Quotes of the Week XXV

Quotes this week, a day late. Happy Thanksgiving to everybody (except the NBA and NBPA):

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin referencing several Giants players being at a New York City nightclub late Tuesday night in which gun shots were fired: “I don’t know what happens good at 2:30 or 3 in the morning. I’ve never been able to figure that one out.”

Oregon running back LaMichael James on the lack of subtly in sign language, a class which many Oregon football players take: “If you’re ugly, you’re ugly. There’s no, ‘She’s all right,’ like there is in English.”

Montana State quarterback DeNarius McGhee when told of the weather conditions for the Montana State-Montana game Saturday – 18 degrees at start time with 60% chance of snow: “That will be lovely.”

ESPN’s Lee Corso, on College Gameday, while throwing a Southern Methodist megaphone off set before picking Houston to beat them: “Ah, fuck it.”

PGA Tour golfer Harrison Frazar after winning a rain-soaked tournament at Pebble Beach in California: “There’s no better place to be miserable.”

Jake Plummer on Tim Tebow’s postgame routine of thanking God for being able to play: “I wish he’d just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates.”

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer on Manny Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, who told Golden Boy through retired federal judge Daniel Weinstein that a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather will not occur. Weinstein was to be a mediator in negotiating a potential showdown: “If you just sit down with Arum, he can at any time have one of his fits, one of his ‘fuck you’ attacks, and the likelihood that he would have a ‘fuck you’ attack in front of a retired judge seemed less likely than if Arum and me would be alone in a room.”

One of Mayweather’s advisors, Leonard Ellerbe, commenting on the Pacquiao camp turning down a negotiation with Mayweather’s camp: “In my opinion, you have three cowards — Bob Arum, (Pacquiao trainer) Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao.”

An NFL team executive to Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Cole about Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson: “He’s spectacular and then he’s an idiot and it happens in a matter of a half-second.”

Toronto Blue Jays’ new logo/uniforms

The Toronto Blue Jays just sent a press release with information and images of their new logos and uniforms. It doesn’t seem like much has changed, although I’ll let you be the judge. Here are the new unis followed by their lettering and secondary logos (I couldn’t get the primary logo to download):

Toronto Blue Jays uniforms

Toronto Blue Jays 2012 logos

             

  

NBA Does Twitter

In response to my title, not well. On the night preceding the day on which the NBA Players Association is expected to vote on accepting the NBA’s latest CBA proposal, the league decided to leverage its 3 million-plus Twitter followers. A smart move on the surface but the League managed to screw it up.

I get what the NBA was thinking. They’ve done an excellent job of framing their proposals and stances by having Commish David Stern speak on radio shows and have him and Adam Silver jointly lead their press conferences. To use Twitter to clear up confusion on the NBA’s stance the night before the players are supposed to accept or reject the latest proposal is savvy. The League claimed Stern and Silver were actually answering questions, although my skeptical nature leads me to believe it was their PR staff.

They answered 29 questions in roughly 75 minutes. That’s a decent pace. The problem was they got off to a mind-numbingly slow start by answering, I believe, three questions in 15 minutes. While it didn’t seem the case at the time, @NBA’s timeline does show it re-tweeting each person’s question, then answering with a ‘.’ before that questioner’s handle, so that anyone following @NBA could see the answer.

One issue I had with the NBA’s selection of whom they would answer is that it was comprised of fans, sportswriters and NBA players. Two of Spencer Hawes’ irritable tweets were answered; Dwyane Wade got another. Then sports media folks Bill Simmons, Darren Rovell, Dave McMenamin, Michael Lee and Sam Amick had inquiries answered.

It’s clear @NBA wanted to spread the love. The problem is NBA players and the sports media have already had access to the NBA’s manner of thinking. Players, including Wade, have been in meetings with the League throughout this lockout. They know – or at least are aware – of the NBA’s position.

Likewise, sportswriters have had access to the NBA through their press conferences which follow every day of labor meetings. This was an opportunity for the NBA to connect with fans. Instead, they looked crass when interacting with players and media. Fans don’t want to see any of that. People are tired of the players and owners fighting; they certainly don’t want to see it brought to Twitter.

The NBA was also rather curt in its answers. I didn’t expect them to be incredibly revealing throughout the Twitterview, as they termed it. They won’t lower themselves to negotiate on Twitter. (Although that didn’t stop them from lowering themselves to arrogantly answering NBA players’ questions.) As I write this, I begin to think the Twitterview wasn’t a good idea. What does the NBA have to gain?

One might think positive public sentiment is there for the taking, but the NBA’s lack of detailed answers meant the opposite. I think people who followed the evening’s question/answer session are even more frustrated with the League. They see the NBA as being even more of a brick wall separating reason from politicking.

Another Miami Experiment

It ticks me off that the Miami sports community continually attracts the attention that it does. In the late ’90s, it was Jimmy Johnson’s move to coach the Dolphins, the Pat Riley/Alonzo Mourning Heat and the Marlins’ out-of-nowhere World Series win in ’97 that captured SportsCenter highlights and magazine articles.

Chris Bosh Face

By the early ’00s, Miami college football was back on the radar and the Marlins grabbed another ‘Where the hell did that come from?’ World Series victory in ’03. In ’04, Shaq Diesel himself was deal to the Heat. He and Dwyane Wade grabbed yet another major sports championship for the city in ’06, making it four sports titles (Marlins 2, Heat 1, The U 1) in a nine-year period for that ungrateful city.

Then something amazing happened. That horrible sports city which fancies itself as a New York- or Los Angeles-like town without the requisite passion fell into the mother of all sports ditches. The Heat won 44 games in their first post-title year, then captured only 15 and 43 Ws in the two seasons following that, through ’08-09. (They won a respectable 47 games in ’09-10.)

The Dolphins won a magnificently precious 1 game in ’07, briefly gained relevance with an 11-win campaign the following year, then submerged back into obscurity with consecutive 7-win seasons. The U waded into an abyss as murky as South Florida’s waterways as they won 5, 7, 9 and 7 games in ’07-10. The Marlins were marginally effective after their 71-win ’07 season, racking up 84, 87 and 80 victories in ’08-10.

During that time period, the Miami sports scene was best known for its biggest star (the aforementioned DWade) being made of paper mache, its second biggest star (the Marlins’ Hanley Ramirez) not giving a fuck and for missing the one star that got away (Drew Brees). Miami sports were pathetic. Life was great.

Then the Summer of LeBron happened. James, DWade and Chris Bosh Face pulled off what was likely a two- or three-year plan by teaming together to make the Heat relevant again. (The irony of them bringing increased attention from casual sports fans to the NBA is that it was likely the tipping point for NBA owners to lock out the players for all they’re worth, thus eradicating all those fans who found the League interesting in the first place.)

The U still sucks (and was killed by Yahoo! Sports in a transcendent bit of sports journalism), and the Dolphins are once again an NFL doormat. But now the Marlins want to share that South Florida sunshine with the Heat. They want to sign big-time free agent after free agent (or at least give the appearance of wanting to do so) to coincide with the opening of their new stadium and their new re-branding. Albert Pujols and Jose Reyes are among the big names who the Marlins are reportedly interesting in signing.

Miami Marlins' new logo.

The Marlins already have Hanley and, more importantly, young studs Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison. They have Josh Johnson and a few other talented hurlers on their pitching staff. Now, they’ll have a sparkling new 37,000-seat ballpark. (With an outstanding collection of art that will go inside it, a la Cowboys Stadium and Amway Center.) If they sign either Reyes or Pujols, then my head will explode. Miamians don’t deserve them.

Florida has no state income tax. Miami has beautiful weather most of the year and the most gorgeous women anywhere. They have LeBron, DWade, Leftover Reggie Bush, Stanton, Lomo and enough horrific uniform combinations among the Dolphins, Heat and Marlins to make anyone with bad fashion sense blush. They have enough already. I’m rooting against the Marlins in getting any significant MLB free agent this off-season as much as I root against the unreasonable small-market NBA owners trying to break the players. (Another story for a different day.) I want South Florida to stop receiving so many prized sports stars and the attention that comes with them.

Fans there don’t appreciate what they have, as shown by various teams’ attendance figures. Save the comments about the depressed South Florida real estate market. Marlins games cost next to nothing; they’re cheaper than movie tickets or any night at a bar or restaurant. South Floridians just don’t give a damn about sports. My rant is over. Thanks for reading.

Quotes of the Week XXIV

I’m two days late on Quotes of the Week; don’t complain, just read ’em.

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman on Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green, who had 4 catches for 63 yards and 1 touchdown against the Seahawks in Week 7: “I would say he’s probably one of the most overrated receivers out there.”

Packers tight end Jermichael Finley on what he likes about Green Bay: “You can’t ask for a better city just because there’s nothing to do, for one thing.”

Joe Namath on Rex Ryan after he was spotted wearing Namath’s old jersey: “I’m just stunned that the jersey with No. 12 comes in that size.”

Giants running back Brandon Jacobs on Giants fans who have been booing him: “But they should boo when I’m about to score these touchdowns.”

More Jacobs: “I’ve got nothing positive to say. The most positive thing: I got family at home and I got a fast-ass car being delivered on Tuesday. That’s it.”

Peyton Manning’s text message to Phil Simms after Simms texted Manning he brought his name into a controversial statement on his Inside The NFL show: “Phil, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t watch your show, along with a lot of other people that I don’t think watch that show.”

Rangers manager Ron Washington in his World Series Game 7 pregame speech before the Rangers played the Cardinals: “We know we can beat those cocksuckers.”

Giants closer Brian Wilson making his pick between the Arkansas Razorbacks and South Carolina Gamecocks on ESPN’s College Gameday: “It’s a weird mascot game – you got the ‘Backs versus the ‘Cocks. And, uh, never bet against the ‘Cocks.”

A Chargers “team source” to Yahoo! Sports’ Michael Silver about tight end Antonio Gates: “It’s harsh to say, but he looks old and fat.”

Jets linebacker Bart Scott to Michael Kay on Kay’s radio show: “Like I said when I was in Baltimore I could remember with the Redskins you had guys fighting over strippers and all kind of stuff.”

More Bart Scott talking about strippers: “When you are in a small place like Baltimore and the temperature is relatively cold – hey you compete over the same chicks. That’s a football players favorite spot. Especially young football players. It was always a rivalry. Guys fight about hey that is my girlfriend and that’s my girlfriend, but here? Five million people, maybe more [in New York]. There is plenty for everybody.”

Georgia football coach Mark Richt in response to a reporter asking him if he had any player suspensions to report: “To answer your question, I’m not going to answer your question because I don’t like it.”

An anonymous MLB scout assessing Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder in an article by ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick: “He’s been fat since he was born, so he knows how to play with fat.”

NYC Marathon

This week has moved so fast that I forgot I have some NYC Marathon pictures and videos to share. Given the news in the cycle this  week – PSU’s child sex abuse controversy, Greece/Italy’s situation getting worse, Joe Frazier’s death and loads of other topics – I’m beginning to feel that my thoughts on the marathon are insignificant. They probably are but I’ll give it a shot.

I’ve lived in New York City since June 2007. Sunday was the first time I watched the marathon in-person. And this is the second year I’ve lived on Second Avenue, one avenue east of a marathon’s route through Manhattan. I also lived in Queens’ Long Island City in 2009, a neighborhood through which runners travel on their way to the Queensboro/59th St. bridge.

I wanted to go simply to experience it. I had five or six friends running in it, yet my lack of an iPhone meant I wouldn’t be able to track the positioning of my friends. What I did was take a few pictures at 94th St., walk to a bar on 90th and drink a beer while watching marathoners do their thing.

One sight I enjoyed was watching people watch the marathoners from their apartment windows. One group of folks were on their building’s rooftop. Big as this city is, it can feel like a small town the way people rally around others, most of whom are strangers. That’s the part of New York City that sucks me in, as it does t many others.

 

 

Minimizing Gym Germ Risk

The following article is not a scare tactic. Some folks might interpret it that way, that if I am writing about the skin diseases and fungi that crop up in gyms then it must mean I’m trying to stoke fear in people who go there. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ll tell you why I wrote this story for Weight Watchers Online for Men.

Very simply, it’s about awareness. I’m the type of person who lives for taking in as much information as I can. Even if some of the info I learn about isn’t of use, at least I know about it. That’s the case with staph infections or Athlete’s foot or the two other types of bacteria I talk about in this story. (At 800-plus words, I can describe only so many of them while also providing specifics.)

Maybe none of you who read this will obtain staph or any other skin disease through a gym or anywhere else. I hope that’s the case. But it pays off to know that these types of bacteria are around; to know that they’re obtainable. Which makes it valuable to understand what various bacteria look like and how to minimize the chances of having any of them enter your body.

It’s not like you’re going to walk into a gym and automatically have any of this stuff infiltrate your body. Yet you can’t assume that a gym is going to do everything in its power to keep its environment as clean as possible. It’s better to take matters into your own hands, which is really what this article is about. Awareness and responsibility for yourself.

Click on the link below to read the story.

Germ-Free at the Gym

Behind the ’93-94 Knicks Story

A public relations rep at MSG Network approached me a month ago about a Knicks-related show. Regional sports networks that broadcast games of the NBA team in its market have had to get creative with their programming. The NBA lockout has forced them into finding ways to show content about their local team while training camp, the preseason and, now, regular season games are missed. MSG Network has found one solution to their problem by starting a series called 1994: March To The Finals.

The series shows 20 significant games from the Knicks’ 1993-94 season. Rather than write a story documenting why MSG Network is running the series (obvious) and getting quotes from a MSG executive (boring), I decided to speak with players, coaches and other folks connected to that team – sort of an oral history.

I began by looking into what players would chat. Herb Williams was easily accessible since he coaches for the Knicks. The team PR staff hooked me up there. I sent interview requests to the Magic (Patrick Ewing), Bobcats (Charles Oakley) and Celtics (Doc Rivers), but they went nowhere. I got at Greg Anthony to Turner Sports PR. I ended up talking with Jeff Van Gundy by going to ESPN’s PR folks. Oakley and I actually spoke for the story after I found out about an event in downtown NYC in which he was promoting his new clothing line.

I asked the Knicks if they had a team historian – they do. So, he and I chatted for an hour and a half about that ’93-94 Knicks team. In that conversation, the historian – Dennis D’Agostino – told me I should speak with Mike Saunders, who the Knicks’ trainer that season and for 26 other campaigns. Through a Google search, I found that Saunders, no longer in the NBA, runs a physical therapy practice north of New York City.

In research for a story about the famous Reno Trip, which D’Agostino told me, I read a news story of that account by Clifton Brown, who during that ’93-94 season was a Knicks beat reporter for the New York Times. Clifton and I chatted for 20 minutes about that season. Then I remembered that I’m Twitter friends with Clarence Gaines, who was a scout and front office executive for the Chicago Bulls during the Michael Jordan Era. He and I discussed what that time meant for the Knicks-Bulls rivalry.

In all, I spoke with three former Knicks players, a former Knicks coach, their team historian, their former athletic trainer, a former beat reporter who covered them and a former scout of a rival team. This is how a story can be turned from a simple run-through of a TV network’s program to an in-depth story – or stories – of a team that means a lot to a lot of people.

Click on the links below to read the stories:

’93-94 New York Knicks In Review

’93-94 Knicks In Review, Pt. 2

No Tuesday Quotes of the Week

I had family in town last week and was all over the place during the weekend. Therefore, I didn’t give myself the time to search for quotes. It’ll be back next week.