The C-Word

I need to start this off by saying that I LOVE THE NFL!!! Can’t say it enough! I played soccer growing up and was a bit too brittle/small for football. Sure, I played in middle school, but everyone played in middle school. I mean EVERYONE played. And if you didn’t, you had a broken leg or something. As a soccer player, I had to rationalize not playing somehow. So, us “dorks”, as the football players called us, would downgrade just about everything they did or said. “They are dumb jocks!”  “Must be nice to rest every 35 seconds.” And the like. We didn’t get too creative, because we played in a tougher division and had a better record. As it turns out, I ended up working for a couple of “dumb jock, football players”, and they weren’t that dumb: They quit playing football while they were ahead.

Football players pride themselves on being the toughest and strongest. They get high-five’d after dismembering other players, causing a turnover – which usually is preceded by a nasty collision – and other disastrous plays. Football players get huge notoriety from a multitude of people, mainly because, we, the average person, can’t do what they do.  We respect the hell out of them and enshrine them as gladiators of our time.

So why, all these years later, are they turning their backs on the game that they used to love, fed their families, and was their livelihood for a majority of their lives? One word; the C-word:  Concussions.  They are suing the league for not informing them of the dangers of football. No, that’s not a joke. The dangers of football!!! Did you ever think you would hear such a crazy thought in your life? Football consists of running fast, hitting hard, putting your hat on someone (referring to hitting someone with your helmet), and trying to stay up-right. Sure, there is some other verbiage in there on how to advance the ball and score points, but that’s the gist of it. Not much there. Soccer might be running and kicking. Baseball would be swinging, catching and throwing. Football is run fast, hit hard!

So why is anyone surprised by all these concussions? They have been paid for many years to HIT SOMEONE HARD! What were they supposed to say, “No, not that hard!” C’mon! These gladiators would never go half-assed. I was always told that is the way you get hurt, by not going as hard as your opponent.  If you didn’t think something would happen to your brain after years of playing football, then maybe your brain was fully functioning to begin with.  You wouldn’t slam your head into a hammer for 25 years and say “what happened?” The NFL is being raked over the coals for not informing their players of the mishaps of playing football. Shouldn’t that be common knowledge? Paying child support and wrapping it up to begin with should be common knowledge, but many players avoid that too. Who’s at fault, the NFL?  I think it’s foolish to blame the NFL for what should have been taught years ago. Where is the league issued “if it’s hot, don’t touch it” statement? 

We as a society have become giant puff-balls, and the world’s biggest pansies. Everyone must win, don’t keep score for little league baseball, tell me everything, hand me everything or else I will sue! It has gotten out of control and leading us down a trail, we as a society do not want to go down.

So be forewarned society, if you do not succeed in life, you will be a failure!

Brandon Inge Watch has Begun

T-minus 30 hours and counting. Get this guy off the team. Brandon Inge has completed a “need-it-now” spring training with a .180 Batting Average, which is exactly what his debut year’s batting average was. If that was ever a sign, eh? Let’s put this in perspective; if he had 100 chances to hit a baseball, Inge would succeed 18 times. If you had 100 chances to nail a sales call and only succeeded 18 times, chances are you’d be looking for work elsewhere. I think the thing that makes me the maddest, is everyone BUT Inge knows he’s struggling at the plate. Every comment he makes, you’d think he just hit a homerun. And another thing, STOP SWINGING FOR THE FENCES! Every swing…WOOSH…guy is trying to tear the cover off the ball. It’s more annoying than anything! “Earth to BI: You’re a career .235 average, 139 homerun hitter! Babe Ruth you are not!”

I am tired of people talking about Inge as a baseball player, yet have no BASEBALL FACTS to back up their illogical love for a sub-par player. To help further my point, I tracked him down on baseball-reference.com, and I searched Inge, and my results came back: “WHO?” Looking at his fielding stats, aren’t as atrocious as I’d like them to be. Since 2005 his error totals go as follows: 2005 – 23, 2006 (World Series year, where he was a defensive specialist) – 22, 2007 – 18, 2008 – 1 (ONE), 2009 – 20, 2010 – 9 and 2011 – 9. A few things stand out here: ONE ERROR in 2008. What’s the catch? He played in half the amount of games he normally would. In 2011, you might remember the Tigers trading for William Betemit, allowing Inge to only play in 99 games

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The story on guys like Danny Worth or Ramon Santiago, is that they wouldn't last in a full season; they wouldn't hold up. As it seems though, the less games Inge plays, the better his fielding stats are. I have the privilege of sitting close to 3^rd base for Tiger Home games. I have watch Inge with his “strong arm” completely over-throw Cabrera or throw in the dirt. I’m not saying Inge has to make EVERY throw over there, but how can you miss Cabrera? Miggy stands 6’4” and 240lb. You have to think with his arms, he can reach to 8 feet. And you’re going to over-throw this guy or throw it in the dirt. Miggy doesn’t get his due for how well he’s adapted to playing 1^st base. I didn’t say he was John Olerud, but the guy can play it WELL (see Inge fans, that’s how you correctly categorize a decent defensive player). I have seen Miggy save many poor attempts from Inge; enough to make my body ache.

The next defense is “Inge is a great guy!” Last I checked, and I scoured the internet for an answer, you don’t win championships with great guys, especially in this town. This is home of Hockeytown, the Grind Line, the Bad Boys, the 2004 Pistons, the “Black and Blue division”. We all know where we were when Darren McCarty rearranged Claude Lemiux’s face. We remember vividly, Isaiah Thomas leading his team off the floor without shaking the Bulls’ hands. We will start fights with you if you are even wearing a Bears jersey. We wear shirts that say “Welcome to Detroit, where the weak are killed and eaten!” ”I’m so tough, I vacation in Detroit!” “Give blood, fight Probie!” This city isn’t for the faint of heart. If you want a gold star, go back to kindergarten.

“Yeah, but he does a lot in the community!” So do prostitutes, but I don’t see you trumpeting their names up and down the streets. So please, Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland, it’s time to put Old Yeller out to the pastures. You’d be doing him, me and the rest of Detroit a favor. Remember, you may be a great guy, but if you suck at your job, you too will be let go…no matter how well you bring doughnuts to the office each day.