Enough is enough.
After a 2007-2008 school year in which both Mens Football and Basketball competed for SEC titles, there seem to be no remnants of either of those now. What happened? I'm furious as I'm watching the basketball game right now. They're getting raped by Old Miss. OLE MISS. It wasn't too long ago when Tennessee basketball was the outright SEC favorite, and was featured on ESPN just about every week. Every single time, the commentator said something like, "Now they may not be the best, but Bruce Pearl makes sure these Vols work harder than anyone in the country for the whole 40 minutes." And it was no lie. They forced a substantial amount of turnovers, dominated on the boards, and most importantly, won games they were supposed to win. Now the only constants seems to be Tyler Smith having a good, but quiet game, Wayne Chism steadily improving, and JP Prince embarrassing our school as much as he possibly can. Yea, he may score a few points with the occasional dunk, but the stupid decisions he makes astound me. Every game he gets called for charges, fouls on three point shots, travels, just anything he can do to sabotage the team. His stupid face that he makes every time he commits one of these treacherous acts, as he shrugs his shoulders and rolls his eyes, makes me want to punch him. It's beyond him playing poor basketball. Every game he furthers my assumption that he can't count to his single-digit ACT score.
Don't even get me started on football.
After staging a comeback that essentially made the last half of the season a constant playoff, and earning their way to the SEC championship (where they played to a respectable loss against eventual national champion LSU), the Vols had a deceiving 5-8 record this year. Although, they lost longtime quarterback Erik Ainge, the inexperienced Jonathan Crompton looked promising in his two performances prior to this year. He wouldn't inherit a grand offense, but he had a senior running back in Arian Foster, and a few receivers who had over 50 receptions the year before. Too bad for them, Crompton couldn't manage a pass that went over five yards. I don't mean a completion either, I mean a pass, which usually corkscrewed in front of a linebacker into the turf.
After dreaming about coming to this school for 10 years, hearing people tell me they wouldn't be surprised if I shed a tear at the first sight of a packed stadium, the only thing I did was get a sunburn every weekend. I was glad when the games were away, so I could sit in my dorm and get some homework done while I watched them lose yet another game. The only thing that made watching worthwhile was Eric Berry, probably one of the best DBs of all time.
Glorious? For the MAC maybe, but not my dreams of the SEC. There was no excuse for it. Tennessee is one the winningest football programs in the nation in the past 75 years, and had one of the best college football coaches of the past few decades. They lost to Wyoming, a school you've only heard of because it's a state, 13-7. Only after the announcement of Phillip Fulmer's resignation did the Vols put together decent showings against Vanderbilt and Kentucky to end the season.
My question is why did it take Fulmer basically getting fired to start the season? As usual it seems that football players are too good to care about anything. The attitude was the same for most of the football players at my high school as well. They walked around like they were something special, and didn't care about anyone but themselves. At least they went 12-0 before losing to the eventual state champions in the playoffs.
What these numbskulls have to get through their heads is that it's not about them, contrary to what they have been told their whole lives. It's not about the team either. It's about the school. The student body. The University of Tennessee.
If I hadn't seen my own blood before, I would assume it were orange. I love this school so much, and it was truly a dream come true to end up attending. When I was younger, I wanted to play soccer for UT. My dreams were crushed when I was told that UT doesn't have a mens soccer program (thanks Title 9). It's okay, though. It was a longshot anyway. So what can I do? I have to root for the guys who do represent the school. When they put on foul performances like they did this past season, they not only embarrass themselves, but it dishonors me, and all of the students here.
If I weren't 5' 6" and 140 lbs, I would go out there and give everything I had. I wouldn't be the best player, but no one would work harder than I would. Why can't the current players take this attitude? It's not like this is a pushover program in a mid-major conference. This is Rocky Top. BCS Champions just 10 years ago. Plus, the atmosphere Knoxville sets up for every single season has few matches throughout the nation.
An opportunity to compete in athletics here is a true blessing and honor, and it's about time some of these fools start acting like it. Show some pride. If not for your sake, at least do it for mine.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Cops and Robbers
The legendary battle involving Kobe/Lebron/Madison Square Garden could only take a week away from the woes of America's past time. And that was before A-Rod admitted to steroid use.
This weekend's addition of Sports Illustrated reported that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in what was supposed to be an anonymous test, in 2003. Of the 104 players who tested positive on the same list, A-Rod's name was the only one that was leaked.
Within just a few days, Rodriguez admitted in an interview with ESPN that in the years 2001-2003 (later saying 2004) he took performance-enhancing drugs. Although, his decision to quit using the drugs was rooted in his narcissistic nature (he claimed he stopped only after injuring himself before spring training in 2004), A-Rod did what many in his position haven't been manly enough to do: own up to his mistake.
Saying he was naive and stupid about 10 times during the interview, Rodriguez did not have much other than what appeared to be an honest apology. Claiming the pressure to be the "one of the greatest" was on his shoulders, he started using in 2001. It's not too hard to believe. Coming straight out of high school to play with the Mariners, the now football-sized player resembled baby-faced Davidson guard Stephan Curry. Nevertheless, this situation begs more questions than it answers.
How did he get the drugs? Is he completely owning up, or will someone dig up even more he didn't admit? Does this exclude A-Rod from Hall of Fame contention?
Only time will answer these questions, but what can be done now? Another one of the best will forever have an asterisk preluding his name, except for on his personal checks.
MLB may think it is doing itself a service by allowing players to cheat and use steroids with no consequence, but with stars dropping like flies, it's only a matter of time before this transcends an era, and permanently marks the game of baseball forever.
MLB claims that there is no place in the game for these performance-enhancing drugs. Really? Prove it. Swear it to me. For three years, it's been time for baseball to put up or shut up, and its sweep-it-under-the-rug attitude may not get them through this one.
There's plenty of blame to go around. One's first guess might be the players, but since when are they responsible for their actions? When they shoot themselves in the thigh in night clubs, assault women, and other thoughtless, shameful acts, it seems like they get a slap on the wrist, and then a slap on the butt along with a "Get back out there!"
So, who needs to step up? Crazy as it sounds, it needs to pit the MLB enforcement vs the individual ball clubs.
One of the things that most baseball clubhouses have in common is the money they drop on their star players. They're not going to consistently and truthfully test their players for steroids, and report to whomever to ban them. In what seems to be the name of the game for baseball, forgetting morals, they have to protect their investments. It's just smart business.
MLB on the other hand, whose current agenda seems muddled and unclear, needs to have entirely different motivations than the ball clubs. Their main goal should be clearing the name of baseball. They should see this steroid-abuse, as well as other means of rule-infractions, as a threat to the game. Because eventually, not only will individual names be tarnished forever, but people will cringe at the word "baseball" like they do when they hear "Barry Bonds."
Like a big game of cops and robbers, the MLB needs to chase after the players. And I mean chase. They need to send everything they can, from Seattle to Tampa Bay, to find and diminish these threats. Hit some big names too, ones that will get a lot of press-coverage. Every player caught and suspended is a win. Of course, if someone wins, someone loses.
If a club's player gets caught on steroids, he'll be suspended as his punishment. But as a punishment to the clubs, they will still have to pay the player's salary during the suspension. This would be extreme motivation for the clubs, because George Washington whispering in your ear 250 million times over would make you realize how much money you're losing.
If the MLB does it right, it would be pointless for the clubs to try to conceal any sort of steroid abuse by the players, so they themselves would probably start conducting tests to make sure their investments won't be taken away. With the potential for the MLB police to come in and take some tests out of nowhere, clubs would start to keep their players on tight leashes.
Obviously, this is quite ambitious, and almost absurd. But not as absurd as how long steroid abuse has gone unchecked. MLB must take action, and take it now. If not, baseball may turn from America's past time, to America's past.
This weekend's addition of Sports Illustrated reported that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in what was supposed to be an anonymous test, in 2003. Of the 104 players who tested positive on the same list, A-Rod's name was the only one that was leaked.
Within just a few days, Rodriguez admitted in an interview with ESPN that in the years 2001-2003 (later saying 2004) he took performance-enhancing drugs. Although, his decision to quit using the drugs was rooted in his narcissistic nature (he claimed he stopped only after injuring himself before spring training in 2004), A-Rod did what many in his position haven't been manly enough to do: own up to his mistake.
Saying he was naive and stupid about 10 times during the interview, Rodriguez did not have much other than what appeared to be an honest apology. Claiming the pressure to be the "one of the greatest" was on his shoulders, he started using in 2001. It's not too hard to believe. Coming straight out of high school to play with the Mariners, the now football-sized player resembled baby-faced Davidson guard Stephan Curry. Nevertheless, this situation begs more questions than it answers.
How did he get the drugs? Is he completely owning up, or will someone dig up even more he didn't admit? Does this exclude A-Rod from Hall of Fame contention?
Only time will answer these questions, but what can be done now? Another one of the best will forever have an asterisk preluding his name, except for on his personal checks.
MLB may think it is doing itself a service by allowing players to cheat and use steroids with no consequence, but with stars dropping like flies, it's only a matter of time before this transcends an era, and permanently marks the game of baseball forever.
MLB claims that there is no place in the game for these performance-enhancing drugs. Really? Prove it. Swear it to me. For three years, it's been time for baseball to put up or shut up, and its sweep-it-under-the-rug attitude may not get them through this one.
There's plenty of blame to go around. One's first guess might be the players, but since when are they responsible for their actions? When they shoot themselves in the thigh in night clubs, assault women, and other thoughtless, shameful acts, it seems like they get a slap on the wrist, and then a slap on the butt along with a "Get back out there!"
So, who needs to step up? Crazy as it sounds, it needs to pit the MLB enforcement vs the individual ball clubs.
One of the things that most baseball clubhouses have in common is the money they drop on their star players. They're not going to consistently and truthfully test their players for steroids, and report to whomever to ban them. In what seems to be the name of the game for baseball, forgetting morals, they have to protect their investments. It's just smart business.
MLB on the other hand, whose current agenda seems muddled and unclear, needs to have entirely different motivations than the ball clubs. Their main goal should be clearing the name of baseball. They should see this steroid-abuse, as well as other means of rule-infractions, as a threat to the game. Because eventually, not only will individual names be tarnished forever, but people will cringe at the word "baseball" like they do when they hear "Barry Bonds."
Like a big game of cops and robbers, the MLB needs to chase after the players. And I mean chase. They need to send everything they can, from Seattle to Tampa Bay, to find and diminish these threats. Hit some big names too, ones that will get a lot of press-coverage. Every player caught and suspended is a win. Of course, if someone wins, someone loses.
If a club's player gets caught on steroids, he'll be suspended as his punishment. But as a punishment to the clubs, they will still have to pay the player's salary during the suspension. This would be extreme motivation for the clubs, because George Washington whispering in your ear 250 million times over would make you realize how much money you're losing.
If the MLB does it right, it would be pointless for the clubs to try to conceal any sort of steroid abuse by the players, so they themselves would probably start conducting tests to make sure their investments won't be taken away. With the potential for the MLB police to come in and take some tests out of nowhere, clubs would start to keep their players on tight leashes.
Obviously, this is quite ambitious, and almost absurd. But not as absurd as how long steroid abuse has gone unchecked. MLB must take action, and take it now. If not, baseball may turn from America's past time, to America's past.
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