The sports world never ceases to amaze or disappoint me...
We all know New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan has a personality to fit his 300-pound frame, including a spectrum of colorful language
Well-documented by HBO in Hard Knocks. Well, along comes former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts head coach, and current NBC Sports analyst, Tony Dungy, who not only expresses his displeasure with Ryan’s use of expletives, but goes as far as to suggest an intervention by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Holy smokes and golly gee whiz!
I couldn’t agree more with New York Daily News columnist Bob Raissman on how Dungy’s comments smacks a tad of hypocrisy. However, I see the comments from a slightly different reference point. Yes, Dungy stepped over the line, but he was directly questioned about his view on Hard Knocks by ESPN Radio’s Dan Patrick. What do you do when someone directly asks, “well, what do you think?”? Offer something completely cheesy and incredulous like, well, Rex is one of G-d’s children, and we all know we’re supposed to love our neighbor?
C’mon, let’s get real here... Dungy’s sociopolitical views should be separate from his Mr. Rogers persona. Keep in mind that Dungy does not come from a broken home, an impoverished background, or an inner-city upbringing. Dungy’s parents were both middle-class professionals. Heck, his father was a biology professor in suburban Oakland, Michigan. In fact, Dungy’s roots are likely more dignified than Ryan’s, considering his father is irascible former coach, Buddy Ryan. Does it bother me that Dungy believes in a sociopolitical paradigm that’s homophobic and exclusionary? Of course it does, just as that same sociopolitical paradigm’s passive anti-Semitic, racist and anti-Civil Rights agenda bothers me. But we’re in America, the land of the free and the brave, as well as opinionated, and as we all well know, everyone’s entitled to their opinions, no matter how bigoted and hurtful.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Dungy can’t say that Ryan’s vocabulary gives him the willies.
In fact, I’m not even bothered by Dungy saying that he’d never hire Rex Ryan because of his foul mouth. If Dungy wants a defensive whiz who can keep his language clean, good for him. Keep in mind that Tom Landry had Ernie Stautner, Gene Stallings, and Mike Ditka as assistants in Dallas, and none of them came close to Coach Landry’s G-rated vocabulary. Joe Gibbs had Dan Henning, Jim Hanifan, and Joe Bugel as assistants in Washington, and all of those guys could curse with the best of them. My point is if the sewerage from one’s mouth disqualifies an assistant coach from employment, Landry and Gibbs might never have won their combined five Super Bowl trophies.
Case in point, years ago I was a high school chemistry and physics teacher (and football coach) in Florida, and the principal I worked for was a blatant racist, bigot and anti-Semite. For four years I thought my name was “New York Jew Boy,” and on several occasions I witnessed this man reprimand young African-American males using the N-word. And yet, he was a church-going man... A Christian man...
But for Dungy to suggest Commissioner Goodell get involved with Ryan and discuss his vocabulary was a tad ridiculous. Yes, I’d love to see a little less profanity in our American culture, but this really isn’t something to legislate in professional football. So, while I wish Rex would simply tone down, I really wish Dungy didn’t go overboard on The Dan Patrick Show.
Haven’t we seen this type of contrast before? Sinners against the saints? Catholics against the convicts, as in Notre Dame against Miami in college football? Can’t everyone just get along... Or at least shut the $%#@&! up?
In case you didn’t know, LeBron James has informed the hating world that he’s making mental notes, and taking names and numbers of everyone who’s talked trash or dissed him this summer since his Decision. Wooooo.... I’m so scared. Okay, big fella... Count me in on your you-know-what list, since I’ve also scolded you in previous columns. In fact, you can take on me and Charles Barkley at the same time since I agree 100 percent with his assessment of your “punk” moves.
Isn’t it just a tad nippy in the air these days? We better watch out. We better not cry. We better not pout, because LeBron James is making his list and checking it twice... Yeah, yeah... Sorry kiddo... This Jew doesn’t worry about Santa Claus coming to town, or the Easter Bunny, for that matter. Oh, and while you’re working on your revenge list, or whatever you want to call it, could you STOP referring to yourself in the third person every time you open your yap to share your hurt feelings? Did anyone ever teach you about pronouns at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron?!
Could we finally stop this Cold War between Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan and defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth? Yes, I know Fat Albert is lazy and overpaid, but now we hear that Haynesworth may have a degenerative condition known as Rhabdomyolysis, a condition that causes the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue and adversely affects the kidneys. My first questions are:
(1) How long has Haynesworth had this condition?
(2) Did he know about this condition before he accepted his $21-million roster bonus in March?
(3) When did the Redskins learn of his condition?
(4) Did Shanahan know the risks to Haynesworth before subjecting him to conditioning drills?
While this condition may explain why Haynesworth has struggled to be in football shape so far in training camp, we still don’t have confirmation of the diagnosis, much less a prognosis relative to Haynesworth’s ability to play this season and beyond, not do we know what his long-term prognosis is, perhaps more important, considering Haynesworth is only 29 years old. While physical trauma is one cause of Rhabdomyolysis, there are plenty of questions to ask regarding the football or non-football related etiology in this case. It’s a little more than nine years since the heat stroke death of Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Kory Stringer, so if the diagnosis is indeed valid, this is something not to be taken lightly by the Redskins. Furthermore, if the diagnosis is indeed valid, Mike Shanahan needs to call an immediate truce with Haynesworth and focus on Haynesworth’s recovery rather than his disruption to the new world order in Redskinland. If ever there’s a case that may require NFLPA intervention, this may be it. Given Shanahan’s unceremonious dismissal in Denver two years ago, he can ill-afford another hit to his reputation and credibility. Maybe I’m making more of this story than warranted, but we don’t need another Kory Stringer tragedy, and the Redskins’ new management can’t afford a potential lawsuit to short-circuit its rebuilding agenda.
Is Mets closer, er... ineligible closer, Francisco Rodriguez, still sorry about his family squabble from last Wednesday night?
Let me get this straight... K-Rod smacks his “father-in-law” silly, spends a night in the pokey, gets charged with third-degree assault and kicked out of his Long Island home, and the MLBPA restricts the Mets to only a 2-game suspension without pay? Then, after he pitches a scoreless inning three days later, it’s determined he tore his right thumb during the beat-down, but the MLBPA is filing a complaint against the Mets for suspending him without pay for the remainder of the season due to this non-baseball injury?
REALLY?! What exactly does it take for the MLBPA to tell a player he’s radioactive and on his own? Obviously not steroids. Obviously not domestic violence. Obviously not alcohol or drug abuse. Obviously not drunk driving. Would murder work, or would the players’ union find a way to protect a player’s salary until his conviction was held up after a Supreme Court appeal? Seriously... When does it stop?
And let’s give three cheers to your favorite blockheads and mine, former Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Astros pitcher Roger Clemens and his trusty attorney, Rusty Hardin. Yep, the feds finally handed out multiple indictment counts against The Rocket for his fictional account about steroid use to Congress, and according to Clemens and Hardin, everything’s going exactly according to plan, and The Rocket will have his day in court. His day for what? A conviction for lying to the government? An opportunity to consult Martha Stewart on penitentiary cell décor? What’s going to be Clemens’ defense strategy: throw broken bat shards at the heads of the prosecution, judge, and jury members, then tell everyone “I thought it was the ball”?!
So Brett Favre’s back in the Vikings fold and all’s hunky dory as they gear up for another run towards the Super Bowl, right? Well, not if you heard back-up quarterback Tavaris Jackson tell reporters how he really doesn’t care if Favre is in Minnesota or not, or the anonymous players telling reporters that Favre doesn’t “trust” head coach Brad Childress running the offense. First, let me be the first to tell Tavaris Jackson that the Vikings don’t trust HIM as the starting quarterback. Second, after seeing his performance during the first two preseason games, let me offer these words to Mr. Jackson: Sage Rosenfels will be the starting quarterback before YOU are. Third, let me suggest Tavaris Jackson rent in the Twin Cities, not own.
Speaking of home owners, is anyone overly surprised Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony put his Denver home on the market last week? Is anyone seriously expecting the Nuggets to re-sign him after his contract expires at the end of the 2010-2011 NBA season?
Speaking of the Nuggets, how many of you said “yeah, right” when Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall told reporters that if the NFL has a lockout for the 2011 season he’d consider playing hoops for the Nuggets or Miami Heat? First, I didn’t know Marshall was welcome back in Denver. Second, isn’t there a limit as to how many “punks” are allowed to play on any single NBA roster? For some reason, I thought the Heat already reached their quota last month.
I know... Maybe I should stop running my mouth. But why should I if nobody else seems to be?
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