The Heisman Trophy or Atrophy

December 12, 2015

I have mixed thoughts on the Heisman award, given to the best college football player every year. The reason I don't give a darn about this crowning is that, more often than not, this honor is handed to an athlete who garnered enough popularity votes and statistical data to claim the prize. Smaller colleges than the typical Division I schools will not have candidates, and teams who give the ball to the same guy 30 times a game doesn't stand a chance. This is why you notice running backs or quarterbacks from big programs typically gather more votes.

Is it no wonder that many of the students who win the Heisman award do not go on to gain the same success in the National Football League? Some of these players perform behind highly recruited and nurtured offensive linemen and play against smaller, less talented squads. In the NFL, the advantages of the size and strength of an offensive line are not as large.

I think that the voting process needs to look at each game the player played in and their effect in the contest. When a student from a powerhouse school plays the under-matched team on their schedule and racks up 200 yards running, how is this weighed? All of this statistical data is up for grabs with the voters and how they will interpret it. If the voters were all educated on the nation's players, there shouldn't be any problem finding which player made the most impact for his team to win every week. Then you look for consistency and, lastly, how his numbers compare with others. And why are mostly running backs rewarded? Sure, they touch the ball more than everybody except the quarterback, but doesn't this make this an award for the highest statistically rated running back from a famous school instead of the best player.

Oh well, similar to the majority of awards in the public entertainment or sporting genre. More often than not, the nominees get scrutinized, and the favorites are chosen for unknown reasons. I don't give the Heisman much thought, but this piqued my interest this year because my local college has a player in the mix. I wanted to see how he would be perceived in the media's eyes. So far, it appears he got a fair shake in his perception but now comes the challenging part. The voters will cast their ballots based on some unknown formula, and the hoopla and confetti will be thrown on some good athlete. After the award, they will speed the rest of their lives living up to the big trophy's persona and its odd reputation.

Officiating Under Fire

December 8, 2015

 I blame super slow instant replay for all the moaning about sport officiating. Argument done. I wish it were this easy to dismiss the squabbling about calls. There has always been referee and umpire lambasting, but the complaints are reaching unprecedented levels of scrutiny. Not only are officials, refs, umpires, and judges publicly shamed and targeted, they are also getting caught up in physical skirmishes. Once I was umpiring a Little League game, and I had missed a call on the bases. I decided based on what I saw at the time and was soon criticized by both the Manager and the fans in an intimidating way; I was fifteen years old. I learned from my mistake, but I also found that emotions can run deep, even supposedly in a game for fun.

Let's look at the possible reasons for the heightened and sometimes shrill judgments of sport officiating; Not enough training, no full-time officials, rules are becoming more muddled with too many interpretations, technology can see more than the naked eye, and biased treatment for certain athletes.

Education is an obvious culprit, which is also the number one reason for any poor job performance. You are only as good as what you study, what you practice, and how often you utilize your skills. Being a game official takes years to become proficient at knowing all the nuances, and when the smaller level of training gets exposed in a situation, there is the chance for mistakes. How often do you hear the term "rookie official" being utilized in a television broadcast? The commentators are setting up the viewers just in case wrong calls are made, establishing a scapegoat.

When it comes to football at the collegiate and professional level, you are getting officials who are part-time employees who might be selling vacuum cleaners during the week. Nothing terrible with hawking vacuums, but it's better to be selling something that sucks than sucking at your blown calls in front of eighty thousand people. Football is so popular and full of big-time money and emotion. Why they don't hire a dedicated full-time group of officials baffles me. A couple of beer commercials could pay for an entire team of full-time refs for one weekend in the NFL. You would think you would get more consistent officiating across the board with an experienced and well-trained staff.

The rule books for any of the professional sports contain pages of new infractions and interpretations. The problem with this factor is the officials who might understand the rules, but not everybody is on the same page. One year you touch another athlete in a certain way; the next, you can't breathe on him. The NFL is going down some slippery slopes to understand pass interference, holding, and tackling. The games are getting messy with flags being thrown from everybody, refs, coaches, and second-guessing from the replay booths, announcers, and experts; it is sometimes unwatchable. I don't know where the NFL is going with their rulings, but it appears that rules need simplifying instead of regulating all modes of contact. This goes as well for basketball because I believe the calls are inconsistent from play to play more than any other sport.

Of course, we have what I view as the elephant in the room, and technology is better than the human eye. Officials can only comprehend so much at full speed; therefore, the games are being constantly slowed down to a snail pace to review the calls in some remote location. I feel camera technology hasn’t improved anything to these contests except make them more controversial and slower. I think baseball at this point should have an electronic umpire behind home plate. If every pitch is going to be scrutinized anyway, why not use the digital eye. Football calls are the most difficult to watch for refs, and the camera proves it, but I fear the day when every call gets reviewed only to please one of the teams. Where does this end?

Lastly, every sports fan watching thinks the star athletes receive preferential treatment when it comes to penalties. Older players get fewer calls than younger ones, and some teams are more penalized than others. The unions of officials will deny the accusation, but it appears evident to most of us who logged hours in front of the TV. This is the most forgiving of the officiating sins, but not when it comes to big money playoffs.

More and more sports are available for people to play, which results in a growing employment field of officiating. I fear that a shortage of officials, well-trained and experienced ones will occur. The answer to the shortfall can open the path for more electronic judging. It doesn't appear that camera technology is going away, so where is the happy medium between the human eye and the electronic one? College football replays are as annoying as the NFL, so there must be a place where the two can operate in cohesion instead of the second-guessing nature. I am sure that a day will come, the eye in the sky will replace professional level, on-field, court referees, and all the officials will be sitting in the command center. Urgh...

Endurance

December 2, 2015

 When I hear the term endurance, I think of Duracell batteries. The iconic television commercial with the bunny rabbit going and going while being powered by their batteries has to be one of the most profit-making advertisements of all time. When it comes to humans, what is the Duracell battery? Is your mind setting the threshold of pain and resistance? Is your nervous system sending signals to your brain to keep up with a specific activity? I am not a doctor, but I know when I can perform longer. It's because I am well rested, fueled with nutrition, in reasonably good shape allowing me to block out the mental roadblocks to stop. What do the experts say?

Many say endurance is the ability of a person to exert itself for an extended period and the capacity to withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds, or fatigue. It is usually used in aerobic or anaerobic exercise. The physiological results and consequences of muscle adaption to endurance activity are a slower utilization of glycogen and blood glucose, a greater reliance on fat oxidation, and less lactate production during exercise of given intensity.

When humans start training and performing resistance exercises, we increase the ability to flow more oxygen to muscles. We also create more mitochondria in lean tissue that help the "energy to effort" conversion. Last, we condition the lungs, cardiovascular and skeletal muscle systems to convert energy in a more extended period instead of bursts of activity like sprints or weightlifting.

Okay, we laymen are still wondering what we have to do to make all the science and physiology do its wonder. How do we increase endurance? Not just doing athletic endeavors but performing everyday tasks like raking leaves, moving furniture, and climbing stairs. Nothing says "out of shape" more than being winded by a flight of stairs or chasing down the mailman to give him a bill to deliver.

As I mentioned earlier, rest and eating well is the best fuel for the body. Those who work a lot of hours don't always take this simple advice and will find that crashing and burning also becomes a cycle. One can only sustain this kind of lifestyle for so long before the effects are soon harder and harder to fend off. How funny that some of the simplest movements like walking can enhance endurance. You don't need a gym or a coach to tell you how to do a jumping jack, jump rope, do a pushup unless you want somebody to hold you accountable. I believe the whole coffee phenomenon results from frazzled people needing a stimulant to give them energy.

It comes down to the gradual adaption method, which is slowly and steadily increasing mileage and speed or weight as the best way to increase endurance. In addition, train smart, work on what's weak, mix it up and keep work-outs non-boring and you will find your happy place. Lastly, remember, you can't always hire somebody to rake your leaves. Go out there with some grit and be a raking fool.

Jim Thorpe: The First Great American Athlete

December 1, 2015

Once in a blue moon, you will hear Jim Thorpe's name in a discussion, but it is very rare. He is much heralded, but little is known about or who he is to the younger generation of sports fans. In my grade school days, I remember writing a book report about him. Do kids still write book reports? Why do I need to bring up an athlete 90 to 100 years ago? Because I often listen to debates about whom is the best player of this and that sport. Jim Thorpe was a naturally gifted athlete who excelled at multiple sports. There have been athletes who found success in a couple of different sports, but Thorpe is the first to successfully crossover and compete against the best of his generation.

He was born in the late 1880s in Pottawatomie County in Oklahoma Indian Territory to mixed raced parents. His father, Hiram Thorpe, had an Irish father and Sac and Fox Indian mother. His mother, Charlotte Vieux had a French father and a Potawatomi mother. Jim's childhood turned rough with his mother and brother dying of illnesses. This left him depressed, which contributed to him running away from home numerous times. In 1904, he returned to his father to attend Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. When he turned sixteen, his athletic abilities were noticed by the legendary Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner, one of the most influential coaches of early American football.

The legend began at Carlisle when he walked up to the track field in his street clothes, and high jumped 5 foot 9 inches to beat all the other jumpers. Also, at Carlisle, he competed in football, baseball, lacrosse, and ballroom dancing. Oddly he won the 1912 intercollegiate ballroom dancing championships.

Pop Warner started by being reluctant for Jim to play football because he was such a good track runner but finally relented when he saw him show up for football practice one day and ran a few plays. The team couldn't tackle him on every play. The legend continued in 1911 when he gained nationwide attention for the first time. In a game against the mighty Harvard, he played running back, placekicker and punter, scored all of his team's points, four field goals, and a touchdown for an 18-15 victory. Jim was such a force to be reckoned with and became a collegiate All-American for the 1911 and 1912 seasons.

Football became Thorpe's favorite sport, but he would also compete in track and field, bringing him fame. This would eventually lead him to the 1912 Olympic trials then on to the Olympic Games in Sweden. He competed in the Pentathlon and the Decathlon and won eight individual events and gold medals. He came home to the US to a ticker tape parade on Broadway in New York.

Thorpe's story didn't sidestep controversy and shame, for he got stripped of his medals for being declared a professional athlete for making a meager sum playing pro baseball for one summer. This act by the Olympic commission looked shameful because they didn't even follow their own protocol for protesting athletes and amateur status. Protests and disqualification must be done within thirty days of the games' closing; they did this six months later. On the contrary, Thorpe's family would see the day when his medals were reinstated in 1983.

After the Olympics, Thorpe went on to play both professional baseball and football for numerous teams throughout the rest of the decade and into the 1920s. He also dabbled in basketball for a while, barnstorming with an "All Indian" team for a couple of years. Thorpe's pro baseball career ended in 1922, and he finished his football career at the age of 41.

What makes Jim Thorpe's story so unique and impressive are the obstacles constantly put in his way, and like any significant human endeavor, he did what he loved and excelled with grace. He was a humble and gifted man who became admired by most of the public. Unfortunately, there is an ugly side to his saga with relentless racism because of his heritage. He kept moving forward, trying new things, and never giving in to false celebrity. In today's day and age, his path would be easier in some regards, but the money would be thrown at him in truckloads. Modern-day great athletes have to be coddled and protected by a staff of lawyers and accountants. It is rare to find an athlete so good that he hasn't had an agent and big dough controlling them. Jim Thorpe's story is one of a kind and should never be forgotten.

The Golden State Warriors, Mad and Happy?

November 28, 2015

There was too much chatter and blabbing about how the Golden State Warriors dodged a lot of bullets en route to the NBA championship last year. It was either that they missed playing this team or that team, or they played injury-riddled teams. It has appeared that not only did that make them upset, but it also motivated them to repeat the task. On the contrary, nobody thought they were this pissed and inspired to lay barren waste of the opponents at the beginning of the year. All of their statistics are up; points, assists, and defensive stops. Now what? Do they have to wait until they play San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Cleveland to get some respect from the naysayers?

Sure, Stephen Curry is scoring like a madman and dishing out crazy passes like Pistol Pete, but it's the upside improvement of the supporting cast that is amazing. Draymond Green has established himself as an all-around performer who is probably one of the top ten players in the league. Harrison Barnes is ascending as well, getting more consistent, and seems to be more aggressive around the rim. Andrew Bogut lost twenty pounds and looks like he wants to keep his starting job in front of Festus Ezeili, who is developing an offensive game that is hard to deny. Of course, you have Klay Thompson, the perfect complement to Curry, who can score from anywhere on the court, and Andre Iguodala, the super sub who does everything.

All of this magic is guided by the interim coach Luke Walton, with Steve Kerr cell phoning inputs from his Lazy Boy recliner while he mends back surgery. All things are clicking right now for the Warriors, with contagious winning fever spreading throughout the team and organization. Some games have been so lopsided that even the twelfth man gets significant minutes in the fourth quarter. This will pay off big time when the injury bug comes around or when rest is sorely needed in the grueling late part of the season.

This well-oiled machine will eventually lose after going 17 and 0 to start the season, which can come any night in any town. Most likely, it will come when they have been on the road and have to play back-to-back games. Every team will measure themselves against the Warriors and try to get physical on Curry. The one thing that would worry any Warrior fan is that a second-team guard on a bad team is out to hack Curry with authority. If that never happens, Curry is still the league MVP again this year by unanimous decision. Enjoy the ride, Warrior fans, because this is as good as it gets!!

Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions and the Relish Tray

November 25, 2015

On the west coast, it's 10 am on Thanksgiving Day, slippers on, recliner mobilized, remote control in hand, and I turn on the tube to find the Detroit Lions against the Packers. Too early for turkey but not for this lovely tradition that is older than I am. The Detroit franchise has played on Thanksgiving since 1934. We always got the Lions game first on the West Coast, followed by Dallas, who started playing in 1967.

The NFL had very humble beginnings, and owners attempted different things to get fans to attend games. The Lions owner moved his franchise from Ohio, so he tried this Thanksgiving gimmick to capture interest. They played a good Chicago team that day which was broadcast nationwide. They have hosted a Thanksgiving game every year since only to miss six seasons during World War II. Their record is 35-38-2.

Most football fans will never see a Lions game if it were not for the Turkey Bowl. Some great players have played for the Detroit organization, and their chance at national exposure is limited due to Detroit's lack of post season appearances. I remember seeing one of the greatest running backs of all time, Barry Sanders, on Thanksgiving against the Bears. He ran crazy on the Chicago defense that game and scored a few touchdowns. Sander's record on Thanksgiving is 7-3, and he's run for over 900 yards; only Emmett Smith rushed for more, over 1100 yards.

Thanksgiving is one day when most of us are Lions fans, except for the opponent's fan base and gamblers. This is an up and down year for the boys in blue, but they won a couple in a row and will play the Philadelphia Eagles, one they can win. I may not be eating my turkey dinner at ten in the morning, but I might start early on the relish tray. Salute Detroit Lions!

Concussions and Football, Where is it Headed?

November 22, 2015

 If there ever has been a sports story that evolves more than the concussion talk, it is hard to find one. Maybe the whole steroid issue gets as much attention, but the concussion crisis is much more wide-ranging in scope. Steroids affected only a certain percentage of athletes and mainly at the professional level. Head injuries are across the board involving all athletes, from small kids to seniors.

The rash of reported concussions in sports hasn't risen due to more people sustaining head injuries but more for better diagnoses. Especially football, where getting knocked in the head was something you had to accept as part of the game. You would shake it off and gather yourself in the past, then go back onto the field. This may be a simplified excuse, but you can ask any professional football player, and they will tell you to a man; this is the reality. Even in today's hyper-awareness for concussions sustained in sports, many athletes are still reluctant to report symptoms of head trauma.

In the past few years, an abundance of studies shows the effects of continuous head impacts and the possibility of contracting long term problems. There are not as many disagreements on the short-term issues and the analysis of concussions. Concussions have a grading system to the severity of the injury, and I’m not sure what version the NFL is currently using. One of the new mandates of the league is to give each player who comes off the field with a possible head injury has to be diagnosed and cleared by a neurosurgeon before they can return to game action.

This brings us to the question of who is benefiting from this new awareness. Indeed, the players do by having a safety net, but it gets into grey matter. Owners don't benefit by having players not playing; fans don't gain by not seeing or having their best guys performing for them. Helmet manufacturers will be called into action to create super prototypes to withstand a more direct impact. Rosters might need to be expanded to replace the injured who are ruled ineligible to play.

The NFL will be pressured to figure out this problem, not just to look after their athletes but their survival as a business. There will be an increase in lawsuits and drain on the talent pool, as the youth is directed away from football. Super headgear may help with some injuries, but will this create more boldness for players to use their helmets as battering rams. As the NFL gets deeper and deeper in penalty quagmires, adding helmet spearing is a more dramatic infraction. The way to go is changing the tackling methods at all levels. The helmet should not be the first thing projecting into an opposing player, but more arm wrapping and takedown techniques need to be diligently taught. If rugby can be a sport which employs tackling, and the players do not use helmets, why can't the NFL? I heard of eliminating face masks as one possible remedy as it would remove one of the barriers that players have to withstand impacts. That may be a long-term answer, but the injuries taken on initially might not be something the owners and fans want to see.

The violence and physical demands of football are going to be in the news forever at this point. The NFL must be the frontrunner in player safety because they have the most at stake. As with the NFL, this will be a slow deliberating process taking years. The concussion issue will continue to evolve to the level wherein ten years, we will not recognize the game today. Each player will wear an inflatable suit, and the helmet will look like astronaut headgear. The contest will contain no field referees, and the scoreboard will tell us everything we need to know. Hopefully, this is not the future, but as Bob Dylan once sang, "The Times They Are A-Changin."

THE LONG HAUL OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

November 7, 2015 

The NBA season is so long, playing through 9 months. Hockey feels compelled to duplicate this feat. Is this good for the sport?  It's undoubtedly good for hard core fans and advertising sponsors of various products. When fans are disappointed after a key player is injured when the playoffs come around, you have your problem on full display.  The NBA and the NHL play 82 games, with both regular seasons ending in April. Both leagues play three rounds of playoffs before the finals, which extends both seasons into June. The NHL requires four best of seven series victories while the NBA starts with a best of five, then moving to the best of seven. The NHL can claim to have the most brutal season of them all, congratulations.  This gives the league champion the chance to play one hundred games and be the studliest of them of all.  

The teams that have the deepest and healthiest pool of talent will win more games. If you watched last year's NBA finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers were missing a lot of their core players. At the same time, their opponent, the Golden State Warriors, benefited by having their whole team reasonably healthy. I have to laugh when people say they got lucky that they didn't have to face the entire Cleveland squad. I say that we're wise to have a flexible ten-man rotation that was more rested and healthier. I think the coaches are starting to realize that the statistic "minutes played" is something to consider for the team's benefit. Sometimes injuries happen that cannot be avoided, but then again, some injuries are inflamed by being exposed to more activity. Players are expected to play with aches and pains, but a good organization will find ways to use their whole team and not grind down the star players.

I don't see the seasons getting any shorter anytime soon. If anything, the leagues have tried to expand the playoff season. This October, you had the NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL all playing simultaneously, good for sports fans, long seasons for players. You can look at preseason predictions for a team's projections; it is impressive to see how many of the same players are on opening day starting lineups versus the end of the season. Injuries are becoming more and more a common denominator in today's sports world. The sooner teams adapt to that reality and adjust to preserve their strength and health for the long haul, the more success they will have. The days of seeing Cal Ripken, the modern-day "Ironman" of sports, who played in 2632 games consecutive games, will be a thing of the past. Players are paid so much now and are commodities that need to be healthy and performing at optimum performance.

The Rugby World Cup Versus Dan Marino

October 27, 2015

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Rugby World Cup match on Sunday with New Zealand and South Africa. These two teams have a storied rivalry, and the match on Sunday was close and hard-fought. The New Zealand All Blacks battled their way to a 20-18 victory, which propelled them into the final against Australia. The Rugby World Cup has been played in the United Kingdom for the past month, and the last two teams standing will play on Saturday, October 31st.

For those of you not knowing much about the World Cup or rugby in general, it is worth watching to understand its beauty. Yes, there is beauty underneath the physicality and display of brute strength. Like American football, in rugby, one team tries to advance the ball over a goal line or try to kick the ball through the goal post uprights. The beauty of rugby is the free-flowing nature of the play, which is sometimes frantic and sometimes a testament of wills. I will not go into the rules and subtleties of the game, but if you watch for at least 10 minutes, you will get the basic premise.

I was in a lounge the other day when I overheard two fellows discussing the greatness of various quarterbacks in NFL history. One guy was a staunch defender of Dan Marino, the famed Miami Dolphin quarterback who holds high esteem in the quarterback hierarchy. The other fellow was throwing down names like a Black Jack dealer, but the other guy was not having any of it. It was only Dan Marino as the best of all time, and he laid out his case while stoking on a big cigar. I usually stay out of these useless conversations, which are almost like argument's involving politics and religion. But, I interjected myself into the fray and, in a gentlemanly way, asked if anybody caught the rugby match on the tube.

Dan Marino’s number one fan responded with dead silence as if I was a heretic and the other open-minded chap said that he caught most of the first half. We exchanged some banter about the contest, and I concluded that it was hard to watch the NFL after that rugby match due to the sheer physicality and toughness of the players involved while they use no padding.   Again, silence from the Marino groupie, and then I sensed it was time to let him continue his love poem about Marino to the other guy.

He continued about quarterbacking, then he said something that I found profound, and it had nothing to do with Mr. Marino. He said he liked football because it is short bursts of designed plays that had to be performed with precision against the opposition.  He was saying that football has structure and physical toughness while rugby is too chaotic and too hard to keep your attention span. Okay, he didn't say that last part, but that is part of my perception.

I think many football fans respect the toughness of the rugby players, but it's not their cup of tea. I believe that is fair to some extent, but the more I watch rugby, I understand how the plays are set up and how they want to maneuver the ball downfield. The big difference between the two is that there are no beer and truck commercials every 5 minutes. The constant stoppage of play for minor infractions and instant replay controversies drives me to record some games and watch without any interruptions. I think that we can all agree that is the big difference between the two. Cheers to New Zealand and Australia this Saturday for the World Cup Championship.

The Sporting Brain…I’m in a Zone Dude!

October 20, 2015

With the future bringing us driverless cars, life-like robots, hologram TV, virtual everything, and chip implants, I don't want to give it much thought. Much like owning a lot of things, some of these new technologies will own you. Okay, say I am stuck in the past, but I will accept my fate. What will get you through the maladies of modern life will always be happiness and peace of mind.

What does peace of mind have to do with sports?  Is it stillness and some simple meditation?  I am not going to get all yoga on you, but some things are timeless. You have to shut the brain down naturally now and then to rest it and give yourself clarity. You will find that life slows down, your body relaxes, and you can get a Zen-like awareness that's as good as any superpower. The ability to suspend or slow down the rapid pace of modern life is the secret to any performance.

You often hear about athletes stating that they perform best when the game slows down. The game doesn’t slow down, but the performer has reached a more acute awareness of their ability and play around them. They visualize the play before it happens, allowing the body to follow. I like sports such as baseball, golf, and tennis, sports requiring hand-eye coordination.  When I am performing well, the ball responds to the force I assert with more speed. That translates into hitting the ball in the "sweet spot" of the bat, racquet, and club. It seems effortless when it happens, but it is not always easy to repeat.

An athlete practices his sport to not only create strength and stamina but to create muscle memory. It is such a fine line when you are competing, the difference between failure and success. Muscle memory is not the only answer to the riddle; it's also focus and clarity.  How to achieve "it" requires just as much practice as physical skills. When an athlete has confidence in their abilities, their analytical brain slows down and the subconscious guides them in their moment. I am no psychologist, but I know the feeling of hitting a golf ball a long way. Golf is the most mental game because of the small margin for error, and when you're in a zone, it feels effortless.

There are more and more advancements in the mental aspect of sports performance. I recently watched a documentary on virtual reality and its use in sports conditioning. The athlete is trained to recognize visual scenarios in the virtual world that replicates their athletic endeavors. For Instance, quarterbacks wear this unique eyewear, then shown multitudes of plays and defensive alignments in a 3D world. The result is to place the athlete in a real-time, life-like situation that replicates a game. The athlete is getting practice time without stepping on the field.

These types of technologies will probably end up in our living room, and you can teach yourself something by putting on the headset. Don't know how to play piano or want to build an IKEA cabinet, put on the headset and the memory chip in, and you are performing a hands-on task. Of course, if you have your robot, they can do this for you.

My original premise before I began rambling was; life is easier when you can turn off the clutter that comes blowing into your brain and just let the subconscious mind take over for a while. You can practice your golf swing over and over, but your mind eventually knows what the correct swing is. The skill at that point is not the swing but how to find it in the brain and not think about it. Sounds easy, huh? If it were easy, life would be easy. Now go back to the golf range.

Spartans vs. the Wolverines and 100,000 Fans

October 16, 2015

There are plenty of storied college football matchups and rivalries to write about, such as Notre Dame and USC, Alabama, and Auburn, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, but I am choosing Michigan and Michigan State. The reason is that they are both really good this year, and you have the lightning rod of Head Coach Jim Harbaugh bringing his surging team against the 7th ranked and undefeated Michigan State Spartans.

On Saturday, they will lock up in Ann Arbor at Michigan stadium with a crowd to exceed 100,000. "The Big House" is the largest football stadium in the United States. Since Michigan State has won the last seven games, it is huge for Michigan and their frenzied fan base. There is a lot at stake in this game because the winner will probably win the Big Ten title and get a trip to the Rose Bowl.

As far as this rivalry, Michigan has won a lot more at 68-34-5, but this game stands as one that could go either way. Harbaugh is getting all of the hype now that his squad has beaten their last five opponents relatively quickly with dominating defense, physicality, and great special team play. Michigan State fans are saying that they do not get the respect they should, but that is an often-played card in college football.

Sure, Notre Dame plays USC this weekend, and Florida plays LSU, Alabama, and Texas A&M square up, but I want to hear 100,000 fans going berserk when this game starts, and Harbaugh is wound up like a ten-day clock. It's a great weekend to watch all of these games or even see your local college playing. The tickets are cheap, the food is always good, and fans act differently than the pro football variety. That's not a slam on NFL fans, but college football fans have deep roots in their alma mater, or some have ties to the school that go beyond just city affiliation. I like to hear when the fans are chanting or singing in unison in pure joy for the team. Cheers to Michigan and Michigan State football. Let the rivalry go on! 

Adrenaline!

October 12, 2015

We all possess it, we all need it, but we don't understand. We have all heard of the term "adrenaline junkies," and we think of thrill-seekers like parachuters and extreme sports performers. What does this mean?

Adrenaline is the hormone in our body helping us react to fright and flight situations. The brain signals the adrenal glands to release adrenaline and other hormones directly into the bloodstream. The response is immediate to systems in the body and receives a physical boost, an increase of strength and speed, and decreased pain. This surge of energy is the adrenaline rush.

There is a big difference between fight or flight syndrome and stressful situations that are not dangerous. When a non-dangerous tense situation occurs, the body reacts differently. The adrenal glands will produce more glucose and may cause the body to feel edgy and irritable. Doing something with physical assertion will help relieve this feeling.

I believe we would all benefit largely as a society if we could harness this rush into something positive. I have my fears, such as public speaking, skydiving, swimming in the ocean, riding a large motorcycle... those are fears and phobias that I may or may not attempt to face.

Trying to use adrenaline to your advantage can be a key to conquering your fears. The skill comes into how to harness your emotions so that the adrenaline can work its magic. For instance, you are in a situation when you are forced to confront somebody who makes you uncomfortable. Your fear might stop you dead in your tracks, but if you can block out the emotional response for a moment, the adrenaline will give you a surge of exuberance and exhilaration that can be to your benefit. The rush will provide a boost of confidence which will help you break the swarm of fear.

Many sports coaches realize that at the beginning of a sporting event, everybody has a significant burst of energy and adrenaline, and they should try to use this for a quick jump-start on an opponent. The crowd at an event drives the edginess and nervousness to a high level, and when the contest begins, the adrenaline zips through the athletes' veins. How that rush is used can be the difference in a good beginning and sometimes the factor in the outcome.

I use my adrenaline in public situations, which causes me anxiety. I force myself to block out the fear for a fleeting moment and project headlong into the situation. The adrenaline does its thing to light my internal fuse, and I can approach the moment with a little more swagger. Next time you find the dance floor empty but know you are an awkward dancer, go for it and let it happen. Your adrenaline will carry you far as you want, people may look and stare, but you will not regret your decision.

October and the Sporting Smorgasbord

October 3, 2015

The baseball season has come to a close, and now it is time for the great playoff run to the World Series.  Football is in full swing, NHL hockey is starting up, the NBA begins at the end of the month, and the World Cup of Rugby is happening.  This is the best time of the year for most sports fans.  I am heading to Mexico and the shores of Puerto Vallarta for some R and R.  I will come back fully charged and will be ready to launch into the next phase of Inner Might Sports. There will be more reader interaction, products to look at, and the introduction of Sports Challenge.  See you all in ten days, Chris!

Pulaski Academy Football is Still Doing it Differently

September 27, 2015 

You may or may not have heard of the little Arkansas School that doesn't punt on 4th down. They also use the onside kick and like to utilize downfield laterals often. I love it! This distinction belongs to Pulaski Academy Prep in Little Rock. These theories come from the mind of Coach Kevin Kelly, a devotee of statistical analysis and considered legendary in high school coaching.

The fanfare and hoopla about Pulaski Academy using nontraditional playing tactics are valid because they win a lot of football games under Kelly's tutelage. Pulaski's record through 2014 stands at 138-25-1, and he is 4-0 this year. They have won 4 state championships in the thirteen years with Kelly as the head coach. Not bad, considering Pulaski Academy did not have a big winning tradition before he came. He has built this program into something incredible using his unorthodox coaching style, which goes beyond gimmickry.

What is the big strategy he uses? The core belief is the statistical analysis proves that a higher percentage of success for making first downs is not by punting. Instead of giving away the ball, the offense can use four downs to make ten yards. In addition, is the surrendering of field positions to the other side. Kelly doesn’t believe a team should punt and let the other side dictate the score. The numbers he uses show that even the slightest bit of success will make a difference in the game. This also proves correct when it comes to onside kicks. Kelly is looking for a successful return rate of at least 18% to give his team an advantage. You may be wondering how this will be called success with an 80% failure rate. Again, the slightest edge in these strategies can be the difference in the contest. As proven by a Harvard Professor and Kelly, there is proof in the pudding.

This year, Kelly incorporated rugby-style downfield laterals into his game plan. The benefit of this strategy is still under review, but Pulaski is 4-0 this season. The theory of using more players to push the ball downfield is not new to football but is rarely used at any level.

When I think of Pulaski and Kelly, I think about the ability to use statistics and unconventional ways to beat opponents. Analytics is very prevalent in sports now but not to the point where the numbers are changing the game's flow. In baseball, I often wonder why you want your starting pitcher to constantly pitch 6 to 9 innings when a more significant number of pitchers throw less. The Oakland A's were the first franchise to utilize statistics to the point where the team was assembled by their on base percentage numbers. This year, in the NBA finals, a three-point jump-shooting team won the championship, a debatable strategy by the so-called experts. The change to fully accept and incorporate statistics is gaining ground, but a reluctance to rely on them still draws apprehension because numbers do not quantify team chemistry and dynamics.

The truth is a delicate balance of the two is needed to create a winning formula. It is not easy to corral as a general manager and owner to put the coaching, players, and strategy in motion that translates into success. On the contrary, one little unmeasurable thing exists that every statistician hates, and it's called "luck." Luck is when injuries to your key athletes are minimal but can flip on your team when a bad pitch in a playoff game is knocked out of the park, and you lose. I wonder how far Kelly will succeed in his formula, and it will mean a chance to coach at a higher level. Winning will eventually convince somebody to hire him to run their college team. Salute, Kevin Kelly.

Football Trench Warfare

September 24, 2015

I wouldn't say I like to use war terminology, but the physical skirmishes at the front line in the National Football League are battles. Now that three hundred- and thirty-pound athletes are the norm on NFL offensive lines and the average defensive lineman weighs closer to 290, giant mounds of muscle and flesh are pounding it out every down. When the two sides collide on any play, the fighting for balance and positioning is studying physics and cause and effect.

The offensive line moves in unison to open the smallest of daylight in between arms and torsos of the defensive players so their running back can run through for a couple of yards. When the opening is created, it is now up to the back to maneuver through. The doorway may last only one or two seconds when the offensive linemen can get leverage and forward momentum on their opponent. When there is a pass play, the offensive lineman's weight is more on the back of their heels, and they stand more upright to create a wall. The defensive line players use power and force with 34" arms and hands as cantilevers and battering rams to push through the barricade.

This is the essence of all football at any level, but in the pro ranks, the might, agility, and stamina is unbelievable. The power is a result of yearlong strength and speed training. Coaches drill the players to work in unison with the other lineman to create the bond that will make the blockade. The plan is to look for the weakest link to exploit and capitalize with physical dominance on the defensive side.

The results of the sixty-minute scrum at the lines are the scores and the toll these players endure. When a multitude of large men are piling up and landing on each other, one can't imagine what this feels like. One wrong turn of your body, one late pile on by another player, a loose ball, a slip-on wet grass, are just some of the dangers of the job. The offensive lineman is most susceptible to leg and knee problems, and the defensive endures back arm and shoulder injuries.

Linemen who can play a few seasons become savvier and use more experience than sheer brute force to gain an advantage. A lineman who last five years in the NFL is the exception, players that have, are beating the curse of a significant injury. Most love the sport, the camaraderie and are paid an excellent salary to endure the physical toll. Next time you are watching a game, focus on the line for plays and how one side tries to gain an advantage. Sometimes it’s more scheming and coaching, but the players make the difference when it comes down to the outcome. The stronger and faster athletes will outlast their opponent, but that dominance is not a large one, like the age-old cliché. It is a game of inches.

Djokovic and Federer, A Beautiful Rivalry

September 17, 2015

 Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer at the US Open last Sunday. I watched, hoping it would be a competitive match. The Djokovic victory was under the media radar due to the NFL holding court on opening weekend. Djokovic winning was a big deal as much as Roger Federer making it to the finals. Then you have the Serena saga playing out during most of the tournament, a media circus. Djokovic beat Federer 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, giving him three Grand Slam titles this year, only losing to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open finals.

Djokovic has quietly become one of the best tennis players of all time. He is not particularly flashy or boisterous on the court but just a big powerful player that is impossible to beat when he is on top of his game. That gives him his 10th Grand Slam victory and second US Open trophy, Roger Federer. His opponent has won 17, most of all time.

I admit I wanted Federer to find somehow a way to beat Djokovic since this is the best I have seen him play in a couple of years. Federer was striking the ball well all tournament and was athletic and dominating. At 34, he still has something left in the tank and will probably be strong well into next year.

Federer’s issue was nothing he did wrong. He was playing against a beast. A beast at the height of his powers is much more physically dominating at this point in their careers. Djokovic appears to have extra power in his groundstrokes that become too overwhelming in any long volleying sequences. He is agile for a big man at 6' 2" and quick latterly with long arms that make up for a good tennis body. I find him one of the best athletes in sports if you consider speed, power, hand-eye coordination, and balance.

These two players have played over forty-two times and have amazingly split it down the middle with 21 victories apiece. This includes 14 Grand Slam matches, four of them reaching the finals, which they split, and a record nine semifinals. When you consider all of the locations and various tennis surfaces they have competed on, they have beaten each other evenly, which is a fantastic rivalry. In the last six years of tennis, we have been treated to see three of the best players of all time, and we didn't even talk about Rafael Nadal, my personal favorite. Another story, another day.

Sibling Rivalry with Tennis Rackets

September 9, 2015

Tuesday gave us another look at the long-running sibling rivalry between Serena and Venus Williams. This doesn't appear to be much of a rivalry because Serena owns her sister on the court and seems too huggee-kissy to be a true rivalry anymore. The Venus match was no fly trap (bad pun) for Serena. She won in three sets and moved on to her quest to make a bit of history. She faces a big test moving forward into the semis to play Roberta Vinci, whom she has never beaten.

A true sibling rivalry needs a little more at stake and perhaps more jealousy to make it a really strong one. The Williams girls appear to be like best buds or BBF's to be very compelling. I think when they were younger, and both possessed equal ability, this rivalry was more potent. At 35, Venus will not beat her sister any time soon until they retire and are playing on the celebrity retiree charitable event circuit.

Those of you with siblings all know what a good competition is like between your brothers and sisters. You may have multiple siblings and love them all, but there is that one sibling who brings out the extra fire in your belly. Squabbles don't even need to be sports-related that heats the rivalry; it might be a game of Monopoly, tiddlywinks, or boyfriends and girlfriends. This is more prevalent when the ages are closer because you often blaze the same trail for most of your youth. I had three older brothers and one sister who sometimes had disputes with but only fought my closest in age brother. The other two were too big, and I got my ears boxed in.

I wonder how Peyton and Eli Manning did as they grew up because they look like a couple of guys who likely threw fists at each other. It is so weird to brawl with your brother. You are not fighting another kid or bully, but the battle is the guy stealing your loose change or who you think is cheating at cards. You don't want to punch for the face, but perhaps a submission hold or headlock will make them submit.

Maybe deep down, the Williams sisters are sick of each other's drama, but probably not. As you get older, you either grow closer together or, in some sad cases, never engage with them often, maybe only on holidays. I am thinking of the siblings who could be your most heated rivals but will be your closest ally and your buddy to the end.

Labor Day and the Rise of the Couch Potato

September 7, 2015

The Labor Day weekend marks the start of a wealth of sports for fans and the media machine. Television viewership goes way up, and beer sales implode, recliners and big screen TV purchases increase, antacid intake soars well past New Year's Day.

College football starts the whole parade off by pushing alumni, parents of players, students, gamblers, networks, and college towns into a frenzy of fanaticism and psychoanalysis. Something about college football drives average everyday folks into a person who wears bad color combinations and pledges their allegiance to a place where they are still paying off their student loan. College football can offer something the NFL cannot, nonprofessional athletes who compete for no money. Somebody gets rich off the sport, but not the players who risk their well-being for either a slim chance at a pro gig or the fun of being on a college football squad. One percent of the college players in America will make it to the NFL, so the other 99 will reminisce about their glory days.

The NFL cranks up in the second weekend and the start of fantasy football, endless radio talk show banter, and beginning new controversies such as wiretapping those headsets or tainted Gatorade. But it's the train wreck we cannot stop watching, and it gets into our homes more and more every year. I can't help but chuckle at the flag post people raise in their yard with their football team flags waving alongside Old Glory. I've seen cars and RV's transformed into football mascot mobiles and wonder what’s next, NFL beer. They partner up with Budweiser and slap the NFL logo on it, and fans would be draining can after can.

Serena Williams and her quest for immortality at the US Open to win a Grand Slam in one tennis season is lost in the shuffle of all the pigskin frenzy. Most sporting fans didn't see her attempt and this one-of-a-kind record, but then again, most people don't know that the US Open is held in September. If she achieves this monumental endeavor, she will be able to take away the press and attention from football for maybe one day.

Of course, we are entertained by the scramble for the playoffs in Major League Baseball. For the ten teams with a realistic chance, fans will be feverishly waiting and hanging on every pitch. Not really, but they will want the score every few innings while they get back to watching football. So, two-thirds of the league's fans are looking at next year's free agents and wondering who should be traded away, while one-third is gearing up for the fall classic and watching baseball in forty-degree weather.

Lastly, I couldn't help mentioning the World Cup of Rugby is happening in late September, and I will try to catch it if I can find which channel it may be on. I might need to find a pub and drink an ale while seeing the sport, which impresses me more each time I watch. If you noticed, as an American, we are being fed a small plate of sports on television. Since the heyday of the Wide World of Sports, I have not seen motorcycle ice racing, demolition derbies, weightlifting, or heard from Jackie Stewart. I think the time is ripe for a new version of this show and the second coming of Howard Cosell. Cheers, enjoy the month!

The Angry Sky – The Story of Nick Piantanida

September 4, 2015

ESPN has been producing some of the best documentaries with their 30 for 30 series of films. I have not seen more than ten of them, but the quality of production and storytelling is first-class from what I have viewed. My favorite piece I have watched is the one called "Angry Sky." This is the story of an individual by the name of Nick Piantanida.

I call him an individual because he is not from the sporting world, even though he did play a little college and high school basketball. Like sports heroes, Piantanida possessed an incredible will to succeed far beyond most citizens in society. Nick was a daredevil, an explorer, adventurer, trailblazer, force of nature, and a good family man and all-around good guy. It may sound like I am heaping on a lot of praise but what he did in his moment was incredible.

If you don’t know the story, Nick Piantanida attempted three times to skydive from space successfully. He held the record for the highest accent in a balloon, reaching 123,500 feet. All of these attempts came in the mid-1960s when such technology and know-how were barely developed. Piantanida was neither a college graduate, pilot, engineer, astronaut but a truck driver with a passion for sky diving. When he took to sky diving in his thirties, he fell in love with it and couldn't get enough. He heard about an American, Joseph Kippenger, who successfully parachuted from a balloon at 102,000 feet. Nick wanted to beat this mark by reaching 118,500, the number which he obsessed over.

The story of Nick Piantanida is not so much about his attempts but about how he was able to pull them off. Through the support of his family and friends and his tireless efforts to sell his idea, he was able to keep the dream moving forward. Piantanida was a very charismatic and persuasive guy who used to sell his plan to politicians, engineers, business partners, and his family. Imagine trying to present your idea to those who thought you might be nuts. Piantanida did just that and more, for he had to get up in those prototypes with confidence that these would be performing.

Nick Piantanida had bigger stones than anybody I ever heard of. Who honestly would go up in a balloon, 123,500 feet, and want to jump. Not until 2012 when Felix Baumgartner did just that when he successfully jumps from a balloon at 127,852 feet. This was done with a well-financed team, and almost fifty years after, Painanida did it with a shoestring budget. When you think about it, Paintanida was the first real astronaut that was not part of any government program and the most unheralded up until now. Salute Nick Paintinada!

The Little League World Series, Oh the Glory Days!

August 29, 2016

The Little League World Series concludes this weekend which will involve the US champion against the international champions. The Little League World Series is broadcasted to who knows how many countries, and it gets big-time media attention with famous announcers.

The US representative will either be from Pearland, Texas, or Red Land, Pennsylvania, who square off on Saturday, August 29th.  The International contest will pair Mexico against Japan on Saturday, with the winner playing for all the marbles on Sunday.

Every year there seems to be more and more home runs and stellar pitching performances. I have read that some of the home runs have been monster blasts that have traveled more than 250 feet and some over 300 feet. Are kids getting stronger and bigger?  Are they juiced on juice boxes? What gives? When I was twelve years old playing Little League ball, I could barely hit it two hundred feet as I swung as hard as I could.  I remember the most home runs hit that final Little League season was four. The biggest kid in the league did it. I was convinced he was 16 years old with his mustache.  He also pitched, which made it doubly unfair.

In my Little League years, we used wooden Louisville Sluggers, and I didn't swing an aluminum bat until I was in Pony League.  There is no doubt that the bats do make a difference in the ball's velocity being hit. Great, aluminum bats now have become expensive and a "got to have item" on your team. I guess I missed that span of technology and the glory that would have come of hitting more homers. Trust me, you never forget some of those memories in your youth.

I remember unfondly my first game in the major division of Little League, and the game was videotaped on the local cable outlet. The camera was placed on the first base side, and I was the first base coach for the first three innings. My backside was prevalent for the first hour. Then I got in the game for the final three innings and struck out twice against the man child. I am not sure if my eyes were open when I swung.

As for the great pitching performances, my theory is that the evolution of Little League pitching results from better coaching, more available learning techniques, year-round baseball, and camps.  I don't think I had one coach in my years of organized baseball up to high school that knew much about pitching. You usually learned to throw a curve from your buddies or playing whiffle ball.  I recall having a lot of sore arms and elbow pain issues. All of the better coaching is great to see, and finally, a kid can learn to throw an off-speed pitch without improvising something he developed in his driveway.

I will enjoy watching the games this weekend and marvel at how good these kids are playing. I will reminisce about the glory days and block out the embarrassing moments, like when I beaned my best friend in the rib cage and made him cry.  I want to know if the kids still get treats at the snack shack after the game. That should be a tradition to maintain.  Cheers, Little Leaguers s all over the world!