Rooting For Dirty Laundry
December 18th, 2007
The Mitchell report, released last week, told us pretty much what we’d suspected all along - that a lot of players used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in the last 15 years or so, the owners knew about it, and nobody did much of anything until Barry Bonds became a made-to-order fall guy.
But for me it’s the last straw.
Rooting for the laundry, as Jerry Seinfeld said? Sure, that’s what I’ve been doing, with less and less real interest each year.
After all, when a fan needs a working knowledge of contract law to follow the migrations of talent, it’s fair to state that the Baseball Experience has lost some of its innocence. Am I rooting for laundry or an agent?
I certainly don’t feel much kinship with fellow fans. It’s more like the camaraderie inspired by being part of the same massive class-action lawsuit.
I am part of a tribe that used to root for the New York Mets, and now pulls for a corporation to make good personnel moves and hefty profits. “Hey, didja see the quarterly report?!” has replaced the excitement when a homegrown prospect makes the jump from AA to the bigs.
Following major league baseball is a lifelong habit, and it’s dying hard. I won’t even try to break it off cleanly; I’ll listen on the radio during the summer and check the box scores.
But the Mitchell report makes it clear to me that the people who get rich off this game have nothing but contempt for the suckers who make it all possible.
Why this has taken so long is a tribute to my own nostalgic delusions and willingness to absorb endless indignities on the way to a World Series.
But no more. I will not expend one smidgen of emotion on my favorite gang of sullen multi-millionaires.
Unless, of course, the Mets get hot in September.
NFL ‘07 - Week 15
December 16th, 2007
Last week’s lame 6-10 showing dropped the season to 89-96; add two more to the loss column as both early picks this week floundered.
NO -4 vs. AZ
TB -12.5 vs. Atl
Mia + 3.5 vs. Bal: The Dolphins have to win sometime. Don’t they?
Buf + 5.5 at Cle: If the Browns are going to make any noise in the post-season it needs to start here and now. But I think the combination of rotten weather, Buffalo’s running game and the sputtering Browns offense (not to mention the indifferent defense) make this one an Upset Special.
GB - 7.5 at StL: I don’t like this line at all; terrible Rams still have a way of tightening the score late in games. Still, the disparity between the clubs is just too great.
Pit - 3.5 vs. Jax: Steelers rebound after humiliation last week.
NE -21 vs. NYJ: Hoo-boy, this should be ugly. Snow, video cams, general hatred. Is there a good parolee to operate the snow plow?
Sea -7 at Car
Ten - 3.5 at KC
Oak + 10.5 vs. Ind
SD -10 vs. Det
Dal -10 vs. Phi: Today’s marquee matchup, but Eagles are slowly spinning out of control while Cowboys are just getting into their stride.
Was + 4.5 at NYG: Giants are the better team, but they have a remarkable ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and this spread is just fat enough to take the underdogs.
Min -10 vs. Chi: Been a while since the Vikes were favored this much over Da Bears. Thirty years, maybe? (Monday night)
NFL ‘07 - Week 15 (early games)
December 13th, 2007
Back in rotten form last week with a depressing 6-10.
This week the league geniuses offer the public not one but two meaningless games early in the week: Denver (minus one) at Houston tonight and Cincinnati (minus eight) at San Francisco Saturday.
The Broncos and Texans are technically still in the playoff hunt; the combined rosters of the Bengals and Niners can’t even spell “playoff.”
That the league insists on making these games showcase events means - to me - that deep down they know that a significant part of the viewing audience has money on the games.
And thus I would take the two favorites and lay the points.
NFL ‘O7 - Week 14
December 9th, 2007
The Redskins up and won their game Thursday so we begin the week with one in the loss column.
The picks:
NYG +3 at Phi
Cle -3 at NYJ - The Titans - er, Jets - have been in the games recently, but I don’t see them defending well against the run today.
Jax - 10.5 vs. Car: I’ve been getting creamed picking the Panthers and I finally figured out why. They’re not very good.
Dal - 10.5 vs. Det
Mia +7 at Buf: Notice that the abbreviation for Miami is the same as “Missing in Action?” Anyway, the ‘Fins have been staying in games too.
Oak +10.5 at GB
Pit +10.5 at NE: Two close calls against vastly inferior teams in the last two weeks make me think that a much better club stands a good chance of keeping this within the 10 and a half.
Ten even vs. SD: Marginally better numbers plus home field plus greater urgency equals Titans.
StL +7 at Cin
TB -3 at Hou
Sea -7 vs. AZ
Min - 8.5 at SF
KC + 6.5 at Den
Bal +9 vs. Ind
NO -3.5 vs. Atl (Monday night)
NFL ‘07 - Week 14 (early game)
December 6th, 2007
Last week’s 10-6 got the season mark against the spread nearer the plimsoll mark, to 83-86-8.
This week, after observing the Washington meltdown vs. Buffalo, I look to the Chicago Bears (+3) to ice the Redskins for good at SnyderLand Field.
And after watching Ricky Williams last about 20 seconds in his return in the Jets-Miami “When Worlds Collide” game, I am manfully refraining from trotting out the immortal “Haiku for Ricky Williams.” It would amount to kicking a stoner when he’s down.