Untitled Bits

Bit #1: No doubt about Armstrong

On Thursday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) released names of 11 former teammates of Armstrong who testified against him regarding allegations of doping.  About a month ago, when Armstrong first dropped his pursuit of the USADA case, I viewed it as a tacit admission of guilt.  No man with the determination to beat cancer and return to competitive cycling just drops his case unless he’s guilty.  That move defied everything we know about Lance as a competitor.

Well, the recent USADA report puts the nail in the coffin for Armstrong.  The details from USADA stimulate visceral reactions of disgust, not only at the cheating but also the horror-like changes these men used to help their bodies.  Blood transfusions, extract of calves blood, testosterone-laced olive oil…it’s all there as part of American cycling in Armstrong’s hey-day.  Not only do all 11 riders admit using, but none of them ever tested positive.  The mantra suggesting Armstrong's innocence, based on the absence of a positive test, looks irrevocably crippled.  While Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, blackballed cyclists with nothing to lose by fabricating facts, were part of the 11, the other nine include Armstrong loyalists.

The mountain of detail transmitted by USADA should end this discussion.  Bonnie Ford wrote an excellent article describing the conflicting emotions after an admission like this.  Above all, however, Armstrong clearly lied.  Eleven people don’t make stuff like this up all because he’s a bad guy.  The entire team doped, admitted it and pointed fingers under the threat of a perjury bayonet.  There are no heroes in this story, and Lance is definitely not one of them.

Bit #2: Saints Penalties Upheld

Similar to the Armstrong case, this week saw further details released about the Saints bounty penalties in wake of their individual meetings with Roger Goodell in September.  Somewhat surprisingly, Goodell upheld the penalties, but this time gave some reasons why.

Individual letters sent to the players in question reveal a remarkable fact: when meeting with Goodell the Saints players confirmed many of his suspicions.  In the letter sent to Vilma, Goodell wrote “You confirmed that cart-offs and knockdowns were part of a broader program in place…”  He repeats accusations of Vilma putting money on the table to knock out Brett Favre, but finally points to a sworn testimony by someone in the locker room at that time.  Most interesting to me, however, was Goodell’s further explanation of the investigation process.  He goes to great pains reinforcing the credibility of disgraced former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, as well as noting that Williams and another interviewed coach both told the same story without speaking to each other ahead of time.  In other words, two independent witnesses agreed on the facts.  That process, heretofore untold, certainly undermines Vilma’s credibility.

But, what I find most offensive was the one game suspension handed to Scott Fujita.  Goodell acknowledged in the letter he sent to Fujita that the defensive captain and middle linebacker had no role in the bounty program.  Then, like a parent, he expressed his disappointment that “a former defensive captain and a passionate advocate for player safety, ignored such a program and permitted it to continue. ... . If you had spoken up, perhaps other players would have refused to participate and the consequences with which we are now dealing could have been avoided."

So if you don’t confront team members, expect to be suspended.  If you see a rules violation and don’t say anything, you could lose game checks.  The standard set here might send a message…but that message will be forgotten next year, as players turn blind eyes to what’s going on.  As I wrote in April when this story broke, every NFL team in history has some kind of locker room pool for big plays.  Former NFLers attest to that often…so if Scott Fujita loses one game, we might as well skip Week 17 this year, because everyone should be suspended.

Vilma’s suspension seems warranted and substantiated, but to take away game checks from a player who “didn’t speak up” sets a bad, bad precedent.

Bit #3: Baseball Playoffs Start with a Bang

I can’t remember ever putting so much time into baseball as I did this week.  Of the four series going on, all four will reach a Game 5.  So, to try and give some perspective, here are the highlights thus far:

The “Bite Your Tongue Moment”: Jayson Werth hit a solo walkoff home run in Game 4 on Thursday night to give the Nationals one more chance to extend the season.  For Nationals fans, Werth’s tenure has been disappointing.  In December 2010, he signed a seven year contract worth $126 million, one year after winning the World Series with the Phillies as their fourth best player (my addition there).  He hit .224 last year and never looked to justify the large money spent on him.

All reports from Nationals Park, however, praise Werth for his selflessness.  His switch to leadoff hitter this year brought some success for other teammates to drive him across the plate.  He’s made the adjustments to provide veteran leadership for a team that boasts talent above his stature.  Werth might not be playing $127 million ball, but his home run Thursday night will go a long way to vindicating his presence in DC.

The Story that Shouldn’t Be A Story: Why does the world fixate on Alex Rodriguez?  We all understand he’s the highest-paid player in the game and commanded utmost respect from opponents in his prime.  But, the media reaction to his benching for Raul Ibanez late in Game 4 acts as if we didn’t all know A-Rod might have reached the end of the rope.  In addition, Ibanez hit two home runs in that game to win it for the Yankees in extra innings, and reporters can’t stop discussing “how A-Rod must feel.”  Any intelligent baseball observer knows A-Rod played poorly all season and for most of last season, prompting boos and ridicule.  If anything, the story should be about the heroics of Ibanez for the Yanks the whole season.  He has hit very timely home runs and contributed a lot to the offense all season long.  Also, let’s give Joe Girardi some credit for telling the fat cat to sit his butt down.  Honestly, the whole thing doesn’t surprise.

Toughest Out for the Rest of the Postseason: No one’s paying much attention, but the Giants could be a very tough team in the next round, especially if their deeper pitching gets going.  Don’t forget, Tim Lincecum started the fourth game of the series and won the Cy Young two years ago.  His ERA of 1.42 in that game on the road would be more than enough to give the Giants serious pitching prowess further into the playoffs.  Ryan Vogelsong, another starter with a shoddy 2012, posted an ERA of 1.80 over seven innings in the pivotal Game 3 win.  Whoever the Giants play in the next round will need to hit the end of the Giants rotation hard…right now the pitchers look to be going on all cylinders.

The Dark Horse: My Facebook status announced last week that I’m picking the Nats over the Tigers in the World Series this year.  For all of the attention spent on other higher profile series, don’t lose sight of the Tigers.  The batting order produced against Oakland and the pitching staff, anchored by Justin Verlander as the ace, has the potential to shut down team (like they did last year in New York against the Yankees).  Many are not paying attention to the Tigers, however, but they could easily beat the Orioles or Yankees in the LCS.  In the random environment of baseball’s playoffs, the Tigers have a good chance to win right now.

Bit #4: A necessary NFL rule change

A semi-conscious orangutan can see that the NFL continues to give more protection to quarterbacks and receivers.  Any attempt to hit quarterbacks low, on the head, or anytime after the ball leaves their fingers is likely to draw a penalty in today’s NFL.  The same goes for wide receivers, as referees have used recent years to stress defensive holding, the replacement refs especially.

But, my concern rests with the pass interference rule.  Not only does the rule give unabashed preference to the receiver, but the enforcement of the rule doesn’t make sense anymore.  According to the rules, a player must “significantly hinder” the progress of the other player towards the ball.  That’s the standard, but the current enforcement awards pass interference to the offense for hand-checking, which doesn’t significantly hinder anything except healthy cuticles.  In addition, defensive players no longer have the right to their position.  If a receiver and a defender converge at the same place, with both playing the ball, the defender will always bear the brunt of the referees. 

In addition, pass interference gives a huge yardage help to the offense anyway.  Spot of the foul means wherever the interference occurred, whether on a 5-yard or 50-yard pass, the offense has the ball there with a new first down.  At a certain point, defenses need to receive some leeway.  Not only is the penalty improperly enforced, but fairness dictates the penalty’s effect be reassessed in light of the new NFL where offensive players receive the benefit of all doubts.  Let’s make it a 15-yard penalty, like the NCAA, and throw a bone to defenders.