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Author Archives: Kent Sterling
18 years after – where were you when American fought and rebounded from our worst day
America has never been braver.
If you were alive on September 11, 2001, you remember where you were the moment you heard the first plane that hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center was a passenger jet.
Before you heard that, you assumed the plane crash involved a small private plane because no one had ever heard of a professionally piloted jet flying into one of the tallest buildings in the world.
You also remember the instant a second passenger jet hit the South Tower because it was at that instant you realized this was terrorism – not an accident involving the world’s worst pilot.
Then a few hours later, you looked into the sky and saw how odd it looks without plane contrails crisscrossing. Maybe you saw Air Force One flanked by three F-16s as those aboard argued about whether they should return to Washington DC to reassure the nation and world.
You likely thought of the thousands of people in the twin towers during the time between the impact and collapse. Live television showed people trapped by the fire leaping from windows to a certain death. There was no possible response other than stunned silence or sobbing
At some point, the bravery of the “Let’s roll!” crew aboard Flight 93 was reported. They rejected the demands of the hijackers and saved hundreds of lives at the U.S. Capitol, the building into which the hijackers planned to crash. “That’s what I would do,:” you thought.
Then you watched the first response crews tear through the rubble at Ground Zero trying to find survivors. Volunteers poured into the area without thinking about the potential dangers – the dense residue of the collapse being inhaled and trapped in their lungs. Years later, many would fall ill and die because of their heroism.
President Bush threw a perfect strike in baseball’s return to Yankee Stadium, and you remembered how baseball can bring us all together in the same way tragedy can.
The Who played “Won’t Get Fooled Again” at the Concert for New York City, and you blinked back tears while thinking, “You’re damn right we won’t.” David Bowie sang “Heroes”, and there were more moist eyes. “Damn right” again.
The Pentagon was repaired, a new tower was built, planes are now boarded without people scanning the aisles for potential terrorists, and our society continues to evolve to accommodate security measures that were unheard of prior to 9/11.
You remember, those of you who were around back then. And we hope and pray we never experience another series of indelible moments that came like a torrent of equal parts terror, love, empathy, and valor.
Bad times bring out the best in Americans.
That’s the lasting message of 9/11 that was unintended by the cowards who turned four airplanes into passenger-filled missiles on that perfect morning 18 years ago today.
NCAA’s letter to California governor shows SB206 a step in the right direction
Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes wasn’t broke, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t worth what he can get paid – like everyone else.
Universities making up the membership of the NCAA do not like change – especially when that change doesn’t stuff their coffers with cash. They turn downright petulant when the idea of athletes earning money is advanced.
When bureaucrats and administrators get angry, they dash offs letters filled with cleverly worded threats and at least a dozen signatures – so that none can be held solely accountable for its contents.
The latest NCAA letter of outrage was addressed to Califormnia Governor Gavin Newson, who will have to decide at some point over the next week whether he will sign the state’s Fair Pay for Play Act.
If signed, the law would make illegal any restriction of athletes profiting from the use of their likenesses or images. Neither schools nor the NCAA would have the authority to strip eligibility or scholarship from athletes because they were paid for endorsing a product of service.
Legislation would not go into effect until 2023, which gives the NCAA a three-year window to amend its foolish rules against “student-athletes” seeking or accepting endorsements. But the NCAA does not like advancing because state legislatures mandate their action. That’s where the letter comes in.
In the letter, the NCAA issued the kind of threat it believes to be a nuclear option, “If the bill becomes law and California … allows an unrestricted name, image and likeness scheme, it would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics and, because it gives those schools an unfair recruiting advantage, would result in them eventually being unable to compete in NCAA competitions.”
Oh the humanity! Only two California teams qualified for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament last year (Cal State Fullerton and San Diego State), and they won exactly zero games. There are other sports and tourneys, but none are revenue drivers at the level of the NCAA Tourney.
As far as college football, bowls are not governed by the NCAA.
California could slide quite easily into a flourishing eco-system without competition in NCAA national championships. It wouldn’t be pleasant, but the 24 D-1 athletic programs in Cali could form their own organization, and move forward with a set of rules that provide the freedom of schools to allow endorsements for athletes, and maybe also pay them as employees.
If California seceded from the NCAA, would it be worse for schools in the state, or those who remain in the NCAA. If the NCAA wants to rattle sabres, they need to vet the result if university presidents in California decide the noise doesn’t scare them.
What might scare NCAA members to its core is the advantage California programs would gain if they allowed endorsements and considered payment. That possibility might be impossible to ignore for the membership.
The letter, with a whopping 22 signatures, closes by asking Newsom “reconsider this harmful and, we believe, unconstitutional bill and hope the state will be a constructive partner in our efforts to develop a fair name, image and likeness approach for all 50 states.”
The use of “unconstitutional” means that if the bill is signed into law, the NCAA will appeal the Fair Pay to Play Act as far out as the America judicial system will allow.
What needs to happen – and what will eventually happen – is that the NCAA will do the right thing and allow athletes to profit from their image – as is the case for virtually every non-elected official in America.
The NCAA won’t make the change because it’s the right thing to do (that never happens with bureaucrats), but because their survival depends upon it.
As always – the pain of change has to be outweighed by the pain of standing still. California’s state legislature has introduced enough unpleasantness to get the NCAA to write a letter. They need to keep turning up the heat.
Hunter Thompson always said, “If someone complains about the noise, turn it up. Eventually, they’ll stop complaining.” California seems like the kind of place capable of turning it up to 11.
Florida teacher turns tables on bullies – with the University of Tennessee’s help
This is the shirt an elementary student proudly wore until he was mocked by a group of girls.
So an elementary school student in Florida participated in “College Colors Day” at his school by wearing a plain orange shirt with a piece of paper pinned to it with a hand drawn “UT”.
Some girls teased the kid at lunch, reducing him to tears. His teacher, Laura Snyder, tried to find a Facebook connection with ties to the University of Tennessee, and then the story got really good.
The post went viral, and the University of Tennessee responded by sending a box full of swag to the school for the boy and his entire class.
I want one of these shirts Tennessee is selling.
That was a good start, and then Tennessee raised the ante. The school is selling UT shirts with the boy’s hand drawn logo on its webstie. A portion of the proceeds will benefit STOMP Out Bullying.
Demand caused the school’s website to crash.
Bullies suck. Why some kids want to make others feel like crap is beyond me. Adults should lift each other too and set an example for kids. When kids are bullied, adults who find a way to turn the tables can do magical things, as Mrs. Snyder did here.
Love that this little guy is now a celebrity among his peers, and the girls hopefully understand their behavior was straight up mean.
Need more stories like this.
Colts lose after fighting back to force overtime after mistake filled first half
The Colts won the turnover battle, Marlon Mack ran for a career high 174 yards, and Jacoby Brissett threw two TD passes and no picks. But they lost to the Chargers 30-24 in overtime anyway.
There are reasons – three big ones – why the Colts didn’t win their season opener this afternoon..
Adam Vinatieri missed two field goals and an extra point for the first time in his hall of fame career, but the GOAT wasn’t the only goat for the Colts.
Two of the three Colts penalties led directly to Chargers touchdowns. One was against Denico Autry for bowling over a defenseless long snapper on a field goal attempt. The result of the penalty was a first down, and the Chargers scored two plays later. The other was on Justin Houston for offsides on a third and eight play from the Chargers 27 with 9:51 left in the first half. Houston’s jump nullified a Kemoko Turay sack, and gave the Philip Rivers another bite at the apple rather than punting to the Colts. Two plays later, Rivers hit Austin Ekeler for a 55-yard touchdown pass.
I’m not great at math, but Vinny’s misses account for seven lost points. Autry’s personal foul was the difference between a three-point field goal and a TD, so there are another four points. Houston’s offsides was worth seven. That’s 7+4+7 for a total of 18 points in a game that was tied at the end of regulation.
That’s football. It’s a game that makes teams pay for their mistakes.
In a season with only 16 games, each can have a massive importance toward making or missing the playoffs. The Colts could have won in LA. They should have won in LA. But they did not win in LA. The scoreboard gives a black and white result – a win or loss. There is no gray area in the NFL. There are no consolation ribbons for effort.
So the Colts are 0-1 with a tough matchup in Nashville next Sunday against the 1-0 Titans. A loss there, and all of a sudden the Colts will be two games back in the AFC South, but let’s talk about some of the gray area victories that should give fans a window of hope for the rest of the season:
- Marlon Mack was a monster – gaining 174 yards on 25 carries, not including his two-point conversion run that everyone knew was coming, but still could not be stopped.
- Jacoby Brissett was 21-27 for 190 yards, two TDs, and no interceptions.
- Malik Hooker kept the Colts in the game with a bananas one-handed interception in the Chargers end zone.
- As a team, the Colts doubled down on the running game in their final drive of the day as they were down eight. Fans screamed at TVs across Indiana as the Colts patiently and methodically moved the ball down the field during that 16 play (11 of them runs), 7:52 drive. Frank Reich’s trust in his offense’s toughness during that drive earned them that tie.
Obviously, today’s loss wasn’t the result the Colts hoped for today, but they proved to themselves that without Andrew Luck, they can go on the road and compete successfully against a team that finished with a 12-4 record in 2018.
It can be argued that the Colts deserved better today. I won’t, because like William Munny says in the Clint Eastwood movie Unforgiven, “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”
All-time great guy, ballplayer, and radio host Chris Duncan passes away
Chris Duncan died today. He was a St. Louis Cardinal, a radio host, a son, a husband, and a great guy.
He was diagnosed seven years ago with the same brain cancer that claimed his mom. Not many fight it as long or as well as Dunc did.
At the time Dunc learned of the cancer, I was the program director at 101ESPN – the station where he was a co-host of The Fast Lane with Randy Karraker and D’Marco Farr. He called to let me know that he would miss work for awhile as he sought counsel and treatment at Duke University. There are good and bad days to be a program director. That day was the worst.
Dunc would undergo surgery to remove as much of the tumor as was possible. It affected his speech for a time, but he returned quickly and re-established himself as one of the most honest and glib sports analysts in the business.
When I first heard Dunc on 101, it was clear he needed to be on more often. The coolest part of being a program director is hearing a performer who compels you to stay in the car and listen after you get to where you’re going. That’s the test – if you can’t get out of the car before a show goes to commercial, you’ve really got something.
Dunc had that something. He always kept me in the car because he was funny, informed, blunt, and could say something dangerous at any moment. At that point, Dunc was one of three former Cardinals who rotated as part of The Fast Lane, but he was the standout.
There are a lot of former athletes in media. Some are smart and funny, but they don’t do the work necessary to be well-informed about the sports they did not play. Others do the work, but their personalities don’t pop. Dunc worked like a fiend AND was spontaneously compelling.
He was impossible not to like – on the radio, in the office, or over a beer.
Dunc’s baseball stories were hilarious. He was a brawler on the field and in the studio. He never pulled a punch as he played, hosted, or fought that damn cancer.
He told one story about pitching in high school in front of a bunch of scouts. He was built like a tight end and threw hard. And it didn’t hurt that he was the son of Dave Duncan, the best pitching coach in baseball history. With two dozen scouts pointing Juggs guns at him to clock his velocity, a batter stood in, timed one of Dunc’s fastballs, and drove it over the wall. That’s baseball to Dunc. What wasn’t baseball was that the guy totally pimped it out. He watched the entire flight of the dinger as he slow-walked toward first.
Dunc seethed.
Not being a patient guy, Dunc didn’t wait until the hitter’s next plate appearance to communicate his anger. As the next man up stood in the batter’s box, Dunc reared and threw a fastball at the previous hitter as he stood in the dugout. By the time the chaos calmed, the area where the scouts were huddled to watch was empty and Dunc fell off draft boards – at least as a pitcher.
Now throwing at a guy in the dugout is a dangerous thing to do, and something I’ve never heard of anyone else doing in a baseball game. Most people telling a story like that would sound crazy, but Dunc’s energy breathed humor into it, even though he never told it to be funny. He always seemed a little ashamed of it, and that just made him more endearing.
There is also the story of how he celebrated the Cardinals 2006 World Championship with the Commissioner’s Trophy, but I can’t tell that story because I don’t know how to describe it in a family-friendly website. What Tony LaRussa tells people is that the Cards would never have won that championship without Dunc’s contributions (22 bombs in 280 at bats, and his WAR was 3rd among Cardinals hitters despite playing only 90 games).
When I met him, I told him all I remembered from his playing days was the way he mistreated the Cubs during a series at Wrigley in 2006 when he homered in three straight games. As always, he brushed off the recollection of his accomplishments and said, “Those fans in the bleachers gave me hell all the time. They never stopped. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing in left field, and somehow they knew. That was weird.”
Chris Duncan’s passing makes the world a less fun and bold place. My recollection is that at the time of his diagnosis, the doctors gave him a 50/50 chance to live two years, and a 5% chance to make it four years. He stretched it to seven with the love of his wife Amy, brother Shelly, and his dad Dave.
Dunc jammed a lot of fun, learning, madness, and love into 38 years. Everyone who knew him will tell a story about him tonight, and the tears will turn to laughter – just like he would want it.
Colts media knows to wait until for answers – unlike Chicago media that was ready to crown Bears champs
Colts media know the questions about the team they cover, and that answers won’t come until Sunday in LA.
“Are the Colts trying to speak this into reality?” was asked by a cynical and suspicious member of the band of brothers who cover the team. All agreed they are.
What are the Colts trying to speak into reality? That Jacoby Brissett is ready to assume the role as starting quarterback for a Colts team that was thought to be a super bowl contender until Andrew Luck’s sudden (sort of) retirement.
Players and coaches are unanimous in their support for Brissett and belief that the franchise does not need to take a step back because Luck and his versatile array of weaponry are gone. Media are more skeptical – and correctly so. They should be. The media should respond to what it sees – not what it hopes for.
That attitude exists in stark contrast to media types in Chicago who have been united in their chorus of positivity about the Bears. “This defense is better than the ’85 Bears!” “Trubisky is ready to emerge among the NFL’s elite!” “These Bears aren’t just ready to win the division – we, er, they are ready to win a super bowl!” I’ve heard all those things listening to Chicago sports talk and TV over the past week.
They fully expected a coronation last night until the game against the Packers was finally played last night at Soldier Field. That game exposed the Bears as flawed, and educated the Chicago media about waiting until the game is played to crown a winner.
Colts media don’t need to learn that lesson. They are wary – fair, but wary.
There are serious questions about the Colts roster that don’t begin and end with Brissett’s ability to respond to the pressure of carrying a team. Among them:
- The offensive line was imperfect despite all starters returning from one of the best groups in the NFL last year.
- Marlon Mack is dynamic when healthy. The Colts were 10-2 in the games he played in 2018, and 0-4 in games he didn’t. Can he stay healthy for 16 games?
- Safety Malik Hooker was taken 15th in the 2017 draft as a ball hawk. For the first time in his career, he had an injury and rehab free offseason. Will he create turnovers and be able to flip the field for the Colts?
- Can either Kemoko Turay, Tyquan Lewis, or Ben Banogu break through as a game wrecking sack master instead of a young player with potential. Expecting Justin Houston, Denico Autry, and Jabaal Sheard – all 29 or 30 years old – can’t be counted on to provide all the juice and productivity on a front that will have to pressure quarterbacks to make the defense go.
These and other questions will be answered beginning Sunday. No one in Colts media knows the answers or pretends to know the answers 48 hours before the game against the Chargers is played.
That is what separates this media group from its contemporaries in the Windy City.
Let’s hope the Colts are as different from the Bears as the two media contingents are.
Never invite a crazy person to your party; Chapter 49 – Raiders to suspend Antonio Brown
You tell me from this picture of Antonio Brown – crazy enough to punch a GM in the head – or no.
Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown is objectively believed to be crazy. He’s setting a new standard for NFL narcissism, and that’s saying something.
Brown reportedly had a disagreement with GM Mike Mayock yesterday that nearly escalated into a fistfight. Because of that, and a short but colorful history of non-compliance with management, Brown will be suspended by the Raiders.
This was predictable when they acquired Brown from the Steelers for a third and fifth round draft pick. Teams don’t give up the best receiver in the NFL for a couple of picks unlikely to yield a starter level player. The Raiders thought they got a bargain. Yeah, not so much.
The Raiders failed to live by Kent Sterling’s Rule #7 of how to build a successful department, party, or business – “Do not invite crazy into your office or home.” Crazy people can be a hilarious distraction until they drive your car into the pool, flood your basement, hang your cat, or burn down the building, like Milton Waddams in Office Space.
There is no doubting Brown’s talent. He is a reception machine, and has compiled insane stats over his nine-year career. His last six seasons in many ways are the best stretch a wide receiver in NFL history. Sadly, Brown’s superb hands and feet are attached to a head that he believes is at the very center of galaxies known and yet undiscovered.
It’s worth mentioning that the Raiders success over its nearly 60 years as an NFL franchise is at least in part due to its history of accommodating kooks and morally wayward personalities. The Raiders motto “Just win, baby!” represents an ethos of looking the other way Monday through Saturday as long as Sundays are victorious. Hell, they have a damn pirate in their logo.
But if you are going to welcome pirates aboard your ship, you better be ready for piracy! Looking the other way as Brown tries to belt the GM might not instill the behavior the Raiders are looking for, but it’s the behavior they invited when they dealt for Brown.
If you embrace “Just win, baby!”, it needs to be clasped to one’s bosom all the way because pirates are either pirates or they are not. There are no half-pirates, and there is no such thing as a half crazy Antonio Brown.
The Raiders invited Brown to their party, and now the house in on fire. What a shock.
Whether or not Colts owner Jim Irsay really got a $3.2B offer to sell, he’s a hell of a businessman
Underestimate Jim Irsay as an owner of the Colts or businessman at your own peril.
It’s possible Jim Irsay refused a $3.2 billion offer to sell his Indianapolis Colts, as the Colts told the Indianapolis Star. It’s also possible Irsay was not thrilled with yesterday’s Forbes valuation of his team at $2.65 billion, which ranked the Colts as the 20th most valuable in the NFL.
Maybe he wants to sell the team, and set the reserve price with his report of an unnamed buyer surpassing the Forbes number by $550 million. Maybe he wants his daughters to inherit the Colts. Maybe he wants to buy a big-ass island.
It’s hard to imagine an Irsay not owning and operating the Colts. His father Bob acquired the team in 1972 in exchange for the Los Angeles Rams, which he purchased for $19 million. Bob moved the Colts to Indy in 1984, passed away in 1997, and Jim (as Bob’s only heir) has owned the team since.
As is the case with most billionaires, Irsay is a nonconformist. His business acumen is sometimes questioned because of his purchases of iconic cultural memorabilia, but I think he has been damn smart. Acquiring one-of-a-kind artifacts like Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” scrolls, Ringo Starr’s drum kit from his days with The Beatles, and a variety of historically critical guitars and pianos allows him to set the price for re-sale.
Those pieces will only fall in value if Irsay decides they should (and he won’t). Until he sells, they will look great in his den – or wherever he chooses to display them.
Many think Irsay is a bizarre collector – like the Willy Wonka of rock ‘n’ roll souvenirs. I think he is a wildly underrated investor and businessman.
Forbes can do all the calculations it likes in determining the value of the Colts, but only one number matters – the amount Irsay would accept for the franchise that will celebrate a half century of Irsay ownership in 2022.
Irsay either decided that $3.2 billion was not the right price when someone offered it, or that it’s where the bidding starts for those who want to buy. Maybe Irsay decided that he couldn’t take another change in generational quarterbacks. Luck can’t take the pain and darkness of rehab, and Irsay can’t handle rebuilding. Who knows?
One thing we do know, Irsay is a very wealthy man, and he will be wealthier again tomorrow and for all the tomorrows as long as he careens through this life.
Can’t unsee nude #Cubs SS Javy Baez in ESPN’s Body Gallery
This is the way we want to see Javy Baez – fully clothed.
Seeing Cubs shortstop Javy Baez naked is not something I ever wanted. ESPN made him hard to miss in its latest Body Gallery.
It’s as though ESPN wants to penalize guys for looking at a few athletic women who are naked. A few years ago, they put an unclothed 75-year old pro golfer Gary Player on the cover of its now defunct magazine as a tax on those who picked up a copy for something other than admiring the physiology of world class athletes.
Baez is a fun and energetic baseball player who is among my favorites in the game, but I have no use for him out of his uniform. His home runs and lightning fast tags are thrilling. Javy in his all-together is another issue entirely.
Avoiding nude men used to be as easy as never picking up a Playgirl Magazine and avoiding Richard Gere movies. It evolved to where I learned to shun all issues of ESPN – The Magazine for fear of getting a face full of of an old golfer. Not being surrounded by elderly naked golfers used to be easily accomplished by changing my shirt and spikes in the car rather than using the country club locker room.
Now, naked guys of all ages are all over a sports themed website, where it’s one wrong click and you get a face full of Javy!
ESPN needs to limit my disappointments in seeing Baez to his strikeouts on low and away sliders with men on base.
