Barkley's Apology

It's cheap entertainment. The never-ending supply of squirming superstars under the white hot light of scandal. Who hasn't chuckled at a millionaire athlete choking on arranged tears saying, "mistakes were made, I'm giving my life to God now."

In the downplay and dishonesty category, Mike Vick went with God. Alex Rodriguez and Michael Phelps played the, "I was young and stupid," card. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds tried the "nuh uhh" approach.

But in the case of former Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns All-Star power forward Charles Barkley, something was different.

Barkley was arrested December 31, 2008, for driving under the influence. When Barkley was arrested, he was with a woman who was not his wife. He told the arresting officer he ran a stop sign because he was in a hurry to receive oral sex from the woman.

Barkley returned from leave last Thursday night to his anaylist position on TNT's "Inside the NBA." Former NBA players such as Karl Malone, Chris Webber and Gary Peyton unsuccessfully filled in during the absence.

Before Barkley spoke, I couldn't help but expect the usual. I expected 33 minutes of prepared lies sprinkled with insincerity and hidden smirks. I expected anything from a Spitzer subterfuge to a Palmiero point.

But Barkley looked into the camera and said, "I embarrassed everybody in my life. I'm sorry."

No, "I'm sorry, but...." No note cards. No false tears.

I kept waiting for a bus load of excuses to arrive. You know the, "I didn't go to college," or, "I didn't know what I was putting in my body," type we've heard lately. But the bus never pulled in.

Barkley continued to speak, seemingly unrehearsed, and never once sounded as if he was blaming anyone but number one.

When host Ernie Johnson asked Barkley what he'd said to his daughter about the incident, Barkley gave an answer any shamed man would give. "I told her I really, really screwed up and that's all you can say. You can't make excuses, this was 100 percent my fault and it's unacceptable," he said.

I must give TNT credit for allowing Johnson to ask Barkley some tough, at-times awkward, questions. He asked about everything from Charles seeking professional help to what went through his mind as he saw the lights flashing.

The most amazing part: Johnsons concise interview included follow ups.

Maybe it's his natural charisma, the same that makes Sir Charles one of the most popular sports analysts, that makes him seem more believable than A-Rod or Phelps. But more than likely, its because he actually is sorry.

And that, is all we want.

We don't expect athletes to be saints when they grow up showered with praise, doused in money and put in sinful situations aplenty. But they must, upon miscue, understand that they are not beyond consequence. That their ability to hit home runs or catch touchdowns does not mean instant exoneration.

Barkley's apology may be the only one I can remember not thinking that he's only sorry because he got caught.

A-Rod did steroids and Johnny Damon thinks it could have been worse.

The world of Major League Baseball is in shambles, proclaim the general media, because Alex Reodriguez used steroids. Somehow we were all transported into the world of 2003, where people were shocked that professional baseball players used enhancing drugs.

With A-Rod being the "latest and greatest to fall" (Sports Illustrated), the media believes we need every member of the New York Yankees to chime in. Derek Jeter spoke, as if the voice of God was coming down from heaven giving his opinion. Jeter, being the team captain and not trying to make clubhouse conflict, stated that the team was there to support Alex. Then Captain Derek tried to turn the attention away the Yankees.

Last night, Johnny Damon provided one of the best, unintentional humor, interviews of all time. When asked about his feelings towards A-Rod, Damon took a pro-team, pro-A-Rod stance. He then explained that there were other, more serious things Rodriguez could have done. This allowed a female reporter (they always seem to play a great set-up woman - see A.I.'s "practice" interview) to follow up asking, what things would he consider worse. Damon, straight faced, responds, he could have murdered someone. Thank you everyone and good night.


However, I'm still pretty sure Ray Lewis killed that dude in Atlanta.

RE:WHat?

Listen.

On behalf of those guys who write about their love for the rugged and never emotional or physically soft Sal Fasano, it was not my suggestion to mention such movie as Love Actually. That really happened. Granted this same ex-girlfriend was very open to watching games all the time... granted her taste in teams was questionable at times.


Though I am a big enough man so... I'm sorry. It won't happen again.

Oh and Love Actually is not endorsed and will never be endorsed by this website. Though if your like Clockwork Orange, you better watch 2001, that is some pretty deep stuff.

Mike Milbury is mad as hell and he is not going to take it!

So during Sunday's game, Flyers-Rangers, NBC's Mike Milbury was more than upset with the Rangers playing in a crucial rivalry match-up. Granted this was during the first intermission when New York was trailing only 1-0. This was before the Flyers skated all over Lundi and the lackluster Rangers.

Milbury, back to the main point, was near the point where he would be saying four letter words. He felt ashamed that Rangers fans paid good money (which they did) during a poor economy (which we are in) and got to see a travesty of a team. It seemed that viewers were going to see Milbury from his coaching days; swearing at refs and tossing equipment on the ice.

Mad Mike was right, that team played so dull, no life, no emotion and the scoreboard proved that. Despite some effort and a few fights in the third period, there was no pride regained by the blue shirts. In fact I think that when some little kid was struck by a puck (the kid didn't cry!) he would have been more useful on the ice than Coltan Orr or any of their other goons.

This team feels familiar, you know, like those old late 90's Rangers squads that were financed with top dollar free agents but failed to even make the playoffs. Take into consideration about a half a dozen team don't make the playoffs each year, so it's not like the numbers are against them. Poor playing and lack of enthusiasm causes you to miss the playoffs.

WHat?

Please allow me to make a statement reguarding Sal's Keeper's post on Valentines Day:

I in no way advocate the dumb ass non-sense that flowed so seemingly easily out of him in light of the day. It is to be noted that Sal's Keeper knows about has much about relationships as I do about Cricket.

The urge must have struck him to be a complete pussy and suggest a garbage film. My girlfriend and I watched the Stanly Kubrik classic, "A Clockwork Orange," becuase all women are not interested in roses, puppies and chick flicks.

It is offensive that he used our beloved sports blog to discuss such issues and even suggest that games should be skipped to celebrate a made-up holiday.

I apologize to anyone who read his piece and became physically ill such as I did.

In the future, we - as a team - plan to keep our softer sides out of it and stick to the most important things in life like backup catchers such as Sal Fasano.

Why We Watch

It's official: The 2009 New York Yankees are the least likeable team in the history of professional sports.

This off-season, the Yankees signed C.C Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Texiera, three players who are probably more concerned with which kind of private jet to invest in rather than winning. With these shining additions, the team now has the personality of a ceiling fan and the heart and charisma of a shoe rack.Then of course, there is Alex Rodriguez.

The Yankees statement in light of Rodriguez's admittance to the use of steroids was classic. "Alex - like all of us - is not immune to fault," the Yankees statement said.

Hmm. OK, nobody is perfect, true. But when I think immune to fault, I think, oops I locked my keys in the car, darn. Oops, spilled coffee on white carpet, geez. Not, I spent thousands of dollars to purchase illegal steroids so I could hit a zillion home runs, betray millions of fans and make myself 27.5 million dollars a year.

Now players and coaches are, "rallying around him." My stomach just turned.Something about his mushy interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons must have made Yankees players forget that Alex is an ultra-arrogant, October-choking, cheating-numb-skull, who has always cared more about his own batting average more than where the Yankees fall in the standings.

I'd rally around Michael Phelps before Alex Rodriguez.

A column per day could be written on why to hate this year's Yankees, but rather than waste our time, it is more fitting that we talk about the most likable team in baseball history: the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Coming into 1955, the Brooklyn Dodgers had lost four of the last seven World Series', all to the New York Yankees. The mechanical Yankees owned the city, seeming to prove each season that they didn't need a black player or personality to win.

The '55 Dodgers’ had a mixture of stars such as Duke Snider and NL MVP Roy Campanella, with role players like 36-year old infielders Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Their powerful pitching staff was led by the first black player to ever win 20 games, Don Newcombe and All-Star Johnny Podres. Newcombe also added a .359 batting average and seven home runs.

Brooklyn featured four black players (the most in the league at the time) who added a flare to the game that had never been seen across town.

They finished 13.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Braves and won first place in the National League. In the American League, the New York Yankees held off the Cleveland Indians by three games to win the pennant.

In the World Series, the Dodgers fell behind 2-0. The series went back to Ebbets Field where the Dodgers found their bats, scoring eight runs two games in a row. They then took a pitchers duel 5-3 - won by Roger Craig - to move ahead 3-2.

Legendary Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford took game six. The home team won each of the first six games, for game 7, it would be back to Yankee Stadium. The Dodgers would have to go in front of 62,000 Yankee fans and take down the giant.

Game 7 stood for far more than just a win or loss for a franchise. It was the separation of two time eras. It was no mistake that this series fell five years after the 50s and five years before the 60s.

The Dodgers represented a pull toward individualism and progression. The Yankees, with their all-white, close cropped crew, pulled toward conservatism. It wasn't until 1956, nine years after the color barrier had been broken, that the Yankees took a team picture with a black player.

Johnny Podres shut out the Yankees in game 7 and Brooklyn finally celebrated its first World Series. Author Pete Hamill said “In Brooklyn that day, it was the Liberation of Paris, Vee Jay Day, New Years Day all rolled into one.”

The '55 Dodgers encompassed the beauty of baseball. It was, for six summer months, a team with skill, desire and personality who came together to create on-field poetry.

So every time you hear a crowd erupt for an A-Rod home run, keep in mind there was a wonderful time in baseball where the game meant more than steroids and salaries.

Valentine's Day: A Day of Love and A Day To Love

With today being Valentine's Day and I all I thought it would be a great idea to tell guys to be nice to their girlfriends and actually do something they want to do today. Listen, I understand there are games to be watched, you might have to miss them. Also, there might be some sports related thing you want to do, you might have to postpone it. You might want to watch Hoosiers today, you might have save that for tomorrow.

The thing is today was never designed for a guy in a relationship. Unless your married, you might get some leeway. So this is a sacrifice day. Some of the above problems can be solved if your girl loves sports. Though it obviously backfires if you love watching a Saturday hockey game, but she is not a hockey fan. I know I've been there before.

So guys let me make this simple. Skip the game today (DVR it or if you're retro throw in a VHS) and let her do whatever she wants for today. If she wants to watch Love Actually, suck it up and watch it. It wasn't that bad... well some scenes are. If she wants to go shopping, make sure you act interested, that will pick you up points. Remember this is crucial to building a relationship... and getting something in return at the end of the day.

Now let me direct this towards the ladies. While the guys are being nice to you and doing many of your commands, try to be supportive of the sports loving guy. Yes, you may think sports are stupid and accomplish nothing, but they rank pretty high with us. Second to only women, sports has been the backbone of our lives. We wear that same hat from 1996 or treat the reporting of pitchers and catchers as its own holiday, sports is a part of our lives. You have your things (chick flicks) and we have our things (Karl Malone picks). So go to a game and actually try to learn the game and a few players to make it easier on us. I know one of my last girlfriends wanted to learn something about hockey so I taught her a little.

So guys remember be kind to your woman and ladies give us a little gift on pitchers and catchers reporting... maybe a new hat of our favorite team.