Wait..... What?

This month was filled with sports shockers and upsets. I’ve highlighted three stories that caught my eye. Please comment with any other interesting/outrageous sports event s you’ve encountered this month.

WHAT MADE ME GO “HUH?” THIS MONTH IN SPORTS:

The T.O. Show: Really? Like for real? This guy’s ego isn’t big enough as it is? He needs his own show to boost it a little more? Personally, I don’t even consider him one of the greats. His talent may get him on SportsCenter once in a while, but most of the publicity that surrounds T.O. comes from the mockery he makes of himself, not his athleticism. It’s truly embarrassing that his potential is being wasted for the sake of being in the spotlight. I wish he could, for once, blend in to his team and not try to be the center of attention. Then maybe we could see the full athletic capabilities of Terrell Owens and not the show put on by T.O.

It ain’t over till it’s over: I have heard this famous Yogi Berra quote for years. I know it can be applied to most any competition, but my personal experience has been with baseball and softball, though I have seen examples in football. Well, this week I learned of another sport that this quote could be applied to, golf. As everyone in sports world knows, going into the last day of the British Open, Tom Watson was everyone’s favorite. And as everyone in the sports world also knows, Watson was not the winner of the British Open: Stewart Cink was. Personally, I feel for Cink. He won a major golf championship, and all anyone can do is feel sorry for the guy who came in second. I’m sorry he wasn’t the favorite but c’mon people. His athleticism brought him to the championship and his endurance and focus won him a title. Let’s give the man some credit. I understand that Watson made a great story, but unfortunately the ending was not written as planned. I hate seeing headlines that say that Watson lost the title, and Cink didn’t win it. Well, obviously he played well enough to compete with and beat Watson, so he did in fact win the title; it’s not like someone just handed it to him. Let’s give some credit where credit is due.

You don’t need meat to hit home runs: Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers is this year’s winner of the Home Run Derby. Fielder is also a vegetarian. It is pretty uncommon that you see a professional athlete who doesn’t eat meat, especially a male athlete. Fielder was not considered the favorite in the derby; many thought he wouldn’t be able to make it to the last round swinging as hard as he did in the first. Ironically, Fielder won the last round with six home runs but could have easily hit more seeing as he was cut off with five outs still to spare. Not only did he prove those wrong that didn’t believe in his endurance, but he also showed America that people can still be strong, athletic and competitive without eating meat. It is not the necessity, most believe it is, and Fielder showed us that last week. Now let’s just hope he’s not tied to steroids in any way whatsoever. The MLB needs a hero, not another heartbreaker.

The Naked Redskin

It seems to me that today’s athletes are less and less concerned with their images. Professional athletes are supposed to be role models and conduct themselves in a good manner in the public eye. Whether it be football or baseball, these sports are America’s favorite past times. These athletes worked so hard to get to where they are, I just don’t understand why they would say something stupid in the media to damage their reputations.

Michael Vick was the quarterback or the Atlanta Falcons before he was arrested for dog-fighting and gambling. This man was a star in the eyes of his fans, but when the public became aware of his acts, his reputation was ruined. Another example is the Vince Young situation. This rookie quarterback for the Titans has been in the media for the last week because of his so-called depression. Although Young denied that he was depressed or made any statements about the situation, the story came out in the media. So even if the allegations are not true, in the public eye, Young seems like a depressed rookie who can’t handle the big leagues. Also, I want to discuss Clinton Portis from the Washington Red Skins. A former Red Skin named Brian Mitchell was conducting his radio show and began to talk about Portis in a negative way. Now instead of handling himself in a professional way, Portis called the radio station yelling at Brian Mitchell. Obviously this was not a good move on Portis’s part, and he could have handled the situation much more maturely. And lastly, but probably the most absurd, is Chris Cooley’s blog. Cooley displayed plays from his team while posing naked and then posted the picture on his website. Obviously the picture was taken down, but not before fans and media could get a hold of it. There are two problems with this issue. First, why would Cooley ever post pictures of his playbook before he was about to play? Second, why was he naked? The entire situation was ridiculous and made Cooley look very immature and asinine.

I don’t know why people work so hard just to throw things away. Vick may play football again, but it will be after his 23 month jail time period. Young will come back and play for the Titans when his body heals but from now on, his mental state will be challenged. Portis’ career won’t be affected by his conflict, but his actions cannot be taken back. And as for Cooley, he will now be seen as the Naked Redskin. Now after all that work, determination, hours of practicing, and years of staying healthy, these players still risk their dreams for stupid minor details. It doesn’t make sense to me, but then again I’m not a professional athlete, so who am I to judge…