BAIL TO THE CHIEFS: HOW I LOST INTEREST IN THE NFL

I’m the kind of fan the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL don’t want to hear about. Yeah, I had Chiefs season tickets for about 15 years. I went to the Carl Peterson Show, the Tim Grunhard Show, and religiously watched road games with friends and family. I bought t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats emblazoned with the arrowhead. I even ran a fantasy football league for several years.

I bled red.

Then something happened. Every year I had tickets, the price went up. I got married. I had kids. The team has been a playoff failure since 1993.

I learned my entertainment dollar could be spent elsewhere and better yet, more efficiently.

I also looked around and saw the behavior of the people I had developed and shared my Arrowhead experience with for so long, and I hated it.

When the Chiefs won, they would taunt the other team and the other team’s fans. When the Chiefs lost, it was worse. Not only did they take out their frustration on the other team’s fans, but they took it out on each other. I’ve seen men shove their wives/girlfriends. I even saw a guy destroy a food and beverage cart after an emotional Chiefs playoff loss. I’ve seen arguments. I’ve seen fights.

OK, this is by no means unique to Kansas City. I’m sure this happens in every NFL city when their team loses. And I can honestly say, I’ve never been so emotional about my team losing that I have to take it out physically on someone or something.

In other words, it’s just a game, and my life isn’t so pathetic that I live and die by it. I mean win or lose, do you really believe these guys give a damn about me or what I do?

Now, I rarely watch the Chiefs or any NFL game for that matter on TV. I can’t stand to listen to the radio geeks talk Chiefs. I never where my Chiefs apparel, and I haven’t played fantasy football in about seven or eight years.

And here’s the amazing part about the whole thing: I don’t miss any of it.

Sure, if someone handed me a ticket, and I didn’t have anything else going on, I’d probably go to a game, but that doesn’t make me a hypocrite. That makes me someone going to a free football game, nothing more, nothing less.

I haven’t changed because of the recent poor play of the Chiefs or the different direction the organization has gone under Scott Pioli, which by the way, I don’t necessarily agree with. I’ve grown tired of professional football in general, and the funny thing is that I don’t believe I’m alone in my thoughts.

I know of several friends and family members who share the same sentiments as I. Maybe it’s a maturing process. Maybe it’s an awakening. But whatever it is, I don’t see my views changing anytime soon.

A SPORTS MEMORY FOR LIFE

Every sports fan has their top five or top 10 sports moments in life. My top moment was the 1985 World Series and watching the Kansas City Royals defeat the cross-state (and might I add—hated) St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. I was fortunate enough to attend Game Six which, as everyone knows, was the controversial one. But I won’t go into all that.

I recently had another moment creep into my top five, and it had nothing to do with a professional, college or high school sporting event. On Wednesday, June 27, 2012, my daughter’s first grade, coach pitch softball team, the Fireflies, did the unthinkable, the improbable, the unbelievable.

First, a little history. Candidly, the Fireflies didn’t have that spectacular of a season finishing 5-6-1 and seeding sixth in the postseason tournament. As a parent, I’ll admit, I had low expectations in the tournament for a pretty good team. On top of that, extreme summer heat was settling in, and I just wanted to see this season end soon.

Sure enough, the Fireflies won the first game, setting up one of the most exciting games of the tournament. Going into extra innings (extra time), the Fireflies dropped the second contest 15-14, pushing them to the loser’s side of the bracket. The game was not without controversy, however as the opponent used two players in the same position more than once, which is no-no at this level. Unfortunately, the coaches didn’t catch it in time.

Now, the Fireflies had to win five consecutive games over three days beginning on Monday, June 25 to win the tournament title…a monumental task.

Knowing there was no margin for error, the Fireflies took care of business in that Monday night game, and moved on to Tuesday night. Fortunately, that game lasted just three innings because of the 11-0 spread, so on to Wednesday and the potential for three games at 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. I packed sandwiches and several drinks. We were settling in for the long haul, but we knew, one loss, and home, we were headed.

The 6 p.m. game was against the team we had already lost to in the tournament, so this was the perfect opportunity to avenge that loss. And just like last time, it came down to the final inning, but no extra innings (extra time) were needed, and the Fireflies advanced to take on the team with only one loss all season long.

This was the championship round. The Fireflies had to win both games to win the tournament title. Lose one, and the season was over, but we all knew, the team could finish no worse than second place. Not bad for a team seeded sixth and that had not practiced since before the season started. The 7:30 p.m. game began. Back and forth it went to the end until the Fireflies were able to hold off the Ice Cream Sundaes and force one final game for all the marbles.

Now, game three of the night. It was shortly after 9 p.m. The girls were tired and hot, but having a good time. For the third game in a row, the score was close. In fact, the Fireflies led 11-9 going into the top of the last inning. The Ice Cream Sundaes tied it up 11-11 heading into the bottom half of the inning. In that inning, the first two Fireflies got on base. The third lined a single to left-center. The third base coach sent the runner from second home. The throw to the plate was offline. The game was over. Fireflies win 12-11.

The Fireflies had done the unthinkable, the improbable, the unbelievable. This team had won five games in three days through scorching heat, with three of those games coming in one evening.

When the winning run scored, I jumped out of my chair screaming, running to the Fireflies’ dugout, looking for my daughter. I wanted to high five her, hug her, celebrate with her. By this time, it was nearly 11 p.m. She was tired, I was tired, but the enthusiasm and adrenaline in that moment kept me, and I’m sure the girls, going. For me, it felt like 1985 all over again, of course on a smaller scale, but so what. This was much more personal, and it made me feel good.

I enjoyed the feeling of being that proud parent of your child. It’s not the first time that’s happened, and it won’t be the last, but it’s just one of the many memories I’ll take with me as I watch my daughter grow and become a woman. Those are the moments you never want to forget, and if it’s one of the sports memories that makes it into your top five, well then, so be it.

THE POWER OF CELEBRITY

Sitting back and watching two unbelievable stories unfold in the world of sports recently, I’ve caught myself asking the same question over and over in my head: How can this happen?

First, there was the Bobby Petrino fiasco at the University of Arkansas. More and more pieces of that story continue to “leak” out regarding his motorcycle crash and the woman riding with him. Who knows when, where or how it will end, but for now, he’s no longer the head coach at Arkansas and has created a lot of embarrassment for himself, his family and the university.

Second, there was Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen’s comment about Fidel Castro. Guillen, who is Venezuelan, told Time magazine he loves Castro and respects the retired Cuban leader for staying in power so long. But what he meant to say was, “I cannot believe somebody who hurt so many people over the years is still alive.” Hmm.

Now, everyone has their own opinion about the morality of these specific events; however, there’s something bigger here, something deeper, which gets back to my question of how can this happen.

It’s simple. People in power or people with money feel they are invincible. They think they are Superman, above the law, nothing can happen to them. I have enough power, money and friends to get me out of whatever pickle I get myself into. That may have been the case 20 or 30 years ago, but now that every person in this country is armed with a camera phone, the internet/social media and access to some 24-hour news channel, it’s getting increasingly difficult for these people to get away with even jaywalking.

So, now this begs the question, why do they do it? Sooner or later they’re going to get caught. A mistake will be made, a trusted friend will turn on them or an involved party will seek the shakedown. It always happens. Sometimes it takes a long time for the alleged accused to come to light.

Take for instance former Penn St. assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. He was accused of molesting young boys for years, and those at the university either refused to believe it or looked the other way as it was happening. He used his position of power to get away with it for that time until someone finally came forward.

I’m no psychologist, but each of these incidents, as well as many others that are similar, has the same thing in common, ego. And what’s even more surprising from all of this is that no one has seemed to learn from another’s example, with websites like TMZ and Deadspin constantly up the rear ends of these people, and then reporting on the misdeeds. Once the story is out, the rest of the national media latches onto like a leech. There’s no escaping it.

It’s obvious to me that these people with money and/or power live in a bubble and fear no one but themselves. Their ego is so inflated and out of control not even their closest confidant can help them avoid their transgressions.

Petrino went in front of the press and lied about his accident. He paid the ultimate price by losing his job.

Guillen apologized to the very people that the Miami Marlins are trying to attract to their brand-spanking new ballpark, the Cuban-Americans that live in and around that area.

Neither seemed forthright or sincere during their press dog and pony, and who’s to say that they won’t go back to their old ways when the dust settles. At least Sandusky, whose charges are much more serious, is facing possible jail time.

Petrino and Guillen obviously shouldn’t go to jail for their “crimes,” but Petrino’s punishment was just. Guillen’s five-game suspension amounted to a slap on the wrist. He should have been fired. He’s a guy notorious for shooting his mouth off, so rest assured, he’ll be closely watched the rest of the season and will probably say something beyond stupid again.

As for the rest of these knuckleheads that think they can get away with whatever they want because of who they are and what they do, it’s time for the consequences to become much more dire. As long as the media holds them in high regard, tears them down and then forgets about them, these events will continue. Keep the pressure on, and don’t let them rest until justice is found.

MIKE ANDERSON: SHOULD HE STAY OR SHOULD HE GO?

Who’s to say Mizzou head basketball coach Mike Anderson’s job shouldn’t be on the line as rumors swirl about him possibly leaving for the Arkansas head coaching job.

First let me say, I’m not calling for his job.  He has done a masterful job bringing the Missouri basketball program back from the ruins it was left in by the previous regime.  He has an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament on his resume.  And he has brought an exciting brand of basketball to Columbia that makes every game exciting, no matter the opponent.

But herein lies the problem.

Anderson’s Forty Minutes of Hell or Fastest Forty Minutes or whatever you want to call it has worn out its welcome.  In his five years at Missouri, he has never had a player taller than 6 feet, 9 inches.  Now, that may be a product of the system, but yes, size does matter.  Without an inside presence, the Tigers have no one to bang the boards for defensive, or more importantly, offensive rebounds.

When your game is predicated on fast break, run-and-gun scoring, never allowing the opponent to set its defense, shots, many shots are going to be missed, and as the offense is running down the court to take these shots, many times there’s no one there under the basket to get the rebound.  And even when Missouri sets up in a half-court offense, it’s run so inefficiently.  They are still usually out-sized by their opponent.

There is no question the Tigers can put up the points.  Mizzou was near the top of the Big 12 in team scoring all season long, but that means nothing if they aren’t able to defend, especially near the end of the game when everything seems to fall apart for them.

The other obvious problem for Anderson and the Tigers this season has been playing on the road.  Everyone always says it’s tough to win on the road in the Big 12.  Well, it’s tough to win on the road anywhere, and in any sport.  The Tigers finished league play with a dismal 1-7 road record and 8-8 overall.  People have their theories as to why the Tigers don’t play well in other’s houses: lack of focus/concentration, playing style doesn’t suit the road team, they’re young, bad officiating etc.

I don’t have a theory about their road woes because they’re probably all true and probably all false, but what I will say is that winning on the road, or the lack thereof, has been an epidemic since Anderson arrived.  During his tenure, the Tigers are 13-27 in Big 12 road games with the best season coming in the 2008-2009 season when the Tigers made that Elite Eight run and finished the season 31-7.  They were 12-4 in the conference that season.

Now, I come to the one statistic that gets under the skin of Mizzou fans more than any.  Mike Anderson boasts a 1-9 record against archrival Kansas in his five years at Missouri.  I’ll say that again: Anderson is 1-9 against the Tigers most-hated rival, the Kansas Jayhawks.  That lone win came on Feb. 9, 2009.  It was the first time both teams met ranked since 2003.  The Tigers had to make a furious second-half comeback capped by a Zaire Taylor jumper with 0:01.3 seconds left in the game to give Mizzou the 62-60 win in Columbia.

So, even this win was barely a win.  OK, a win is a win, but over those 10 games against Kansas, Anderson and the Tigers haven’t been very competitive, so is this even still a rivalry if one team has been that dominant?

I present these facts, not to paint an ugly picture of Mike Anderson, but for fans to make an educated judgment whether he’s the right coach to lead the Tigers.  I like the guy.  I thought he was the right hire when Athletic Director Mike Alden chose him to clean up the program.  He’s done that, and he’s built a solid and winning program, but is he the right guy to take the Tigers to the next level, and if not, who is?

SALUTE THIS!

A few days have now passed since Kansas State wide receiver Adrian Hilburn gave a salute to fans after what could have been a game-tying touchdown near the end of the game had the Wildcats converted a two-point conversion.  However, the officials saw the salute as “excessive” celebration and called it a player drawing attention to himself.  He was flagged for a 15-yard penalty.  So instead of trying for two points from the three-yard line, the Wildcats had to attempt the conversion from the 18.  They had no chance.  Kansas State lost to Syracuse 36-34 in the Pinstripe Bowl.  Because of the referee's call, my father-in-law ironically noted that this truly was a Pinstripe Bowl in more ways than one.

We all know that football is a game filled with emotion, good and bad, and sometimes things can get a little out of hand.  That emotion rises to a new level in a postseason game because so much more is on the line.  Teams are playing for pride, for their conference, maybe for a departing coach or for a senior’s last game.

There have been strict rules set in place at the high school and college levels governing celebration so as not to show up the other team and ostensibly incite a riot.  Although, I don’t think it would ever come to that.  The underlying reason for this is to teach good sportsmanship so that these players will learn and grow taking that discipline with them through their playing careers.  Who knows, they may be so lucky to make it to the pro level.  But we’ve seen how foolish a lot of these guys can act as a professional.

Since that K-State/Syracuse game, I’ve watched several college bowl games, and I’ve seen actions a whole hell of a lot worse than the salute that probably cost the Wildcats the game.

BRIEF DISCLAIMER: Before I go on, I want to say that I am in no way making any type of political, patriotic or religious statement regarding what happens on the football field.  The rules are the rules, and they should either be enforced or changed to reflect a stricter definition.  Ambiguous language in the rules, such as the word “excessive,” leaves too much gray area for the officials to interpret, and that’s where the problems begin.

Now back to my rant.

So a college football player salutes after a touchdown and is flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.  It wasn’t political.  It wasn’t religious.  It was either patriotic or a gesture toward the fans cheering him in the stands.  I don’t believe he was in any way trying to draw attention to himself.

Now, having said that, how is that any worse than when a player scores a touchdown or makes a great play, he either points to the sky or kneels down in prayer?  Is that not drawing attention to himself?  Is there a difference between a religious act and a patriotic one, and who, if anyone, makes that decision?

Should players be allowed to high five or jump in each other’s arms after a touchdown or big play?  What’s considered excessive or drawing attention to themselves in that situation?

Why are players allowed to incite their fans into a frenzy from the sidelines by waving their arms or towels around?  Isn’t that drawing attention to themselves, or at least the team?

Is there a difference of where the celebrations take place, say the field versus the sidelines, and just where does an official’s jurisdiction end?

Just where do we draw the line on this?

Obviously, there are many questions to be answered here, and there are probably many more to be asked.

I think I have a simple solution to all of this.  Allow for celebration on the sidelines only.

When a player scores a touchdown, he must set the ball down on the ground or hand it to the official and head back to the sideline and do whatever he wants with his teammates there.  Done.  It’s not on the field of play so it doesn’t distract from or interfere with what’s going on out there.  If they want to high five, hug, kiss, Ickey Shuffle, let ‘em.

So what to do after a big play such as a sack, tackle for a loss, pass break up, etc.?  Nothing.  Go back to the huddle and get ready for the next play.  Celebrate when you are back on the sidelines.  Easy.

Some may say this will take away from the excitement of the game, but if the NCAA, or whatever governing body rules on such sportsmanship matters, wants to avoid such controversy as salute-gate, then a stricter policy needs to be enforced.  Look, I have no problem with what Hilburn did.  In fact, I’d like to see some of the stodgy rules in college sports relaxed.  I’d have no problem with seeing spikes after a touchdown, but as long as a group as hypocritical as the NCAA continues to oversee this money-making machine, controversies like this will continue to persist.

YES, I LIKE VOLLEYBALL

I recently attended the 2010 NCAA Women’s Division I Volleyball Final Four in Kansas City.  Now, I’m nowhere near an expert on the sport, but I did cover the game at the high school level in a former life when I worked for an area newspaper, and I really enjoyed it.  I also remember watching the indoor game during the Summer Olympics during my youth, and found it fascinating, but I will tell you during my two-day stint as a spectator watching the best college talent in the country go at it inside the Sprint Center, I may now be a hardcore fan for life.

Volleyball is a fast-paced, intense, edge-of-your-seat game that is in some ways, very similar to basketball.  No question, size and speed matters in this sport, just like basketball.  The tallest players are up front to provide power on offense and a first line of defense to block an opposing team’s shot, kind of like a center on the basketball court.  Then there are some of the stronger/quicker, medium- and smaller-sized players that occupy the middle and back of the court to set up the offensive players and keep the ball in play, kind of like the point guards and forwards.

Passing and ball control are keys to success, and if just one phase of the game falters, like a house of cards, a team’s chance at success tumbles.  It’s a game of runs, back-and-forth, up-and-down action.  And when a team gets on one of those runs, the coach looking down that barrel has to call a timeout to slow the momentum.

What I found most intriguing about the game is how much that momentum plays a huge part in a match.  Once a team gets on a roll, it’s hard for the other team to overcome that wave.  In the championship match between the University of California and Penn St., the Nittany Lions took the first set, leading the whole way; however, in the final two sets, the Golden Bears led in both, but Penn St. came roaring back in each to win the title.  It was their fourth consecutive championship and fifth overall.

Next year, the NCAA will begin sponsoring beach volleyball at the collegiate level.  The coaches on hand for the Final Four in Kansas City weren’t sure how that was going to work, but rest assured games scheduled in northern regions of the country will be indoors.

Volleyball isn’t about cute girls in spandex jumping around knocking a ball around.  These are well-conditioned athletes playing an exciting game at an extremely high level, and I’m sold on it.  I would love to see it televised more next year, and maybe it was this year, and I missed it, but I didn’t do a very good job looking for it either.  That will change next year.  With all of the conference realignment coming next season, there may be an opportunity to see more college volleyball on television, but that is still being worked out.

One side note: Kudos to Kansas City for hosting a major college event.  The Championship match had the third highest attendance in the history of the NCAA volleyball tournament.  I spoke with a member of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation, and she was very enthusiastic about the city’s showing.  That’s a great sign for Kansas City getting another type of event like this for the future.  And with the Sprint Center being the jewel in the city’s crown, the future looks very bright.

I NEVER THOUGHT I'D HEAR THEM SAY THAT

December 8, 1980 is the 30^th anniversary of former Beatle John Lennon’s death.  It was announced to America by, of all people, Howard Cosell on Monday Night Football.  Here’s that announcement:

That got me thinking about what other major news stories were announced through a sporting event.  Here are two major ones that I can think of, and I know there are probably many, many more, but let’s start with the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.

The Games were largely overshadowed by what has come to be known as the Munich Massacre. On September 5 a group of eight Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Black September organization broke into the Olympic Village and took 11 Israeli athletes, coaches and officials hostage in their apartments. Two of the hostages who resisted were killed in the first moments of the break-in; the subsequent standoff in the Olympic Village lasted for almost 18 hours.

Late in the evening of September 5, the terrorists and their hostages were transferred by helicopter to the military airport of Fürstenfeldbruck, to board a plane bound for an undetermined Arab country.  The German authorities planned to ambush them there, but underestimated the number of terrorists and were thus undermanned.  During a botched rescue attempt, all of the Israeli hostages were killed.  Four of them were shot, then incinerated when a Palestinian detonated a grenade inside the helicopter in which the hostages were sitting.  The five remaining hostages were then machine-gunned by another terrorist.

ABC Sports was broadcasting the Olympic Games, and it was anchored by veteran broadcaster Jim McKay.  At that moment, he turned from sportscaster to newscaster as he described the horrific scene that took place in front of the world.

McKay took on the job of reporting the events live on his only scheduled day off during the Games, substituting for Chris Schenkel.  He was on air for fourteen hours without a break, during a sixteen hour broadcast.  After an unsuccessful rescue attempt of the athletes held hostage, at 3:24 a.m. German Time, McKay came on the air with this statement:

“When I was a kid my father used to say ‘Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized.’  Our worst fears have been realized tonight.  They have now said there were 11 hostages; two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight.  They're all gone.”

Fast forward to the 1989 World Series in San Francisco.  On, Oct. 27, prior to Game 3 of the series between the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck at 5:04 p.m. The game was scheduled to start at 5:35 p.m. at Candlestick Park, and thousands of people were already in the stadium when the quake occurred. Because of the coincidence of timing, it was the first major earthquake in the United States ever to be broadcast by live television. Experts credit the timing of the World Series as a lucky break that prevented massive loss of life in the city; key in reducing the loss of life was the fact that many people had left work early or were staying late to participate in after-work group viewings and parties, reducing the traffic that would otherwise have been on the collapsed freeways (initial expectations were that hundreds of people had died in the collapse of Interstate 880 in Oakland; the final death toll from that event was 42).

At the time the earthquake hit, the announcing team for ABC Sports, Tim McCarver, Al Michaels, and Jim Palmer immediately grabbed what they perceived to be the armrests; it turned out that they grabbed each others' thighs, leaving each of them with bruises; recounting this incident years later, Michaels would boldly admit his strong belief that had the earthquake lasted much longer than 15 seconds, he would have been killed.

Michaels, who spent three years in San Francisco as an announcer for the San Francisco Giants, was nominated for an Emmy Award for news broadcasting after giving an eyewitness account of the aftermath of the earthquake at Candlestick Park.