Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Tony Bosch Tops list of Top Ten Douchebags in Sports

by Kent Sterling

Tony Bosch, talking with ESPN’s Pedro Gomez, has perfected the douchebag look.

Today on 1070 the Fan in Indianapolis, Dan Dakich talked about how Biogenesis head Tony Bosch is a “Bag”. and of course he’s right. Hard to argue against that designation being thrown at a guy who only tells the truth when threatened by doom and ruin.

The truth should be told because it’s the truth. All cheaters should be caught and punished. All thieves should be caught and punished. All liars should be shunned. Those who slip through the cracks by cleverly avoiding detection – or those who rat on associates after having nowhere else to turn – are douchebags.

I realize there is a contradiction in extolling the virtue of truth, and condemning those who rat. Here is the distinction; those who tell the truth without reward should be applauded. Those who talk because they escape persecution, prosecution, or financial consequence are rats, and rats are always douchebags.

I will also add those who profit disproportionately because of the work of others who receive no compensation whatsoever – that is almost every BCS football and men’s basketball coach, but I’ll pick a representative of each sport who will stand for all.

Dan said that the guys with the long greasy hair and long sleeve shirts open at the collar are always bags, and I can’t think of any exceptions to that rule. Not all of the members of this list have similar features, but most have tried to elevate themselves of their game or team, and some have hair issues other than long and greasy. Some I simply dislike for purely reasons that are not substantive at all.

10. (Tie) Chris Anderson/Kris Humphries I find Anderson’s outrageous appearance and nickname to be off-putting. He’s an energetic member of the soon-to-be repeat NBA champion Miami Heat who comes off the bench. The tattoos and hair are affections that scream “LOOK AT ME!” He should let his play do the talking. The other Kris was granted a divorce from Kim Kardashian, serial sex toy for the famous. Her only talent is fluid removal from the famous, and choosing a bride based on that betrays a common weakness among men. That I can forgive, but appearing on her reality show launches him into a tie for tenth on this list.

9. Tom Brady This one is purely personal. I have no first person stories about this guy. He might be the nicest man in the history of professional sports. He simply has amassed too many assets to be a guy with whom I want to spend time. His hair pissed me off for a while. He’s married to Gisele Bundchen, and recently moved into a 22,000 square foot castle with a moat. And he’s one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. That is too much good fortune for one guy, and if resenting him for that makes me a douche, so be it.

8. Bobby Valentine His self-immolation as manager of the Boston Red Sox really wasn’t Valentine’s fault. He was horribly ill-suited for the position when he was hired. Still, his bizarre combination of arrogance and insanity caused mayhem with the Red Sox. Valentine keeps getting jobs despite never winning a division in 16 years as a manager and a career 1186-1165 record. He believes he knows it all, but in 2351 games running MLB teams, Valentine has proven himself as thoroughly mediocre.

7. Jay Cutler My only gripe against the Bears quarterback used to be his hair. The crewcut on the sides and back with floppy on top that Cutler wore in high school and college was unexplainable. I know he grew up between Tell City and Boonville, IN, but that’s no excuse. The reason for Cutler being a top ten douchebag is for getting two Loyola basketball players thrown out of Houndstooth Saloon in Chicago. The two players were riding him a little bit about being the fourth best QB in the NFC North as Cutler sat with White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham and Bears tight end Greg Olson. Instead of coming over and diffusing the situation like an adult, Cutler called over the manager and asked for the Loyola players to be removed.

6. Nick Saban Saban makes $5.6 million for leading the Alabama Crimson Tide – the football version of, well, maybe the New York Yankees are baseball’s version of the Tide. He also makes some bonus cash, so given the #3 name on this list, Saban almost has to be included here. He seems like a solemn guy, and not enjoying success makes success valueless. My argument here is admittedly weak, but I would rather be wrong than a hypocrite, and if Calipari is on the list, Saban must be.

5. Ryan Braun When you get caught, take your medicine. My Dad taught me that lesson. Braun was caught with bonus testosterone in his system, and attacked the poor schlub paid to FedEx the sample to the lab. When asked about Tony Bosch from Biogenesis and his apparent agreement to name names of those who have received PEDs to Major League Baseball, Braun answered like an attorney, “The truth hasn’t changed.” Only a douchebag answers questions like in that way.

4. Pete Rose This guy only tells the truth when paid to do it. His track record as a human being is miserable, and the stories of his aberrant behavior are legend. One thing that I witnessed was on an off day for the Reds while I was in high school. There was a book about the Reds that had just been published titled “The Royal Reds” that he was signing in Louisville. A kid who might have been seven waited in line for Rose to sign a ball. The rule was you had to buy the book to get an autograph, but the little boy waited in line without one. When he got to the front just ahead of me, Rose barked, “Gotta buy a book.” The kid was crushed and held the ball out, and Rose stared at him, “Gotta have a book. Next.” The kid lowered his head and left the store. That is the work of an unrepentant douchebag.

3. John Calipari “Cal” makes $5.2 million plus bonuses for gathering and leading a group of mercenary pros-in-waiting. I’m not going to get into the one-and-done stuff or the fact that he seems to attract a disproportionate number of top 10 recruits. The thing that lands him on this list is the fact that the guy has a base salary of $5.2 million, and had the balls to ask for bonuses related to the success of the program. Kentucky was stupid enough to add them to the deal. If someone is paying you $5.2 million per, say thank you and deliver what they are buying. To require more for excellence is evidence of douchebaggery.

2. Lance Armstrong By all accounts, Armstrong is a jerk whose lone mitigating factor has been the ability to raise money to help fight cancer and emotional support for that disease’s victims. He has admitted to being a liar and cheat. That others in his sport behaved similarly doesn’t excuse it. What makes him one of the all-timers is the way he supposedly threatened his teammates for not participating in his network of deceit. One of the nicest guys in the world, Dan Coyle, wrote a book about Lance and has very little good to say about him. That’s enough for me.

1. Tony Bosch The head of Biogenesis has the unique combination of being a rat, the hair, the clothes, and the smugness make him the poster boy for douchebags everywhere. Like most douchebags, Bosch’s life has unraveled right in front of his eyes to the point where he is compelled to talk to Major League Baseball about his former customers.

PED Scandal Continues to Plague Major League Baseball – Is Anyone Surprised?

by Kent Sterling

Arrogant accused cheater Ryan Braun might finally have to answer for his behavior when Tony Bosch talks.

When the benefits of breaking the rules outweigh the penalties, corruption will prevail. That’s true in any business, and it’s why baseball continues to be mired in the seemingly endless cycle of performance enhancing drugs scandals.

In simpler terms – it pays to cheat.

And without an effective leader, it will continue.

I hope I live to be 79 years old. That would be a solid number of years to spend on this rock, but at that age I doubt I will work a full time job. Being the cranky bastard who says whatever pops into his brain will be my stock in trade. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is still trusted to lead baseball at that age.

Selig has mollycoddled (I’m using that arcane word so Selig understands what I’m asserting – for anyone under the age of 70, mollycoddled means “treat someone very indulgently or protectively”) the players who can’t perform at a high level without prohibit chemical assistance, and claims victory.

Well, I guess that “Mission Accomplished” attitude was a little premature as word that the head of Biogenesis, Tony Bosch, will cooperate with baseball by naming names and providing documentation of players who have used his services to improve level of performance.

There are very few human beings who wouldn’t stick a needle in their asses or pop a pill if it meant the difference between making $50,000 per year (the average for Triple-A players) and $490,000 (the minimum for Major Leaguers).

The penalty for a first offense is a 50-game rip – roughly one-third of a season. Do the math, and you’ll see that even with the suspension, players come out way ahead for cheating. If they succeed at a high level, the reward can be millions.

The downside is a ding to a reputation that never would have blossomed in the first place without the PED use, so using becomes a smart play with manageable consequence.

And short-timer Bud smiles as he tells everyone the problem was solved years ago.

The only relevant two questions about PEDs are why they are against the rules at all and who suffers when PEDs are used. Is it concern about the health of the users, the cycle of abuse that would ensue, or the effect on young players who would view using as a rite of passage and necessity to succeed.

The second question is the interesting one – who is hurt by the use of PEDs. The answer is not the teams or fans, who couldn’t care less. It’s the players who choose not to cheat who suffer. There are potentially hundreds of minor leaguers who won’t make a major league roster because of the advantage gained by those who choose to boost their abilities through chemistry.

This is a mess, and it will continue to be a mess until Selig’s successor and the owners who will hire him decide that it’s time to end this madness once and for all with the threat of a meaningful consequence.

Baseball has only enacted one meaningful deterrent in its history and that is the phrase “banned for life.” Baseball players, coaches, and managers prudently avoid wagering because of example set by baseball in penalizing the Black Sox and Pete Rose.

The staggered system of penalties for PEDs is not a significant disincentive. For the first offense, players sit for 50 games without pay. The second mandates a 100-game suspension. The third is a lifetime ban.

Baseball will be troubled by the cloud of chemistry until the pain of violating the rules outweighs the benefits.

Media Spotlight Forces Ohio State’s Gordon Gee to Retire

by Kent Sterling

Gordon Gee was either a funny guy who enjoyed the fruits of his office, or a nut who was difficult to accept as the president of a Big Ten University depending upon your perspective.

Stupid is as stupid does, until it’s reported in the media.

It seems the only way anyone is penalized for operating outside acceptable parameters is if the media makes it impossible for any other outcome.

Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee will resign July 1st because the university was having difficulty moving beyond the fallout from comments recorded in a December 5th meeting, but not reported until last week.

In the comments, Gee mocked Catholics, priests, the SEC, Louisville, and former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema. He has spent the time between the release of the recordings to the Associated Press under a public records request and the announcement of his resignation apologizing to everyone and undergoing “remediation” to try to purge himself of the impulse to amuse – or attempt to amuse.

These comments weren’t the first from Gee to embarrass the university, and likely wouldn’t have been the last. The real-life Little Sisters of the Poor took umbrage when Gee claimed Ohio State’s football team didn’t play the Little Sisters of the Poor during their non-conference schedule. They also accepted a sizable check from Gee as compensation for their pain and suffering.

While Gee is an easy target for the media because he is in love with the sound of his own voice and ability to make himself laugh (as well as oversized trademark bow tie), I am curious who tipped the Associated Press to the existence of the unfunny but mostly innocuous comments made in that meeting. They surely didn’t make their Freedom of Information Act request based upon random and luck and curiosity.

Somebody – or somebodies – wanted Gee gone, and while this latest episode was regrettable, it certainly was more interesting to the TMZ.com crowd than to the people in charge of SEC schools, Louisville, Brett Bielema, Notre Dame, and Catholics.

Gee knows it, and at the age of 69, made the decision that he would rather spend his time with friends and family rather than subordinates who he can no longer trust.

The media has always served as an excellent cog in the checks and balances machine to discourage hubris, but it has also been very effective as career ruining hatchet in the arsenal of those who don’t mind climbing over ruined careers to reach their own selfish goals.

The downfall of Gordon Gee is a cautionary tale for those who treat meetings where minutes are being taken as a gathering of friends. Like most arrogant men, Gee’s critical error was to trust, and as a result his post career life of leisure will begin a little earlier than planned.

I have no pity for Gee. His self-immersed patter about hoping embattled football coach Jim Tressel didn’t fire him were flippant during a time that required disciplined and serious comments. I’m certain those comments were a significant reason for the heft of the penalty levied by the NCAA. Had he shown an inclination to raise some hell of his own, the NCAA might have backed off a bit. If Gee needed to saying anything other than quips goofily about Tressel’s power, he could have taken the opportunity to blast the NCAA for its arcane and pollyannish rules on licensing and compensation of student-athletes.

But Gee went for the quick laugh, and in three weeks, the Ohio State trustees will have a nice lunch for him. Gee will crate his belongings, and pen his memoirs.

The time is gone when men and women could make verbal mistakes without penalty. It’s making the world a less interesting place where people now feel that being offended is an actionable defense.

What I Learned from Tom Severino

by Kent Sterling

This Saturday, June 8th, friends and family of Tom Severino will walk together in his memory at Butler University in the 2013 Fight for Air Walk. Money will be raised, stories will be shared, and the memory of an outstanding boss, mentor, friend, dad, and husband will be celebrated.

Tom died of lung cancer almost four years ago, and so the Fight for Air Walk is an appropriate spot for those who remember Tom fondly to gather. While cancer robbed us of Tom’s daily presence, it did nothing to dull the lessons he shared.

I worked for Tom for 15 years, and learned a concept for living from him that has helped me live a more productive and logical life.

Tom was a logical man who knew how to evaluate results and solve problems in a simple and incredibly effective way. He laughed loudly, led surely, and welcomed all.

The primary lesson from Tom that informs virtually everything I do came in his method for boiling down the complicated to make it simple. Solving complicated problems in life and career can be messy, but like math, if you reduce them to their essence, the route to the best outcome becomes obvious.

Showing people how that’s done is leadership, and Tom’s ability to keep it simple has helped me do the same thing.

I’ll give you three great examples of Tom’s genius:

My son Ryan was nine and in his first year of youth baseball. My Dad always coached me, so I thought it would be a good idea to coach his team. Toward the end of the season, I had no feel whether I was doing a good job for the kids.

My Dad taught me that winning wasn’t meaningful as a metric for success in coaching kids, and there might even be an inverse correlation, so I had that down. Everyone played equally, and in the positions where the kids were best able to succeed We finished 7-7 (despite having four kids who went on to play varsity high school baseball), and I was unsure whether I was making it rewarding enough for the kids.

The parents were a screwy group, minus a few gems, and they had no problem voicing their concerns, which was a dynamic I never remembered Dad being confronted with. Tom coached all of his kids when they were young, so I thought he might have some insight. I walked into Tom’s office, and asked how I could tell whether I was doing a good job.

He said, “That’s easy. See how many play next year. A lot play, you were great. A few play, you sucked.” He smiled, and I left.

Simple. Concise. Brilliant.

Every challenge since, I have tried to boil the result down to the one result that is most meaningful. There was a sign in the Indiana Basketball locker room that read, “Don’t complicate winning.” Tom’s message was always, “Don’t complicate anything.”

There was a meeting one morning in the fourth floor conference room at Emmis Communications in Indianapolis where Tom convened all the department heads. No one knew what was going to happen, and as always, we were on time because Tom didn’t do late.

Tom walked in and said, “I like all of you, but I love my family.” Uh-oh. That was the kindest and simplest way I’ve ever heard to convey how managerial decisions are made. That was basically the end of the meeting – 10 words. We went back to our offices knowing that we needed to find a way to increase revenue or we were going to go before Tom was held culpable.

When Tom hired me to program 1070 the Fan, we had a problem with the automation that repeated a couple of times. Tom brought me in and said, “This isn’t an automation problem anymore. When a mistake repeats, the manager owns it. This is now a Kent problem.”

That was a quick and easy way to communicate that poor performance should be addressed immediately, or it attaches to the manager. He also made it clear that the problem wouldn’t become his.

The three minutes that meeting took clearly communicated our relationship. No thinly veiled threats. No double talk. No apologies. Just a “manage your people, or I’ll manage you the hell out of this building.”

Separating personal from professional was easy for Tom, and that might be the toughest part of management.

Through his honesty, brevity, and decency, Tom taught us how to manage. If he had written a book on management, it would have been one page, and the message would have been profound.

I’ll summarize it here – define winning, bring together the right people to reach the goal, provide the tools needed, and celebrate the victory. Repeat.

Simple, concise, and brilliant – just like Tom.

[It took me 799 words to communicate three things I learned from Tom. He would have gotten it done in 35.]

Indiana Pacers – Three Decisions – Re-sign David West? Trade Danny Granger? Larry Bird Returns?

by Kent Sterling

Whether one, both, or neither of these two former all-stars are back for 2013-2014 will be among the big decisions for the Indiana Pacers.

For a team that keeps taking positive strides toward winning a championship, there sure are a bunch of questions about their future.

Power forward David West will be a free agent, and the Pacers will almost certainly try to back back the emotional bellwether for the team. Until West signed two years ago, the Pacers were young and soft. Now, they bring a tough-mindedness that they certainly don’t want to cede.

Danny Granger is a different issue. During his first four seasons, he became the first player in NBA history to improve his points per game average by more than five points in each. Since then, his average has dropped each year. He’s under contract through next year, but has great trade value as an expiring contract and rental shooter.

If he stays with the Pacers, Granger could return to the starting lineup as a wing, or be the primary offensive weapon of the second unit.

Then there is the question of Larry Bird’s return to the Pacers front office. What role would he fill, and how would he fit with the current structure. The Pacers already have a lot of people with important titles. Jim Morris is the president, Donnie Walsh is the president of basketball operations, Kevin Pritchard is the general manager, and Cathedral grad Peter Dinwiddie is the vice president of basketball ops. Maybe Bird could be a special provost or ombudsman.

Here’s a breakdown of each question looming at Bankers Life Fieldhouse:

David West’s return

Positives:

West is a no-nonsense guy with a strong work ethic who has shown the Pacers how to be professionals.
He’s comparatively cheap as a soon-to-be 33 year-old just below all-star caliber player.
West isn’t terribly athletic anyway, so any loss in athleticism as he enters the twilight of his career will be small.

Negatives:

West will turn 33 on August 29th, and that means he is closer to the end than the beginning. Injuries are more likely, and there will be a slow diminution of quality of play. Investing another $10 million per year for two or three years is not without risk.
The money need to sign West could be used to strengthen a bench is dire need of strengthening (of course, a strong bench with a weak starting five is a terrible alternative than a strong starting five and weak bench).

This is a no brainer. If West wants to come back, and he says that he does, the Pacers should find a way to get this done. West has great value as a player and leader at a position where the Pacers have Tyler Hansbrough as the alternative.

Danny Granger – trade/return

Trade:

Granger could be disruptive to the chemistry and development of this young team, and the value of what he might bring in a trade could solidify the bench.
If Granger bump the emotional Lance Stephenson from the starting lineup, he could go into a serious funk from which recovery would be difficult.
His knee issues were the reason he fell as far as he did in the 2005 NBA Draft, and knees don’t improve because of the repeated shock caused by running and jumping on wooden planks for hours at a time. While only 30, Granger’s knees have absorbed a lot of abuse.
The Pacers took a big step forward this season by making it to the very brink of the NBA Finals without Granger. Whether his return will be a net positive is unknown. What is known is that he wasn’t needed to get to where the Pacers were last night.

Return:

The Pacers bench production made it very difficult to compete with the Heat. While the Pacers brought Sam Young, D.J. Augustine, Sam Young, Ian Mahinmi, and Tyler Hansbrough off the bench, the Heat answered with Ray Allen, Norris Cole, Chris Anderson, and either Mike Miller or Shane Battier. If Granger assumes the Allen role, the Pacers get much better.
Granger is a very good shooter, and shooters are always valuable.
Until the question of whether Granger can be a net positive for the Pacers is answered, why not keep him.

I’m not sure there is a bad decision to be made here, if the offers for Granger are reasonable. If he stays and is healthy, the Pacers are better regardless of whether he comes off the bench or starts. If he goes, the approximately $12M-$16M is players who bounce to the Pacers will improve the roster.

Larry Bird coming back

Positives:

Bird is a diligent appraiser of personnel. He sees what others don’t, like Paul George, the only all-star from the 2010 NBA Draft despite being taken 10th.
Bird is a very patient executive who will doesn’t make bad deals. He traded Jermaine O’Neal for the draft rights to Roy Hibbert (it was a more complicated deal, but that was the important outcome).

Negatives:

How many chefs do the Pacers need in that kitchen? If Walsh is going to stick around, I have no idea what all these guys are going to do or who will be in charge. If three men are running things, no one is running things.

There are people who say an organization is better off with one bad manager than three good ones. I think those people are morons. Putting smart people in a room is always a good idea. As long as roles are well-defined, the more the merrier.

Indiana Pacers Bow Out 99-76 to Miami Heat as Dwyane Wade Awakens

by Kent Sterling

One of the parents of a teammate of my son’s AAU team would come up to me after losses and say, “Hard on my eyes.” That’s how I felt watching this debacle of a game seven in the Eastern Conference Finals.

There will be plenty of time to reflect on the growth of the Pacers this season – how this team is young and the arc of development is pointing straight up. All of that is true, but tonight is about tonight.

This was a game where the Heat played a terrible first quarter, and allowed the Pacers to lead by two, despite an incredible nine turnovers. As Turner analyst Steve Kerr pointed out, “The Pacers are on a pace to commit 36 turnovers and win by eight.”

Yeah, that didn’t happen.

Dwyane Wade became a productive player again, if not the explosive pre-knee issue guy who has enjoyed a hall of fame career. Twenty points and nine rebounds was exactly what the Heat needed from him, and with Chris Bosh making only 3-13 of his shots for nine points, the Heat needed Wade tonight.

The Pacers – obviously – had some trouble operating offensively, and had a worse time keeping the Heat off the offensive glass.

This one doesn’t take a night’s stay at a Holiday Inn Express to figure out. The Pacers committed a total of 21 turnovers to the Heat’s 12. The Pacers committed 28 fouls to the Heat’s 22. The Pacers grabbed 36 rebounds to the Heats 43. The Pacers had only eight offensive boards, while the Heat had 15.

To add insult to injury, the Heat made 33-38 free throws compared to 14 for the Pacers. And where the Pacers had a 44-22 scoring advantage in the paint in game six, tonight the Heat battled to a 30-30 draw.

There was nothing good about the Pacers effort, and the Heat dominated.

The only source of pride was that the Pacers didn’t start headhunting late in the game. There was a little extracurricular fun between Jeff Pendergraph and Norris Cole that Cole wisely scamped from. The only real casualty of the fracas was Flo Rida’s manager who engaged Pendergraph in a war of words.

It would have been fun to see the Pacers vanquish this arrogant team. A little modesty would do LeBron James some good. He anointed the Heat as a “great team” before the series ever started, and that requires a comeuppance. Hopefully, the San Antonio Spurs will be able to teach humility to man seemingly bereft of it.

The work the Pacers did will make the offseason shorter – literally and figuratively. Camp will open in about four months, and between now and then the Pacers have a pretty good idea of what measures need to be taken to continue to narrow the gap between where they were tonight and where they need to be to earn a different result should they reach the conference finals again.

Some nights you get beat, and this was one of them. The Pacers were 48 minutes away from the NBA Finals when the night began, but they were 17 regular season wins from hosting this game instead of the Heat. That’s the gap that needs to be closed.

The Pacers were so close, but not really.

Indiana Hoosiers Football Helmets Are Exceptional (video)

by Kent Sterling

I’m a stickler for uniforms, helmets, and anything else can be a potential embarrassment to a university. Athletic directors who delve into fashion are a lot like teenage boys picking out a tux for the prom. Without being cruel, let’s just say that very few guys hold on to their prom pictures.

The gallery of Indiana University football uniforms and helmets are among the worst in the history of college sports. The 1983 Indiana-in-Motion logo and odd shades of cream and crimson looked worse than the team played, and that’s not an easy claim to make. There was a rumor that the design made black and white game film useless because the shades of gray for the colors were identical and the numbers were invisible. Now idea whether that’s true, but I’ve repeated the story hundreds of times as some reflexive defense against attacks on the university where my parents sent too many checks – according to them.

Here’s the Seal of Indiana helmet I prefer.placewhere my parents sent a lot of cash.

When I heard Indiana was going to unveil new helmets to the football team today, I was nervous. Athletic Director Fred Glass is a good guy with a penchant for doing and saying the right things, but none of that necessarily translates into selecting an iconic look for a helmet.

This image congers many memories – none of them positive. Would have been funny if they had trotted this bad boy out with the new models.

Imagine my surprise with the six helmets that were unveiled today. There is the block “I” that I have always preferred, an interesting helmet featuring the Seal of Indiana, a white bodied helmet with numbers on the side that is reminiscent of Alabama, a similar colored helmet with the IU logo, a similar helmet to that worn the last few years, and then the boldest among them – a metallic silver and red striped lid that’s a merging of the Oregon look with the candy striped pants of the basketball warm-ups.

My favorite is the Seal of Indiana helmet that I am betting never sees the light of day, and frankly I may like it best just because it took some balls for anyone to commission its creation.

There have been a few attempts do have athletes at Indiana look cool, and most have been miserable failures. The only logical move has been to adhere to tradition, and Indiana fans like their traditions. Former basketball coach Mike Davis lost a substantial sect of IU boosters when he dared to suggest putting names on the backs of the jerseys.

A really smart radio guy walked into my office in St. Louis once and said, “All the formattics you’re worried about – don’t. Getting great ratings is easy. Just do cool stuff.”

That seems to be the mantra guiding Indiana Athletics these days. Cool works, and these helmets are cool. Below is the video of the unveiling.

Indiana Pacers – How Much of the Pacers Success Is Owned by Frank Vogel?

by Kent Sterling

Being a coach must be a horribly lonely existence. Every time a team plays like crap, bombs are dropped on the coach. When the team functions well, the players were get the love.

Does anyone give credit to Miami Heat coach Eric Spoelstra for leading LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to the 2012 NBA Championship? He was seen as a seat filler by many – a guy who fronted for team president Pat Riley, and served more as a cheerleader than coach, but he did something a lot of very good coaches have not – won a title.

Two-thirds of the Big Three for the Heat have been a total mess in this series, headed to a huge game seven tonight, and the talk is about how Wade needs a new knee and Bosh needs a psychiatrist.

Maybe, just maybe, Pacers coach Frank Vogel has a little something to do with the Heat’s struggles. At the very least, he has a really young team believing that they should win this series. With the exception of game three and the third quarter of game five, the Pacers have gone toe-to-toe with the defending champions and have come within 48 minutes of reaching the NBA Finals.

Vogel took over a team that was on its way to another mediocre-to-poor season in January, 2011. The Pacers were 17-27 under Jim O’Brien before he was replaced the 37 year-old coach, who brought some enthusiasm and positive reinforcement to a group of young men who sorely needed it. The players responded with a 20-18 finish, earning their first playoff berth in five years.

The Pacers went 42-24 in 2011-2012, and won their first playoff series in seven years – 4-1 over the Orlando Magic before losing in six to the Heat.

This year, Vogel led the Pacers to a 49-win season, and has moved through two playoff series to make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. They are hours away from capping off an outstanding seven-game series against the Heat with a road win, or losing and returning to Indianapolis to begin the process of improving for next season.

If they win tonight, the media will spend a lot of time talking about the guys who put the ball in the basket and kept the Heat from doing it. They will extoll the effort from those who played best – as it should be.

A loss will bring strategic questions from tonight, as well as from the game one decision to keep Roy Hibbert on the bench during the final two defensive possessions, which led to James lay-ups. There were solid reasons for that strategic move, but coaching is a result based business. When the result is positive, players are carried off the floor as victors. When it goes bad, coaches are blamed. Get blamed enough, and it’s time to look for another gig.

Dan Dakich often says that the best day for a coach is the day he’s hired, and then it’s all downhill from there until the pink slip comes. That’s true, but a win tonight might make today very special for a guy who appears to have been the absolute right choice 2 1/2 years ago.

How much credit Vogel gets will be less than he deserves because that’s the way life works for coaches. And he’ll be blamed more than he should be for the same reason.

But he’ll know what he did, and that will have to be enough.

Chicago Cubs – Tom Ricketts Proclaims Himself the #1 Cubs Fan

by Kent Sterling

“Oh, you think you’re the number one Cubs fan? Well I have a magazine that says I am.”

There have been times in the nearly four years he has owned and operated the Chicago Cubs that fans and media have questioned Tom Ricketts competence. So many flaws are obvious in the onfield product that fans who filled Wrigley relentlessly for a decade are finally deciding to stay home.

People said for years that you couldn’t keep fans out of Wrigley if you beat them away with a bat. Well, you can if that bat swings and misses with runners in scoring position with as much regularity as the Cubs do.

Now, Ricketts is on the cover of his own fan rag, and the headline declares that he’s the “Cubs #1 fan.” The strategy behind this must be awful, although I can’t imagine what it is. It seems similar to that of Lloyd Bridges’ character Izzy Mendelbaum on “Seinfeld”, who wore a shirt emblazoned with “World’s Greatest Dad” to prove the he was the world’s greatest dad. What prompted this absurd ode to a billionaire whose smile

“Oh, you think you’re the number one dad? Well, I have a tee-shirt …”

looks more like a grimace is anyone’s guess, so I made three:

The reparation of Ricketts’ image after threatening to move the team from Wrigley, which was preposterous on its face. There is no way – zero chance – that the Cubs would turn their backs on the only asset available to the team to compel a reasonable level of attendance. Without Wrigley, the Cubs are the Royals – no offense to the Royals. No one in their right mind took Ricketts’ threat seriously.
Kissing Ricketts’ ass because he’s not enjoying his job as much as he thought he would. “Here’s list list of options from our brainstorm for cheering up Tom – hiring a clown to pass out candy in the halls, renting a dunk tank and giving Hendry $400 to sit in it for an hour while Tom throws at the target, buying him the boxed set collection of Charles Grodin movies, bring in the other three guys from barbershop quartet camp he’s always talking about, or we throw his picture on the cover of Vine Line and follow him around for a day for feature. Thoughts? Okay, we’ll do them all!”
Because the editors believe readers are genuinely curious how this putrid sausage is made by the head butcher. No one is that dumb.

That Ricketts sees his continued branding as a great fan of the team he owns, rather than the owner of a team with great fans as positive for the Cubs, the Ricketts, or baseball in general shows a growing dissociation with reality that would baffle a panel of Freud, Jung, Joyce Brothers, Dr. Phil, and Deepak Chopra.

The bizarre regular guy routine isn’t just an insult to the intellect of the fans, but an affront to rich people in general.

Indiana Pacers Ready for Monumental Game Seven Against LeBron James and Miami Heat

by Kent Sterling

Let’s call this game what it is – a battle of the collective will of the Indiana Pacers against the individual will of the greatest player in the world – LeBron James.

The Big Three has become the Big One as James has outscored Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade combined 171-155, and the Pacers have threatened to derail the Heat’s plans to repeat as NBA Champions. Coming off a 66-win regular season and easy series wins against Milwaukee and Chicago, there was discussion about the Heat’s coronation as one of the great teams in NBA history. Haven’t heard that talk for awhile.

The Pacers have won five of their last nine games against the Heat, and are one more win away from advancing to the NBA Finals against the very well-rested (possibly atrophic) San Antonio Spurs.

The Heat have suffered through what appears to be a serious knee issue for Dwyane Wade, and the malaise of Chris Bosh whose work in this series has been very soft. Bosh’s game six total of four rebounds actually improved his average for the series. That is a pretty good indicator of Bosh’s desire to contribute.

Here are the keys for the Pacers to win:

Every offensive possession for Miami has to be a root canal. Nothing can be easy. When the Pacers turn the ball over, and hoping they take care of the ball appears to be fruitless, they need to get back on defense, be disruptive, and minimize the offensive opportunities that are generated. Points off turnover provided an 19-17 advantage for the Pacers in game six despite turning the ball over 21 times to the Heat’s 14. With the Pacers proclivity to turn the ball over, it’s not the errors that cost them, but the fallout.
Perform well under duress. The Pacers sport a starting five who average age is 26. That’s young – really young – to have any idea how to behave when it’s nut cutting time down the stretch of a game seven. At some point during this game, the Heat are going to show their teeth. When that happens, the Pacers need to stay poised, take care of the details, and execute. Minus the 30-13 run the Heat put together in the third quarter of game five and the overall poor play in game three, the Pacers have been magnificent at answering those calls.
Roy Hibbert needs to abandon his contrition for Saturday night comments. There is the question of the effect the controversy surrounding Roy Hibbert might have on his on-court demeanor. Reflection is wonderful in front of a microphone, but it has no place on the basketball court. Pacers fans need to hope that Hibbert gets it all out of his system when he strokes the check to the NBA for $75K to cover his fine.
Eliminate second chance points. Because the Pacers turn the ball over as part of their DNA, they need to excel in other areas to limit Heat possessions. Keeping the Heat off the offensive glass is key.
Bench players must defend exceptionally well. We’ve seen enough of Tyler Hanbrough, Sam Young, Ian Mahinmi, and D.J. Augustine to know it’s very unlikely any will contribute points, so they must limit Heat scoring opportunities during their short shifts.
Backcourt must be productive. When the combination of George Hill and Lance Stephenson are efficient with their offense, the Pacers win. Indiana fans have taken to referring to Stephenson as “Good Lance” and “Bad Lance.” Good Lance is aggressive right to the edge of lunacy. Bad Lance retreats and simply functions. The Pacers can’t overcome Bad Lance. George Hill needs to get gritty and make plays. If any of the Pacers lay back and wait for someone else to make a play, they have no shot. All five need to be aggressive and make plays to have a chance.

Here is the only key for the Heat:

Two players need to step up and contribute offensively to help James. Doesn’t matter what combination of Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Wade, Bosh, Mike Miller, Ray Allen, Chris Anderson, and Norris Cole put the ball in the bucket, but two of James’ teammates need to find a way to make a lot of buckets.

This is a massive opportunity for the Pacers. If they play well, the franchise’s second trip to the NBA Finals will be a reality, and with that trip a validation for each of the players of a life’s work trying to build himself into the best basketball player he can be. But that reward is only attainable through the correct execution of the smallest details.

A loss by the Heat would also serve as a defining moment as they try to craft a legacy. James desperately wants a team he plays on to join Bill Russell’s Celtics, Magic Johnson’s Lakers, Larry Bird’s Celtics, and Michael Jordan’s Bulls as one of the best to ever play. A loss tonight corrupts that effort – perhaps irreparably.

Quiet minds succeed during stressful times. Do your jobs every possession and let the result take care of itself.