Author Archives: bertbeiswanger

Post-Season Looks Like Regular Season – Andrew Luck Covers Up Flaws

by Bert Beiswanger

Andrew Luck making a play that defines greatness.

Let’s not sugar coat this, folks: The Colts beat an average football team Sunday. They don’t need to apologize for that – a win in the NFL Playoffs is a great win.

But the fact is the Bengals came into the game without # 2 wide receiver Marvin Jones (out all year), without #1 wide receiver and difference-maker A.J. Green, and without tight ends Tyler Eifert (out all but one quarter this year) and Jermaine Gresham.

Another fact is the Colts have the goal of doing more than winning this game. Had the Colts not won this game, there would be some serious and appropriate outrage today among the fan base. Losing this game at home to this Bengals team was not an option.

Andy Dalton is a popular quarterback to criticize. Marvin Lewis is a popular coach to criticize. But I’d choose another year to do so. The Bengals got the most out of what they had this season, particularly at the end. When a team has zero weapons down field and is nothing more than a one-dimensional running team like Cincinnati was Sunday, that doesn’t work too well in the NFL Playoffs.

Let’s also not sugar coat this: Andrew Luck is spectacular. The 36-yard TD pass to Donte Moncrief was everything that is Andrew Luck wrapped into one – strength, poise, athleticism, play-making ability. I immediately said to my son, “Look at that..THAT is why Luck is so special.”

Luck has also received some criticism this year for not taking care of the football. But without a running game half the year and a mediocre offensive line in a constant state of flux, I’d also choose another year to criticize Andrew Luck. I heard some critics late in the year, I did, as much as it made me shake my head with confusion. But I’d say he did a pretty good job of shutting them up Sunday.

No quarterback carries the burden of a team and covers up flaws more than Andrew Luck. Luck is the epitome of a team MVP.

Back to the game Sunday:

Senseless Penalties – nine total and two false starts by Dwayne Allen in one drive to kill the drive. A Donte Moncrief penalty negated a Coby Fleener touchdown. The 2013 Colts were the best in the league when it came to fewest penalties per game. What has changed, I’m not entirely sure (the 2014 Colts are mid-pack). But nine penalties won’t get it done in the Playoffs

Drops, drops and more drops. Hey, the Colts led the league in drops. What else is new? It cost them 10-14 points Sunday. That simply can’t happen next week.

Turnovers – “Boom” Herron is catching flack for not holding onto the ball. The fact the Colts only had one turnover Sunday is actually a positive. Indianapolis ranks near the bottom of the league in giveaways per game, along with teams like New Orleans, Washington and Tampa Bay. When it comes to teams with the fewest turnovers per game, six of the top seven are playoff teams – New England, Green Bay, Seattle, Arizona, Baltimore and Denver. The seventh was Kansas City. Stats don’t lie: the best teams in the league take care of the football.

You can overcome all of that against against that Bengals team. You can’t against Denver. Shoot, one turnover may be one too many against Denver.

The bottom line is the lack of discipline and fundamentals have been an issue this year. The Colts are good enough to beat a Bengals team that limped into Sunday’s playoff game, but haven’t been good enough to beat the elite in the league this year. So, everything you saw yesterday; that’s not good enough to beat Denver or New England.

Make no mistake, I will take a win in the NFL any day and not apologize for it, particularly an NFL Playoffs win. The Colts played well enough Sunday and have every reason to feel good about once again being in the AFC semi-finals.

But people within and outside the organization talk about this team taking the next step this year. Can it win at Denver? Absolutely, the Colts can win at Denver. They certainly have a punchers chance. When you have a heavyweight like Andrew Luck, you are in every single game. I’d give the Colts a 33.3% chance to win Sunday. That may sound rough, but that’s simply the tale of the tape.

To beat the best in the playoffs takes fundamental, mistake-free football; something the Colts haven’t done against the best all season long (the 66.6% portion of the odds at Denver).

Denver is sputtering a little right now (by Denver standards). The Broncos are a little banged up. So the game is there for the Colts to win, IF the Colts play mistake-free football across the board. If the Colts go to Denver and win, it will be because they played better than they did Sunday and probably better all around than they have all year.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

White Sox Making Noise at Winter Meetings

by Bert Beiswanger

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to some folks that the Chicago White Sox needed to be careful not to waste these years. The White Sox have some of the best deals for star players in baseball with Chris Sale (third in Cy Young voting) and Jose Abreu (fourth in MVP voting). They need to take advantage of this time and not waste the discounted Sale and Abreu years.

Apparently, that’s what General Manager Rick Hahn and the White Sox organization have in mind – strike now while they have two of the top 15 – 20 players in baseball on contract-friendly terms.

Jeff Samardzija will wear a different color of Chicago pinstripes in 2015

Tuesday morning, we learned the White Sox completed deals to acquire starting right-handed pitcher Jeff Samardzija from Oakland for infielder Marcus Semien and others. Chicago also signed free agent closer David Robertson, who had a very good year last year with the Yankees. These moves are in addition to the previous signings of reliever Zach Duke and first baseman/DH Adam LaRoche.

It’s early in the off-season, but the “other team” in Chicago is leaving its mark on the Winter Meetings and the off-season, too. And it was the White – not Red- Sox stealing all the headlines on MLB Network Tuesday morning.

The Robertson deal seems like a bit too much for my taste (4 yr/$45 mlllion for a reliever). But at least White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper knows who his closer will be every day, something he didn’t know in 2014. And the team certainly is in the financial position to take on this contract.

Oakland traded for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel late last year. The Cubs got top prospect Addison Russell and Billy McKinney in return. Now that the dust has settled somewhat and the Cubs have since re-signed Hammel, the A’s basically traded Russell for Semien… that’s one way to look at it, anyway. It’s certainly fun for Chicago fans to be on the other end of these deals right now.

Back to the White Sox, four of their best core players – Jose Abreau ($8 mill next year) , Chris Sale ($6 mill next year), Jose Quintana ($3.5 million next year) and Adam Eaton ($500k in 2014) – are on some of the friendliest contracts a team can have:

Lefty Chris Sale, one of the best pitchers in baseball, doesn’t earn north of $10 million until 2017 and isn’t an unrestricted free agent until 2020.
Abreu makes an average of $10 million until 2020.
Quintana, a solid #2/#3 starter, won’t earn over $10 million until 2019 .
In addition, all-star shortstop Alexei Ramirez will make $10 million in 2015 – a pretty solid deal given his output.

This is how you work a roster, and this is how you are able to have the off-season flexibility the White Sox have. But the White Sox still have decisions to make at various positions:

Is Dayan Viciedo the answer in left field? I get the feeling the Sox will at least explore an upgrade there . Viciedo has a lot of talent, but the front office may be tired of waiting. And he’s had a fair audition for the position long-term. If the White Sox can get better defensively and add more consistency hitting-wise, they will.
With last year’s opening day starting second baseman, Marcus Semien, shipped to Oakland and Gordon Beckham traded last year, who will open 2015 at second base? It could be former Indiana Hoosier and Indianapolis Park Tudor grad, Micah Johnson.
Who’s will be the catcher? Will the Sox stay with Tyler Flowers? There certainly aren’t many cather options on the free agent market.

The White Sox aren’t done. But I like the flexibility of the current roster. It has allowed the organization to be active now and in the future. And I like the flexibility of the deals the Sox are taking on. It’s been a responsible rebuilding process so far.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

November Football Leftovers – The ODB Jr. Catch, T-Rich and College Playoffs

by Bert Beiswanger

The most enjoyable football player for me to watch this past month has been Odell Beckham, Jr. His ascent from the injury list to a must-see player has been awesome. Within a couple games, it was clear the rookie was the most talented player on the New York Giants roster.

Beckham is someone who was on my radar since a couple weeks before he recovered from injury to make his NFL debut. November 2015 was his NFL coming out party. As an avid connoisseur of SEC football, I knew what kind of player Beckham was. I was well versed in his abilities from his LSU Tigers days. His one-handed kick-off touch back catch is still a popular You Tube view.

I thought so highly of him, I picked the rookie up for my fantasy team two weeks prior to his debut. The word would spread too quickly once he started playing and I knew he wouldn’t last long on the waiver wire – not in a 14 team league, anyway, where you’re often scraping the bottom of the barrel for available players. He’s a big reason why my team is in the playoffs, and following him closely has been a pure joy.

For people who say the David Tyree catch was the best, I have to disagree. Sure, it was amazing and on the biggest stage. But it wasn’t as poetic, graceful and skillful as Beckham’s. It seemed more luck or happenstance than raw skill. Beckham snatched a 40 yard bomb out of mid-air with his finger-tips, while fighting off a pass-interference and then landing both feet in-bounds. How? Because he’s a freak of a talent and literally practices this stuff. Chris Collinsworth said it was the best catch he’s ever seen. It’s hare to argue. When you’re left speechless and laughing, you know you saw something special.

Besides, I had seen Tyree’s catch before. Years ago, a six-year-old Johnny Beiswanger made a similar catch. Sitting way up high in the stands on a practice day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we spotted the Firestone Firehawk mascot walking Pit Lane below ready to shoot some shirts up into the stands. My kids, Johnny and his twin brother Bradley, had their arms up high, jumping up and down to get the mascot’s attention. The Hawk sent a soaring shot into the air. With my boy still jumping up and down, the shirt came to a crashing landing out of the sky right on top of his shoulder between his head and raised arm. A little cocking of the his head to the right assured a secured catch. As funny and unintended as it was, it really was an amazing catch.

What made Beckham’s all the more remarkable was the NBC crew of Al Michels and Collinsworth had just show footage of Beckham’s one-handed catch warm-up routine – put to music by the NBS Sports production crew. A few minutes later, Beckham completed “the catch.” I would’ve been more surprised had he not just hauled in a pretty good beauty the week prior, too. Still, this one…right one cue…had to be the best catch I’ve seen.

College Football Playoffs. November shook some teams out of the playoff picture and shook some things up. Chris Hagen’s beloved Mississippi State Bulldogs appear to be on the outside looking in after losing to rival Ole Miss, also on the outside looking in. So now it”s to the point where not only will only one SEC team make the four team playoff, but it’s conceivable no SEC team will make the playoffs, should Alabama lose to Missouri tomorrow.

That, my friends, would be a complete and utter abominable football abomination.

An Abominable Football Abomination

Any four-team playoff that doesn’t include an SEC team is a failed playoff system. What did you think was going to happen when SEC teams started playing each other? Teams were going to lose. What, did you think the SEC was going to have four 11-1 teams? It was inevitable they’d beat each other up. Consequently, what did you think Ohio State and Michigan State were going to do once they entered the pathetic Big Ten schedule, not win? A two-loss Bama isn’t better than a one loss Ohio State with the schedule OSU has played? Please… The Big Ten isn’t good top to bottom and that’s putting in mildly. Iowa had to rally to beat a sub-.500 Ball State team and Nebraska needed a last second play to beat McNeese St. And Wisconsin blew an early chance to put the Big Ten in the picture before blowing the LSU game – an LSU team that will finish fifth in the loaded SEC West. And these are upper half Big Ten Teams I’m talking about. So Michigan State and Ohio State padding their resumes with mediocre conference wins (not their fault, btw) doesn’t do much for me. Really, Ohio State’s 12-1 would be more meaningful than Alabama’s 11-2? Please… The SEC is the best conference in college football and I can’t imagine it being left out of the mix. I don’t like adding a team just because of its conference affiliation alone. Unbalanced schedules these days can really skew perspectives and reality. But no SEC team in a four-team playoff? It sure doesn’t feel right to me.

Trent Richardson. Ah, the old Trent Richardson debate. There was an entertaining segment on the Dan Dakich Show Monday regarding the value of Trent Richardson. It all stemmed from Gregg Doyle’s Indy Star column in which Doyel provided “Einstein’s definition of insanity: Giving the ball to Trent Richardson again and again and expecting different results.” Look, the idea the Colts gave a first rounder for Richardson is what’s most painful. But it is what it is. Here’s what I know, if you have to discuss all the strengths of a running back that don’t actually include running, I’d say you’re not a good running back, but more of a role player. And despite a very average offensive line, every back who has carried the ball for the Colts the past two years – Vick Ballard, Donald Brown, Ahmad Bradshaw, Daniel “Boom” Herron – has had higher avgerage yards per carry. The way we talk about Trent Richardson is the way we would normally talk about a late rounder or undrafted free agent, not a first rounder. So, I think that clearly fuels the debate – the fact the Colts gave up so much. Teams rarely trade first round picks anymore. Heck, teams rarely use a first-rounder on a running back anymore. Lets just call the Trent Richardson deal what it is – a bad trade. It doesn’t mean Richardson doesn’t contribute or won’t contribute in the future. To be honest, while a first-rounder seemed like a lot to give up at the time, most of us were still very excited about the deal. I don’t go with the notion that Richardson can’t contribute going forward. But the stats don’t lie. When it comes to running with the football, he’s been the most unproductive back the Colts have had the past two years.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

A Press Conference James Hinchcliffe Style

by Bert Beiswanger

“The Mayor of Hinchtown,” James Hinchliffe, was in his element Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Verizon IndyCar Series

That fresh cracking sound heard when a can of beer is opened also resembled the sound of a new career opportunity opening up for James Hinchcliffe Tuesday.

The guy has his own beer. Why not promote it? Verizon IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe and his new team Schmidt Peterson Motorsports utilized the cozy and festive confines of Flat 12 Bierwerks Tuesday afteroon to celebrate and announce their new partnership.

Flat 12 is the home of the Hinchtown Hammer Down Golden Ale. So “The Mayor of Hinchtown” invited media and fans alike to join his party at the near East Side brewery. Not surprisingly, the turnout was strong.

I’ve certainly been to larger, more formal press productions. I’m not sure I’ve been to a more fitting one. Local media, motorsports media, friends – they were all there to celebrate the announcement. It wasn’t a press conference or media event only. It was a celebration for a man proud of his career move and proud of his brew.

After three seasons with the larger Andretti Autosport team, the affable Canadian seems well-suited to adapt to a new challenge and new surroundings. The personality of the smaller, yet very competitive SPM team seems to be a good fit. Both have won races, and there’s still plenty of room for growth.

While Simon Pagenaud moved on to mighty Team Penske, Hinchcliffe is moving on to SPM for 2015.

photo courtesy of IndyCar

“To enter this environment with a lot of different responsibilities is exciting. One of the most attractive things about this thing is what they have accomplished in the last few seasons has been incredible. Winning races, being competitive at all tracks and finishing in the top five in the championship against more experienced teams at this level is impressive,” Hinchcliffe said. “Because they are young, there is still room for them to grow and improve, and that’s an exciting thought for me. I think we can only get better, and hopefully I can add to that program.

“Everyone wants to know if they can perform and I’m putting myself on trial a little bit.”

Time will tell if it’s the right fit long-term. But Tuesday, it sure felt like it.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

The Most Under-Appreciated Player in My Lifetime: Paul Konerko

by Bert Beiswanger

You wouldn’t do it. Many in the media wouldn’t do it: recognize Paul Konerko throughout his career as one of the best players in the game. Why would you take time to recognize him now?

Everyone’s focus has been on Derek Jeter. Now there seems to be the feeling, “Oh, yeah, we can’t forget Paul Konerko.”

Another great in the game called it quits Sunday, hanging it up after a glorious 16 year career on the South Side of Chicago. Paul “Paulie” Konerko did it the right way all along the way. The career .280 hitter was, year-in and year-out, one of the best hitters in the game and also under-appreciated defensively. Yet, every year you’d barely know the guy was in the upper tier of MLB players, often putting up better numbers than more recognized players.

A friend of mine – a Cubs fan mind you – has said for the last few years that Paul Konerko was hands-down the most underrated player in baseball the past decade. He was never talked about when people discussed the best in the game. He just produced with the best in the game. And what’s really impressive was, other than when injuries got in the way here and there, Konerko produced consistently over the long haul.

Not a bad run there from ’99 to 2012

As Jason Stark of ESPN so appropriately pointed out in a column Monday, “Other than in Chicago, Paul Konerko hasn’t gotten the kind of send-off he deserves — not this season and certainly not this month. Too bad. He’s been the kind of player, and human being, that any franchise would be happy to have on the payroll for a decade and a half.”

Konerko won a World Series in Chicago – the unthinkable – and delivered a memorable grand slam in that 2005 World Series against Houston. He also won the ALCS MVP Award that year in the series against Angles. He was so often one of the best hitters for average and power in the game, yet people seemed surprised every time he put up the numbers. It’s as if every year people were being re-introduced to Paul Konerko.

And it’s not as if Konerko played in obscurity in a small market. He played in Chicago! How he wasn’t more distinguishably recognized during his career is beyond me. And the White Sox, for the most part during his career, were a factor and not a cellar dweller.

As Stark also so appropriately pointed out, Konerko is just one of just 10 players in history, whose primary position was first base, to make it into 400 homers (439)/400 doubles club (410)). The others are Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Albert Pujols, Eddie Murray, Jeff Bagwell, Fred McGriff, Carlos Delgado, Jason Giambi and Rafael Palmeiro.

I suppose the send-off for Konerko nationally kind of paralleled his career – quietly riding off into the sunset just as he quietly went about his business.

But “Paulie” has a statue at U.S. Cellular Field now as a constant reminder of his greatness. While many around the country are a little late to the party recognizing Konerko’s accomplishments, no White Sox fan needs to be reminded of what “Paulie” did for the game and the organization.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

Tony Stewart Cleared of Criminal Charges in Death of Kevin Ward Jr.

by Bert Beiswanger

Tony Stewart will not be charged by an Ontario County (N.Y.) Grand Jury in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. That news came across the wire Wednesday afternoon. Do you know what won’t come across the wire any time soon?: Apologies from those who rushed to judgement without knowing the facts, including media and talk show hosts across the country who, in some cases, berated those who dare suggest it could have merely be an accident.

Facts are all we can judge on. Conjecture is, well, conjecture.

Up until Wednesday, the only fact we knew for sure was that Ward walked onto the middle of a hot racetrack. That’s all we really knew for sure. Yet, that which was arguably the most egregious mistake in all of this tragedy was most ignored by those who wanted to prosecute Stewart of something, even if it was nothing more than being a hot head. Little did we even know Ward was possibly impaired, as we’ve just learned.

According to reports, the grand jury announced that there was no evidence of a criminal act. The case was handed over to the grand jury by District Attorney Michael Tantillo.

In New York state , any case that possibly involves felony charges must be reviewed by a grand jury for a possible indictment. The grand jury decided no criminal charges should be brought against Stewart.

Tantillo said “two dozen” people were interviewed and said that Ward had marijuana in his system and that the amount found was “enough to impair judgment.”

“There is toxicology evidence in the case related to Kevin Ward, that actually indicated at the time of operation that he was under the influence of marijuana,” Tantillo said

Tantillo also said that there was no evidence of “aberrational” driving from Stewart before he hit Ward. Two videos of the accident were used as evidence in the investigation.

“Those videos were examined in detail. They were enhanced. They were run through programs that allow the frames to be isolated,” Tantillo said. “They were run at 75, 50 and 25 percent speed. They were overlaid with grids and data and they were pretty important pieces of the evidence here.

“The videos did not demonstrate any aberrational driving by Tony Stewart until the point of impact with Kevin Ward, at which his vehicle veered to the right, up the track as a result of the collision. Prior to that his course was pretty straight.”

For some, this still won’t be enough to keep them from prosecuting Stewart for something in their minds and allowing this tragedy to rest in peace. We live in a rush to judgement society. And the media has often followed this course of societal action. It’s too bad and frustrating. But I’m not shocked at all by the opinions that spewed out before we or a jury of investigators knew all the facts. It’s what we do now: prosecute someone – even if only partially – without really knowing what we’re talking about. We do it in sports. We do it in politics. We do it in life. We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again.

I respect those who withheld judgement in this case. It was a horrible tragedy and the worst sentence of all is someone lost their life, family will forever mourn and someone else will have to live with the edible memory of that tragic night.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

The Most Entertaining Part of College Football Week 1: USC and Josh Shaw

by Bert Beiswanger

Josh Shaw’s version of the truth is being examined closely by a very active and suddenly unfriendly media.

As the college football season kicks off, I could spend some time pointing out the most entertaining and intriguing Week 1 match-ups to get the season rolling: Texas A&M-South Carolina on the newly-formed SEC network (which was actually a dud last night), Wisconsin-LSU, Clemson-Georgia, Ball State-Colgate (I’m kidding), IU-Indiana State (I’m kidding, again). But none of them is more entertaining or intriguing than USC-Josh Shaw.

Early this week, we learned of Shaw’s story of heroism, supposedly jumping off a second floor balcony to rescue his drowning nephew. No sooner did I hear things like, “Finally, a good story coming out of the sports world,” we learned not only was Shaw not the hero he portrayed himself to be, he was named in an LAPD disturbance report, the product of an investigation of an occurrence at an apartment complex.Who knows what, if anything, will come of the investigation or what transpired. Whatever happened, Shaw has two ankle sprains and is out indefinitely due to the injuries and suspension by coach Steve Sarkisian.

“We are extremely disappointed in Josh,” Sarkisian said. “He let us all down. As I have said, nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story”

Now, I’m not going to pretend I knew something was amiss. But upon hearing the story, something immediately made me pause and at least have a little bit of doubt. I thought, “Wow, that’s some story.” Something didn’t quite seem right.

How could I have a smidgen of doubt but USC didn’t? No one – anyone at USC or one media member – bothered to fact-check this? I heard one sports personality blast another for suggesting the same. Their point was, Shaw was a high character guy. Why shouldn’t USC believe him?

It’s not like Shaw said he was late for practice because he had to stop and help a little old lady cross the street. USC’s team captain just sprained two ankles by supposedly jumping off a second floor balcony to rescue his drowning nephew! That’s very brave, Josh. You’re a true leader. Thanks for the explanation. It happens to all of us. Moving on…

Good public relations people gather all facts. They are trained to be detail-oriented and ultimate fact-checkers in order to stay ahead of the media, control the story, or answer any an every question from all angles. We all have people we trust so much that we have no reason to doubt them. But this is a national media story you’re releasing. Come on… The bottom line is both sides of the media fence – USC public relations/sports information and the press were lazy here. It happens; heck, it’s par for the course in this day and age. But don’t make excuses for them and don’t blast people for suggesting laziness prevailed. What’s a professional PR person supposed to retort with here: Hey, I’m just the messenger?

To top it off, Shaw added this little nugget to his story of bravery: “I would do it again for whatever kid it was. It did not have to be my nephew.” It wasn’t enough to lie to everyone. He had to lay it on thick and go all super hero on us.

Upon learning of Shaw’s lie, Sarkisian added: “I appreciate that Josh has now admitted that he lied and has apologized. Although this type of behavior is out of character for Josh, it is unacceptable. Honesty and integrity must be at the center of our program. I believe Josh will learn from this. I hope that he will not be defined by this incident, and that the Trojan Family will accept his apology and support him.”

So, I suppose all would be forgotten if this was a lie to cover-up, oh…playing pickup basketball or skate boarding or whatever. But we don’t know, yet, what happened and why he lied. The investigation is ongoing. Whatever the case, it’s been an entertaining kick-off to the college football season.

So what’s next for our scarlet and gold trojan hero? Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion of the investigation.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

The True Gladiators of Sport: MotoGP Riders

by Bert Beiswanger

Bradley Smith crashes in Red Bull Indianapolis GP qualifying. Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix this past Sunday, I waited outside the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team garage for rider Bradley Smith, who had just finished sixth. As Smith hopped onto his scooter, he looked at me and held his bloody, disgusting looking finger up high so I could see it and said, “I can’t talk just yet. I need to get this taken care of.” Fair enough.

Smith was able to start Sunday’s race despite re-injuring his finger near the end of qualifying Saturday. The British rider high-sided from his bike while going through the fast and swooping Turn 1 and came to a sliding stop.

Alvaro Bautisa get launched from his bike.

Spain’s Alvaro Bautista also was involved in a scary acrobatic display as he crashed in Saturday’s practice session. He was launched high in the air and landed safely, thanks only to a combination of luck and the experience of knowing how to land as best as possible whenever possible.

“Luckily I’m feeling OK now, but this morning’s crash was really scary,” Bautista said after the accident. “I think I (was) flying for several seconds.”

Having covered every Red Bull Indianapolis GP and watched countless other Grand Prix, you will have a hard time convincing me that motorcycle racers aren’t the true gladiators of sport. There are certainly arguments to be made about the toughness of many other sports and athletes. But no one is more gladiator-esque than a MotoGP rider.

When I did catch up to Smith a little later, he talked about his nagging injury, the product of the rigors of motorcycle racing.

“Basically, I’ve taken the skin off again not quite down to the bone, which is good because exposed bone is never great,” Smith said. “I’m glad I still have something left. Luckily I don’t have too many pain receptors anymore in that finger, so it didn’t hurt that bad. Unfortunately, with the way that the schedule goes the next couple of weeks, I’m probably not going to be able to get it healed for a good four or five weeks. I’ll keep re-opening it every time I ride.

“But it’s a normal situation for motorcycle racers.”

No, this injury certainly doesn’t compare to the broken collarbones and wrists and other stuff that are more vivid reminders of what these guys go through. But the crash photos, videos and the lasting impact of the crashes themselves are evidence of just how much on the edge MotoGP riders are and how much they expose themselves to the consequences of what they do.

A common refrain I hear from people new to watching MotoGP racing is, “Those guys are nuts.” But as Nicky Hayden, “The Kentucky Kid” and 2006 MotoGP World Champion who sat out this year’s race due to a broken wrist, once said, “It’s not all balls. You gotta have brains, too.”

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

A Pacers Off-Season to Forget

by Bert Beiswanger

As off-seasons go, the Indiana Pacers current one is about as bad as it gets for Pacers fans. The team has gone from championship contender to who knows what in the span of a couple of weeks. Whatever who knows what is, it is way below championship contender.

The latest injury to Paul George sealed the fate of 2014-2015 championship aspirations, even if many fans and media failed to grasp that the fate of championship hopes was sealed with the exit of Stephenson.

First, 21-year-old borderline All Star Lance Stephenson left for Charlotte…

…for reasons I’m still trying to figure out.

Pacers fans were in a soften the blow justification mode when it was announce Lance Stephenson was moving on – phase I of dealing with a tough loss by failing to swallow the reality of it. As with many topics in sports, this whole Lance Stephenson free agency venture evolved to the point that somehow, all of the failures of everyone else on the Pacers last season have been forgotten and Lance Stephenson, the real problem, is gone. All is well. Right….

If you believed that, then you had entered phase II: dream mode.

I haven’t come full circle on this at all. Despite all of the different thoughts/opinions that were out there…the Pacers really didn’t want Stephenson, Stephenson wasn’t worth the money, Stephenson was the main reason the season went south; the fact is the Pacers wanted him (for good reason) and why he’s not still in Indianapolis makes absolutely no sense to me. He must have been blown away by Michael Jordan’s courtship for some reason. That’s all I can think of.

I know this, the Pacers lost their second best player and have no way to replace his versatility. All of the role players in the world can’t replace Stephenson’s talent. And if this team has proven anything, it’s that it can’t just plug and play any role player into the system and have success.

I’m amazed at all the excuses Pacers fans made and how it felt most convenient to blame Stephenson for everything. Yet, all of the supposed leaders the Pacers have on the team didn’t play like leaders down the stretch. George Hill was unproductive too often. Paul George had too many games where wasn’t assertive enough and not very All-NBA-like. Hibbert was what he was – an absolute mess. And other players were grabbing off the court headlines for one reason or another.

You would think that a professional, effective team and coaching staff could overcome an issue with Stephenson if he was that big of a problem. Wasn’t he an integral part of the team when they were being talked about as the best team in the NBA the first half? It very well could be he changed after getting snubbed from the All-Star team, but I still don’t pin all the blame for the second half downfall on him. Heck, there were nights when he was the only player on the floor player with energy and passion. Yet, people will blame Stephenson for stealing rebounds from Hibbert instead of Hibbert not being aggressive enough and earning his $14 million. Stephenson led the team in rebounds, assists, FG% and only took 11 shots per game – hardly a chemistry train wreck, in my opinion. He shot 49% on a team that can’t shoot. Yeah, who needs him…

We’re all grasping at straws to try to identify what the problem was. I just think it was a myriad of things and it’s time for everyone else to prove their worth.

The problem is, the Pacers lost their second best player and a young one at that.

Now, one of the league’s best players, Paul George, is done for the year…

…more than a compound fracture, a compounding problem. Enough said. There’s no grasping at straws here. This is unfortunate on so many levels – for George, the franchise and fans. If you still held onto the straw of hope that better chemistry would improve this team without Stephenson gone (though, weren’t we told by everyone many times that the chemistry in the locker room was the best they’ve been around?), you can just let it go; just let it go. The season, by championship standards, is lost. Turn out the lights, the party’s over.

The two most talented players on the team (young ones at that) are currently gone – one not to return and the other staring at a LONG road to recovery. It’s time to reassess and remodel this team. Look, there are too many aging or incomplete pieces to this puzzle. And now they only have one young star to build around, and who knows what he will be like when he returns in a year.

During the free agency period and immediately after Stephenson signed with Charlotte, the theme was the team improved by subtraction. But reality slowly sunk in: Oh, yeah, Hibbert did have four scoreless playoff games and a slew of other duds. George Hill did only average half the assists Stephenson did. Who’s going to create now? The bench really wasn’t that good in 2013-2014, just better than the putrid 2012-2013 bench.

Now that George is out, it is clear that the hopes of the season are nothing more than hoping the Pacers can make the playoffs. With that in mind and assuming Paul George will return to form (not a guarantee), it’s time to re-mold this team for the post-injury Paul George era. With Stephenson gone, George is the only young building block left. Everything else is open for change. All of the Rodney Stuckeys, CJ Miles and Shawn Marions of the world aren’t going to replace George and Stephenson. And no one among the core rotation will be a spring chicken when George does return. All-in only gets you so far, not years.

With the injury to George, Derrick Rose returning to form for the Bulls and reports of Cleveland acquiring Kevin Love for the long term, the current window of opportunity just slammed shut. It’s time to open a new one.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis

The Indiana Pacers Need Lance Stephenson

by Bert Beiswanger

So what do the Pacers and team president Larry Bird do with Lance “Born Ready” Stephenson? It seems everyone in Indianapolis has had an opinion on this the last few days, and I have mine.

I don’t see that the Pacers have much of a choice but to re-sign Lance Stephenson. I don’t see a good alternative, do you? So the Pacers may not be able to afford to keep Stephenson in the very early and still developing stage of his career, but they can afford Roy Hibbert for $14 million?

When Hibbert was a free agent a couple years ago, I suggested to a group of people that it wasn’t a no-brainer, open check book decision to match Portland’s $14 million per year offer. Sure, Hibbert was better than the $3.5 million he was making at the time, no doubt. But a max $14 million player? The reaction to my comment was that I was nuts for even considering that it was a tough decision. To most casual fans, dollars don’t matter and there is no such thing as a salary cap or luxury tax in their world. The fact Hibbert was going from $3.5 million to $14 million made no difference. Pay him whatever it took to keep him, the Pacers had to have him at no cost. I’m not saying it was the wrong decision at the time (Hibbert was huge in the 2013 playoffs), just that it wasn’t a no-brainer. In fact, it was the right decision at the time, though a tough one.

Which brings us to where we are now: the Pacers being in a luxury tax pickle, partly because of a $14 million max player who somehow managed to not score in FOUR playoff games this year. I don’t mean to pick on Hibbert, but it is what it is. Your highest paid players have to be your best players. They surely can’t completely drop off the radar. One way or another, Stephenson is always on the radar.

For many, the Pacers have drawn the line in the sand with an initial offer that would pay Stephenson $8.8 million per season and help keep the team under the luxury tax threshold. Take it or leave it seems to be a popular feeling people have with this offer. So, let me get this straight: Lance Stephenson isn’t worth more than $8.8 million? Stephenson led the Pacers in rebounds per game, assists per game, field goal percentage, plays defense, can create for himself and others, led the league in triple-doubles and is only 23 years old.

The Pacers’ offer to Stephenson is probably a fair first offer and would be a nice bridge contract to a potentially bigger pay day down the road. But if it takes, say, another million to get the deal done?…I personally don’t think it’s worth losing Stephenson over a little bump up from the initial offer. Perhaps there’s another move that could be made to avoid luxury tax issues. I’m no cap/compliance guru like Pacers VP of Basketball Operations Peter Dinwiddie, but there’s surely a move that could be made.

I’m not saying you pay Stephenson whatever it takes. As with Hibbert, this isn’t a no-brainer decision if the price gets too high, whatever too high is. But the bottom line to me is Stephenson is the second best player on the team and has, along with Paul George, the most upside. $9 million doesn’t hit me as the take it or leave it threshold, especially given the money that’s been spent on this team in recent years. And look around the league: Avery Bradley will get a new $32 million, four year contract with the Celtics. Gordon Hayward is going to get $16 million per season…16 million.

Look, I hear the talk that you can’t over-pay Stephenson because he’s still too immature, inconsistent and a loose cannon at times; I get it. I hear the rumors that half of the locker room doesn’t want Stephenson back. I hear all of the bad chemistry talk. I also saw some of the “good team chemistry” guys not show up too often down the stretch this year. To put the team’s issues down the stretch all on Stephenson is blind. How quickly we forget all of the other rumors surrounding this team the second half of the season.

I still roll the dice with “Born Ready.” It’s a gamble, but I just think the Pacers have to. I don’t see how you replace that kind of young talent and keep pace in the East. And the Pacers have yet to prove they have a system where they can just plug anyone in and maximize their ability, ala San Antonio.

The NBA is about talent and Lance Stephenson is the second most talented player on a team that had the best record in the Eastern Conference. He’s still very young and by all accounts works his tail off. I know this, you don’t typically have to worry about whether Lance Stephenson is going to show up with energy night in and night out.

Stephenson is a real frustration at times, no doubt about it. And maybe he truly is bad for team chemistry. I just know the performances of others on this team down the stretch were bad for my fan chemistry. Smarter basketball people would have a better feel for this than I do. But I don’t see anyone else on that team with the ability to break a guy down or create for someone else like Stephenson can.

I’m most concerned with whether the proper system is in place for players to flourish and score enough to win a championship or whether the current system sucks too much life out of offense to truly contend for a championship. That, to me, is the big question.

Stephenson’s act down the stretch in the playoffs grew tired, no doubt. But I walked away from watching many playoff games disgusted with the play of many others more than Lance Stephenson.

The Pacers are in the position they’re in, which indeed is a tough one. But they’re not in a position to lose a player the caliber of Stephenson. Where else does the toughness on this team come from? Where else does the athleticism come from? Chemistry is great but without pure talent or a clinic of a system like San Antonio, chemistry alone doesn’t win.

Wednesday on the Kent Sterling Show on CBS Sports 1430, guest Jay Graves said the Pacers need Lance Stephenson, they just may not want Lance Stephenson. That’s one way to put it. I don’t know if I agree with all of it but the key part of that I can’t get away from is that the Pacers need Lance Stephenson.

Follow on Twitter @BertBeis