Wild and Crazy November

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The NBA lockout has lasted 142 days. Joe Paterno’s career ended abruptly after forty-six years due to scandal. Washington Nationals pitcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped by thugs in Venezuela and subsequently rescued. The NFL season is in full swing heading into week eleven. Pitchers and catchers report in just 2 1/2 months. And yes, Thanksgiving is just a few days away.

It is hard to imagine an entire season without NBA basketball. As infuriating as the bad officiating has been in the last couple of years, I would almost welcome that, if it meant basketball on Christmas Day, almost. On Monday, November 14th the player’s association met with it’s 30 player representatives to discuss the latest proposal. This meeting could pretty much determine the fate of the 2011-2012 NBA season. The players rejected a 50/50 split in Basketball Related Income, mixed concessions in various system issues, and a deal that would raise the average NBA salary to 5-8 million a year. Remaining at the heart of the disagreement are “system issues” that players say will strictly limit their freedoms in the market. So, the players have disbanded their union and are now taking their labor issues to court. Players think the owners are being greedy asking for a 50/50 split. How dare they? The league only lost over 300 million dollars last season. I’m sure everyone can agree that NBA players aren’t making enough money, even with all their countless endorsements. That lack of money is greatly illustrated by the trashy reality shows that their wives have been starring in. No one is taking into consideration the thousands of people that are without a job during this mess. Losing an entire season doesn’t look like it would be economically beneficial to the players or the league. NBA tweeted the new proposal : http://tracking.si.com/2011/11/12/nba-tweets-details-of-latest-proposal-to-end-the-lockout/. Sounds pretty fair to me.

The Penn State scandal has blown up college football. Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno is smack dab in the middle and is accused of doing nothing about the information that a child was being molested by one of his coaches on school grounds. Joe Paterno’s fan club is blindsided and won’t look at the heart of the problem. I don’t care how much you love this coach. Anyone who has knowledge of a child being molested and does not take serious action is WRONG. He told the university president, Graham B Spanier, that should have been enough, right? WRONG. Paterno and Spanier didn’t call the police because they want there beloved school to be caught up in a scandal, too little too late. God forbid the reputation of Penn State is tarnished….too late for that. Paterno isn’t alone in this scandal, although he is the only name anyone seems to care about. For Penn state alum and loyal fans…move on. Paterno is gone and for good reason, get over it. God knows the victims of scumbag, Jerry Sandusky won’t be getting over it anytime soon. It is laughable how many people dog professional sports for being dirty. There are countless skeletons hiding in the proverbial closet of college sports, it is a joke. Almost as much of a joke as saying that college players play for the heart of the sport, unlike pro-players. Newsflash, college players get gifts and perks and are playing with the hopes of getting to the pros. A million dollar contract, a Bentley, and a line of chicks waiting for you is quite the initiative for a college player to get the job done. Scandals in pro sports seem to emerge more often then not. A college will hide almost anything to maintain their reputation (see above). With that I move on…

Washington Nationals pitcher, Wilson Ramos was kidnapped at gunpoint at his home in Venezuela. Not the first time this has happened. Evidently, the reported 618 kidnappings in Venezuela in 2009 alone isn’t enough to scare wealthy athletes away from the nostalgia of home. In 2005, Ugueth Urbina’s mother spent more than 5 months in captivity before she was rescued.In 2009, Yorvit Torrealba’s nephew and Victor Zambrano’s mother were kidnapped and subsequently rescued. One of the perks of being wealthy is to have the means to hire bodyguards, beef up security, or better yet, move your family to safer confines. If they do have bodyguards and security, they obviously need upgrades.

The NFl season is full swing into week eleven. Green Bay is still the best team in football and remains undefeated. The Jets continue to remain habitual underachievers with major clubhouse issues (stemming from their coach). The Patriots are still inconsistent, while Tebow is still shocking fans and naysayers with his ability to find a way to win. Philip Rivers needs a psychologist and Matt Leinart has been given ANOTHER chance. And one thing that I am very thankful about this Thanksgiving is NO BRETT FAVRE. I will have my power rankings and Superbowl predictions on Turkey Day, so stay tuned.

Spring Training is only a couple of months away , but I am getting antsy. The offseason has been quiet so far. Except for the news that The Houston Astros will be switching over to the AL WEST. That is right, folks, the Astros will now be in search of a designated hitter. It would be nice if the NL teams would too. Pitchers should not be hitting, implementing the DL in the NL is long overdue. But, unfortunately, I think we are still a ways off. MLB is also adding more Wild Card Teams and is expanding interleague play. Ten teams will now be in the playoffs, requiring a one game Wild-card playoff. Winning the division is now more important than ever. Other than Matt Kemp’s eight year, 160 million dollar deal (overpaid), there hasn’t been any notable player transactions. The Red Sox internal drama has been the main focal point of the offseason as they focused on early spring cleaning. But, there is still plenty of time left, big moves are bound to be made.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy time with family and friends, life is way too short not to.