Everybody knows those kids. They're the ones with the parents watching them from every corner. Making them wear shoes around the house and sandals to the pool. Bundling them up in three layers of clothes during the winter and heavy-duty rain-suits in the middle of a storm.
The Washington Nationals treated prodigy pitcher Stephen Strasburg the same way.
And you know what happens to those kids? A sharp piece of glass find its way inside a shoe in the house and a bee stings a kid on the top of his foot at the pool. And the kids still contract pneumonia during the wintry rainstorms because they're too sanitized to have strong immunity.
Now Stephen Strasburg will undergo Tommy John surgery because the Nationals were too worried about his pitch count and not his throwing motion.
It's the sad tale of a promising pitcher who, even if his career is not over, may not come back the same dominant rookie he was earlier this summer.
NFL teams should take note of what happened to Strasburg. While the same method is not heavily practiced amongst MLB teams -- who want top prospects on the roster as soon as possible -- NFL teams popularized this method with promising rookie quarterbacks.
Take for instance JaMarcus Russell. Pegged as the quarterback of the future, Russell was pampered by the Oakland Raiders. By the time he was given the spotlight, he was both lazy and inept. Now he's a free agent struggling with drug problems.
Peyton Manning, on the other hand, started his rookie season with a mediocre performance but has since developed into one of the greatest players in NFL history. Even quarterbacks like Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger, and Mark Sanchez have made huge impacts on their teams as rookies despite doubts from scouts on Draft Day.
If the Nationals ever recover from this catastrophe they should learn this: Just because Strasburg looks to be the best pitcher in franchise history doesn't mean his mechanics are perfect and sending him out on the mound with a diaper is going to preserve his career. You may have already ruined it.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Curse of the Punched Ticket
The next time I hear it, I promise I will punch my $20 TV. And that doesn't mean I'm sending my Goodwill television to a playoff tournament.
Please, repeat "punched ticket" five times. Do you have any idea what you're saying?
Google "punch ticket" and look at all the news results from around the country that contain some derivation of the phrase.
Football. Basketball. Hockey. Every sport imaginable has fallen under the curse of the punched ticket.
Now, at the brink of March Madness, I've heard it more than ever. In fact, 128 teams will have punched tickets to the Men and Women's NCAA Tourney by the end of the week. And I promise, by the time you finish reading this, you'll want to punch something, too.
What happened to the dance? The once classic phrase unique to March Madness has virtually disappeared in favor of the universal punched ticket. Wofford is making its first dance in school history. But no one cares about Cinderella's stunning appearance at the ball. Now, everyone steps onto the train and punches their ticket.
Is it a train? Or a plane? Or a show? What kind of ticket is this? The media's hunger for new lingo continues to create ambiguous terms that carry no meaning or purpose. It no longer sets the underdogs apart from the favorites.
No more dreams. No more magic.
Just a punched ticket.
Dancing will be ruined. One song played over and over again like a teen girl practicing karaoke. Every dance, every journey - plagued by the punched ticket.
Only one cure exists. And it's not a new catchphrase.
How about creativity?
Please, repeat "punched ticket" five times. Do you have any idea what you're saying?
Google "punch ticket" and look at all the news results from around the country that contain some derivation of the phrase.
Football. Basketball. Hockey. Every sport imaginable has fallen under the curse of the punched ticket.
Now, at the brink of March Madness, I've heard it more than ever. In fact, 128 teams will have punched tickets to the Men and Women's NCAA Tourney by the end of the week. And I promise, by the time you finish reading this, you'll want to punch something, too.
What happened to the dance? The once classic phrase unique to March Madness has virtually disappeared in favor of the universal punched ticket. Wofford is making its first dance in school history. But no one cares about Cinderella's stunning appearance at the ball. Now, everyone steps onto the train and punches their ticket.
Is it a train? Or a plane? Or a show? What kind of ticket is this? The media's hunger for new lingo continues to create ambiguous terms that carry no meaning or purpose. It no longer sets the underdogs apart from the favorites.
No more dreams. No more magic.
Just a punched ticket.
Dancing will be ruined. One song played over and over again like a teen girl practicing karaoke. Every dance, every journey - plagued by the punched ticket.
Only one cure exists. And it's not a new catchphrase.
How about creativity?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Every Chris Begins With...
"Hey, I'm the best player in the NFL...or at least my paycheck should say that."
That's right, earlier this week Chris Johnson made a statement that he should be the highest-paid player in the NFL. He recently set the NFL record for most yards from scrimmage in a single season and broke over 2,000 yards rushing.
Johnson became only the sixth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards. The other five? O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, and Jamal Lewis.
Like Dickerson, Chris Johnson's landmark season was only his second in professional football. Dickerson recorded five 1,000 yard season but only one came close to his dominance in 1984. Even though O.J. Simpson managed to have an outstanding career, he shattered his public image with legal troubles. Barry Sanders only played one more season, Terrell Davis never rushed for more than 700 yards, and Jamal Lewis dropped his performance 50% - all after these record-breaking 2,000 yard seasons.
So before Chris Johnson gets more money than any player in the NFL, the Titans need to assess whether he can produce as much as he did this season. No player has done it twice. Let's look at the facts.
The average career of an NFL player is 3 and a half years. Johnson has already played two. Think back to the top runningbacks five years ago. How many are still playing at the top of their game? Even LaDainian Tomlinson is past his prime. We've yet to see an outstanding runningback show the longevity of the great '90s backs: Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, and Fred Taylor.
Maybe Chris Johnson should get a lucrative deal - he may not be making this money for much longer.
At least his bold statement caught the ears of the Colts. Because if anyone deserves a record-breaking contract, it's Peyton Manning.
That's right, earlier this week Chris Johnson made a statement that he should be the highest-paid player in the NFL. He recently set the NFL record for most yards from scrimmage in a single season and broke over 2,000 yards rushing.
Johnson became only the sixth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards. The other five? O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, and Jamal Lewis.
Like Dickerson, Chris Johnson's landmark season was only his second in professional football. Dickerson recorded five 1,000 yard season but only one came close to his dominance in 1984. Even though O.J. Simpson managed to have an outstanding career, he shattered his public image with legal troubles. Barry Sanders only played one more season, Terrell Davis never rushed for more than 700 yards, and Jamal Lewis dropped his performance 50% - all after these record-breaking 2,000 yard seasons.
So before Chris Johnson gets more money than any player in the NFL, the Titans need to assess whether he can produce as much as he did this season. No player has done it twice. Let's look at the facts.
The average career of an NFL player is 3 and a half years. Johnson has already played two. Think back to the top runningbacks five years ago. How many are still playing at the top of their game? Even LaDainian Tomlinson is past his prime. We've yet to see an outstanding runningback show the longevity of the great '90s backs: Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, and Fred Taylor.
Maybe Chris Johnson should get a lucrative deal - he may not be making this money for much longer.
At least his bold statement caught the ears of the Colts. Because if anyone deserves a record-breaking contract, it's Peyton Manning.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
How the Super Bowl Unites Us All
It’s the biggest non-government holiday of the year. But even President Obama will celebrate it in some fashion and hold a press conference about it afterwards. Super Bowl Sunday. Chances are, you’ll hear about it at school, work, or church. On that Sunday night, people will go to churches and bars for the very same reason: to watch the Super Bowl.
Without exaggeration, the Super Bowl unites people from all walks of life for the very same purpose. Not all viewers are avid sports fans, and some don’t even watch sports at all. Countless Americans claim to only watch the game for the commercials, but by the end of the game are exasperated from constant cheering for the team they just fell in love with. Others are self-proclaimed sports gurus, listing off the names of impact players whom you won’t even see due to retirement or free agency. Then you have the armchair quarterbacks who will tell Peyton Manning and Drew Brees exactly what they should be doing despite having no experience of their own. A few are diehard fans that have waited entire lifetimes to see their team in the Super Bowl; others will be diehards because they made an impulsive bet. The rarest of all are the true sports experts, who know quite a bit about the game but just sit back and watch without making many comments.
Regardless of where you are when watching the Super Bowl, all of these people will be watching it with you. Maybe even in the same room.
Think about it. With the state of our nation in financial turmoil, political schism, and social depression, not to mention the treacherous condition of the American family, all it takes to unite us is a nationally televised and over-commercialized football game. A game that will haul in billions of dollars, cause Republicans and Democrats to root for the same team, give fans something to cheer about, and allow some families to finally spend quality time together.
In the end, the outcome only affects the players, the bettors, and the diehard fans. But it’s the four-hour experience – including the memorable commercials, breathtaking halftime show, and enduring friendships – that makes the Super Bowl increasingly valuable to modern life.
Without exaggeration, the Super Bowl unites people from all walks of life for the very same purpose. Not all viewers are avid sports fans, and some don’t even watch sports at all. Countless Americans claim to only watch the game for the commercials, but by the end of the game are exasperated from constant cheering for the team they just fell in love with. Others are self-proclaimed sports gurus, listing off the names of impact players whom you won’t even see due to retirement or free agency. Then you have the armchair quarterbacks who will tell Peyton Manning and Drew Brees exactly what they should be doing despite having no experience of their own. A few are diehard fans that have waited entire lifetimes to see their team in the Super Bowl; others will be diehards because they made an impulsive bet. The rarest of all are the true sports experts, who know quite a bit about the game but just sit back and watch without making many comments.
Regardless of where you are when watching the Super Bowl, all of these people will be watching it with you. Maybe even in the same room.
Think about it. With the state of our nation in financial turmoil, political schism, and social depression, not to mention the treacherous condition of the American family, all it takes to unite us is a nationally televised and over-commercialized football game. A game that will haul in billions of dollars, cause Republicans and Democrats to root for the same team, give fans something to cheer about, and allow some families to finally spend quality time together.
In the end, the outcome only affects the players, the bettors, and the diehard fans. But it’s the four-hour experience – including the memorable commercials, breathtaking halftime show, and enduring friendships – that makes the Super Bowl increasingly valuable to modern life.
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