Business As Usual

When it comes to sports economics fans typically are on management (owners/teams) side of the squabble. You hear it everywhere, even the educated sports fan will foolishly tell you, "these players are TOO GREEDY, what's the difference when you make THAT MUCH!!!" People will tell you a few millions here & there might not make a difference to a player, but why is the same mentality not used when it comes to team or the owners? Aren't the team owners also making millions? I for one, have always sided with the player when it comes to labor disputes, especially when it comes to football. After all, they are the product. But most importantly, they are the ones taking the risk & placing their respective bodies on the line. I know what your thinking, "you can't compare the money we make to the amount they make...they get paid millions to play a game." They also limp home, have concussions, blow out knee caps, & break bone at the end of the "work day" while you stroll in & eat your dinner.

I could be one of these uninformed fanatics who sees a sports labor headline & instantly thinks, "these damn players are greedy." Yet when they see a player like LaDainian Tomlinson, crying uncontrollably like he did at his press conference, it's nothing more than another overused player that has worn out his welcome in the game. In 2006, Tomlinson won the leagues MVP in a season where he touched the ball over 400 time (404). Marking the 6th straight season LT had over 390 touches. Mind you, that these touches are in a 4 months span, not including the playoffs, which amounts to nearly 100 blows a month from 270 pound linemen. This is why, when players hold out for more money I say one thing... GET YOUR MONEY!!! Cause when you're all used up, this is where you'll be. On the unemployment line.

I'm not saying I feel sorry for sports athletes, they know the risks of the game. What I'm saying is I understand them & their desire to be compensated to a level they deem fair. We all work, we all make our money & likely work for people who make more money. If that's the case, if you are an asset making your owner richer, wouldn't YOU want your cut? Why would you take a dime less? Fans OFTEN speak out against players due to their jealousy. There really is no other reason to care who makes what. You call players "mercenaries" selling their service to the highest bidder. I call it securing a financial future.

Damon's Dash

Finally it's over!!! Never in my wildest & most imaginative dreams would I ever think, that a washed up 37 year old player who can no longer play the OF, would DOMINATE the baseball free agency period. I give you 2009/2010 & the curious case of one Johnny Damon. If you thought you missed the early signings of Jason Bay & Matt Holliday, it was probably just overlooked because of the media suffocation around Damon, the prize outfielder during the FA (free agency) period this year...apparently. Previous to this weekend Johnny was still not signed. He wass still the most coveted free agent outfielder since Barry Bonds. Unlike Bonds though, no one will confuse Johnny for a future Hall of Fame caliber player. Yet the media (& myself since I am blogging about this), continue to clamor, over a player towards the end of his career.

Now I know in the opinion of some that I (Russ Rosario), am being somewhat harsh on Damon. But am I the only one who seems to think this guy is getting a little too much attention? I think we can all agree Johnny had a good baseball career with the best season arguably coming last year. It was a good swan song IMO & teams need to check his vitals before jumping the shark on this one. The Yankees (who I have often & openly been critical of various times in the past) thought so much of Damon, that they replaced him with Nick Johnson (who has spent 1/3 of his career on the DL) & Randy Winn. This isn't a diss on Johnson, who is a very good player. He is however as injury prone as they come. & while Randy Winn is the only player in baseball history to be traded for a manager, there is a reason why baseball's best run franchise gave him a non-guaranteed minor league deal.

But any baseball related site you visit, you see the headlines. "The Braves & White Sox can't afford Damon." My question is WHY WOULD YOU WANT TOO? First of all, if you're the Braves (or ANY NL team) why would you have a slow defensive liability in your OF? An OF who besides that, no longer steals & won't hit for power outside the friendly confines of a stadium tailor made for his swing. Reportedly, the Detroit Tigers had offered Damon a 2 year deal for $14M...a similar contract to that offered by the Bombers. Miraculously, Damon DID NOT sign the deal. There are only two theories feasible enough to explain as to why. The printers at Yankees Stadium or Comerica Park ran out of toner, paper, or both. Or the fax machine was stolen right out of Scott Boras' office. For the Tigers, this is inexplicable. To trade Curtis Granderson, a 29 year old All Star OF, with 3 years & $25M (including a $2M buyout) left on his contract, then turn around & sign a Johnny Damon to 1 year at $8M makes ZERO sense. The average annual pay out is VIRTUALLY the same. The contract value for Damon is more questionable to that of Granderson's considering Damon's age & skill set at this point of his career. This is again, why bad teams STAY BAD. I'm sick & tired of teams complaining about competitive balance & owners wanting caps. You want to be a better team? Try making better decisions. This was a step in the wrong direction for Detroit.

Is Johnny Damon completely done? I'll put it this way, if you are driving a car & the tank is on E & the warning light just came on, are you going to push it another 100 miles? If your answer is YES...don't kick yourself when you're stranded in the middle of the road. That's the exact scenario teams are facing, more so the Tigers after bidding against themselves to secure Damon. My prediction for Damon this year is simple. .270ish/10 hr/50-60 rbis/75-85 runs/8 sb, & a bunch of fly balls over his head.

Tiger Woods Reaction

Shockingly (at least to me), Tiger Woods came out & took it like a man. Not that he wouldn’t have manned up, he just simply didn’t have to & did. Tiger’s the latest athlete to crumbles under the immense media pressure that he could have simply ignored. There he stood, baring all to the entire world addressing the allegations of steroid use, the infidelity, paparazzi & the constant harassment of his family, The Thanksgiving Day incident with Elin, his irresponsible behavior, how he felt the rules of marriage & life didn’t apply to him, & lastly but likely the most astonishing, his Golf etiquette or lack there of. Woods made apologies to everyone from Elin, to parents of children who idolized him, to Accenture & the players in the Match Play.

I thought the most intriguing part of his near 14 minute speech, came where he stated, "the issue involved here, was my repeated irresponsible behavior, I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was unacceptable and I am the only person to blame." Fully divulging his wrongdoings & taking responsibility for them. He added, he knew his actions were wrong & convinced himself that normal rules didn't apply to him. How he felt he deserved to enjoy all the temptations around him...he felt entitled. This is where I gained the ultimate respect for Tiger. My question is what athlete/celebrity DOESN'T feel & act this way? Tiger, unlike most athletes/celebrities & actually came clean.

In the end, I believe this was one of Tiger's rehab steps. Making a full contrite public confession WHILE disclosing to having extra-marital affairs. Woods never took a question & really didn’t have to. He answered them all for the exception of when he will return. Woods didn't rule out a return in 2010. Woods gave the public exactly what they wanted adding he had a lot to atone for. But it makes me wonder why the public wanted to see a Golf athlete become so intimate with personal details of his life, when we wouldn't expect that from anyone else.

Insert Generic Tiger Headline Here

I'm not as witty as those other writers who give you all those catchy headlines so excuse the header. After months of silence, Tiger Woods will finally appease the masses by reading a statement tomorrow at 11:00 AM EST, in what should be a media spectacle. He will not take questions, he will simply read a statement to selected media, in front of 1 camera, while other media members wait in a hotel conference room watching. The public is eagerly awaiting this as well as I. While the general populous wants him to be contrite, I want him to remain himself, an egotistical, self serving jerk who hid behind the word "addiction" to justify his "wrongdoings." But does your opinion of him really hinge on what he says tomorrow? Here's why mines won't.

For the record, I'm not a moralist, nor do I need Woods to be one. I've said this before, do you really care if the butcher who slices your meat or the guy changing the oil in your car sleeps around on his wife? This is why I don't think Tiger owes any one of us an explanation & I truthfully, do you want one if it's going to be full of crap? Well get ready, because that's what you should expect in tomorrow's presser. In fact, I say pay more attention to his surroundings because that might be more interesting than what he says. What I want to hear from the media personnel who were deemed worthy enough to breathe the same air as him, are answers to the following questions:

• Who will be next to him? Elin Nordegren Woods, the hotel maid he'll undoubtedly slept with prior to the conference or his agent?
• Will he be wearing his wedding ring?
• Will he cry?

Those are the only answers I need. His testimonial is inconsequential because he'll read a standard, non specific & prepared speech where he won't directly admit to any affairs. It will be carefully worded & worse of all, no one in the media can question & test the veracity of his statement.

I am absolutely in love with the fact Tiger Woods did this during the Accenture Match Play, being that Accenture was one of the sponsors that dropped him. Because as opposed to the majority of the world, I'm ok with Tiger being a self absorbed asshole. & tomorrow, I hope we get more of that Tiger. I don't want to see him humble himself because in all reality, I gain nothing from it & neither do you. All these media guys like Rick Reilly saying he has to win women back is NONSENSE. He only has to win 1 woman back & that's Elin & that's if he cares enough to do so. If you are a woman, does Tiger really need to win you back? Why does he have to? His vows were to his wife, not to any of us. You are still going to watch him, listen to him, & idolize him for his play. So your opinion on a Golfer shouldn't change based on what he says. If it does, you really need to look in the mirror at your own hypocrisy.