the reigning champs, the best in the league.  Your coach is retiring at the end of the season, and that was how you reward him?  You gave up.  You could have done more.  You should have done more.  Even if you were going to lose, you should have played to show respect to your coach, your fans, and yourself.  But you didn't.  And that, I will just add to the list of the reasons why I hate you.

B-Roy baby!

I am so sick of hearing about how Brandon Roy isn't the same player he used to be and can't help our team.  He has no cartilage in either of his knees, of course he's not the same player he used to be.  But he can't help our team because of that?  Absolutely false.  Look at his performance in games 3 and 4 of this playoff series vs. Dallas, specifically game 4.  If it were not for him, we would be down 3-1 heading into Dallas tonight.  But we're not.  We're tied 2-2 with all of the momentum on our side.  While we can't expect these plays every game (other people have to have their superstar moments too), but he knows when he needs to step up.  After game 2 he said he was disappointed in how little he played.  And for some reason, people in Portland seemed upset by that.  But he had a point.  He carried this team up until this year, and has done every single thing the organization has asked of him.  Why shouldn't he be hurt?  We should show him the same amount of respect he has shown us.  He has taken his role as a bench player seriously and has done everything he can this season to help the team reach the point we have, while still letting LaMarcus and other's shine.

So for all the Brandon Roy haters out there, I'm pretty sure he shut you up after the last game.  And if not, then I'm pretty sure you need to turn in your Trailblazers fan card.  If you are a Blazers fan, you are a B-Roy fan, plain and simple.

Kobe and the F Word

So recently, my "favorite" NBA player in the world has been in the news.  Not for his play.  Not for his team going to the playoffs.  But for his choice of words he yelled at a referee after receiving a technical foul.  Kobe decided to use the F word, and I'm not talking about fuck.  He used a very derogative term used to describe homosexuals.

First of all, I want to say how much respect for David Stern, commissioner of the NBA.  He immediately fined Kobe $100,000 and said that phrases like that will not be tolerated in the NBA, and should not be tolerated in life.  I think it is amazing at how quickly he reacted.  Yes, something obviously had to be done, but Kobe being the "superstar" that he is, most would have expected a stern, public talking to.  The fact that he was fined as much as he was, although I'm sure it's not that much money, it still shows the world that the NBA will not tolerate that in their league.

Now let's talk about Kobe.  He apologized immediately, of course.  Said what he said was not supposed to be taken literally.  Excuse me?  Not supposed to be taken literally?  No.  It should not have been said AT ALL.  You are a role model.  Millions of people would kill to be you.  Children look up to you and want to be like you, and that is the word you choose to use?  Never once have you said, "I was wrong and should never have used that word."  How do you think a young, gay man felt when that was the word you chose to use to air out your frustration?  What would you have done if the referee had turned back to you and used the N word?  There is absolutely no way you would have been okay with that.  I'm not saying that is how the referee should have responded, but it shows the similarities in the two words.  I know you were angry, but that word should not be in your vocabulary, period.  As a world famous athlete, it is now your job to try and eliminate that word from everyone's vocabulary, especially the people who you just showed it was okay to use.

So Kobe, if you thought I hated you before, guess what...I have you even more.  I think you are a poor excuse for a role model.  You have A LOT to do to repair your image, and I know for some, myself included, there is nothing you can do to fix it.

The Start of Baseball Season

Okay, so I'm a little late for the start of baseball season, but I needed to give it a little time before I commented on anything really.  So here goes...

We'll start off with something bittersweet, but something positive.  On Friday, the Mariners celebrated the life of their former announcer, Dave Niehaus, who died this offseason.  Dave had been the voice of the Mariners since Diego Segui threw that first pitch in 1977.  He breathed Mariners baseball.  He suffered a heart attack, and Mariners fans lost a member of their family.  He had been around for so long, and you were so used to hearing him when watching games on TV or listening to the radio, that it's still hard to realize that he is gone.  So before the home opener, the mariners paid tribute to the voice.  They had a special performance of a song called "My Oh My," his signature catch phrase, put a banner up over the broadcast booth, put patches on one of the sleeves on the Mariners uniform, and had his family come out on to the field so his wife could throw out the ceremonial first pitch.  His family has such poise, it is one of the most impressive things I have ever seen.  When his widow went to the mound for that pitch, she got one of the best standing ovations I have ever seen at Safeco Field.  Instead of breaking into tears like any woman who recently lost her husband would be more than allowed to do, she smiled so brightly and waved to the fans who loved her husband almost as much as she did.  She has all of my respect, and that of the Mariners family as well.  Dave, we miss you, will always miss you, and I hope grandma broke out the rye bread and mustard, and you are enjoying some grand salami's wherever you are.  My oh my.

Okay, now to get to the business of the Mariners play.  What the fuck?  We win our first two, get all excited, and lose every game after.  And for the home opener, the day we are supposed to be honoring Dave Niehaus, we lose 12-3 to the Indians.  Are you fucking kidding me?  Now, I love the Mariners.  I love them with all of my heart.  But I always compare it to an abusive relationship.  I give them my love, and they don't do anything to love me back.  I watch and am constantly disappointed with how they play.  I've actually come to expect them to lose, which is pathetic.  I am shocked when they win.  I mean, honestly, look at our pitching rotation.  Yes we have 2010 Cy Young winner, King Felix, and thank god for that.  Think of how bad we would be if we didn't have him.  And Erik Bedard, seriously?  That was the worst trade in Mariners history and we sign him again?  You have to be kidding me.  I know they say he is healthy this year and it will be his come back year, but I've heard that all before.  I'm just waiting for the shoulder to go once again and him to spend yet another season on the DL.  Even if he does pitch this year, think of all the talent we gave up to get him, and think of how often he has pitched in those seasons we've had him.  Was it really worth it?  In my mind, no.  If we were going to give up all that talent, I want someone who is going to play continuously.

Trust me, I will be a Mariners fan until the day I die, but I know I'm not the only one in saying you guys are major league baseball players.  You get paid how much money to play a game?  You are better than most everyone in the world and have a job that millions of people envy.  Get your shit together and win some games.  Thank you.