HANDS DOWN

Ironic in a sport that we call football; we try to avoid at all costs any interaction of the foot and ball. Maybe it is so ironic that now the name finally fits. But since the invention of the forward pass the sport has been making money hand over foot…

In the last two decades Football has become a Quarterbacks league but where are they with out their prized possessions? We have been lucky as the top 10 Wide Receivers statistically have all played in the last 2 decades. At the top of those lists; The Great One himself, Jerry Rice. But as Dan Marino knows; statistics don’t necessarily make you the greatest of all time. 

What if there was a Receiver that had twice as many receiving yards as that of Jerry Rice?

Cris Carter wasn’t the biggest, the strongest or the fastest but he did have the greatest hands. Or should I say hand? Though he wasn’t the inventor; he did perfect the one-handed grab. He didn’t make the greatest catches or put on a show but it was the subtle absence of drops over the collection of his years that made him the #2 receiver of all time. In 2002 he threw his hands up and the towel in but he wasn’t done being hands on.

Before Cris retired he was thrown a curveball in which he received with open arms; his replacement, Randy Moss. Carter became his trainer, his teacher, his guidance councilor and his brother. Carter not one to patronize then or now helped groom the young Moss who would eventually pass him on the all time list. You might say that is a stretch that Carter had that much influence on Moss but I rebuttal with; when you think of Randy Moss, don’t you think of a one-handed catch? 

But it was the impact Carter had on a young ball boy in Minnesota where he should have received more hands. The boy fancied Carter and at the age of 11 he strived to be hands above. When the boy entered high school it became a friendship and for every summer since, the two have trained together. That ball boy is now less than 3,000 yards away from passing Carter on the All-Time list; with 5 years still to go on his contract. The ball boy still calls him Uncle Cris. We know the boy as Larry Fitzgerald.

Cris Carter maybe 8th on the list but his hands have caught more passes than you know.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

BULLYING

THATS NO BULL

Herschel Walker; arguably the greatest athlete of all time, wasn’t destined for greatness. An outcast physically and socially. And if it wasn’t for the size of the fight, we may have never seen what was in this Bull Dog…

We as a society are fascinated by the hierarchical nature of nature. From the endless programming on the Discovery Channels of the world; to the world of sports, we are in aw of the Alpha. But when it comes to our lives society seeks this so-called parity that Marx the spot.

As society gets out of touch with reality; it is the touch in reality that society is speaking out about. We can’t go a day without hearing about bullying or some variation of thee. But isn’t bullying as fundamental to oneself in society as a regular season is to sport?

In reality we don’t line up alphabetically from A to Z but alphabetically from Alpha to Omega.

…Herschel Walker was the chubby kid that everyone bullied and if it wasn’t for the quarter his dad gave him everyday he wouldn’t have had any friends. He didn’t like his place in line so he sought his place in history. You are either a Walker or a talker.

NATURE VS NUTURE

INCOGNITO

Ironically enough I write on the topic of bullying (and use football as my segway to get my point across) and the biggest story on the topic is broke a couple hours later in the NFL. I’m not here to get into the details of this but the writing was on the wall and the back of his jersey.

[We as a society are fascinated by the hierarchal nature of nature. From the endless programming on the Discovery Channels of the world; to the world of sports, we are in aw of the Alpha. But when it comes to our lives society seeks this so-called parity that Marx the spot.

As society gets out of touch with reality; it is the touch in reality that society is speaking out about. We can’t go a day without hearing about bullying or some variation of thee. But isn’t bullying as fundamental to oneself in society as a regular season is to sport?

In reality we don’t line up alphabetically from A to Z but Alphabetically from Alpha to Omega.]

…Richie was never incognito; you knew exactly who he was and is. He brought out the best and worst of teammates and opponents. Richie Incognito is an asset beyond his playing abilities as (right, wrong or indifferent) he puts his team in line. As in life you are either on the offensive or defensive line and Richie helped pick the teams.

LINE OF SCRIMMAGE

75 & SUNNY

…But that’s not Football. The National Football League is currently facing it’s biggest competitor to date.  As the modern NFL is in the middle of it’s 43^rd year; its easy to see that it's having a mid-life crisis, the NFL has an identity problem. Bill Cowher said it best but in reality what is football?

Just ask and everyone will tell you that football was the best in the years of their childhood. Inevitable the kids of today will talk in glory about the epic battles of the Seahawks and ‘9ers and how Manning was the Man. So obviously I rebuttal with No, Dan was the Man.

But wasn’t the 90’s the epitome of Football. A Bloodsport with perfect balance of run and pass. It would be the beginning of this new era and the end of the recognizable version of its creation. The 90’s were a time before we knew the players off the field and when we could truly cherish who they became on it.

The NFL even as we know it is quickly going to change. Bringing on yet another set of fans. As it becomes an offensive league some of us are taking offence. But even in today’s football we can still catch a glimpse of what the NFL was like and why we became fans.

As I sit here today watching these games being played in the snow; I am mesmerized just like when I was 12. It’s not the fact that there is snow on the field but the show on it. As it doesn’t matter how much you change the game; Mother Nature will find away to please her kids. What is Football? Football is a snowy day in Foxborough.

WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?

ADAGE

As we grow up around sport; we hear the clichés of how sport [through a head fake] will teach us life skills and the core competencies to success. But when we lose we are quickly consoled with ITS JUST A GAME. But what if it’s not?

 

Nelson Mandela sacrificed his life for a right

Nelson Mandela knew he was morally right

It wasn’t his right so he took a stance

It wasn’t his right until he had his chance

Intense Uncritical Devotion to… 

Something you believe in with all your being.
Something you feel that is a part of you; but bigger than you.
Something you are a part of and not afraid to live vicariously through.
Something you find comfort in that there are others just like you.
What’s the difference between being religious and fanatic?

Yasiel Puig sacrificed his life for a game.

Yasiel Puig paid $20 Million to play a game

It was a game that let him see

It was a game that let him free

Nelson Mandela saw sport and the game of rugby as away to come together. Yasiel Puig saw sport and the game of baseball as a way to get away. They both interpreted sport differently but they both believed it was more than just a game.

FAITH

SEASONS GREETINGS

Every year at the end of October there is a time when seasons reach their midpoint; seasons begin and seasons culminate. It is in this confluence that we; the fan of sport, get our greatest gift, as for a brief time we get to enjoy the Whole-a-day season… 

The National Anthem is played at almost all venues across a wide variety of sports from the Big 3 to Rodeo’s and it is in this framework that I answered the question; what is America’s Sport?

We know Baseball is America’s Past Time, Football is the most viewed and Rodeo is the sport we celebrate when we celebrate America. When I hear the Star Spangled Banner I don’t think of the Olympics nor the thousand of basketball games I have officiated. I think of only one thing; every time.

As the sugar rush of late October comes and goes I sober in the moment that the seasons will change. And at the start of each game; no matter the season, I am at the ballpark and that is why Baseball is America’s Sport.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

VESTED INTEREST

Controversy is the focal point to perspectives. There is no right perspective; nor one perspective, just 7.1 Billion of them. I don’t expect you to know them all but I do demand the contrary…

There isn’t much more opposing than that of an older white man wearing a sweater vest then a young black kid from the other side of the tracks. But then again opposites attract. Jim Tressel could connect with those kids and he did; to the tune of 229 victories and 5 National Titles for THE state of Ohio. So why are we so quick to throw out the bath water when the NCAA starts cleaning our baby?

My view; rather simple, dirty. It wasn’t until today that I got to see the rest of the story.

You can tell a lot about a man by his playbook. Tressel: traditional, simple, straight forward. Not one for coach speak as he only promised one thing to his kids (and their families); to treat them as if they were his own. So when he chose to take one for the team he wasn’t that opposite from those kids on the other side of the tracks as he finally earned his street cred.

There are many ways to view this story but I now choose this one. Jim Tressel spent his life building and putting structure into young men’s lives. He believed those lives were more important than his career.  He was and will always be their support system. But then again his name says it all.

GYM TRESTLE  

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Jameis Winston squinting at the sideline; to see the play call

Me at 3 years of age

In a recent study 30% of all successful Entrepreneurs were diagnosed with some form of learning disability as a child. So is it really that hard to fathom that Jameis Winston can have perfect field of vision while having imperfect vision on the field?...

I have dealt with 4 bad eyes now for the most of my life and I argue that 4 bad eyes are better than two good ones. For those who don’t know my story fully; I actually only use one eye at a time, which makes the use of binoculars my ultimate puzzle. We know life has a way of finding it’s equilibrium and in my case providing me with superb directional hearing. So no need to pity me as over the years I have discovered my strengths due to my so-called impaired vision; no pun intended.

So let’s look outside of the box. What is the perk of having the use of only one eye? Well for starters; alcohol doesn’t affect me as it does the norm. We know that your vision is the first to go. Specifically your eyes get out of equilibrium causing the stumbling, the wandering, the swerving and with only one eye I can neither be in nor out of equilibrium.

That is a perk that is easily explained and understood but how can one with only one eye be described as having great court vision? This is a question I have been trying to answer for years. I am getting closer to that answer but again we have to look outside the box. At first glance you would think I would have tunnel vision or narrow field of vision or only be able to focus on one thing at a time; but you would be wrong.

In reality I don’t even have one good eye but let me for the fist time try to explain how I see the world. As I mentioned I only use one eye at a time however that is a little exaggerated as my off eye is viewing the peripheral world but not like you. As with this eye even the stuff in front of me is in its periphery. With my good eye in its normal viewing state it doesn’t focus unless I chose to do so. I see the world not through a set of eyes but a set of perspectives. The best way to describe this is I see the world in Active 3D and you see the world in Passive 3D. The caveat is that I can with a blink of an eye (pun intended and not literally) can interchange my primary eye and just like that my view of the world is changed. What if in reality my vision is literally 4 times better than yours?

…Read and React; easier said then done. But for Jameis Winston is it possible that this is incredibly easy? Is it possible that because he is not in sensory overload that he can just play? I can’t see where Winston’s future will take him but I can see his vision won’t hold him back.

FOUR SIGHT