I Remember Petr Nedved (and Keith Primeau, too.)

3 Jun

Migrated from ESPN.com blog on Feb. 2, 2011

Originally published June 3, 2008
Last night started out innocently enough. I donned the Mario Lemieux jersey that’s been in my possession since I was nine years old, poured myself a glass of wine, and sat down to watch game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

I figured this one was going to be a doozy, considering the Pens were backed into a “do or die” situation. I expected an evening of heavy hits, scuffles, rocket shots, and goalies doing moves most gymnasts would envy.

With the Pens up 2-1 at the end of the second period, I was just praying they could hang on to the lead and force a game 6 back in Pittsburgh. I barely blinked and suddenly it was 3-2 Detroit.

But it wasn’t those goals that made this game such a jaw-dropping affair. It was what happened with barely 30 seconds left in the game. By then, I was preparing to accept the celebration that would be happening soon. I flinched when I thought about Detroit raising the cup, but I couldn’t argue that they hadn’t fought hard for it. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Max Talbot. There he was, on the left side of Chris Osgood, shuffling his feet almost nervously and watching for any sign of the puck. It finally arrived. “Shoot it! Shoot it!” I screamed, while my dog looked at me with a confused expression. The first attempt bounced back at him and my heart sank. In the very same second, Talbot batted it past the line and into the left corner of Chris Osgood’s goal. I think I almost blacked out.

Overtime.

Would it be the happy 1996 game vs. the Capitals where Petr Nedved put it to bed in quadruple overtime? Would it be the demoralizing 2000 game vs. the Flyers where Keith Primeau made a shot in quintuple overtime? I didn’t even consider the thought of it being short. Neither team was ready to give up a goal. It took 49 minutes and 57 seconds. By that time, the red on the Red Wings’ jerseys was bleeding into the white, Fleury and Osgood looked as though they were in trances, the bruise Ryan Malone sustained from a shot to the face during the third period was rainbow colored, and the legs of most of the players were jiggling with exhaustion. I can only imagine that they were running on pure adrenaline.

It was a different Petr who was the hero this time. This was the Petr Sykora that said jokingly to the NBC broadcasters in between overtime periods, “Guys, I’m just going to get one, so just don’t worry about the game. I’m going to get a goal.” With that final shot, Sykora sent the Cup back to it’s case and the series back home to the Mellon Arena. Intense. Incredible. And I absolutely cannot wait for Wednesday night. Go Pens!!!

A Moment of Nostalgia

19 May

Migrated from ESPN.com blog February 2, 2011

Originally published May 19, 2008

I usually try to keep this blog tied to current events in sports, but this may stray from that a bit. Yesterday the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-0 (ouch) to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals. I’m reading the local free paper on the Washington D.C. Metro this morning and see a picture of an elated Pascal Dupuis celebrating after his second goal of the evening. I can barely sit still. It’s the same maddening feeling I had two years ago when I realized that the Steelers were going to Super Bowl XL.

I was living in Boston and had to have had the most beaming smile on my face for the whole week before (and then after!) the Super Bowl. What’s so maddening about this feeling? Well, there’s no one to share it with when you live in a different city. In Pittsburgh, I know they must be bubbling over with nervous excitement. That is when I suddenly feel nostalgic and long for home.

In the Spring of 1992, I was almost seven years old. Every day my dad would get the paper and after he read it, I would take the sports section and clip out the latest article about the dominating Penguins. I had a binder full of those, along with trading cards for all of my favorite players. Like most Pittsburghers, I was a die-hard Lemieux fan. At such a young age, I didn’t completely understand all of the terminology, but I knew enough to understand that Lemieux was the best player I’d ever seen on skates and that the Pens had a chance to be back to back champions. I understood that the games the Pens were playing at that time were really important. I knew that they had to win them or get eliminated from having a chance to be the champions.

Looking back on it now, I can barely remember specifics about those final games sweeping the Blackhawks. The only thing that remains crystal clear is the image of Super Mario hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head to the sounds of deafening cheers.

…Then suddenly, I’m back on the D.C. Metro, wishing I could wear the Lemieux jersey I’ve loved since I was nine to work. (I’m ever grateful to my parents who bought it in an adult size that I can still wear at age 22!) I’m wishing I could be in Pittsburgh, hearing the Strip District buzzing with excitement, eating over-filled sandwiches at Primanti’s over game highlights, and home in that town full of black and gold.

Two stops later, a gentleman gets on the train wearing a Penguins ball cap. Shortly before I get off at my stop, I tell him that I like his hat and ask if he is excited for the upcoming finals. He answers with an elated “yes!” Not surprisingly, we are both transplants to the area from fairly close parts of Pittsburgh. As I exit the train and begin walking toward the escalator, I catch a glance of him through the train window. His smile is beaming, and I wonder if he’s back home for a moment too…

Go Pens!

Shut the Spygate on Your Way Out

13 May

Migrated from ESPN.com blog February 2, 2011

Originally published May 13, 2008
I’ll be the first to admit that I think Roger Goodell’s handling of the Patriot’s videotaping scandal showed extremely poor judgment. He spoke before he had all of the evidence, he gave punishment for what he said was one thing (taping defensive signals) and then later admitted that the punishment was for taping defensive AND offensive signals as far back as 2000, and last but not least, he destroyed the evidence (Big no-no there, Roger).

But today was the day it was all to finally come to a conclusion. At 7:30 a.m, Mr. Goodell would be meeting with the infamous Matt Walsh to discuss the tapes Walsh handed over to the NFL (after, of course brokering a deal to protect him from his previous employer, the NE Patriots).

For the past week, I’ve read every single argument possible for and against the Patriots. It was obvious from the start that no conclusion would ever satisfy both sides, and it was even more obvious that no one was backing down on their position. So I decided to wait. I said “I still feel like a lot of teams were cheated out of a fair chance, however if Goodell says that these tapes show nothing new and there will be no further sanctions, I will let this go and move on.”

And that is exactly what he did. Whether there really was nothing new, or what was on the destroyed tapes was never fully revealed, or any of the other theories out there, it no longer mattered. The Commissioner had spoken.

He left a lot of people feeling cheated, and a lot feeling vindicated. He simply left me feeling confused. I had so many questions I wanted him to answer. Tell me why you destroyed the tapes in the first place, tell me why you didn’t reveal all the information you had at one time, or just tell me why so little of what you did in handling this makes sense!

But my questions won’t be answered. Goodell is done, and the gate is locked up tight. There are only two choices: Break down the gate, or accept that the gate is locked and move on to something new. I’ve never been one for the destruction of property.

The Failure of Sexism

9 May

Migrated from ESPN.com blog February 2, 2011

Originally published May 9, 2008

In three separate conversations on ESPN today, I saw the following comments:

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, lady. Why don’t you go do some laundry or something?”

“lol you know what the (team) and women have in common? The only thing they’re good for is laying on their backs and taking it.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you a girl or something?”

While none of these comments were aimed in my direction, I found myself suddenly very cautious of making any statements in conversations that might give a clue as to my gender(People rarely click on my profile). After awhile, I felt drained, almost like I was walking on eggshells and took a break to have some lunch. I got to thinking and this is what transpired…

It’s hard not to respond to those comments. I tried doing that on another message board I used to frequent and it just brought the ridicule onto me. Suddenly from all sides I was being quizzed on statistics, players, how long I had been a fan, if I actually owned a jersey that was my team’s colors (rather than the powder pink teams so often make now), if I played fantasy football or just had my boyfriend draft my team, etc…

I called it “The Curse of the Female Fan.” We’re seemingly always forced to double and triple prove our allegiances and sports knowledge before we’re taken seriously. As an experiment one year, I joined two random fantasy football leagues. In one, the participants knew I was female, and in the other, I remained anonymous. To be honest with you, I didn’t really think it would make a difference. I thought maybe I was just being a little paranoid. Then the draft came…

“Is your boyfriend helping you make your picks?”

“Hey, sweetie, 30 seconds, make a pick!”

“Ha ha, girls can’t make hard decisions. It’s cute.”

Now, my male friends in the real world have never treated me like this. I think internet anonymity had a lot to do with how crass this group of people was, but at the same time, they almost always used my gender as an insult. In the other league, I was most certainly taunted during the draft, but it was things like:

“LOL Brian Westbrook?? Accident-prone!”

“Make your pick. We haven’t got all day.”

I did fairly well in both leagues, but only in the one where I named my gender did people try to get me to do unbelievably stupid trades. We’re talking, “Hey, I’ll give you Chris Chambers for Peyton Manning.” Yeah. That bad.

As discouraging as the experience was, it made me see that to be taken seriously, I would have to really know my stuff.

And you know what? I’m not bitter about that. It’s made me a better fan. It’s forced me to do my reading and my research before I make any statements. Feeling like I had something to prove made me learn more about sports than I ever thought I’d be able to. So, thank you to the sexist fantasy football team members, wherever you may be. Your insults backfired.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about the sexism I see in ESPN conversations from time to time. But what those people don’t realize is that they’re simply making themselves look unintelligent and unable to form a coherent argument. If someone can’t argue sports without mocking gender, then they probably don’t know enough about the topic to make an argument in the first place.

So what if I have to know a little extra? Maybe it’s not such a curse after all…

Cable Monopoly vs. The NFL Devotee

7 May

Migrated from ESPN.com blog February 2, 2011

Originally published May 7, 2008

To say that I am displeased with the current state of cable television is an understatement.

According to a report by the Consumer Federation of America, “Approximately 40% of the top channels (measured by subscription or prime time ratings), which command the highest prices, are owned in whole or in part by cable operators or companies that have large ownership stakes in cable companies.”

**Actually, for my sanity’s sake, and the fact that this is a blog, and not in any way a scholarly paper, please take note that any statistics/facts I reference have come from the above mentioned report.**

Cable companies have continually argued that the reason for price increases is two-fold. One, that the cost of programming has gone up, and two, that they need increased profit margins to put system upgrades in place. With little research, these arguments are quickly shot down. In answer to the first argument, the expensive channels are largely those owned by the cable companies (thus they’re profiting from them anyway). If cost were truly the reason for price increases, their profit margins would not be rising so rapidly. Operating revenue increased 30% per subscriber between 1997 and 2001. I somehow don’t believe that the cost of programming has “forced” cable companies to raise prices by an average margin of close to $10 per subscriber per month (and that was as of 2001–it has continued to rise).

Returning to the fact that 40% of these expensive channels are owned by the cable companies, we realize that the money is going directly back into their pockets. As long as they continue to monopolize and force out other providers, (like satellite–which has had the FCC refuse any mergers that might give them any hope of competing with cable), there will be no such thing as competitive pricing.

The truth is that it would cost those cable companies 2 cents per subscriber per day to offer the NFL Network on a basic cable package. They refuse to do this because NFLN is an independent channel (not owned by them) and so the money doesn’t immediately come back to them. It’s much better to line their pockets with profits from offering less popular (yet more expensive) channels like Golf and Versus in the basic package. You may never watch them (or maybe you do, I have nothing against golf), but you’ll certainly pay through the nose for them.

The FCC must be compeled to allow new competition into the market via satellite and wireless providers. They have to stop allowing cable companies to monopolize multi-unit dwellings in order to facilitate fair competition. Finally, they need to put in place better nondiscrimination rules to keep cable companies from stifling independent networks or relegating them to “special packages” only.

In the past several years, my cable bill increased from approximately $50/month to somewhere in the neighborhood of $90/month. It was at that point that I could no longer justify paying for it. Do I miss ESPN and NFL Network? Of course I do.

But until there are some regulations in place to benefit consumers and independent networks, the bar or an internet game tracker will have to do.

Death of a Southern Belle

6 May

Migrated from ESPN.com blog February 2, 2011

Originally published May 6, 2008

In a split second, Gabriel Saez went from being the lauded 2nd place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, to a man villified for something most assuredly out of his control.

The vibrant filly he was riding, Eight Belles, crumpled to the track ground shortly after crossing the wire. It was a haunting image for spectators who remembered Barbaro’s fall at the Preakness in 2006. But this time, there would be no chance. Both of her front ankles were broken and without one to help her stand up, the only humane decision was to euthanize her.

Washington Post sportswriter Sally Jenkins wrote recently of Eight Belles, “She ran with the heart of a locomotive, on champagne-glass ankles.”

Her trainer, Larry Jones, fought back tears while he tried to speak. “She ran the race of her life,” he said.

And then there was only Gabriel Saez. The young jockey, barely an adult himself, was suddenly at the center of one of the worst tragedies in horse-racing history. PETA called for a suspension and revoking of his prize money.

I’ve watched the video of the race over and over again, and I see nothing in Eight Belles’ noble face but sheer determination. There was no sign of pain, no sign of distress, nothing to tell Gabriel to stop. He couldn’t have known she was struggling. I just don’t believe that he could have known.

I believe that PETA’s blame and anger is severely mis-directed. I agree that there are certainly things that could be done to make horse racing safer. Perhaps breeding needs to be more carefully monitored to produce horses with thicker limbs. Maybe the track type needs to change (although there are mixed reports on the effect of that approach). Maybe horses should have to wait until they’re fully developed before racing. Lighter whips could be mandated. I don’t know. What I do know is that no one intended to injure a multi-million dollar horse. No one wanted to hurt Eight Belles. Gabriel Saez is an innocent man, and I hope that this tragedy doesn’t destroy his spirit or passion for horses and racing.

As long as there are sports, there will be risks. We can do what we can to reduce those, but in the end we have to accept that bodies (human or animal) are not perfect. We’re made of things that bend and stretch, but sometimes break.

My hope today is that something good can come out of this. The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority should take some time to evaluate problems and concerns regarding the sport. I would like to see more money provided for veterinary research so that a broken leg in a horse doesn’t mean the end of a life.

Things can only move forward now. The choice is between moving blindly forward, or making positive changes. I hope the racing community makes the right decision.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →