today december 10th, 2009

Today, December 10, 2009 Barry Lamar Bonds retired from baseball. Most of you probably thought he already did. He is the poster boy for the "steroid era" in baseball and also the first athlete that I can honestly say has been "blackballed" by his sport. Do I think Bonds took steroids, honestly yes. Do I think he knowingly knew that he was taking steroids, maybe. Maybe he was doing something that at the time was not considered a steroid. Mark Mcgwire took a substance that was sold over the counter and at the time was not a banned substance from his sport. Maybe Bonds was doing Creatine or Thermadrene. I took those and got my weight up to 315 but I looked 250. I am sad that he retired today for a bunch of reasons. We will get to those in a minute. So no parade, no motorcade, no ceremony by his final team, no plaque with his name on it or tip of the cap to and adoring crowd. Bonds last days as a Giant they did that for him. Two years ago!!! He still in his last season hit more home runs than any Giant did last season. It is a disgrace that he has been kicked to the curb by major league baseball.
Lets talk steroids briefly. I like everyone else don't have a clue what the effect of taking steroids has on a baseball player. People keep saying that it makes you hit the ball farther and obviously it makes you stronger. Then why did other players not have the success that Bonds and A-rod had with the drug. Hitting a baseball is not as easy as the media and sporting press has made it out to be. Plus the crazy thing about Bonds is that his batting average improved during the alleged times that he was doing steroids. I don't want to argue semantics but that should not have happened. He walked like a thousand plus times and did not hit a ton of doubles or triples. In most games he got one at bat and if he got a hit that was it. It is a shame that we will only remember him for the last 10 years of his career instead of the great player that he was. 23 years encompasses a long time in sports. So many highlights are all wasted because no one trusts his accomplishments of the last 10 years.
Greg Anderson must have done something terrible in a previous life or he must have done something to Barry Bonds. This man has been in jail for over 3 years in total protecting information that he has about Bonds and steroids. People say that this is the ultimate loyalty. I wonder if Bonds is paying his bills at home or his lawyers fees. My theory is that Anderson gave Bonds steroids and Bonds did not have a clue what he was taking. I think Bonds found out and it was too late to stop and he just kept doing them until the cycle finished. The rationale behind my crazy theory is why the hell would anyone go to jail to protect a multi-million dollar athlete? The most time Bonds would get in jail would not even a year and he would pay a fine and be done with this. Lets say Bonds would get 5 years for taking steroids he probably would get out in 2 and he would still be rich. Greg Anderson has lost 3 years of his life protecting his name!!! Protecting Bonds has destroyed Greg Anderson. Greg Anderson may have destroyed Barry Bonds. Spending Christmas in jail for a crime that you have not committed really sucks. Bond to my knowledge is not mobbed up so I don't understand the sacrifice being made by Anderson.
So a great ball player career ended today!!! He should have been put on a pedestal and appreciated. Barry was his own worst enemy. He would not let the press control him and now it seems like the new mission is to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. McGwire is about to become a hitting instructor for the Cardinals next season.. Sosa has bleached his skin. A great era of baseball has been tossed aside because of these men. None of these men won championships so why do we care. Don't they say that" if you ain't cheating' you ain't trying'?" The final stat line for Bonds:2935 hits 1996 runs batted in 514 stolen bases
762 home runs 2558 walks 2227 runs scored
What a career that will be forgotten!!!!

What is Image?

Remember over 20 years ago, Charles Barkley did a commercial telling the world that he is not a role model.. He doesn't want to raise your kids and basically the fact that he can bounce a basketball and dunk it doesn't make him a role model. His "image" at first was ridiculed because most people thought that he was just running his mouth. Then more came out that he was saying that parents should be a role model more than athletes. A few years later Andre Agassi came out with the image is everything commercial commercials. The commercials were cool, but the media and other players came out saying that "winning is everything" mocking Agassi's inability to win the big tournaments. Most rap music of the 80's and early 90's talked about looking "fly"or stylish with hair cuts and hair styles. How one dressed determined if they were cool or "down". Black men would go out and by the African neck chains to show people that they were representing the mother land. What is Image? Do your clothing, language, attitude, wealth, success or failure make up an image? Is image created by the person? Is image created by the society one lives in? Lets dissect this a bit.
Andre Agassi is the perfect example of this question, especially now knowing what we know about him. He was always criticized for being more concerned about looking good than winning matches. He wore cutoff shorts and had long hair. The public loved him for his looks, flair and his"hair". He was a renegade because he refused to go to Wimbledon and wear the white shirt and shorts. Then of course the greatest irony is that winning Wimbledon is what legitimized his career shot holes through that image crap. He played to win. He just did not do it much as a young player when the American Tennis Federation wanted an American player to be like Connors or McEnroe. Now we learn that he had fake hair, hated tennis and a meth head. Can you imagine what the reaction would have been if his hair piece had fallen off his head? When he won the U.S. Open and Barbara Streisand was mentoring him and he cried and carried on like he did America cried too. Can you imagine if at that time we would have found out he was kicking his meth habit at the time? What would we have done? No one knew that the drug was prevalent then as it is today. He would have been destroyed you think. Listening to the excerpts from his book though he would have been relieved so he would not have to play tennis again. The image of Agassi was that he was tapping as much ass as he could get and did not care if he won matches or not. He was flashy and excitable and we loved it all. The reality was he was as miserable as a teething baby. We created his image so that now that he has confessed so much to us, that we look stupid for rooting for a guy who could careless about what we feel. When you win, it is not enough. Pete Sampras would win matches answer questions with as many one word answers he could think of and go running or just go home. Barry Sanders would just give the ball to the referee and he was deemed as "aloof" or indifferent because he did not celebrate like Emmit Smith or others. Agassi was our puppet. I wonder if he acted bratty or at the time when he was reeling if he said that he hated tennis would the public love him as they do now. I wonder if he never won a major if people would revere him like I do.
I keep hearing that Tiger's image is destroyed and he needs to go on Oprah or 60 minutes and explain his sins to save his image. Again what is Tigers image? I think that most people thought he was a "square" and that he was a robot. All he cared about was winning golf. "Second Sucks" is a quote that is attributed to him. I remember when he first came on the scene other golfers hated him because they did not want to answer questions about him. They did not at the time understand what kind of force he was about to be. When he won the Masters in record fashion, everyone stopped talking and started climbing on the Tiger express. When he "stuffed" that tee shot in a playoff to get his first win, everyone went crazy. Unlike Agassi Tiger won early and often and all of the players at the time got angry and not motivated to beat him. Hell David Duval fell apart. Justin and Phil took a bunch of years before they got their majors. How do we explain Tigers image? He did not have one in my opinion. I have seen every major athlete of the past 25 years at night club or bar and I have never seen Tiger. (any Golfer for that matter). I have been a bouncer for 14 years of my life and I find that hard to believe that I have not seen Tiger. I seen Jordan, Carl Lewis, Lance Armstrong, Tyson, Micheal Irvin, Magic, Kobe, De La Hoya, Danica, Serena, Roy Jones, Elway, McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Jeter, no Tiger. I even worked on a Tom Cruise movie. Danced with Sandra Bullock. Body guarded Hef's table for a bunch of nights.. No Tiger. His situation is so unique and amazing at the same time. He is 33 years old and basically still the best player in the world. He is chasing history. This coming season, he needs 4 wins to pass Nicklaus for second o the all time wins list. He still needs 4 majors to pass Jack for all time for that. He is only 13 or 14 behind Sam Snead for all time wins. In other words, how many companies are going to abandon him and how many companies are still going to try and sign him? This will die down and if he wins the Masters and Elin is standing there holding their children and he gets hug, the world press will make it the world's moment and everything will be okay.. So once again I ask what is Tigers Image? Time will tell if he has one. Right now his image is that he is a horny bastard. If Elin leaves him she would get half his worth right? 500 million dollars... He would make that back in what 2 years? 3 years after he breaks all of the records. The difference between Agassi and Tiger to me is that I never knew Tiger. We only what he allows to see and hear about him. Agassi has been in my face for 25 years and I can chronicle his life and understand his rise and fall now. I was duped by him before and I did not care because he made me watch tennis. Tiger makes me watch golf because I he teaches me not to give up. I still don't know what image is.. O.J. Simpson had a great "image" too...

isn't it about time?

Isn't about time that the Heisman Trophy be called the Most Outstanding Offensive Player Award? Charles Woodson is the only Heisman Trophy winner that primarily played defense. He was spectacular on special teams and came into games and made catches and scored touchdowns. If defense wins championships, why can't the win the Heisman too? Did you see the Texas and Nebraska tilt on Saturday? Ndamukong Suh put a performance that would make Mean Joe Greene proud. He is the best college lineman I have seen since Steve Emtmann from the University of Washington. 4 and 1/2 sacks in a championship game with the world watching is L.T. like. The Rams and Bucs are currently in the sweepstakes for his services next year. He is the best player in the country by far. This is the first time that I can remember that the actual number 1 pick in the draft is the best player in college. He plays the run, the pass, defends screen passes. He can run sideline to sideline to make plays. He basically beat the crap out of the guy who is going to win the award on Saturday. Jimmy Clausen had a better season than Colt MCcoy. Case Keenum did too. Ndamukong is getting a lot of national support though. The reason that defenders won't win the award is touchdowns. I am certain that any college football fan can remember a defensive player that is as good as the winner of the award without hesitation. Emtmann was that guy for me. He never played many games in the NFL but he is the highest rated prospect in the history of the draft. Derrick Brooks was awesome also. Hugh Greene back in the day came in second and he was worthy of the award. Brian Bosworth was as well. Levar Arrington and Roy Williams made plays every week. I know i take this stuff too seriously but these men put their uniform on the same way as a quarterback does. a receiver and a running back. Can you believe that there are only two receivers that has won the Heisman Trophy. Desmond Howard and Tim Brown. How crazy is that? If Peter Warrick had not gotten in trouble stealing he would have won the award. Crazy award that means so much in college but not a damn thing in the pros.
Isn't it about time that the NBA admit that the league is superstar driven and they do give the stars calls and that their is some legitimacy to the claims of Tim Donaghy!!! I remember wondering why everyone kept saying that Dr. J. used to walk with the ball and never get called for it. Or why the Celtics always seemed to get calls in the fourth quarter of games when they were losing. Or why the Lakers never played back to back games when they won titles in 2000-2003 in the playoffs like everyone else.!!!Why Jordan, Magic, Isaiah, Bird, Kareem, Akeem, never fouled out but Ewing did? I will watch the games no matter what but at least tell me that if Lebron or Duncan take an extra step we are not going to call it okay... or that if Wade and Kobe are about to shoot the game winning shot, if my defender sneezes on them that a foul will be called. (except in the finals against Duncan's team).
Isn't about time that BCS disband and stop this insanity. For the TCU and Boise State's of the world, this system sucks and to show them how bad it sucks they put them against each other to create more controversy. They could have matched either of these teams against Florida or Georgia Tech or Cincinnati. Making them play each other did nothing to change what people think about the little guy in college football. What a slap in the face. They played last year in an epic 17-16 classic. If Texas had lost, Iowa would have been watching the BCS games instead of playing one. Isn't it funny that everyone criticized the Big Ten and they have two teams playing in the big money games!!!
Isn't it about time that we recognize that College Basketball is more about the coaches than the schools and the players!!! Rick Pitino, Coach K., Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, Jim Calhoun and Boeheim, Geno and Pat are all institutions. They make more money than God. They get the schools the sneaker contracts and the television contracts. I know that kids are only there for a short period of time but I have never seen Coach Calipari make a three point shot to beat Kansas. Television is only interested in what the coaches do. Who cares about who wins. When Wisconsin beat Duke last week ESPN showed the coaches shaking hands amidst all of the chaos on the court. When Geno and Pat get together they spend more time showing the coaches then the action on the floor. C. Vivian, Tara, Gail, only get recognized if the are playing Pat and Geno. I think it is funny!! I usually could name the best players in the games in both men and women games.
Don't get me going about Pete Rose!!! another day for that isn't it about time!!!

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good...

I don't care what anyone says about skill, talent, or ability. I would rather be lucky than good. I am sure that we have all had one of those day when everything you do or touch just seems to go your way and I am sure that you have the opposite as well. After watching what I saw this weekend, I am convinced that being lucky is better than being good because you never know when luck is going to strike. For example, the Miami Heat played their best game on the road Friday night, only to have Kobe Bryant bank a three-point shot in and defeat them. After the game Kobe said that he knew the shot was long and when it went in all he could do is lift his arms above his head in triumph.
How about college football on Saturday. The University of Pittsburgh played their hearts out only to have a kicker miss an extra point that proved to be the margin of victory for Cincinnati. He must be the sickest man on earth. That kick is practiced a thousand times a season and for some reason it is missed more frequently than one might imagine. Then the University of Texas gets the luckiest break of the weekend. Their Heisman winning Quarterback Colt MCcoy throws a ball that was in the air forever out of bounds and the clock expired. The referees ruled that there was 1 second on the clock and allowed Texas an opportunity to kick a 46 yard field goal to win the game. The messed up thing about that play is that I was always taught that when the clock hits double zero, the game is over. Notre Dame and Michigan earlier this season had a similar play where the game clock should have given the Irish 1 second and allowed them to have one more play. The referee did not review the clock and ran off the field and Michigan won. Did Texas receive some"home cooking" with the call? Probably because I feel that when the clock goes "00" the game is over. I remember the Superbowl between the Patriots and the Rams and after Vinitieri made the kick, there was still 2 seconds on the clock. The Patriots ran on the field and celebrated, the confetti came down and the refs did not even try to stop the celebration.
Then of course the NFL game of the day. The New Orleans Saints got three unbelievable breaks yesterday. The kicker of the Redskins missed a 23 yard field goal that would have "iced" the game for the 'Skins. The receiver Meachem stole the ball from a defender who had intercepted a pass from Brees and returned it for a touchdown. In overtime, the Saints recovered a fumble even though the ruling on the field was down by contact. The replay booth over ruled the call and the Saints marched on to keep their unblemished record. Some may say that the Giants got lucky yesterday too. Tony Romo throws for 392 yards and basically carved the Giants up like the turkeys they are and lost the game because of a punt return and allowing a 265lb. running back to scamper down the sideline for a 70 plus yard touchdown on a short pass. As a Giant fan, I will take it as luck and look forward to he Eagles this weekend. Now the Cowboys have to answer the questions about always losing in December. Ya gotta love it!!!
The sad story of "bad" luck this weekend goes to Greg Oden of the Portland Trailblazers. This guy has been injured in all of his seasons in the NBA and now he is out for the season. He just jumped up in the air and landed and his knee is gone.. Portland must feel cursed. This the third high profile center that have drafted and their careers plagued by injuries. Bill Walton, Sam Bowie, Arvydis Sabonis could not stay healthy enough to sustain legendary careers while in Blazer uniforms. Walton, won three rings despite foot problems. He is in the Hall of fame. Sabonis is arguably the greatest international player that we never got to see. In his prime he was compared to Bird for his crafty ability with ball and shooting touch. When he came to the NBA he was still very good but injured too often with back and other issues. Bowie is a sad story because he was drafted ahead of Micheal Jordan and never did anything for the Blazers. A cup of coffee with the Nets is his only positive claim to fame in the NBA. Greg Oden from all accounts is a really good kid. I am sad for him and his family. He is only 22 so he has time but "unlucky" accidents happen all the time..

who determines what cities teams go to?

I often wonder a lot of foolish things when it comes to sports. Today's random thought is who chooses what cities to have pro sport teams in? I know that the owners and the commissioner's of each of the major sports look at expanding their leagues and usually have to vote on cities that get added to their sport. I am just wondering what is the criteria and who picked some of the cities that have teams now? Let me give you some examples.
The New Jersey Nets may be the worse drawing team in the NBA this year and maybe in history. Ever since they got rid of Jason Kidd they have not been the same team. In fact when they had Jason Kidd they did not draw fans and two of those teams went to the NBA finals. Now they have two things against them. Actually three. The Knicks across the river draw fans no matter how good they are. There are New Yorkers everywhere and we will pay top dollar to see the Knicks even if they are playing the Clippers. The Giants and the Jets hurt the Nets because since there is no football team in metropolitan N.Y. fans from New York will commute to Jersey to watch their teams play. No fan from New York is going to commute to see the Nets play especially if they have Giant or Jet tickets. Those tickets already cost too much and adding a basketball game would be foolish especially for the product being shown this year. Lastly, New Jersey is a Devils town. They have championship banners to give them legitimacy. The Nets haven't won sine they had Dr. J. Now I hear they are moving to Brooklyn in the next three years. Jay-z has his hands full now with this mess. They are not going to get Lebron so this franchise is doomed. For all that New Jersey has to offer, I wonder why it is not a destination that free agents want to go. They have Atlantic City, great colleges and Universities, and great places for amusement parks. They have the best view of New York and great little affluent towns where a lot of celebs live. Basketball is King in in all places Connecticut. They should put a pro team there. The Hartford Civic Center could be the place for the games to be played.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are not drawing crowds either. Each week I keep hearing that their games are being "blacked out" and that is a disaster for the NFL. They have a couple of great players and have been a pretty consistent contending team over the past decade. Who chose that city? What is the big sport there? They have a University there but they have nothing else. Jai Alai? A friend of mine was an assistant coach of the soccer team. I am sure they could have gone to Orlando if they were smart. DisneyWorld is there. Tim Tebow is from Jacksonville so the rumor now is that the owner of the team wants to draft him next year. What a coup? The people of Jacksonville have not supported the team as well as they should have. The funny thing is that the N.F.L needs a team in Los Angeles and settles for city like Jacksonville. There is a team in Sacramento. They just decided to disband their womens pro team. Seattle just lost its N.B.A. team. There are great college cities in the country that would love to have an N.F.L. team. Lincoln, Nebraska, Norman, Oklahoma off the top of my head. The fact that San Diego is not drawing this year is sad too. The have a great product. Maybe the players rub the people there the wrong way. Prices may be too high for tickets but the average N.F.L fan would pay no matter the price if the really want to see a game. The Lions went 0-16 last year and still drew crowds.
What we don't want to happen is already happening in sports. Teams are dumping salaries to clear space for once in a lifetime players. The Knicks, Nets, think they are going to attract Lebron James. In baseball, the owner of the Red Sox made a great point yesterday that highest taxed teams are giving way too much money other teams. For example, the Yankees and Red Sox pay this luxury tax and the money is getting divided up amongst the teams that don't spend money and those owners are just pocketing the money and not spending the money on players. They Royals had a payroll a couple of years ago that was less than A-rod and Jeter's salary combined. The Florida Marlins payroll in 2007 was less than A-rod's salary that year. We don't want a system where teams just let their best players go to the richest teams and instead of the owners getting players, they are pocketing the money.. That would destroy all sports. I find the N.F.L.'s system most interesting because the trade deadline just is another day not like it is in baseball. Free agency usually gets figured out in the off season in football and the players don't always work out. Washing Redskins spend money like it is on fire and they haven't won a thing in 18 years. They signed Deion, Bruce Smith, Jason Taylor, and have no rings to show for it. This off season in the N.F. L will not have a salary cap. The best draft in the N.B.A. in the past 15 years all have contracts ending this year. What is going to happen.. Wade, Bosh, Anthony, James, Stoudamire all free agents. This baseball off season is going to be quiet just because everyone knows that the Yankees will let you know when the market is open. With Roy Halliday already proclaiming that New York is where he wants to go, why have a season. Matt Holliday could be a Yankee too.
In short, I think that teams should be in place where they have an infrastructure of great fans who will support their teams through thick and then. If teams are going to start dumping salaries just to get unrealistic players no league will survive. I saw today that Hofstra dropped its football team after being in business since 1937. Where is Wayne Chrebet when you need him...

Buttercup...

"Why do you build me up, Buttercup baby just to let me down..." Many people are asking themselves that question today. The world first billionaire athlete has been a bad boy and I am shocked and outraged that people are surprised. I think that most people thought that Mr. Woods was a "square, a dork, a geek," and did not have it in him to be a playa.. Wrong!!! He has a model wife, a great self made career, two children, beautiful homes, in short he has it all. The question isnt why, either. The question is when.. If he did his cheating while his wife was pregnant most people in the world will lose a little respect for him. Some will say cheating is cheating no matter when, how or what a person does it. He is not the first and won't be the last. Is his action unforgivable? That is up to his wife. He has done enough for me. He has apologized and I agree with everything that he said. So my rant today addresses a broader topic.
What has happened to us as a culture that we have absolutely little to no faith in anyone. Whether it is a politician, police officer, iconic actor, actress, athlete, priest, doctor, lawyer, mother, father, WE AS A PEOPLE DO NOT TRUST ANYONE. WE BELIEVE EVERY STORY TO BE TRUE NO MATTER HOW SALACIOUS, CRAZY, UNFATHOMABLE, OR RIDICULOUS. We get mad at the media because we think that they exploit our intelligence or the exploit the people being accused. The reality is we need them to keep pointing out to us that no one is perfect. I blogged a while ago about how in the 40's, 50's, 60's the media seemed to have a code of honor and silence. We have all heard of stories of President Kennedy and Marylin Monroe. We have heard of stories of Muhammad Ali and his many mistresses. We have heard of stories of J.Edgar Hoover, and the Yankees and athletes of that era. Hell Wilt Chamberlain said he slept with over 20,000 women. I am willing to bet you today that there are bouncers and security guards around the country that know things about people that may stun you. The media isn't the one committing the bad act, they just get the story in a crazy manner and that incites people even more. The part that scares me is that I am scared to watch the news. I am waiting for bad news more than I am waiting for good news. To me that is wrong. I don't want to live in a world where I can't tell my daughter not to have heroes. Sure every parent wants their child to look to them and say that they are their hero. But the reality is that most kids look to leaders outside of the home for their inspirations. In the last 10 years I have heard that Dr. J had a child out of wedlock and was a pro tennis player. Micheal Jordan divorced, Janet Jones Gretzky was apart of a gambling operation, Roger Clemens wife was allegedly taking HGH to look good in a photo shoot, Marion Jones took steroids, there are people who sole job is to fix soccer games in Europe and the world, just to name a few. Marv Albert is a biter. Shawn Kemp and Jason Caffey had 10 kids out of wedlock different women. Evander Holyfield has a bunch too. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his mom fighting over his father's legacy.
Do we hold people in to high of esteem? I think those days are long over. I worked a party out here for NBC's 75th anniversary and there was a crowd of people across the street screaming at the stars going in to the party. I couldn't believe it. I asked one of the members of the crowd why he was saying what he was saying, and went on about some anti-Semitic stuff and I had to walk away because I was disgusted. As I walked away, he asked me why do I like them so much. I told him that they give me something to aspire to and they give me a relief when I have somethings that are bugging me. I said to him that there is nothing wrong with being a fan. I said that he does not have to be a fan, but being a racist made him look stupid. Then the cops shooed him and the crowd away. The point is I don't want my daughter to grow up in a world where she is told not to have heroes. If Tiger wins the first three tournaments out the block next year, this story will go away. In fact i think this story will be out of sight unless more women come out with proof or he goes on Oprah, or if Elin files for divorce. I guess we all sit and wait and see who is next. Derek Jeter has been dating starlets his entire Yankee career. I have never heard a bad word said by any of the ladies after he moves on. He is never in the tabloids. Then again neither was O.J......

The sportsman of the year is....what?

Sports Illustrated named Derek Jeter of the World Champion New york Yankees as the Sportsman of the year and I am a bit surprised. I know many of us "yankees" don't follow NASCAR or Tennis or even College Football but this award this year belongs to at least three people before Derek Jeter. Jimmie Johnson just made history in his sport. In fact many are saying that what he has done has no equivalent in any sports. The "Tiger Slam" is the closest accomplishment to what JJ has done and I cannot believe in a year where JJ accomplished this feat, he is not the run away sportsman of the year. I know most of us don't even regard NASCAR as a sport. I don't even drive so I cannot tell you or anyone how difficult his accomplishment actually is. In this day and age, anyone dominating a sport like JJ has deserves all the accolades over any life time achievement award. Jeter passed Lou Gehrig. Okay. They play more games today than they did in the 20's and 30's so eventually it was going to happen. The right person passed him and in a championship year maybe winning the league M.V.P. would change my stance. Jeter also won the Roberto Clemente Award which I find interesting since Albert Pujols is baseball's cover boy. He deserves the Sportsman of the year award for what he did this year in baseball and the type of historic run that he is on.
I think that Tim Tebow is over-rated and Over-hyped, but what he is about to do makes him more Sports man of the year worthy than Jeter. If his team wins Saturday, he will be playing in his third championship game in a four year career. In college sports that is phenomenal. He has been a Heisman finalist for three years in a row. Now i think that people are crazy when they say he is greatest college football player ever to live because I just think that there are better players. He has broken almost every scoring record in the S.E.C. and has done things as a quarterback that no one else has done. U.S.C recently played in three title games in a row and was a Vince Young Miracle away from winning all three. Tebow has gone to speak in third world nations as an ambassador to this country and has represented college football on and off the field better than anyone in the past decade. He deserves the award over Jeter for all of his accomplishments. The sad thing is that for a guy that is supposedly the greatest player of all time, it appears that no one thinks that he will be a great pro. I hope he proves people wrong. (but never beats the Giants)
The last guy has to be Roger Federer. I know that in my blogs that i have that I am a Sampras guy and blah blah blah, but The guy set the All Time record this year in slams and was in the finals of all of the majors this year. (again) I know what he has done in his career is spectacular and quite redundant. He has gone from a guy that people earlier this year said was done, to being back at the table with Tiger and Jimmie Johnson. I dont need to gush over Federer's success because he is the standard player in his sport. He deserves the award over Jeter.
I will add one more name. Manny Pacquiauo has transcended his sport higher than anyone in the individual sports. Tiger maybe the most famous athlete in the world but Manny is the most important person in his sport that does not have another face. Mayweather may beat him and may be the best boxer pound for pound but who care about Floyd. Most people think he is sacred of Manny. He is more important to his country than any athlete in the world. He beat Cotto and after the fight performed in a concert. His last three wins against De la Hoya, Hatton and Cotto elevated to a status that we haven't seen in Boxing since Tyson. He started his career at Bantamweight!!!!
As a Met fan I am sure that most of you think I am just hating. I love Derek Jeter!! I tell my wife that if my Daughter meet a boy like Jeter , he is welcomed in my home for ever. I know it is a hard choice each year, but they need to make the award clear that it is not a lifetime achievement award. The fact that he is the first Yankee to win the award is cool. Peyton Manning may win his fourth M.V.P. trophy or Tebow may win his second Heisman or Frave may win his Fourth M.V.P. award.. oh oh what will they do then...