No question, Bonds has a lot of nerve. He has been clearly implicated, through his trainer, BALCO, and through testimony offered to a grand jury, as at least a former user of what prosecutors consider to be steroids. Some have suggested that Bonds delayed his recent comeback as the Giants battled for an NL West playoff berth. Leveraging Katrina and its aftermath for personal or political gain is wrong. And no one should minimize the importance of Congress' stated aim: to use professional athletes to educate American teenagers about the dangers of steroids. In other words, Bonds had no right to say what he said.
But you know what? Bonds' argument, in essence, is right. My first thought when watching the steroid hearings: Why the hell is the U.S. House of Representatives, which, last I checked, was a fully-functioning and serious piece of our bicameral Congress, interrogating Major League Baseball players and the commissioners of the NFL and the NBA? We're talking about a body that has committees on armed services, homeland security, the budget and the judiciary. Why should a single piece of paper bearing the House seal be committed to Sammy Sosa?
So, Bonds, a selfish hypocrite, should keep his mouth shut. But his point is substantively a fair one. Cleaning up professional sports and educating America's youth about steroids are noble goals-but if there were ever a problem to be solved by local and state governments and by families themselves, this is it. Steroids, as problematic as some suggest they are, do not warrant the attention of any serious, self-respecting federal government. Quarterback pains
I hate to beat a dead horse, or, in this case, a dead quarterback, but Chad Pennington looks like he'd struggle to lead the Hamilton College offense right now. Pennington (9-19 for 76 yards and 2 INTs) achieved a passer rating of 18.6 on Sunday in the Jets' loss to the Jaguars. Some perspective: Pennington's rating in 2002 was 104.2.
I would say that the Jets (1-2) have to think of a radical change immediately, but, thankfully, they won't have to think about it. Change will be forced. Pennington and backup Jay Fiedler both injured their right shoulders on Sunday. Fiedler will not play Sunday against Baltimore, and Pennington is out for the season. Brooks Bollinger, the third-stringer out of the University of Wisconsin, will start Sunday for a team that is on life support after being touted as an AFC contender.
But the upshot of all this doesn't have to be misery for the remaining 13 games. Consider that Pennington, while clearly the franchise player, was not helping matters with his bum right arm. Curtis Martin says the Jets benefit from Chad's leadership in the huddle. But I don't care how special Pennington is; intangibles don't compensate for fumbles and passes that float downfield to defensive backs. So, if the Jets play their cards right, and quickly sign the best available QB (Doug Johnson and Jesse Palmer will be worked out, and Tim Couch has been mentioned), they could find themselves in a better situation than with the 2005 Pennington under center. Vinny is not an adequate answer. In any case, Curtis Martin will have to wake up and carry the team on his shoulders.
Tom Brady continues to prove, with quiet modesty and relentless diligence, that he is the most clutch player in football (if there is an exception, it's Adam Vinatieri, who also happens to reside in New England). The Patriots, doubted by the media at 1-1, sustained injuries to four cornerbacks and to safety Rodney Harrison and were battling a Steelers team that was gunning to avenge last year's AFC Championship. With 1:21 left and the game tied 20-20, Brady marched his team 37 yards downfield to set up Vinatieri's 43-yard game-winner. Brady is the master conductor that Peyton Manning is, but without the violent convulsions at the line of scrimmage, without the interceptions and without the playoff collapses. TKO
The story didn't lead on SportsCenter or cause any substantial stir, but IBF lightweight boxing champion Leavander Johnson died last week from brain injury sustained in his title defense against Jesus Chavez. Chavez beat Johnson for 11 rounds and Johnson's brain began to bleed. Johnson died four days later. Johnson's promoter, Lou DiBella, reacted. "There'll be a lot of people who'll take pokes at boxing for this. … This was not a situation where anyone failed Leavander Johnson. … It was just God's will," he told The Associated Press.
I disagree. Six boxers have died in the ring in Las Vegas since 1994. On July 2 of this year, Martin Sanchez died after a fight in Las Vegas. Two additional boxers narrowly survived brain injuries sustained during fights in Las Vegas. Boxing is different from other violent sports in that the very objective of the sport, the bludgeoning of an opponent, leads to brain injury if carried too far. In car racing, while fatal crashes are too frequent, they are only incidental to the purpose of the sport. Even in hockey, fights (a condemnable relic) are tangential and limited to less than a minute in most cases. No one can determine "God's will," but I think that DiBella should reevaluate his position. Did you know?
The Sacramento Monarchs beat the Connecticut Sun and won the WNBA Championship last week. Did you know the WNBA Championship had been played? If not, you're like most Americans. Television ratings for the 2005 playoffs aren't yet available, but in 2004 the WNBA Finals attracted about 0.3 percent of television viewers, or less than 500,000 people. The NBA, by contrast, averaged about 10 percent of television viewers in the 2005 Finals, and that number represented a nearly record low. In the Jordan years, the league averaged about 20 percent of television viewers. The WNBA is going to have to decide, nearing the end of its first decade, what the problem is. Are Americans not interested in women's basketball? Is the league's television contract insufficient?