Nassar sentenced and what’s next
The judge took a fair amount of joy sentencing Dr. Larry Nassar to 40-175 years for the litany of deplorable and life-wrecking deviances he committed to dozens of gymnasts.
While we can all hope the stern sentence – “I just signed your death warrant,” judge told Nassar as a crowded courtroom started to applaud – brings some relief and satisfaction to the victims, this is just one of the chapters as this story continues to unfold.
We wanted to believe that a systematic failure of this magnitude would not happen again after Penn State. Or after Baylor.
Is it reasonable to think this is the last one? Not really.
And that’s tragic. And that’s the reason we’re OK with the NCAA taking a hard look at Michigan State. We were among the minority that did not think the NCAA was too harsh in its treatment of Penn State. We believe the stuff that happened at Baylor deserved a serious look at reinstating the death penalty for that football team.
And, while we have the same amount of trust in the NCAA in getting it right as we do in CNN and Fox presenting a balanced political story, here’s hoping the governing body of college athletics gets involved in a big way.
Hey, we understand the other side. And all of these points are valid.
Why should the NCAA – a group that can not even figure out a way to penalize UNC after an academic scandal that last two decades and included and botched the Miami debacle on almost every front – look into criminal issues?
Why should the current athletes get punished for the previous actions of others? In acts this terrible, how is a loss of scholarships and postseason appearances going to do anything?
All fair questions, but what is the universal root cause of the scandals at Penn State, Baylor and Michigan State – three power five athletic programs that have become as synonymous with sexual assault as sporting accomplishments in the oats decade?
Yes, the genesis of the acts was based in the evil. The evil of Sandusky and Nassar and all those Baylor University players who did unspeakable things to females on campus. But that’s the basis of the acts. The basis of the scandals is money, plain and simple, and the need for those in charge to protect those who are generating it in the billion-dollar arms race that is major college athletic.
So if money is the motivator for those covering up the actions of the evil one among us, then the only way to curb that is to hit them in the wallet.
This of it this way: There were more than 125 police reports to local authorities in East Lansing about Nassar. Yes, 125. If there were five calls about a frat party on the same weekend, they would send the paddy wagon over there, right?
Well, the blind eye was turned because Nassar was part of the MSU athletic machine, and in college towns like East Lansing and Athens, Ga., and Auburn, Ala. and Tallahassee, Fla., the biggest business into is the athletic departments.
It’s not the only reason, but it’s a large one. And, like it did in State College, Pa., and at Baylor, it found its way all the way to the top of the university. (Side note: The quote “As tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable,” from former MSU president Lou Anna Simon is as useless and tone deaf as she was during her time sitting idly by as dozens of young girls and women were scarred for ever as she did nothing. Nothing. Hey Lou, here’s a nice big cup of shut-the-hell-up and get-the-hell-out. Enjoy.)
Anything we can do to change the culture in which it is becoming more clear and common that the protection of assets and revenue is more important than the protection of the students must be explored.
And if the NCAA in some way can act as an agent of that change, then absolutely let them look around.
Because if one thing is universally clear at all three of those athletic departments, it is that each unequivocally had lost institutional control.
The draft that’s empty
A real missed chance for the NBA to please its fans tonight. Of course, its not like the NBA or any other league puts a large consideration on fans to begin with, but that’s a story for another time, past and future.
The new All-Star set up this year has LeBron James and Steph Curry – the two leading vote-getters – drafting the All-Star starters and then drafting the All-Star reserves.
That said for some inexplicable reason, the league shows everything from redraft workouts in a dingy gym outside of Chicago, is not showing the draft process live. Why? And if it is really to protect the players’ feelings – the same players making tens of millions annually to wear shorts to work, the same players who by any measure are in the top one percent of their profession – about who is picked last, well, it’s official: We have become the softest, most mentally fragile society that has ever walked the planet. Game over.
For example, in this back-and-forth mock draft – we love the draft, even the NBA all-star draft between two dudes at CBSsports.com who we have never heard of before, you know this – LaMarcus Aldridge is the last pick.
Aldridge, who is having a way better year – 22.5 points per, 8.7 rebounds per, shooting 49 percent from the floor – than most may realize. He also makes $19.69 million a year. So, are we to believe that we should be worried that Lil’ LeMarcus’ feelings would be hurt if he was picked last?
Worse yet, according to this interview with Adam Silver earlier this month, he emphatically said not televising the draft was the direction because he did not want to put the captains in an awkward spot.
Say what? So now we’re worried about the pressure and awkwardness LeBron and Steph could, maybe, possibly feel by picking KD over Giannis, Harden over Kyrie or Russell over Kevin Love? (Never mind the fact that in that same story LeBron said he’d be fine with the draft being on TV.)
Sweet buckets what a waste. This even is meaningless and the change is stupid unless it is televised. Otherwise, it’s just a book report handed out to everyone.
And while we try to very seldom use, the “Think of the children” line in sports decisions because it will almost always leave you frustrated, what kind of message does this send.
Cue Silver at the podium, his wiry glasses covering his look as the alien wearing a human suit in Men in Black 14: “Well we know our fans are interested in it and that it could be a cool 30-minute deal with Shaq helping Steph and Chuck Barkley helping LeBron, but we think it would be really awkward for two people as opposed to entertaining for possibly a million. Remember kids, never extend yourself or try new things or get up and speak in front of crowd or try out for the talent show, because awkward situations are the devil’s workshop.”
Yep, game over.
Say what?
OK, we get the need for everyone to weigh in on every controversy out there.
Here’s the next one, and believe it or not we now are kicking around politics in tennis. Where’s the love? (See what we did there Spy?)
Now Serena Williams is blasting Tennys Sandgren for his social media posts and saying the American male player who made it to the quarterfinals of the Aussie Open supports the Alt-Right.
Here’s the CBS story and the quotes are pretty striking from Williams, who demanded an apology from Sandgren.
When asked about the Tweets about the Alt-Right movement and whether he supports it, here’s what Sandgren told CNN: “No, I don’t (support it). I don’t. I find some of the content interesting. But no, I don’t, not at all. As a firm Christian, I don’t support things like that, no. I support Christ and following Him. That’s what I support.”
That apparently was not enough Serena, who Tweeted this about the apology personally to Sandgren: “@TennysSandgren I don’t need or want one. But there is a entire group of people that deserves an apology. I cant look at my daughter and tell her I sat back and was quiet. No! she will know how to stand up for herself and others- through my example.”
We are in such a strange place, right? Sandgren denied it and professed his Faith but that’s not enough for Serena apparently.
OK, here’s a pretty good back and forth on the details from CNN.
Thoughts?
This and that
– Congrats to Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vlad Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman for getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Four inductees from the committee is a big number. The only time there has ever been five was the first class in 1936, which did not include Cy Young, which shows that even back then the voters for Cooperstowns were a bunch of curmudgeons. (Young was part of an eight-man class the following year, but four of those guys were picked by the veterans committee.)
– As for the candidacy of Bonds, Clemens and the rest of the folks under the cloud of PEDs, the early surge in votes for Barry and Roger did not equate to a noticeable increase in final tallies. Bonds has increased more than 20 percent since first appearing on the ballot in 2013 and getting 36.2 percent of the vote. That’s the good news. Bad news: Bonds went from 53.8 to 56.4 between 2017 and this year’s tally. Same cane be said for Clemens, who has an increase of 19.7 percent since 2013, but saw his total go from 54.1 percent in 2017 to 57.3 percent this time.
– Speaking of the Nassar stuff, he had the gaul to say that the victims’ statements have “shaken me to my core.” Hey dude, stop talking. You’re dang lucky you are not scheduled to walk the Green Mile and ride the lightning. (That said, his life in prison after all that he has done and the way folks inside those walls view child predators, well, maybe the chair would be the less painful path, Doc.)
– Side hoops story, and yes, we are partial to this group, but Auburn is pretty good folks. Here are a couple of stats on the whole to remember about this 18-2 bunch coached by Bruce Pearl. One they lead the SEC in shots. Not percentage, but shots and the simple math tells you the more shots, the more chances, and eventually the more points. They do this by being an excellent offensive rebounding team (24th nationally with almost 13 per game) and not turning it over. Also of note, Auburn is eighth nationally in free-throw percentage, making 77.9 per game. In last night’s impressive 91-73 win at Missouri, Auburn had eight offensive rebounds and a 21-8 edge in second-chance points, committed only eight turnovers to Missouri’s 20 and made 23-of-26 free throws.
– Because, well, you know, 50 Cent, the rapper who has had a roller coaster financial career that has included making $100 million and declaring bankruptcy a couple of years ago, learned that because he sold his 2014 album and accepted Bitcoins in the transaction, that he is sitting on almost $8 million in the cyber currency.
– Cha-Ching. Here’s a guy that Vegas bookmakers will not name but say he is a well-known player who just put a multimillion-dollar bet on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl.
– Hey, we’re in for a Super Bowl contest if you are. We’ll offer 10 prop bets, and likely will have them trimmed down tomorrow. Deal? Deal.
Today’s questions
Complete and total speculation here, but the top two choices, if the person who made the multimillion-dollar wager is a sports celebrity, the names at the top are Mickelson and
Barkley, right? That’s the Jordan and LeBron of guess, right?
Also, does anyone have a reasonable answer as to why any Hall of Fame voter would vote for Bonds but not Clemens and vice versa? Seriously. You either leave them off or you include them both right? Can anyone explain that?
A few Rushmores appeared to us today. Like this one: Did you know that Mendelssohn’s wedding march was first played on this day in 1858, when Princess Victoria married a prince from Prussia? If we went most well-known songs for all ages across the country, if we started with Wedding March, Happy Birthday, For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow, and Jesus Loves Me, what would your replace.
Then there was this realization: one of the iconic moments of my pre-college sports fandom happened 30 years ago today. Jerome Lane shattered a backboard with a vicious in-game dunk and we were watching it live and it is definitely on the short-list of jump-out-of-your-seat-and-yell sports moments.
The footage is amazing. Bill Raftery’s “Send it in Jerome” is iconic. And man, Big East hoops was legit back in the day.
With that, let’s go a little different here today. Rushmore of in-game dunks. Go.