I will be the first to admit: the dogs days of summer have gotten the better of me. And the way the summer has gone thus far in the news world, if you’ve already poked fun at BP, then you pretty well have the summer’s news covered.
You would think that this be a good time to simply sit down and write while enjoying the cool air conditioning and a cold unspecified and to-be-named-at-a-later-date beverage? For those that live in Texas, you know what happens though – the heat just saps the maple syrup right out of you (insert much Canadian laughter here).
In the midst of sweating my way through the summertime blues, there was time for another episode of Rhubarb Ruminations.
#1: Roger Clemens was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly lying to Congress. So, hold the presses here. Before people start jumping to conclusions, this is not about whether he did or did not take steroids. This is about whether or not he lied. So, Polyanna, why are we so surprised that lies and deceit exist in the hallowed halls of Congress, on either side of the table? Legislators do this day in and day out – without any congressional (or judicial) impact whatsoever.
But perhaps the bigger question is this: what the hell is Congress doing putting good money and time into Congressional hearings on steroid use in baseball in the first place? This is an issue that needs to be resolved by Major League Baseball (and I am looking at you, Mr. Selig), not our legislators.
Sure, we’d all like to know if Barry Bonds was juiced when he broke Aaron’s record. Fair enough. But is it illegal, in the United States, to consume human growth hormone or steroids?
It was an unlucky 13th Tour de France for Armstrong. He had a tire puncture at a highly inopportune moment on the cobblestones. He also had more crashes in this one Tour than he’d suffered in his previous 12 Tours combined. It was not an easy go of things for Armstrong in his final dance through the French countryside. But as they say, c’est la vie, non?
We’ve already heard talk of whether or not Alberto Contador could possibly eclipse Armstrong’s record seven Tour de France victories. He’s currently on top of the world cycling, and he looks to have a strong future ahead.
But there are some huge contrasts which serve to bring one recurrent theme to the forefront. Alberto Contador is no Lance Armstrong – and for oh so many reasons. Contador could indeed be the next great Tour de France champion. But right now, he’s got a lot to learn and much of it, as Lance would say, is not about the bike. It’s about the man.
What made Armstrong so special? And how could Contador take a few notes for the future?
On one hand, you have the beauty of a world-class athlete playing a sport that is elegant in it’s simplicity. There are few rules, and all you need are a pair of cleats and a ball. I had the opportunity to watch a couple of second round games in Dallas during the 1994 World Cup. Having played soccer in high school, I know what is involved. However, the game of soccer – played correctly and by skilled, world-class players – is absolutely elegant and beautiful. You witness the ability to perform magic with the ball. It truly is phenomenal.
And there are the players who oftentimes go by just one name. Kaka, for example. I think we need that in the US. I have no doubt it would improve the coolness factor, to go along with the inherent beauty of the game. It happens in big-time pro sports in the US already. Tell me, does Kobe have a last name? How about Tiger? Yeah I didn’t think so. Maybe that is what US Soccer is missing.
But on the other hand, you have the officiating. And yes, in retrospect, the 2010 World Cup had some absolutely lousy officiating. Along with the temper tantrums and political divisiveness that oftentimes follow soccer by the heels.
The officiating hit home – literally, and figuratively.
But what is the third city? Oklahoma City. Yes, Oklahoma City.
Why Oklahoma City, you might ask? It provides a contrast, a touch of drama if you will, a fine protagonist in this tale of money, hype, and out-of-this-galaxy egos.
For those who have recently been devoid of any media whatsoever (because it would take complete and total isolation on a desert island to have avoided this story), King James – otherwise known as LeBron James – has left the building. And his current throne. Well, he’s left the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland at least. LeBron, in search of the promised land (and his first NBA championship ring) has headed to Miami. Along the way, he joined Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade to create a sort of hypothetical-on-paper “Dream Team”. James and Chris Bosh signed six year contracts, each worth $110.1 million, and Dwayne Wade re-signed for $107.5 million for 6 years. That’s is a whole lot of money being spent for a net total of one championship ring (for Wade) in the 7 years since they were all drafted in 2003.
With Wade and Bosh and James, the Heat will be so tight on the salary cap that they will have to start the janitor and hot dog vendor in the other two starting positions. And one can only guess who is coming off the bench at this point. Beyond that, it will be interesting to see if the egos all fit on the court at the same time.
This is far beyond being a story of money or championships. All you have to do is look to Oklahoma City for the tale of, well, another city – and another player – that puts this all in perspective: Kevin Durant.
The first half saw more yellow cards than shots on goal. And the game went into extra time, tied 0 – 0. It certainly wasn’t a particularly memorable game. Spain had many great offensive opportunities, most of which were nullified by the inability to pass to the open man (or hit the broad side of a barn with a free kick). Further drama ensued as the Dutch team played the better part of 15 minutes with 10 players after a red card ejection.
But at 116 minutes into the game, Andres Iniesta secured his place in Spanish sporting history to give La Furia Roja the win. This was their first World Cup championship, putting them in an elite group of just eight countries that have won a World Cup.
The World Cup is always a spectacle. And it certainly has a way of keeping the world’s attention for a full month.
For all of the beautiful, elegant play, we were also witness to some ridiculous (though elegant) dives and flops from the players. And it was intriguing to see that soccer, on the international level, has it’s share of over-rated players and teams. In that way, it is very similar to professional football on this side of the Atlantic. Case in point: none other than Wayne Rooney and England’s soccer team. At one point in time, they were amongst the favorites to win the World Cup. Rooney was considered one of the primary scorers for England. After 4 matches, what were his statistics? Zero goals and zero assists. And once again, England was over-hyped. Of course, we’ve never witnessed any NFL team being over-hyped, have we?
But wait, there’s more.
In the midst of all of this draft day hoopla, we have the hopes and dreams of countless collegiate athletes. They have toiled at their sport for years, and now they find out if they are going to be pursuing a career in pro sports. I guess that makes perfect sense for a college senior. It is a natural progression – go to school, play your sport while doing so, get a degree, go on to play your sport professionally, and fall back on the aforementioned degree if anything happens to the dream in the process.
Now we have a new phenomenon to deal with – the underclassman declaring for the draft. And with that, the bastion of higher education has become nothing more than a farm team for pro sports.
Is it appropriate for a college freshman to enter the draft? And perhaps the bigger question is – should the professional sports leagues allow it in the first place?
It’s not easy being green these days. Kermit the frog had it right all the way back in 1969. “Being green” takes on some new meaning over the past couple of weeks. So for this episode of Rhubarb Ruminations, we’ll explore how “being green” is more than just an environmental call-to-arms.
#1: First, let’s start with the environmental side of the coin, especially with the growing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It would seem to me that if I am going to drill a well that is one mile below the ocean’s surface, that I should also have the technology and plans in place to remedy a problem should bad things happen. Because we know that somewhere along the line, somehow, bad things happen. It’s inevitable. But even if we can get beyond the amazing lack of planning, we are still left with the anger inherent to people losing their livelihood. And in the bigger picture, it’s just another wake-up call to realize that we’re doing a fine job of systematically killing the planet (why is it that REM is playing in my mind right now?).
But hold on a second. I understand the anger involved. And I, for one, sit flabbergasted at the levels of stupidity we’ve witnessed as this problem unfolds (or comes bubbling to the surface, if you prefer). However, I don’t see how Rep. Joseph Cao can suggest that BP America president Lamar McKay should commit hara-kiri because of the spill.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.