For those of who have heard of the current NBA lockout that has cancelled all games for the last two weeks but don’t understand its terms, allow me to explain. In 1998-99, a lockout threatened to cancel the entire basketball season. Midway through, however, a deal was reached and the standard 82-game season was shortened to 50 games. The decision narrowly avoided a full cancellation. Part of this deal was a Collective Bargaining Agreement that called for a six-year peace between owners and players. As the June 30, 2005 expiration date neared, both sides began negotiating an extension. After some back-and-forth discussion of terms, including a clause that guaranteed that players receive 57 percent of the NBA’s “basketball-related income,” the players and owners reached a new deal that would extend until June 2011.
In early 2011, representatives from the NBA Owners Association and Players Association met to negotiate new terms. This time around, however, the gap between owners and players was much wider than during previous lockouts. Claiming their teams were collectively losing over $300 million a year, owners argued to reduce players’ salaries by 40 percent and to limit the amount of money that each team can spend on its players’ salaries each year to $45 million.
The players’ major demands are as follows:
To maintain the status quo of the 2005 agreement.
Fifty-seven percent of the NBA’s yearly “basketball-related income”, including ticket sales, TV contracts, advertising and concessions, ESPN reported Oct. 10
The owners’ demands include two main points:
To cut player salaries leaguewide by 40 percent.
To strictly cap each team’s total salary per year at $45 million.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has cancelled the entire preseason as well as the first two weeks of the regular season, including all games up until November 14th. “We remain very, very far apart on virtually all issues,” Stern said to Washington Post Sunday after closed-door negotiations between owners and players in New York this weekend. “We have a gulf that separates us. We are so far apart … we just can’t seem to close that gap.”
For the basketball-related income, which appears to be the biggest issue separating the two sides, each side has made counteroffers to the other. The players conceded to 54 percent, a 3 percent drop from the previous bargaining agreement. The owners countered with 47 percent, and last week Stern informally mentioned a 50-50 split.
Instead of helping the contending sides to reach a compromise, however, the suggestion of an even split caused talks to break down even further.
For the salary cap issue, the owners proposed a new system that is less strict than the current, inflexible “hard salary cap”. But the players quickly rejected this proposal and claimed the new system simply replaces the hard cap with a softer cap coupled with luxury taxes that essentially act in the same way as a hard cap. The luxury tax requires high payroll teams to pay more money to the NBA, thus taking more money away from the players.
The new agreement is at a stalemate. Both Stern and Derek Fisher, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers and is president of the National Basketball Players Association, said that neither side is happy that games have been cancelled or that there is currently no end in sight.
If you’re a basketball fan, there’s really one thing you can do at this point: watch college basketball!
This Friday is the NCAA’s first day of official basketball practice, and games start in mid-November. With marquee teams such as Kentucky, Connecticut, UNC, Arizona, Ohio State, Duke, Syracuse and Kansas all in the preseason top 25, this season is shaping up to be a good one.
And of course, don’t forget about Yale – come out and support!
Jimmie Johnson has won five consecutive championships playing a sport in which everyone drives the exact same car. Five. To win five consecutive championships in any sport is an historic feat. To do it in a sport in which talented drivers regularly fall prey to freak collisions and uncertain fuel calculations is downright heroic. Johnson’s string of dominance rivals that of any athlete in modern sports history. More importantly for Hendrick Motorsports and the 48 team, it’s why only a fool would count him out of this year’s Chase.
Admittedly, the Chase’s first two races haven’t unfolded as Johnson planned. Fuel problems pushed Johnson back to 10th at Chicagoland in the opening contest of NASCAR’s playoffs. Last week at Loudon, the Lowe’s car never got going and ended with a disappointing 18th. Johnson hasn’t won since Talladega and now sits a full 29 points back of Chase leader Tony Stewart. He ranks 10th in the Chase’s 12-driver field — the lowest he’s sat in the Chase field over his entire career. A series of tense radio conversations between Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus in New Hampshire punctuated the team’s frustration. Indeed, plenty of NASCAR analysts have written him out of the Sprint Cup picture entirely.
I’m not one of them. Johnson still has reason to be hopeful, and it starts with the remaining tracks: the Chase is about to drive right into Johnson’s comfort zone. JJ has an astonishing 26 combined career victories at the 8 remaining courses. He’s racked up 94 top-10 finishes in 129 combined starts. The Chase rolls into Dover this week, where Johnson has taken home the checkered flag on six different occasions. He’s won the race three times in his last five visits, including a victory last year. Needless to say, the 48 team will be playing on home turf until the Cup is handed out at Homestead.
Johnson’s team also doesn’t sit as far back as one might think. Tony Stewart and the 14 car are red-hot and enjoy a full 29-point cushion. Over eight races, however, that lead could quickly disappear. More importantly for Johnson, the field is heavily backloaded. The 48 sits only 6 points back of the fifth-place driver (Jeff Gordon, who is 23 points behind Stewart). One strong finish could vault him back into the top five. After that, a single bad race from Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Chase rookie Brad Keselowski could even things up. NASCAR fans have a tendency to overreact after the first legs of the playoffs. Johnson and the 48 team know better.
The Lowe’s team isn’t running as cold as it seems. While they haven’t won since Talladega, they did manage seven top-10 finishes (including six top-five finishes) in the season’s final nine races. The 10th-place finish at Chicagoland is also somewhat misleading. The 48 car led for 39 laps before backing off over fuel concerns. Johnson was running third at the start of the final lap, only to run out of gas and coast to a 10th-place finish. This unlucky finish prompted Hendrick Motorsports to quip that “He ran out of gas and still finished 10th! If that’s his bad day, everybody else is in trouble.”
More than anything, however, Johnson’s unmatched experience gives cause for optimism. His track record of success suggests that he knows how to win. Johnson has won the Chase five times. The contest has only been held seven times. He has 19 Chase wins on nine different tracks. No other driver has more than eight Chase wins. More importantly, his track record of comebacks suggests that he knows how to make up ground. In 2006, Johnson sat eighth (156 points back in the old format) after four races, only to finish second, first, second, second, second and ninth en route to his first Sprint Cup. The following year, Johnson sat 68 points behind Jeff Gordon after five races but managed win four straight en route to his first repeat championship. In 2008, Johnson saw Greg Biffle win the first two Chase races in Stewart-esque fashion, but screamed back over the final 8 races to take the Cup. Last year, Johnson began the Chase with a 25th-place finish at Loudon and managed to bounce back with nine straight top-10 finishes for his fifth consecutive championship. Not only is Johnson the most dominant front-runner in Sprint Cup history, he also knows how to come from behind.
The path to a sixth consecutive title won’t be easy. The smart money is certainly on the field. That said, only a fool would count the 48 car out after only two races. His experience, more than anything, makes Jimmie Johnson a perpetual threat. As Johnson said after his disappointing finish last week, “My optimism is still high. These first two races did not start as we had hoped that they would, but eight to go, there’s still a lot that can happen. Past experience really helps with the mental side of it.”
In what may become one of the most boneheaded managerial moves of the sports decade, NBA Commisioner David Stern announced last week that the NBA preseason would be indefinitely postponed. Though the immediate repercussions of this decision are minor — training camps will not meet and 43 exhibition games have been cancelled — the possible long-term effects are catastrophic. Just when things finally seemed to be looking up for the moribund league, Stern and Co. managed to shoot themselves in the foot. In a move of unprecedented idiocy, the NBA may cancel the upcoming season coming off one of its most popular, impassioned and widely covered years since the league’s inception.
OK, let’s back up a second. For those of you who don’t know, here is a quick and dirty version of NBA history. The league was founded in 1946, but did not gain much popularity until the 1980s when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson captivated the world with their historic rivalry. In between those periods, there were some legendary players — Bill Russell and his 11 NBA championships, or Wilt Chamberlain and his 100-point game — but their Hall of Fame careers did not generate the type of publicity that modern-day superstars now receive. Right as the Bird-Magic rivalry was coming to a close, the league was blessed with the greatest player ever to step onto a court — Michael Jordan. From Space Jam to Nike to God knows how many other endorsements, M.J. brought the league to a never-seen-before-or-after level of popularity, captivating fans worldwide as he and the rest of the Chicago Bulls wreaked havoc on the 29 other teams during the 1990s. Then, Jordan retired for a second (and a third) time before leaving the league for real to go focus on gambling, golf and, regrettably, the Charlotte Bobcats. Here, we find ourselves in the doldrums of NBA history.
For the next couple of years, the league floundered, sort of bumbling around trying to figure out what to do after the greatest thing that ever happened to them left the scene. Enter 2003, and arguably the greatest draft in league history (with second place going to 1985 and M.J.’s freshman class). Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade all enter the picture, bringing the league into an era of high-flying dunks, circus shots and freakish levels of athleticism. The draft class of 2003 captivated the world’s attention two summers ago when three of the four aforementioned players, James, Bosh and Wade, decided to join forces and create a de facto super team. Last season, fans watched with unprecedented curiosity, tuning in to see whether or not this trio would back up their gut-wrenching hubris with results. This all culminated in one of the most exciting NBA Finals in recent memory, as the underdog Dallas Mavericks toppled the Miami Heat in a rather embarrassing, yet, at the same time, oddly satisfying manner. Fans left this season feeling rejuvenated about the league, curious about how the future would play out, and willing to devote themselves to basketball for the first time since Jordan left to go groom his mustache and steam press his suits.
But, for some ungodly reason, the owners and players association don’t seem to care much about that momentum. Unlike the NFL lockout talks, the stalemate in which the league currently finds itself seems destined for protraction. Ineffable avarice may take away from fans the opportunity to watch any number of intriguing storylines unfold. Because of David Stern, we won’t get to see Derrick Rose win his second straight MVP award. Because of David Stern, we won’t get to see Steve Nash and his weathered body pick apart defenses with his picture-perfect passes. Because of David Stern, we may have to watch Kobe play basketball overseas in Italy (I can’t believe I just typed that). Because of David Stern, we won’t get to see my three favorite fan fixtures in the stadiums — Spike Lee at Knicks games, Ray Allen’s mother at Celtics games, and as of last season, J.J. Barea’s girlfriend at Mavericks games. Because of David Stern, we won’t get to watch John Wall dance. Because of David Stern, we may miss out on what could have been one of the most exciting seasons in league history. It’s high time that the commissioner, the owners and less-so the players association leave their pride and checkbooks at the door and put forth some modicum of sanity in the negotiations. Here’s to that and, hopefully, a Chicago Bulls championship if this season ever comes around.
Well, here we are again. The last week of September. The remnants of summer are holding on for dear life, schedules are set, and the post-shopping-period panic has set in. Midterms loom, the Red Sox are choking, and fall sports’ Ivy League schedules are starting. It’s fall again.
And while some aspects of autumn’s arrival are perennial and predictable (leaves changing color, the Sawx’ swoon, RAD …) things are a little different this year. With almost a month under our belts, it’s time we reflect upon the lessons we’ve learned since Camp Yale. From athletes to non-athletes, the Flower Lady to the Poetry Lady, these are trends that affect all of our Yale experiences; as we’re thrown headlong into fall, we must keep them in mind, lest we wake up dazed and confused the morning after Harvard-Yale (which some will anyway …) having no idea where the past three months have gone …
Lesson 1: Box is the new Toad’s.
For sports fans and penny drinkers alike, newly established Box 63 has been a hit right off the bat. Admittedly, the market for a bullet-free, Yale-only spot has been ripening for months as disillusionment with Toad’s has grown. Whether it be for the pre-tailgate pregame meal or the postgame, post-pregame destination, the hot corner of Elm and Park — formerly known as the home of Bulldog Margaritas-to-go (R.I.P.) — has instituted Monday night 10-cent drinks and somehow learned to repel the Quinnipiac shuttle. Fitting for a Yale community filled with high-quality athletics, a sports bar (and grill …) has burst onto the scene. Ivy League Rookie of the Year? I think so …
Lesson 2: Yale football can score.
In between stints at “Box,” Yale football fans have had a lot to cheer about. Sure, it’s only been two games, but the Bulldogs have exploded for two 37-point showings. Pat Witt ’12 has launched an assault on the Yale record books, already throwing for five TDs and rushing for two more while moving into fourth all-time in passing yards (4,201) in Yale history. In addition to two dangerous rushers in the backfield with Witt, Alex Thomas ’12 and Mordecai Cargill ’13, four different receivers have caught touchdown passes in just two games; thanks in large part to one of them — Chris Smith ’13 — Yale is currently second in the nation in kick return average. Smith has returned six kicks for an average of 32.7 yards.
Lesson 3: Other Yale sports teams can score, too.
Wake up everybody, Yale is a fall sports powerhouse. Teams across the board have hung with or taken down big time programs already this fall — or, in the case of men’s soccer’s 7–0 obliteration of Marist last week — taken down lesser-time programs in big ways. Field hockey, who rocked Sacred Heart in dominating 9–1 fashion, held leads over top-20 teams Stanford and Albany, and lost to defending Ivy League Champions Princeton by just one goal last weekend. Volleyball took down the ACC’s Boston College while pushing Pac-12 Utah and ACC’s Maryland to the brink in games this year. Women’s soccer took Big East’s Providence to a tie in double overtime, while hanging right with two other Big East schools — Rutgers and St. John’s — in a pair of tough, one-goal losses on the road. Men’s soccer takes on No. 2 UConn tonight, and is second in the Ivy League in scoring so far at two goals per game.
Lesson 4: We are nothing without Commons dinner.
Period.
From IM stars to club sports champs, varsity athletes to recreational players, everyone who’s ever sought a late-evening, post-workout dinner can agree: we need Commons. Preface this by saying I have never tried to run for Yale College Council, and understand that people smarter than I made the decision to do away with Commons with the best intentions in mind. That said, late returns from practice and, well, “discriminatory” practices on the part of the Stiles and Morse dining halls simply do not mesh. When the pre-6:30 p.m. blockade against students from other colleges to Yale’s newest dining hall is lifted, crowds of IM players, club and varsity athletes fight their way through “Smorse” (notice I didn’t abbreviate it “Smiles” …) in a mess of hungry, violent and violently hungry Yale humanity. Gone is the ample space, ample pizza and simple excellence of Commons. Gone are the four-hour meals passed waiting for the froyo machine to work. Gone is the potential for the heroic, 7:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. “Commons Challenge,” that legendary reading week test of endurance undertaken by many and survived by few, now cut short by the end of Commons service mid-afternoon. They say you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone. Lesson learned — Commons, we need you.
Conclusion:
It’s important to acknowledge that the Yale landscape as we know it has changed. Physically, we see a new, thought-provoking sculpture in the walkway near Thali Too (the thought provoked being “What the heck is this thing …?”), a brand new and completely architecturally consistent (…) Apple store taking its place on Broadway, and a boarded-up Bulldog Burrito as evidence of the changing times. More spiritually, Toad’s is not what it once was, Commons dinners are a distant memory, and tailgates aren’t what they used to be. But with all this changes we can take heart in another: Yale fall sports aren’t what they used to be either. So keep heading from Bass to Box, put hope in Witt and Williams, and never give up on the return of Commons dinner, because when it comes to the quest for a collection of Ivy League Championships, this fall just might be different for all of us.
On Friday, “Moneyball” finally hits the silver screen. I, for one, couldn’t be more excited. Will Brad Pitt or Jonah Hill deliver an Oscar-worthy performance in this adaptation of Michael Lewis’ 2003 novel? Decidedly not. But it couldn’t matter less. Friday presents a glamorous opportunity to reflect on the book that changed the way we understand sports. For legions of baseball stat junkies, it won’t take much for Billy Beane and his “Misfit Toys” to walk their way right into our hearts.
But what of Beane’s peers — the baseball front-office generals with real decision-making power? Have the revelations exposed in “Moneyball” changed the way that Major League teams evaluate baseball talent? Specifically, have teams caught on to Beane’s use of statistics to exploit inefficiencies in the free agent market? The short answer is: yes. Since the book was published, more and more Ivy League-educated stat heads have made their way into prominent baseball operations positions. In the last eight years, Jon Daniels, Neal Huntington, Andrew Friedman, Paul DePodesta and many others have given a new mathematical twist to the General Manager position. These GMs openly discuss their regular use of state-of-the-art statistical techniques in evaluating baseball decisions.
Indeed, in an article for ESPN, Jim Bowden (GM with the Reds at the time of the book’s publication) describes how Lewis’ book was a great move for Beane’s career (he now commands hefty speaking fees) but a terrible move for the Oakland A’s. As Bowden explains, “Every team in baseball copies success … Soon other clubs realized that base-cloggers with high OBPs were undervalued … and guys like [Scott] Hatteberg were hard to find on the cheap.”
We would be remiss, however, to draw any conclusions without statistical analysis — this is, after all, a story about “Moneyball.” We turn first to an interesting analysis presented in the Hardball Times by Russell Carleton. Lewis’ novel describes how Beane came to discover, through careful statistical analysis, that the ability to get on base (via walks) was significantly undervalued in the free agent market. By exploiting this inefficiency, Beane was able to assemble winning teams with tiny payrolls. Carleton’s piece explores whether the rest of the league shifted their valuation of on-base percentage in response to the book’s publication. To do this, he examines the correlation between a free agent’s on-base percentage and his salary. In 2001, two years prior to the publication of “Moneyball,” that correlation was 0.44 (on a scale from -1 to 1). In 2004, a year after the book’s release, that correlation had jumped up to 0.64. For comparison, Carleton looks at the correlation between RBI (a more “old-school,” anti-“Moneyball” statistic) and salary. He finds that this correlation dropped from 0.70 in 2001 to 0.55 in 2004. Thus, he concludes, the book’s publication in 2003 led the market to stop overpaying for more traditional skills and start shelling out big bucks for Beane’s coveted on-base guys.
Hakes and Sauer (2007) explore the same question using a more academic analysis. They begin by using win probability to demonstrate that, as Beane proposed, on-base percentage is more important to winning games than is slugging percentage. The authors go on to show that from 2001 to 2003, teams paid free agents more for a high slugging percentage than for a high on-base percentage. This trend, however, reversed following the publication of “Moneyball” in 2004, at which point teams began throwing more money at players with high on-base percentages.
Thus, the story of on-base percentage and the free agent market paints a convincing statistical proof of the influence of “Moneyball” on baseball’s front offices. But what of other statistics? We might imagine that Beane’s OBP analysis was only the tip of the iceberg. If teams systematically mispriced an ability as important as getting on base, there is no telling what else might have been (and might still be) poorly priced in the free agent market. Perhaps teams have been throwing too much cash at stealing bases or pitching strikeouts. Perhaps home runs are not as valuable as GMs think? We have to wonder whether other such market inefficiencies are a vestige of a pre-Moneyball era or whether they still exist today.
There is some anecdotal evidence suggesting that Beane-esque treasure hunting is still very much a part of the game. Most analysts (including Bowden) point to Andrew Friedman and the Rays, who managed to assemble a pennant-winning roster despite an A’s-like payroll. They are often commended for their focus on defense, pitching and athleticism. It should shock no one that these attributes are valuable, but many believe the Rays came to realize that they were not valued sufficiently in either the free agent or draft market. My favorite example of bargain-shopping has always been the Red Sox during the 2009-’10 offseason. That year, Theo Epstein and co. made a series of curious signings that included four aging veterans considered well past their primes: John Smoltz, Takashi Saito, Brad Penny and Rocco Baldelli (not to mention the re-signing of Jason Varitek). These were all classic veteran signings: low-risk financial commitments that would likely fade but presented the possibility of significant return. The timing, however, was puzzling — never before has a GM invested in so many former stars in one offseason. My strong hunch is that someone in his statistics department discovered that washed-up veterans are actually undervalued relative to their peers. Epstein pounced.
There is still much research to be done. We still need a good way to systematically quantify the “pricing” of attributes in the free agent market. We also need to apply this Beane-esque analysis to a number of skills and statistics that go well beyond the scope of his original experiment. That said, the spirit of “Moneyball” and the Oakland A’s is still very much alive today, both in our hearts and in Major League front offices. This Friday will serve as a pleasant validation for sports nerds everywhere. More than anything, I can’t wait to see Philip Seymour Hoffman do his best Art Howe imitation.
Unfortunately for athletes everywhere (and the guys at BALCO …) there is no magic formula for creating a champion. Certainly the traditional “blood, sweat and tears,” goes into it somewhere, and I guess a relentless work ethic probably helps. Talent’s obviously a must, and that whole undying-belief-in-yourself, never-giving-up thing can’t hurt. Clear eyes, full heart — all important. But putting clichés (and reverence) aside, I think we all know what the three most indispensable ingredients to the championship recipe are: cool uniforms, strict adherence to superstitions and carefully selected warm-up music.
Sadly, I don’t have enough space to outline my views on what championship attire consists of — although I will say the color crimson is generally one to avoid. I also won’t bore you with the widely-read-and-implemented Chelsea Janes Guide to Sports Superstition (Rule No. 1: Never EVER step on the foul line), of which Beinecke has a first edition on display as we speak. I will, however, use this opportunity to educate you on what a championship pre-game mix consists of, using examples from our very own Yale teams over the past calendar year. The views expressed here are mine alone — but they’re right.
The first and most basic rule of warm-up CDs is that they must reflect the character of the team they are meant to inspire. In that vein, it would be wholly unacceptable for the football team to feature the Spice Girls, S Club 7 or Mariah Carey on their warm-up CD, while these groups may mesh well on those of some of the women’s teams.
(NOTE: The lone exception to that rule would be Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas,” which, because of its pure shock value to opponents and its general amazingness, is always an acceptable addition.)
Similarly, “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor,” while an unquestionably valuable motivator for a sport like football or hockey, might be a little out of place on, say, a fencing warm-up. …
Once you’ve eliminated any such outliers, there are certain “distributional requirements,” if you will, which must be fulfilled in the course of a championship mix.
First, there has to be a sports-relatable power ballad. You know, those sometimes slow, totally epic songs that remind you that you’re a hero and destined for greatness. Examples currently featured on Yale warm-ups include Nicki Minaj’s “Fly” (women’s soccer), “Edge of Glory,” (volleyball) and Swedish House Mafia’s epic “Save the World,” (men’s soccer).
Second, you’ll need one of those “ignore-the-haters-or-other-people-who-may-criticize-us” tunes: Nelly’s “Heart of a Champion” (field hockey), Nickelback’s “Animals” (men’s hockey 2010) or “Love Like Woe” (Yale softball, spring 2011).
The next component is the mandatory, sport-specific song. See: “Wavin’ Flag” (men’s soccer 2010) and “Shots” (volleyball — always). Follow that up with the super-high-energy current pop hit (“Club Can’t Handle Me,” “Firework,” etc.), a classic throwback (Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams” — field hockey ’10, Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” — softball ’11, Springsteen’s “Born to Run” — current women’s soccer) and one “I’m-the-Man” song (“Right Above It” — men’s basketball, “Magic” — women’s hockey).
Throw in some Eminem, add Lupe Fiasco’s “Show Goes On,” hit up some AC/DC, chuck in a rando or two (“Teach Me How to Dougie,” maybe “MMMBop”?) and you are well on your way to a championship caliber pre-game auditory experience.
Now I know what you’re thinking: either a) Why didn’t I think of putting “Love Like Woe” on a warm-up CD? or b) How does this apply to the average person’s every day life? The answer is simple. Champions do not only exist on the field or in Yale varsity locker rooms. Whether seeking success in the classroom, practice room or IM Ping-Pong, we can all benefit from this infallible champion-building blueprint. So whether you’re making the Yale bowling 2011-’12 warm-up CD, or your “they-really-aren’t-midterms-if-I-have-four-of-them” playlist, take these musical guidelines to heart, avoid foul lines and never EVER wear anything crimson: If you do, there’s no way you can lose.
We live in a world of polar opposites. Old and new, big and small, black and white, and everything in between. On the one hand, traffic roars past in a colorful blur before a backdrop of blinking neon billboards and passersby scurry here and there — always with a deadline to meet, a plane to catch, a deal to close. On the other hand, life occasionally breaks this frantic pace and slows down, catches a breath, relaxes. There are very few places I have been where time stands still and, for a few merciful hours, I can escape the pace of modern life. Wrigley Field is just such a place.
Being the diehard, bleed-blue, raised-on-Dodger-Dogs, Dodgers fan that I am, for two weeks this summer I took a road trip through the Midwest with my brother and our parents, following my beloved trolleydodgers from Milwaukee to Saint Louis. In between, I stopped in Chicago for a Cubs-Cardinals game. Yes, the game was fun, and yes the Cubs won (in dramatic walk-off fashion), but Wrigley Field represents much more than baseball — watching a game in that ballpark is like travelling back in time. The park is euphoric; it is timeless; a vestige of a more tranquil era long since forgotten.
I cannot pinpoint one particular reason that Wrigley holds sway. After all, Fenway is just as old, is it not? But I have been to Fenway, and it’s just not the same. Perhaps it is Wrigley’s architecture — its symmetry, its steel-and-concrete framework, or the way it nestles into the hustle and bustle of Clark and Addison. Perhaps it is the famed ivy wall. Perhaps it is the low rumble of the L as it trundles past the park. Perhaps it is the original scoreboard, manually operated and beautifully simple. Perhaps it is the park’s intimacy — the closest seats to the action in all of baseball. Then again, maybe it’s the aroma of hot dogs and peanuts drifting through the air. Perhaps it is all of this, and more.
Yes, that must be it — these are all, collectively, part of what makes Wrigley great. Certainly it is not the baseball itself. After all, the baseball played at Wrigley is the same baseball played in New York, Boston, L.A., and around the world. Rather, Wrigley is great because it transports its visitors back in time to a generation when life was simpler and baseball was not a multi-billion dollar industry.
I have never enjoyed a baseball game as much as I enjoyed that afternoon in Chicago. I have been to countless ballgames, and not one made me appreciate baseball like Wrigley did. Wrigley is modern baseball’s antithesis, a lone vestige of an era past, a reminder of how baseball was and should be.
If you’re a sports fan, go to Wrigley. If you enjoy learning about the past, go to Wrigley. If you have never even heard of the Cubs, go to Wrigley. Whatever you do, go to a game at Wrigley at some point in your life. Baseball has played a formative role in shaping American society, and Wrigley defines all that baseball once was. In one beautifully simple and timeless place, the past comes alive. When you go to a game at Wrigley, I hope you can appreciate it as much as I did.
Rhett Anderson is a senior in Ezra Stiles College.
In 2008, Will Ferrell released the soon-to-be-forgotten “Semi-Pro” — a mega-flopper, screwball comedy about a singer (Ferrell) turned ABA basketball owner/power forward. With the exception of Andre 3000 providing a smooth, strong supporting performance, the movie, for lack of a better term, stunk. It lacked the infinite quotable moments from “Step Brothers” or the original appeal of Ron Burgundy’s “Anchorman.” Yet, while “Semi Pro” stands alone as the worst Ferrell comedy of the 2000s, I can’t recall a time I’ve been more excited for a movie’s release.
The nexus between sports and comedy movies is my ultimate movie niche. “Dodgeball,” “The Replacements,” and “The Longest Yard,” for example, all fall into my “If this movie is ever on TV, I’m watching it” category. “Semi-Pro” was supposed to join the ranks – it had everything I was looking for. Woody Harrelson returning to the basketball silver screen for the first time since “White Men Can’t Jump,” Will Ferrell sporting his best Dr. J afro whilst playing in the ABA, and minutes of well choreographed basketball sequences. I couldn’t wait to see it. My best friend (fellow sports fanatic, Justin) and I bought our tickets days in advance for the midnight showing. Yet, the morning of, I had this growing sense of doubt. I wanted to love the movie — I really, really did — but deep down, I knew that it was going to flop.
Three years later, I’m going through that same conflict of emotions. You see, I’m a big Indianapolis Colts fan. More specifically, I’m a Peyton Manning fan. Since 1998, I suppose you could use the two terms interchangeably. I say that because, since joining the team as the number one overall pick in the NFL draft, Manning has started 208 consecutive games. He has racked up four MVP awards (the most of all time), two Super Bowl appearances, one NFL championship, one Super Bowl MVP, the highest passer rating in a single season, and broken the franchise record for career wins, passing yards, pass attempts, pass completions and passing touchdowns. In the past decade, I cannot think of a player who has been more directly responsible for his/her team’s success than Peyton Manning has been for the Colts.
That is all about to change. Over the summer, Manning had neck surgery, his second in the past year. In the midst of all the over-hyped lockout coverage, the media didn’t fully indulge themselves with the “will he or won’t he” coverage over whether Peyton would continue his iron man streak. Then the lockout ended, and the past few weeks have been full of reports on Manning’s countless meetings with his doctors, family, teammates, and psychiatrist. The drama ended early last week when the Colts announced that Manning would indeed sit out in the team’s first game against the Texans, reporting that Manning received yet another surgery for a herniated disk in his neck. With Manning now on the sidelines, the Colts are left with 38-year-old Kerry Collins (who at this point three weeks ago was retired from the NFL) running the team.
Now, I’m generally an optimist in sports. At the very least, I expect the unexpected. I can’t turn off a game before the clock runs out for fear of missing something momentous. At the same time, I give the teams that I support the benefit of the doubt. I can’t remember a time when my resolve has been tested like this. The Colts are a team designed around the success and talents of Manning. A lethargic run game, an aging defensive line, and a coaching staff whose playbook is based upon Manning calling audibles as he pleases all are not designed to function effectively without their superstar quarterback at the helm. I’m writing this on Sunday morning, and just as I felt three years ago the morning of the movie’s release, I feel today a growing sense of nervousness. I really want to love the 2011-2012 Colts, but I have a fear that things will get ugly. Just as it was with “Semi-Pro,” this season may be hard to watch.
Postscript: I guess the 34-7 trouncing the Texans laid upon the Colts confirms my fears. I figured that the opener would be bad, but not THAT bad. Here’s to hoping that Kerry Collins can muster up the courage to hold onto the ball, and that the Colts’ defense remembers that it’s their job to prevent the other team from getting in the end zone.
Oddly enough, when most people hear “Yale,” they don’t immediately think “sports.” Distracted by a variety of Yale’s other prominent features (world class faculty, unparalleled tradition and, of course, GHeav) most casual observers overlook one of the world-class components of this world-class institution: athletics.
World-class athletics at Yale, you ask? Certainly when it comes to traditional Yale powers like crew, squash and sailing. But overall?
Absolutely. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Yale is as much a hotbed for top-notch sports as Saturday night Toad’s is for hygiene-related disease.
Crazy, right? No WAY Yale’s athletic scene can compare to Toad’s infection-breeding one. But consider this: Yale has one of the largest Division I athletic programs in the country with 35 teams. Yale is home to the nation’s top collegiate golf course (as voted by golfdigest.com), the nation’s best designed hockey rink (as named by the Wall Street Journal), a professional tennis tournament, a football stadium that used to host the New York Giants, a baseball field that used to house its own minor league team, the nation’s top squash facility, and the best, most enduring scaffolding anywhere in the world, as featured on Payne Whitney Gym.
Still don’t believe me? Yale produces stars in the big sports, too. Did you know that Yale has two former baseball players in the Major Leagues as we speak? Or that four former Bulldogs earned spots on NFL Training Camp rosters this season? Did you know that former Yale hockey player Sean Backman ‘10 just signed with the NHL’s New York Islanders, or that current Bulldog Kenny Agostino ’14 led all scorers at the 2011 USA Hockey National Evaluation Camp this summer? What about the fact that Greg Mangano ’12 represented the United States as a member of the World University Games team in China this summer, and was entered in the NBA Draft at one point last season before removing his name from consideration to play his senior season? Even our athletic director, Tom Beckett, was a baseball player in the San Francisco Giants system.
Nothing? Alright, let’s look at last year. Ivy League Championships in men’s hockey, men’s squash, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s squash, women’s tennis and volleyball. Ivy League Player of the Years in baseball (Trey Rallis ’11) and women’s golf (Seo Hee Moon ’14). Ivy League Rookie of the Years in men’s golf (Sam Bernstein ’14), women’s golf (Moon), volleyball (Kendall Polan ’14), field hockey (Georgia Holland ’14) and women’s squash (Millie Tomlinson ’14).
That’s not even to mention Yale’s highly-competitive club sports scene, which includes teams such as club basketball, C1 and C2 club soccer, (Y)ale (W)omen’s (C)lub (S)occer, and a national champion club volleyball squad to name a few.
PLUS, thanks to the Tyng Cup and a Yale tour guide’s pride and joy – the residential college system – Yale features one of the best intramural scenes anywhere. At what other sporting venue can you hear cheers like “J.E. SUX” or find teams called the “PIMPs”? Add that to that pinnacle of athletic competition that is “Choops,” and you have the best intra-college competition this side of the Hogwarts’ Quidditch pitch.
So while our faculty may just be the greatest assembly of academic minds anywhere, our location — one of the finest southern Connecticut has to offer — and our Flower Lady — the most dogged authorized vendor anywhere — athletics may just be one of the finest assets Yale has to offer. So next time you accidentally let slip that you happen to attend Yale University, remember, you’re not just bragging that you go to one of the best academic schools in the country. You’re representing what is one of the nation’s most active collegiate sports scenes and — if Yalies’ ability to navigate the endless perils of Toad’s with heroic agility is any indication — one of America’s most athletic as well.
Football is back. Following a humbling lockout, a frenzied free-agency and a dramatic preseason, it feels like an eternity since Aaron Rodgers hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy back in February. Yet, here we are again. As the leaves turn gold and the summer air begins to chill, we start anew. Hope springs eternal in this the season’s first week.
None are more excited than the NFL’s devoted fans — the fans who sat patiently through petty collective bargaining squabbles, praying for pigskin come Sept. 8. The day has finally arrived. The NFL’s first week is packed with fascinating matchups and storylines, made all the more gripping by our desperate thirst for action.
With that in mind, it’s important to know what to look out for during this week’s slate of games. While no two fans share precisely the same passion and interest, here is what I will be watching as the season kicks off.
My week will kick off with the season opener tonight at 8:30 p.m. That’s when the reigning Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers take on the New Orleans Saints. What’s not to love about this game? The two most recent Super Bowl MVPs — Rodgers and Drew Brees — will square off in a matchup that is sure to be an aerial shootout. The Saints are looking to regroup after a disappointing season that saw Brees throw 22 interceptions and ended with a shocking first-round playoff upset to the Seattle Seahawks. After swapping Heisman-returning running back Reggie Bush for Heisman-winning running back Mark Ingram, however, the Saints appear poised to return to the league’s elite. The Packers, meanwhile, will be battling emotion and excitement as they hoist their championship banner in front of the raucous Lambeau Field crowd. With the return to health of tight end Jermichael Finley and running back Ryan Grant, the Packers have only improved since winning it all.
After a two-day hiatus, the action will resume on Sunday with a slate of incredible 1:00 p.m. matchups. Picking one to focus on is a difficult exercise, but I’m most intrigued by the divisional clash of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. While both teams had relatively quiet offseasons, these defensive juggernauts never fail to entertain. These rivals play each other so frequently that there will be no surprises, no tricks, no lack of preparation — just good, hard-nosed football. What’s more, both teams have a considerable amount to prove. The Ravens, still feeling the string of a tough 24–31 loss to the Steelers in the AFC playoffs last season, need to establish themselves early by out-grinding their nemeses. The Steelers, meanwhile, are still nursing the wounds of a difficult Super Bowl loss. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be in the spotlight during this pivotal matchup.
While I keep one eye on the Steelers-Ravens game, I’ll be keeping the other on a number of other intriguing 1:00 p.m. matchups. Don’t underestimate the importance, for example, of the matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans. With Peyton Manning’s health still up in the air, the balance of power may finally be shifting in the AFC South. An early season divisional win by Matt Schaub and the Texans’ high-octane offense could spell disaster for the Colts’ postseason plans. The Texans, however, have their own health concerns in star running back Arian Foster, whose balky hamstring may limit him in Week One. Meanwhile, it’s worth following the “Dream Team” Philadelphia Eagles as they take on Sam Bradford and the rebuilt St. Louis Rams. The Eagles enjoyed an insane haul during an insane free-agency period, but face enough offensive line turnover that that Week One rust could lead to a shocking upset. Don’t sleep on the Rams and sophomore quarterback sensation Sam Bradford. Finally, the 1:00 p.m. games are rounded out by a fascinating showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears. Following matching playoff losses to the eventual champion Packers, both teams are itching to return to NFC competition. It’s easy to forget that these talented clubs finished with the two best records in the conference last season.
Just as these games wrap up, a whole new set will begin. While the 4:15 p.m. games lack the luster of their 1:00 p.m. counterparts, there is one matchup that piques my interest — the Carolina Panthers versus the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams are coming off abysmal seasons and have little hope of competing seriously in 2011-2012. This game, however, won’t be about the teams. It will be about the quarterbacks. The Panthers will unveil top overall draft pick Cam Newton, whose raw athleticism earned him starting honors as a rookie. The Cardinals will fire back with acquisition Kevin Kolb, who holds the key to the team’s future. Lofty expectations rest on the shoulders of both players, but both possess the talent to answer in spades.
The afternoon games will give way to Sunday night’s 8:20 p.m. marquee matchup between the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys in New York. This is easily the most intriguing game of the week. In one corner sit the Jets, perhaps the most fascinating club in the NFL. Brazen promises from outspoken head coach Rex Ryan have rendered back-to-back AFC Championship game losses disappointing. However, the team has reason to be hopeful. Their defense, now fully healthy, ranks among the most terrifying in the NFL. Free agent Plaxico Burress, fresh out of prison, has the size to give quarterback Mark Sanchez a second legitimate end zone target. The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, are looking to recover after a complete collapse in 2010-2011. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan brings a package of schemes that could make the Dallas defense a scary opponent, but the shortened offseason may make the transition bumpy for the Cowboys. Did I mention that Rex and Rob Ryan are brothers that enjoy trading playful barbs through the media? All of this intrigue, however, pales in comparison to the emotion the Jets will feel playing in New York on the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Despite an overdose of NFL on Sunday, I’ll be itching for more when I wake up Monday morning. Fortunately, our friends at ESPN have devised a brilliant relapse device in Monday Night Football, and the Week One doubleheader shouldn’t disappoint. First, we will be treated to a 7:00 p.m. divisional showdown between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. For the Patriots, business as usual will be complemented by imported misfits Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco. For the Dolphins, the opener will be a chance for new running back Reggie Bush to prove himself after an embarrassing exit from New Orleans.
Immediately following Dolphins-Pats, the week will wrap up with yet another divisional matchup, this one between the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders at 10:15 p.m. The Broncos have been plagued with quarterback drama all offseason, as former college phenom Tim Tebow went public with his displeasure over lack of playing time. Starting quarterback Kyle Orton, however, was one of the league’s most unsung starters last season, finishing with a whopping 281 passing yards per game. The arrival of new head coach John Fox could make the Broncos a surprise contender. The Raiders, meanwhile, are coming off of a historically odd 2010-2011 in which they managed to sweep all six division games but finish with just an 8–8 record. It remains to be seen whether electric running back Darren McFadden and the Raiders can maintain enough consistency to finally return to the playoffs.
When Monday’s final game concludes, I’ll go back to my calendar and begin counting down the days (six) until Week Two.
Ready or not, the NBA lockout has arrived. As players make a mad dash for international leagues, it’s unclear what the future holds. It’s possible that, like their NFL counterparts, the two sides hammer out a compromise before the start of the season. Perhaps, as happened in 1998-’99, the lockout will lead to a shortened season. The disaster scenario, of course, would be a full cancellation of the season, similar to the devastating NHL lockout of 2004-’05.
It’s too early to predict with confidence which of these outcomes will occur. The two sides, however, are far enough apart that anything is possible. With the profitability of the league in question, teams and fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Ron Artest actually lace up for the Cheshire Jets of northwest England come November.
As unlikely as it is, an entirely cancelled season would shake up the power dynamic in the NBA. While a number of teams would suffer, a number would benefit from pushing the clock forward an entire year. With that in mind, we take a look at the biggest losers and winners of a cancelled 2011-’12 season.
LOSERS
No. 1 — Orlando Magic
Losing the 2011-’12 season would crush the franchise. Next to stud center Dwight Howard, the roster is made up of misfit toys that suck up cap space in an effort to convince Howard of the ownership’s commitment to winning now. Without Howard, the franchise would become a cellar dweller.
Howard’s contract runs through the end of the upcoming season, meaning he would become a free agent without playing another game for the Magic should the season be lost. Howard has continually made it clear that he was less than pleased with Orlando’s first-round exit in the 2011 playoffs. Without one more shot for ownership to sell Howard on the Magic roster, it’s almost certain he would pack his bags.
More disturbing, though, is where that would leave Orlando. If the 2011-’12 season is played, the franchise will at least have an opportunity to trade Howard (and some of its ugly contracts) for prospects and draft picks to start the wheels of rebuilding. If the season is cancelled and Howard walks, Orlando will get nothing in return.
No. 2 — Boston Celtics
The aging Celtics are still a championship contender — they took the Lakers to Game 7 just over one year ago and embarrassed the Knicks in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Even the Celtics, however, realize that their window is closing. Paul Pierce is 33, Kevin Garnett is 35 and Ray Allen is 36. Most experts predict that the “Three Amigos” have at most one year left to bring home a second title.
The future is not all bleak for the Celtics. The team will open considerable cap space next summer just in time for the Dwight Howard-Chris Paul bonanza. They also have a reasonably deep bench to back up a solid core. That said, the 2011-’12 season is probably the last chance for these Celtics to win it all. Should the season be cancelled, that window will have all but closed.
No. 3 — Miami Heat
Despite an underwhelming performance in last year’s finals, the Miami Heat are probably favorites to take home the title in 2011-’12. Their Big Three superstars are all healthy and in their primes. As such, they would naturally be big losers should the season be cancelled.
That’s not to say that all would be lost. LeBron James is just 26, Chris Bosh 27 and Dwayne Wade 29. All three are under contract beyond next season. There is no reason to believe the Heat wouldn’t be contenders come 2012-’13.
Still, the Heat are crossing their fingers that basketball is played. Dwayne Wade, a proverbial injury risk, would emerge on the wrong side of 30. At the same time, the Big Three all have contracts that feature considerable salary escalation after 2011-’12, meaning Pat Riley will have even less cap space to build a respectable bench (particularly if the new CBA features a lower cap as predicted). Finally, the last thing LeBron and Co. need is a full year to reflect upon their dismal performance in the finals. The Heat are poised for another championship run and would prefer it not be in the Turkish league.
WINNERS
No. 1 — Minnesota Timberwolves
Look out for the T-Wolves. After a decade of mediocrity, the seeds of a star-studded roster are finally being sewn. Kevin Love has emerged. Ricky Rubio has finally agreed to come stateside. No. 2 overall draft pick Derrick Williams has scouts raving. The future is bright in Minnesota.
A missed season would only make things brighter. No one knows how the draft order would be determined in 2012, but it’s likely that Minnesota would once again be given the best odds at the No. 1 pick (having finished 2010-’11 with the worst record). Further, the 2012 draft class is stacked with promising prospects, meaning a missed season would give Minnesota a great shot at adding another franchise player. Should the season be played, the roster is too talented to expect a record meriting a lottery pick.
Adding another star is critical given Kevin Love’s contract situation. The forward’s contract is set to expire in 2012. As the roster is currently assembled, it may not have enough star power to entice Love to stay. The addition of another elite talent through the draft, however, would likely convince Love to stick around. Thus, missing the 2011-’12 season would likely allow the T-Wolves to draft another franchise talent AND hold on to Kevin Love. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
No. 2 — New York Knicks
Don’t let Mike D’Antoni’s praise of an aging Chauncey Billups fool you — the Knicks are after Chris Paul. He has long been the third piece of New York’s own Big Three.
As it stands, the Knicks don’t have much of a chance of snagging him. Without a realistic title shot in 2011-’12, the Hornets will likely trade Paul midseason for prospects and picks. After gutting their roster to acquire Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks possess neither. Should the season be played, Paul will likely find himself traded elsewhere.
Should the season be cancelled, New Orleans will lose its chance to trade its superstar. Instead, location, championship potential and cash will determine where Paul lands as a free agent. New York scores well in all three categories. Further, avoiding a trade for Paul would allow the Knicks to hang on to its remaining valuable pieces in Landry Fields, Toney Douglas and draft selection Iman Shumpert.
Many will correctly point out that, despite shedding Billups’ $14 million contract, the Knicks won’t have cap space under the new CBA to pick up Paul’s hefty tab. This may be correct. That said, given Paul’s stated desire to play in the Big Apple and the presence of Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire in the starting lineup, the dream of a Big Apple Three isn’t completely unrealistic — provided the upcoming season is cancelled.
No. 3 — Cleveland Cavaliers
Don’t look now, but the woeful Cavs are stockpiling assets. In the 2011 draft, the team snagged its point guard (Kyrie Irving) and power forward (Tristan Thompson) of the future with the first and fourth overall picks, respectively. Should the 2011-’12 season be lost, they will likely have the second-best shot (behind the T-Wolves) at the top pick in the stacked 2012 draft. Locking up three top-five draft picks before playing a single game would be an impressive haul.
This is made all the more pressing by owner Dan Gilbert’s outlandish promise to bring home a championship before the despised Miami Heat. Given the Heat’s status as title favorites, a missed season would be a valuable opportunity to push the clock forward, allowing the Cavs to continue to build a solid young core while keeping the dangerous Heat off the court.
