It’s a split decision among future Yankee hall-of-famers.

Sports illustrated has selected their 2009 “Sportsman of the Year” and it is Derek Jeter.

The Sporting News has selected its 2009 “Pro Athlete of the Year” and it’s Mariano Rivera. 

The Sports Illustrated honor is generally considered more prestigious, and amazingly, a Yankee has never received the honor since Sports Illustrated’s inception in 1954. Not Mickey Mantle in ‘56 after winning the Triple Crown, not Roger Maris in ‘61 after blasting 61, and not Reggie Jackson in ‘77 after smacking three homers in the World Series clincher. (Note: Sprinter Bobby Morrow, college hoops great Jerry Lucas, and jockey Steve Cauthen won SI’s honor in those years).

So which Yankee deserves the 2009 honors more?

Of course, the real answer is neither. Usain Bolt, Roger Federer, and Manny Pacquiao are all more deserving. But those individuals would represent other countries in every way, and the turf rules of American sports media do not allow such things. (Federer snubs have become an almost annual occurrence in sports honor tragedy.)  At minimum, you need to wear an American uniform to be considered. But for our purposes, let’s put the subject of American sports media xenophobia aside (sort of — Rivera is from Panama). Let’s also put aside that when judging solely on-field performance that Alex Rodriguez is the most deserving Yankee in 2009, but probably disqualified himself with that whole steroid admission thing.

The Jeter-Rivera question is important because making the correct choice represents more than a yearly magazine award, but is symbolic of the thinking around an entire modern Yankee era stretching back to 1995. The answer is no  contest.

It’s Mariano Rivera.

This fact does not diminish Jeter who had one of his finest all around years in the regular season (batted .334; .406 OBP), in the field (won Gold Glove), and in the post-season (batted .344; .407 in World Series). Forget media. Every real Yankee fan has known that Rivera has always been this era’s  most valuable Yankee, and 2009 was no different for the greatest post-season player in baseball history.

To win the World Series a team must win 11 games. Rivera closed out 10 of those playoff victories and six of those outings were more than one inning. When it comes to playoff victories, Rivera IS an everyday player! In fact, he has pitched in over 80% of Yankee playoff victories in all of their championship years (’96, ‘98-00, ‘09). His career post-season ERA is 0.74. In 2009 playoffs, he posted a 0.54 (one run in 16 innings with five saves).  This came after a 1.74 ERA during the regular season. On any given year, you can find a star player on a championship team who has posted something similar to Jeter’s numbers during the regular and post-season. Not so for Rivera. What made Mariano’s work stand out even more was that every other closer blew a game for their team during the post-season. Yes — every single one. That includes notable collapses by Jon Papelbon, Brad Lidge, and Joe Nathan. It is extremely hard to quantify the pressure on a closer during the post-season, but Rivera is always as cool as ice.

The next thing we know, the sports media decides to “get Tiger in a back alley”… 

Is the coverage of their sexcapades only that Tiger was married, and Jeter was not? Semantics. No, not the difference between the acts. We are just talking about the media’s response. There are tons of philanderers the media lets slide.  The difference is how each interacts with sports media members (note: the mainstream discussion became so convoluted that Jason Whitlock was left to point out the obvious!).  If the media wanted to follow Jeter’s off-field happenings more closely to sell more papers, they could.

The point is not to denounce Jeter for mastering the media game (more power to him). It is that he shouldn’t be rewarded with any additional high honors for that mastery. Jeter’s newest SI accolade a curious statement at a time when Tiger-fueled pundits continue to say things like: “He is just a corporate brand” and “I mean, do we REALLY know anything about these athletes anyway?”…

Honoring Jeter over Rivera is not about on-field performance, philanthropic causes, or even off-field humility. Rivera wins easily by this score.  Jeter-over-Rivera is about confirming that the media (SI in this case) has no interest in knowing athletes as long as you tell them what they want to hear, and are really kind and polite in delivering that bullshit. In this world, Jeter’s sweet lies trump Rivera’s real truth.  Ultimately, honoring Jeter as “Sportsman of the Year” is an exercise in media control, and a message to other athletes to follow the manual closely should they covet such prestige.

But don’t hate Derek Jeter, hate the media game.

And if someone ever asks who was the Yankee ’sportsman” of 2009, the greatest Yankee of this generation, and the greatest post-season player in baseball history, you should hold up a copy of The Sporting News cover.

———

Related:  Mariano’s Place Amongst the Yankee Gods.

[1] This may have been Gammons’ final ESPN column and was filled many interesting anecdotes throughout his 20 years including a positive encounter with Albert Belle.

By the end of the brutal 9th round…

Miguel Cotto’s wife screamed, covered her eyes with her hands, and escorted her child out of the arena. As her battered and bloodied husband staggered back to his corner, his novice trainer Joe Santiago said:

“One more, one more, I’m going to give you one more”…

By the end of the 10th round…

Santiago looked into Cotto’s cut and swollen eyes and asked:

“We can do one more? … Can we do one more?”

Apparently, Cotto’s blank stare was a convincing enough response…

By the end of the 11th round…

Miguel Cotto’s father — who was reportedly yelling “enough” for several rounds  – was talked out of a fight stoppage by Cotto’s corner. Santiago continued: 

“Got one left?” (Cotto nods “yes:)

“Jab, jab, use your jab”

“Let him come to you, just let him come to you all night. It’s okay.”

“You just keep on your plan. Keep on your plan.”

“We’re here with you.”

“Let him come to you all night?” Check.

Cotto’s “plan”? Survival.  

“We’re here with you?” — On this evening when magnificent Manny ushered in another brilliant Pacquiao performance it was very hard to understand who exactly was “here”, “there” or “anywhere” with Miguel Cotto.

It certainly wasn’t anyone working his corner. 

It didn’t seem to be referee Kenny Bayless who would wait until 2:05 left in the 12th round to stop the fight.

It definitely wasn’t many in the crowd who were booing Cotto’s dancing and retreating at the end of the 11th round.

For a second at the start of the 10th round Larry Merchant emerged as a possible voice of conscience:

“This is almost like a firing squad against a traitor”.

Then seconds later, Merchant would say:

“I think that Cotto deserves the privilege to go out on his terms”.

Wow. That’s some privilege!

The truth is that Miguel Cotto deserves the privilege of having people around him that will look out for him.

Cotto — like many fighters — is a true warrior and is unqualified to make such decisions. A trainer doesn’t ASK their fighter if they can go one more round. In baseball, the manager usually demands the ball from the starting pitcher, but very rarely asks. When they do (see Grady Little-Pedro), the pitcher will almost always say that they “are fine”. That is how elite athletes are wired. That is what makes them so great. And it is also what makes them so vulnerable. In baseball, the consequences of a bad decision are some runs scored and a game lost. In boxing, such mistakes lead to longer hospital visits, shortened careers, post-career brain damage, and possibly death.

“Death” was the potential reason why legendary trainer Eddie Futch ended the Thrilla in Manilla by not allowing Joe Frazier to fight the 15th round against Muhammad Ali in their epic third fight. Futch is also the man who once trained a journeyman fighter named Freddie Roach. At the end of Roach’s career, Futch refused to train his pupil while imploring him to retire. Roach did not listen, and the consequences may have been instrumental in Roach’s Parkinson’s Syndrome. Today, Roach agrees that Futch was right. After his boxing career, Futch hired Roach as an assistant trainer years before Roach would go on to train Manny Pacquiao. Not surprisingly, Roach said:

“In round nine, Miguel was ready to give up. He was in retreat mode and wasn’t trying to win the fight anymore. I mean, when you’re not trying to win the fight anymore, and you’re out there bleeding to death, and you see his face is bloody like that — come on.”

The bottom line is this:  Trainers, just like referees, are supposed to protect fighters — from themselves.

Last night, besides a couple of HBO announcers (thank you Harold Lederman for the clear unequivocal stance), this lesson was forgotton by virtually all parties involved.

It also probably didn’t go unnoticed by former champion and trainer Buddy McGirt who halted a bout last year when his fighter Paulie Malignaggi was taking a pointless beating from Ricky Hatton. Said McGirt:

“My guy was hurting and I wanted him to live to fight another day, I would rather have him mad at me stopping the fight than let him get hurt and never fight again.”

Not only was Malignaggi mad, but he dumped McGirt as his trainer. But today, McGirt still wouldn’t change a thing.

What separates boxing from MMA is that the former has some semblance of rules and codes. When those codes go unenforced, they basically become the same sport while all of boxing’s critics gain legitimacy.

Last year Miguel  Cotto received an illegal beating at the loaded hands of Antonio Margarito and many experts believe that such an assault is something that one can never truly recover from. This year he received a legal one that went at least three rounds too long.  It is hard to say exactly what he will have left in the tank next year. Whatever the answer, expect a big money showdown with Antonio Margarito post-suspension. Consider it already booked by Bob Arum.

Oh by the way, congratulations to Manny Pacquiao on an incredible performance against an elite opponent. Pacman deserves all kinds of accolades and rest assured that he will receive plenty of them… as Floyd Mayweather Jr. awaits.

Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao needs no hype for boxing fans.

But if you are the casual sports fan who really thinks long and hard before plunking down 50 bucks for any sporting event that is not an actual ticket, we suggest you invite some friends over on Saturday night to bring the beer and chips.

This is the fight for you.

If you gave up boxing sometime ago as you long for the good ole days of when Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns threw caution to the wind, then..

this is the fight for you.

If you like to complain how elite fighters never face each other anymore during their prime, then…

 this is the fight for you.

To get your fix, you have to resort to watching endless replays of Gatti-Ward and Corrales-Castillo, but want to see fighters with twice their skill, then…

this is the fight for you.

If you are an MMA fan who is attracted to the idea of gladiators going to war, but is also curious how that theme might play out with actual rules involved, then…

this is the fight for you.

If the genius of Floyd Mayweather Jr has to be explained to you, then…

this is the fight for you.

If you have never watched a boxing match before,

this is the fight for you.

Who will win?

You’ll have to tune in.

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on their 27th World series title.

The series was comprised of various man-a-mano storylines that told the bigger story (besiiiiiides the money!). Here they were:

Girardi over Charlie:

Referring to yankee manager Joe Girardi’s decision to start three pitchers on three day’s rest, PTI’s Tony Kornheiser yelled into the camera, “If the Yankees lose the World Series, Joe Girardi should be fired!”  Many other pundits continued on for days as if pitching on three days rest was something that even David Blaine should never attempt at home.  As it turns out, Girardi should be praised for managing the World Series like it were well — the final games of the year. Both Sabathia and Pettitte turned in solid performances despite the short rest. Meanwhile, Charlie Manuel might spend the whole off-season wondering what might have happened if he started Cliff Lee in Game 3 and nullified a second decent outing by CC. If you lose with your best, off-season sleep comes much easier.

CC over Cliff Lee:

The stat sheet technically says otherwise, and Lee was undeniably dominant for the Phils. However, only one former Cleveland Indian really wanted the ball on three days rest, and some more fire on Lee’s part may have changed the complexion of the series. There are times to demand the ball and force your manager to say no.

Matsui over Martinez:

Had Philadelphia had home field advantage, Pedro could have ended up 2-0 instead of 0-2. Besides Matsui, Pedro baffled the Yankees with 88 mph fastballs and 72 mph change-ups. The crafty old man really pitched quite well – even to Hideki Matsui whose first home run in Game 2 was on a tough breaking ball low and inside. This would stick in his memory as four games later he would throw Hideki nothing but fastballs in an 8-pitch at-bat that ended in another pivotal home run.  Subtract Matsui’s five RBIs, and Pedro only lets up only two runs (one after he left game) in three post-season outings.  Oh and on his way to winning the World Series MVP, Matsui swatted a measley .615…

Pettitte over Hamels: 

The battle over the #3 starters and past World Series heroes was no contest. Ol’ reliable Andy scores two big wins, and Cole is relieved the series is finally over.

Damon over Lidge: 

Call it “The At-Bat”. Johnny Damon nicked or fouled off pitch after pitch against a seemingly dominant Lidge before finally singling with two outs in the 9th inning of a pivotal Game 4. Then he stole second base. On the same play he notice 3rd base was not covered and had the immediate werewithal to take it. The play was huge as a potential wild pitch would now cause a run. As announcer Joe Buck pointed out, Lidge could no longer afford to liberally throw his nasty slider which would often find the dirt. Enter ARod.

ARod over Howard:

These RBI machines both dominated the playoffs in historic fashion leading up until the World Series, and this was the leading preview narrative. But only one would come up clutch in the World Series. The Game 3 home-run off the camera was huge, and the double off Lidge put the final nail in the coffin of all the ARod haters. And despite a low World Series average, he quietly posted a .426 World Series on-base percentage (higher than Chase Utleys!). Had ARod had Howard’s World Series, Mike Lupica would have had his next 365 columns already written. But he too will have to come up with a new idea.

Jeter over JRoll:

Did the blandest interview in sports actually talk a little trash after the series victory? You bet. After the victory he said, “You know, we heard a lot of predictions coming into this series”. Derek was referring to his fellow all-star short-stop and friend Jimmy Rollins who predicted a 5-game Phillies victory. Jeter’s World Series average? .407. Rollins? .217

Cano over Chase: 

Okay, not quite! After swatting 204 hits during the regular season, Robinson Cano flat out disappeared. Meanwhile Chase Utley was the Phillies only Kryptonite to Super Sabathia. While Utley will go down in the history books by tying Reggie Jackson’s World Series record of five home runs, his series heroics were a little bit misleading. In games he hit, he completely dominated. At the same time, Utley actually went hitless in three separate World Series games. Very interesting.

Mariano over History:

All four Yankee wins ended with Mariano Rivera on the mound. Rivera’s legend was accentuated in a post-season where blown saves were the latest fad. It wasn’t just Brad Lidge’s nightmare inning. A dominant John Papelbon also got tagged for three runs despite not blowing a save in over two months while posting an 0.94 ERA over his previous 18 appearances. Joe Nathan hadn’t blown a save over a month until his first post-season inning rendevous with ARod. How did the Dodgers season end? See Jonathan Broxton. How did LA beat the Cards? With help from Ryan Franklin. The Angel’s Brian Fuentes? Yup, he blew one too. Do we really need to get into Huston Street? For those scoring at home, every single playoff team had a closer collapse assist them out of the playoffs …except the Yankees.

After 133 postseason innings with a 0.74 ERA spanning over 15 years, it is time to drop all of the qualifiers like best post-season reliever. There is a grand canyon between Rivera and all other relievers (yes, Trevor Hoffman also bombed in post-season) that exists for no other position in baseball or possibly sports. Even saying best post-season pitcher might be inaccurate (only Bob Gibson is in that discussion). What might be most accurate is to state that Mariano Rivera is the best post-season player that the game has ever seen.

And that’s why the Yankees Beat the Phils…

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on their 27th World series title.

The series was comprised of various man-a-mano storylines that told the bigger story (besiiiiiides the money!). Here they were:

1) Girardi over Charlie:

Referring to Yankee manager Joe Girardi’s decision to start three pitchers on three day’s rest, PTI’s Tony Kornheiser yelled into the camera, “If the Yankees lose the World Series, Joe Girardi should be fired!”  Many other pundits continued on for days as if pitching on three days rest was something that even David Blaine should never attempt at home.  As it turns out, Girardi should be praised for managing the World Series like it were well — the final games of the year — a lesson learned from his old manager Joe Torre.  Both Sabathia and Pettitte turned in solid performances despite the short rest. Meanwhile, Charlie Manuel might spend the whole off-season wondering what might have happened if he started Cliff Lee in Game 3 and nullified a second decent outing by CC. If you lose with your best, off-season sleep comes much easier.

2) CC over Cliff Lee:

The stat sheet technically says otherwise, and Lee was undeniably dominant for the Phils. However, only one former Cleveland Indian really wanted the ball on three days rest, and some more fire on Lee’s part may have changed the complexion of the series. There are times to demand the ball and force your manager to say no.

3) Matsui over Martinez:

Had Philadelphia had home field advantage, Pedro could have ended up 2-0 instead of 0-2 because pitching in Philadelphia meant no DH — which meant no Hidecki Matsui! Besides Matsui, Pedro baffled the Yankees with 88 mph fastballs and 72 mph change-ups. The crafty old man really pitched quite well – even to Matsui whose first home run in Game 2 was on a very tough breaking ball low and inside. This would stick in his memory as four games later he would throw Hideki nothing but fastballs in an 8-pitch at-bat that ended with another pivotal home run.  Subtract Matsui’s five RBIs, and Pedro only lets up only two runs (one after he left game) in three post-season outings.  Oh and on his way to winning the World Series MVP, Matsui swatted a measley .615…

4) Pettitte over Hamels: 

The battle over the #3 starters and past World Series heroes was no contest. Ol’ reliable Andy scores two big wins, and Cole is relieved the series is finally over.

5) Damon over Lidge: 

Call it “The At-Bat”. Johnny Damon nicked or fouled off pitch after pitch against a seemingly dominant Lidge before finally singling with two outs in the 9th inning of a pivotal Game 4. Then he stole second base. On the same play he notice 3rd base was not covered and had the immediate werewithal to take it. The play was huge as a potential wild pitch would now cause a run. As announcer Joe Buck pointed out, Lidge could no longer afford to liberally throw his nasty slider which would often find the dirt. Enter ARod.

6) ARod over Howard:

These RBI machines both dominated the playoffs in historic fashion leading up until the World Series, and this was the leading preview narrative. But only one would come up clutch in the World Series. The Game 3 home-run off the camera was huge, and the double off Lidge put the final nail in the coffin of all the ARod haters. And despite a low World Series average, he quietly posted a .426 World Series on-base percentage (higher than Chase Utleys!). Had ARod had Howard’s World Series, Mike Lupica would have had his next 365 columns already written. But he too will have to come up with a new idea.

7) Jeter over JRoll:

Did the blandest interview in sports actually talk a little trash after the series victory? You bet. After the victory he said, “You know, we heard a lot of predictions coming into this series”. Derek was referring to his fellow all-star short-stop and friend Jimmy Rollins who predicted a 5-game Phillies victory. Jeter’s World Series average? .407. Rollins? .217

Cano over Chase: 

Okay, not quite! After swatting 204 hits during the regular season, Robinson Cano flat out disappeared. Meanwhile Chase Utley was the Phillies only Kryptonite to Super Sabathia. While Utley will go down in the history books by tying Reggie Jackson’s World Series record of five home runs, his series heroics were a little bit misleading. In games he hit, he completely dominated. At the same time, Utley actually went hitless in three separate World Series games. Very interesting.

9) Mariano over History:

All four Yankee wins ended with Mariano Rivera on the mound. Rivera’s legend was accentuated in a post-season where blown saves were the latest fad. It wasn’t just Brad Lidge’s nightmare inning. A dominant John Papelbon also got tagged for three runs despite not blowing a save in over two months while posting an 0.94 ERA over his previous 18 appearances. Joe Nathan hadn’t blown a save over a month until his first post-season inning rendevous with ARod. How did the Dodgers season end? See Jonathan Broxton. How did LA beat the Cards? With help from Ryan Franklin. The Angel’s Brian Fuentes? Yup, he blew one too. Do we really need to get into Huston Street? For those scoring at home, every single playoff team had a closer collapse assist them out of the playoffs …except the Yankees.

Last year I wrote about Mariano’s Place Amongst the Yankee Gods. What is his place in the post-season? After 133 postseason innings with a 0.74 ERA spanning over 15 years, it is time to drop all of the qualifiers like best post-season reliever. There is a grand canyon between Rivera and all other relievers (yes, Trevor Hoffman also fell apart in post-season twice despite only 13 total innings) that exists for no other position in baseball or possibly sports. Even saying best post-season pitcher might be inaccurate (only Bob Gibson is in that discussion). What might be most accurate is to state that Mariano Rivera is the best post-season player that the game has ever seen.

And that’s why the Yankees Beat the Phils…

this is a quickie fan post folks. With apologies to Cub fans everywhere… it has been way too long.

Bring on the defending champions.

Bring on Pedro’s career renaissance…

Bring on Brad Lidge’s post-season renaissance…

Bring on Cliff Lee’s curveball…

in a duel with CC that only a Cleveland Indians fan could hate…

Bring on Cole Hamels too…

Bring on Ryan Howard’s power…

Bring on JRoll’s speed…

Bring on that growth under Jayson Werth’s lip…

and tell Utley to Chase this…

and tell the team that this ain’t the Devil Rays

while you bring on #27.

We’ve got ourselves a series!

They are two of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

These Hall-of-Famers waged fierce battles against each other.

But only one of them would be selected to the 1992 Dream Team.

And only now would we learn about the real story of the friendship between Isiah Thomas…

and John Stockton.

Some folks were surprised last month when John chose Isiah to present him at his Hall-of-Fame induction speech – an honor Joe Dumars also once bestowed on Thomas a few years earlier.  Said Stockton,

“We’ve had some tough battles, but one thing I know for sure is that he has showed up many times in my life and made a major impact for me, and a lot of it is behind the scenes”.

Stockton — who also credits Thomas with having “changed my entire view of basketball” — echoed the same off-court theme a few days earlier:

“He’s done some things behind the scenes that people don’t know about,… I’m certainly not going to talk about them now … but he’s shown a lot of class.”

Did he say, “A lot of class?” … was Stockton talking about THAT Isiah?

That the intensely private Stockton would not openly shed details of Isiah’s mentorship was not surprising. Neither was the mass media’s decision to ignore the intriguing off-court connection between the two greatest small point guards to ever play the game (not yet, Mr. Paul!).

Of course, the greatest point guard of any size is Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

In the upcoming book “When the Game Was Ours” (co-written with Larry Bird and author Jackie MacMullen) Johnson’s criticisms of Thomas have made headlines when Stockton’s praise didn’t make one line. Johnson writes that his friendship with Thomas deteriorated because he believes that Isiah was spreading rumors about his sexuality when he announced that he was HIV positive in 1991. Magic also goes on to admit that he joined with Michael Jordan and others in blackballing Thomas from the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, saying, “Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics. Nobody on that team wanted to play with him.”

Whether true or not, if Magic sincerely believed that Thomas was spreading false rumors about his sexuality, one could understand the downturn in their friendship. That Johnson never expressed these feelings privately to Thomas is far more difficult to grasp. In an extended interview with Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen, Isiah would answer back:

“I’m really hurt, and I really feel taken advantage of for all these years, … I’m totally blindsided by this. Every time that I’ve seen Magic, he has been friendly with me. Whenever he came to a Knick game, he was standing in the tunnel [to the locker room] with me.… I didn’t know he felt this way.’…I wish he would have had the courage to say this stuff to me face to face, as opposed to writing it in some damn book to sell and he can make money off it.”

Magic – always the entrepreneur – violated more than a few ethical codes by using a book to air his grievances. Also, by stating that “nobody” on the Olympic Team wanted Isiah on it as opposed to speaking only for himself, he also put those 1992 teammates in a very precarious position.

What is less known is that Isiah Thomas has been an uncelebrated leader in educating the public around being HIV+. Before Magic’s historic announcement, Isiah’s own brother was diagnosed with HIV, and died of AIDS five years ago. Says Thomas:

“They weren’t going to let Magic play in the All-Star Game; all the players were coming out [against him]. You know how that all got turned around? I had a meeting with all of the players — because I was president of the players’ association — and I told them not only was he going to play, but we were going to shake his hand and give him a hug. And I was the first to shake his hand and hug him and give him a kiss, to let people know that’s not how the virus is spread.”

Not only did Thomas call the meeting, but he followed through with that deliberately demonstrative embrace.  In 2009, his gesture may not mean much, but in 1992 it was huge given the dangerous amount of myths surrounding HIV and AIDS. Isiah would let Karl Malone, all the other players, and America know that Magic and every other person who had contracted HIV+ is alright to show love.

Thomas has never received lasting media credit for his strong social leadership. When it comes to issues around homosexuality, Isiah turned up again. When former NBA player John Amaechi revealed that he was gay, many in the NBA were asked “if the NBA is ready for an openly-gay player”. While Tim Hardaway hated, and Lebron James fumbled, no one NBA player or executive answered the question better than Thomas:

“I can’t speak for somebody else’s locker room, but if it’s mine, we won’t have a problem.”

… “Sports have always been the testing ground for what society will or won’t accept.”

Thomas is historically correct. As a player, when Isiah publically embraced Magic, it was the HIV+ acceptance equivalent to Pee Wee Reese famously putting his hand on Jackie Robinson’s shoulder. As an executive, when Thomas took his hard-line stance on homosexuality, he was channeling Branch Rickey famously trading away the three Dodger players who refused to accept Robinson as an equal teammate in 1947.

But such details get in the way of cartoon narratives. And you know the story.

Magic Johnson is the hero.

And Isiah Thomas is the villain.

And once a media narrative is set, it takes an act of God to reverse the curse.

Not convinced?

Check out how ESPN’s Around The Horn crew would perceive Magic’s various breaches of etiquette:

– Woody Paige: “Isiah Thomas should have kept his mouth shut… Once again, Isiah Thomas, the one who has always made trouble is doing it again!”

– Tim Cowlishaw: “As Woody said, I’m sure Jackie [MacMullen] called him. I’m sure he didn’t return the call. He had the opportunity to do something about it… We’ve learned not to trust Isiah Thomas over the last 20 years”

– Jemele Hill: “I think that there might be a little bit of professional jealousy as well [on Isiah’s part]

Huh?

What?

So who wrote that book again?

Thomas – who was “blindsided” — obviously did not know the details of the book, but since he didn’t return calls to be interviewed, he – and not Magic – was the troublemaker!

Wow.

Just wow.

I have written at length of Isiah’s unfair media treatment as a General Manager, but his treatment off-the-court  may be even more egregious (see article titles like “The Devil Wears Nikes). In each case, his biggest crime has been:

Isiah Thomas does not kiss media ass.

This is why 20 years can endure with bogus or overstated stories about MJ’s “all-star game freeze-out”, Larry Bird’s whiteness, and CBA collapses, while his behind-the-scenes stories remain well, behind the scenes.

Yet how many people knew before now that Thomas facilitated Magic’s 1992 return to the All-Star Game (not me!)? How many people knew that when Stephon Marbury launched his revolutionary $15 sneaker line, he gave great credit to Thomas for his off-the-court inspiration? How many knew before this article how much Thomas – the media image of arrogance — meant to John Stockton – the media image of humility.

Who knew?

Ironically, the Stockton-Isiah Hall-of-Fame pairing was hijacked by Michael Jordan’s “Speech Heard ‘Round the World”. For some MJ’s speech was petty, vindictive, and pulled the covers off “the real Michael Jordan”. For others, it simply revealed the expected off-court character flaws that are so often associated from such single-minded greatness. What was really exposed – once again – was the absurdity that is media-propped sports heroes where no flaws exist. Michael – like Brett Favre the last couple of years – went off the script. Their selfishness was put on display for all to see. But Michael and Brett – like Magic Johnson — will pay no long-term price.

Not when smiles can so easily replace substance.

Not when scripts have been seared into our brains for so long.

And not when you have eternal villains like Isiah Thomas to kick around.

 
Over a week has gone by since the news broke that Rush Limbaugh is part of a bid to purchase the St. Louis Rams, and the reactions are in. NFL player Mathias Kiwanuka immediately condemned Limbaugh’s many statements as “flat out racist”. A few other players joined in and The New York Daily News headline began with a race qualifier:

– “Black NFL players crush prospect of playing for a Rush Limbaugh-owned St. Louis Rams”

The story, and the qualifier, were repeated in many more articles, TV spots, and blogs which soon morphed into a new debate:

– “Will Black Players Refuse to Play for Limbaugh?”

And if the discussion focus wasn’t black enough, soon came this one from ESPN via AP:

– “Sharpton Seeks Rejection of Limbaugh” (plus thousands of bigoted comments)

Meanwhile almost all of the harsh criticism and columns have come via African-American journalists none more consistent than SOMM’s D.K. Wilson in leading that charge.  TV pundit Michael Wilbon would add of Limbaugh:

“He is universally reviled by black people in this country – and justifiably so”.

So now that we have heard sentiments about “black people”, columns from black journalists, and reactions from many current and retired “black NFL players”, a serious question need to be asked:

How did opposition to Rush Limbaugh ownership become exclusively “a black thing”? 

Where do “white people” stand on this? 

Where are the direct denunciations from white sports writers? …Besides Dave Zirin!. And what do white NFL players think? Do we even know?… Have we even asked? …And if not, why not? …Are admirable character traits like “community responsibility” and “anti-racism” only to be demanded from African-American athletes?

While this deafening white silence [1] has Howard Cosell howling in his grave, DeMaurice Smith — the NFL Players Association’s Executive Director –is doing their job for them by encouraging NFL players to speak out “with candor and blunt honesty about how they feel.” Mr. Smith made no qualifier of the player’s race. Taking Smith’s lead, wouldn’t sports writers seek out those whose voices carry the greatest influence? There is simply no greater social standing in sports than the great white quarterback, and Donovan McNabb can only nail two of the three criteria.  So the question becomes:

What does Brett Favre think?

Favre’s voice could have a social impact like no other sports figure. He is football’s most iconic active player, and is also a country-boy born and raised in Mississippi  – a state whose ugly racial history is well-documented. Would Favre use his  voice to “reduce the hate” at a time where mass racial hatred is as publicly visible as any time since the 1960s? Or would he be more concerned that “racists buy Wranglers too”?

What does Tom Brady think?

As a member of the Republican Party, he is in a prime position to throw his greatest pass. By denouncing Limbaugh’s ownership bid, Brady can prove that Rush does not own him — unlike the congressman in his party. Brady can make an incredibly powerful statement that racism and Republicanism do not have to share the same bed, and that hatred and bigotry should never be reduced to a “political issue” alongside alternate viewpoints on deficit reduction or campaign finance reform.

What does Kurt Warner think?

Warner – who once led the St. Louis Cardinals to its only Super Bowl – is also a well-known devout Christian committed to spreading the principles. Does Rush Limbaugh reflect those principles? Warner’s words could send a much-needed message to fellow Christians that Limbaugh’s racism is an anti- Christian perversion of his religion.

Peyton Manning? Ben Roethlisberger? Tony Romo?

Will they use their special clout (okay — maybe not Romo!) to oppose the ownership bid of a man who says:  “The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There — I said it.”? …There — he said it.  …So what’s the response Mr. Manning? Despite the uniform blue, the guess is that Rush was not referring to you as a Crip. Do YOU also see gang members when you return to the huddle?  I doubt that you do, but your silence just might help confirm that Rush was correct when he also said:

”They are 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?”

It’s an important question worth exploring.

Many African-American writers and players have publicly taken the lead, but few whites are following.   This white complacency is especially dangerous in a climate of racial backlash that has included a clearly noticeable rise of a media, message boards, and protest rally signs that are all well — “flat-out racist”. That guns and assassination threats accompany these rallies while a well-documented militia movement makes a Warner-esque comeback just emphasizes that these are not times to sit on fences. Check this title out from a white supremacist website:   

“Black NFL Players Won’t Play For A Rush Limbaugh Rams Team Because He’s White“

“Because He’s White”… Hmmm. …When white people choose to stay warm on the sidelines instead of block in the trenches, then messages get mixed, racists get rewarded, and those who fight racism somehow become the racists themselves. White silence is and has always been racism’s best friend. Just pick up an American history book.

As has often been the case, sports can still lead society. One way is for white writers – including myself – to end the “role-model” double-standard, and never spend another second over Michael’s meekness, Tiger’s timidity, or Lebron’s greater interest in dinero than Darfur [2]. Such energy is better focused on the role-model influence ALL athletes, and helping white players to better understand the power of their greatness, and the privilege of their whiteness. The latter assumes that white writers understand the privilege of our own.

There is a reason why most sports fans could probably name at least 5-10 African-American athletes who have used their standing, money, time, and activism to change our society before a single white American athlete comes to mind? (Note: Steve Nash is Canadian!). One general reason is that white journalists and white society, never request off-the-field greatness from them. Simply put, the great white athlete suffers from “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”

But…

What if Brett Favre said: “If making my final comeback meant playing for Rush Limbaugh, I would have stayed retired.”

What if Tom Brady said: “Politics are to be debated, but racism is to be condemned. Rush Limbaugh does not speak for me, and he has no place in the NFL.”

To his credit Kurt Warner recently said: 

 “I believe that the Lord has a plan for each of us that’s better than anything we can imagine–even if that plan isn’t obvious to us at every stage… “Whether I’m a Super Bowl Champion or a regular guy stocking groceries at the Hy-Vee, sharing my faith and glorifying Jesus is the central focus of my time on this earth. And the fact that I now have a podium, I believe, is no coincidence. I want to be a role model for Christ in everything that I do. Living my life for Him and showing people the beauty of that reality is my mission in life.”

Kurt, you still have the podium, and Rush Limbaugh wants to purchase your old franchise.

What Would Jesus Do?

Maybe one day a sports writer might even ask you that question.

“The opposite of hate is not love, it’s indifference” – Elie Wiesel

[1] A positive development against “the white wall of silence” comes via Colts owner Jim Irsay who said: “I, myself, couldn’t even consider voting for him [Limbaugh]… When there are comments that have been made that are inappropriate, incendiary and insensitive … our words do damage, and it’s something that we don’t need.” Kudos to Irsay, and hopefully some white dominoes might start falling.

[2] The suggestion is not that African-American athletes shouldn’t use their standing to make a difference off-the-field, but just that those expectations are often better left to the discretion of concerned African-American journalists. One example of an in-depth historical analysis is “40 Million Dollar Slaves” by William C. Rhoden.

DWil Has Been on the Limbaugh Scene:

 “It’s my turn to shine” — Floyd Mayweather to Max Kellerman

My recent recap of the Floyd Mayweather-Marquez focused on common media misconceptions around the fight itself.  Here are some post-fight misconception leftovers…

1) Floyd Gets Taylor Swift-Boated by Max Kellerman in Post-fight Interview:

Originally I was going to breakdown a detailed play-by-play of the multiple ways that Max Kellerman messed up that post-fight interview… his choice of questions; his mike-hogging; his timing with bringing Shane and the Golden Boy team into the mix (he should have waited to the end of interview);  his poor handling once he did; his refusal to allow Floyd speak his peace; his personalizing of Floyd’s comments; his robbing of Floyd’s moment; his robbing the audience of fight-hype; his amnesia of that Journalism 101 rule that it is never really about the reporter; and his complete bitch-ass unprofessionalism in his final closing comments once he left the ring…

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Internet. Besides a couple of articles blaming Mayweather (I expected more), Max has been taking a pretty good beating throughout the blogosphere. So it all has been said about Max. After reading many reviews, I have now come full circle and will take up for Max a bit. Why?  Because many of Kellerman’s critics and boxing message boards are using the occasion to suggest the incredible, the unthinkable, and the unacceptable – that the universe is somehow better off with Larry Merchant doing HBO post-fight interviews! As I read this suggestion multiple times, all I could say in super slow-motion is:

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Listen, Max utterly messed up that interview. There is no way around it. After Floyd called him out, he felt publicly embarrassed in front of millions, lost his head, and got defensive about it.  Having stated that, Max will learn, grow, and definitely bounce back. (An apology to Floyd on Jay Leno might be nice!).  IMHO, journalists should be judged against their overall record, and not in their worst moments (we all have them). Max is one of mainstream’s best reporters. Up until this weekend he was one of the very few boxing reporters who was not only fair with Floyd, but in his boxing commentary, and his overall sports coverage. He is also one of the few in mainstream to routinely take unpopular opinions.  Max is the best announcer on the HBO team, and wishing for Larry Merchant is like asking that George Bush still be president because you disagree with the details in Obama’s latest health care proposal. 

2) Who’s “Ducking” Who?: The Smoking Gun on Sugar Shane 

I have no criticism against Sugar Shane Mosley entering the ring to drum up fight interest with Floyd on Saturday. Great marketing attempt for a man who is unfortunately the odd-man out amongst the great welterweight foursome (see Pacquiao-Cotto) . In actuality, it was Bernard Hopkins who escalated the situation anyway. Before that Floyd and Shane were cordially shaking hands. 

Having stated, ever since Mayweather announced his comeback a tired refrain has been growing about Floyd ducking Shane for all these years. Well, enough is enough. Please go directly to the 6:30 MARKER OF THIS VIDEO directly after Shane’s win over Fernando Vargas.

Can anyone watch this and honestly say that Shane was a man eager to step into the ring with Floyd Mayweather?

I love Shane, but let’s please put the revisionist history to rest.

3) The Missing Headline: “Classy Mayweather Pummels Marquez“

Pop Quiz: So when is Mayweather described as “classy”?

Answer: When someone other than an American journalist is writing the headline.

The above title comes by way of the BBC, and confirms Floyd’s recent statements about receiving more love in England (and other countries)than in America. In the U.S., we get columns with these titles (yes, ESPN):

• Pre-fight: “Mayweather Needs to Grow Up” (it would take another column to dissect the inaccuracies)
• Post-fight: “Floyd Masterful, but Why No KO?” (only a 59%-12% disparity in connect rate?)

The BBC title referenced Mayweather’s post-fight praise for Marquez which can only be accurately described as well — “classy”. Here was some of his words for Marquez:

• “I would like to… thank all of the Marquez fans”
• “He’s tough, he’s tough as nails”
• “I take my hat off to him”
• “He’s one helluva fighter”

It is actually quite common for Mayweather to be “classy” with his opponents after his fights. Why not-so-classy before the fights? 

It’s the promotion stupid!!!  

As DWil recently elaborated, the problem goes quite a bit deeper than that.

4) That’s Mr. Marquez to You!

And in contrast…

In his post-fight interview, Lampley introduced Marquez as “the very dignified Mexican warrior”.  You know, unlike the undignified other guy… But there was just one problem with the interview:

It clearly lacked dignity. 

Via HBO’s translator, here are Marquez’ responses to Lampley’s first two questions about the fight

• “obviously the difference was the weight and the difference was quite considerable”
• “if I had two or three fights in this weight class, it would have been a different story”

Very dignified? Not quite. …And also not true.  

As elaborated in the fight recap, there is no possible way that weight difference could begin to explain this total domination. It might explain a fraction of it, but Mayweather proved that he would own Marquez at any weight in any division at anytime. Despite Mayweather’s repeated praise, Marquez chose excuses over accolades for Floyd when “obviously the difference was the skill and the difference was quite considerable”.

And as DWil might say — no media member said “diddley-pooh” about “the behavior” of ”the very dignified” Marquez.

Now I wonder (not really) how media criticism would play out if Floyd had hypothetically:  1) moved up out of his weight class to fight at 154 pounds; 2) Faced a fighter like say, Oscar de La Hoya; and 3) lost that fight in a completely one-sided fashion, and 4) then blamed it all on the weight.

Would the boxing or sports community or media accept such a response? All of you Mayweather critics — would you accept that hypothetical reply without social commentary on, at minimum, Floyd’s “character”, and maybe even ”the loss of civility” amongst athletes today?

Stop. 

Think.

Reflect.

The facts are this.

After the fight one man was classy and one man was not — and yet no mainstream journalist in America can actually tell us who was who.

Perhaps you can’t either.

Now tell me why that is? 

 “It’s my turn to shine” — Floyd Mayweather to Max Kellerman

My recent recap of the Floyd Mayweather-Marquez focused on common media misconceptions around the fight itself.  Here are some post-fight misconception leftovers…

1) Floyd Gets Taylor Swift-Boated by Max Kellerman in Post-fight Interview:

Originally I was going to breakdown a detailed play-by-play of the multiple ways that Max Kellerman messed up that post-fight interview… his choice of questions; his mike-hogging; his timing with bringing Shane and the Golden Boy team into the mix (he should have waited to the end of interview);  his poor handling once he did; his refusal to allow Floyd speak his peace; his personalizing of Floyd’s comments; his robbing of Floyd’s moment; his robbing the audience of fight-hype; his amnesia of that Journalism 101 rule that it is never really about the reporter; and his complete bitch-ass unprofessionalism in his final closing comments once he left the ring…

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Internet. Besides a couple of articles blaming Mayweather (I expected more), Max has been taking a pretty good beating throughout the blogosphere. So it all has been said about Max. After reading many reviews, I have now come full circle and will take up for Max a bit. Why?  Because many of Kellerman’s critics and boxing message boards are using the occasion to suggest the incredible, the unthinkable, and the unacceptable – that the universe is somehow better off with Larry Merchant doing HBO post-fight interviews! As I read this suggestion multiple times, all I could say in super slow-motion is:

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Listen, Max utterly messed up that interview. There is no way around it. After Floyd called him out, he felt publicly embarrassed in front of millions, lost his head, and got defensive about it.  Having stated that, Max will learn, grow, and definitely bounce back. (An apology to Floyd on Jay Leno might be nice!).  IMHO, journalists should be judged against their overall record, and not in their worst moments (we all have them). Max is one of mainstream’s best reporters. Up until this weekend he was one of the very few boxing reporters who was not only fair with Floyd, but in his boxing commentary, and his overall sports coverage. He is also one of the few in mainstream to routinely take unpopular opinions.  Max is the best announcer on the HBO team, and wishing for Larry Merchant is like asking that George Bush still be president because you disagree with the details in Obama’s latest health care proposal. 

2) Who’s “Ducking” Who?: The Smoking Gun on Sugar Shane 

I have no criticism against Sugar Shane Mosley entering the ring to drum up fight interest with Floyd on Saturday. Great marketing attempt for a man who is unfortunately the odd-man out amongst the great welterweight foursome (see Pacquiao-Cotto) . In actuality, it was Bernard Hopkins who escalated the situation anyway. Before that Floyd and Shane were cordially shaking hands. 

Having stated, ever since Mayweather announced his comeback a tired refrain has been growing about Floyd ducking Shane for all these years. Well, enough is enough. Please go directly to the 6:30 MARKER OF THIS VIDEO directly after Shane’s win over Fernando Vargas.

Can anyone watch this and honestly say that Shane was a man eager to step into the ring with Floyd Mayweather?

I love Shane, but let’s please put the revisionist history to rest.

3) The Missing Headline: “Classy Mayweather Pummels Marquez“

Pop Quiz: So when is Mayweather described as “classy”?

Answer: When someone other than an American journalist is writing the headline.

The above title comes by way of the BBC, and confirms Floyd’s recent statements about receiving more love in England (and other countries)than in America. In the U.S., we get columns with these titles (yes, ESPN):

• Pre-fight: “Mayweather Needs to Grow Up” (it would take another column to dissect the inaccuracies)
• Post-fight: “Floyd Masterful, but Why No KO?” (only a 59%-12% disparity in connect rate?)

The BBC title referenced Mayweather’s post-fight praise for Marquez which can only be accurately described as well — “classy”. Here was some of his words for Marquez:

• “I would like to… thank all of the Marquez fans”
• “He’s tough, he’s tough as nails”
• “I take my hat off to him”
• “He’s one helluva fighter”

It is actually quite common for Mayweather to be “classy” with his opponents after his fights. Why not-so-classy before the fights? 

It’s the promotion stupid!!!  

As DWil recently elaborated, the problem goes quite a bit deeper than that.

4) That’s Mr. Marquez to You!

And in contrast…

In his post-fight interview, Lampley introduced Marquez as “the very dignified Mexican warrior”.  You know, unlike the undignified other guy… But there was just one problem with the interview:

It clearly lacked dignity. 

Via HBO’s translator, here are Marquez’ responses to Lampley’s first two questions about the fight

• “obviously the difference was the weight and the difference was quite considerable”
• “if I had two or three fights in this weight class, it would have been a different story”

Very dignified? Not quite. …And also not true.  

As elaborated in the fight recap, there is no possible way that weight difference could begin to explain this total domination. It might explain a fraction of it, but Mayweather proved that he would own Marquez at any weight in any division at anytime. Despite Mayweather’s repeated praise, Marquez chose excuses over accolades for Floyd when “obviously the difference was the skill and the difference was quite considerable”.

And as DWil might say — no media member said “diddley-pooh” about “the behavior” of ”the very dignified” Marquez.

Now I wonder (not really) how media criticism would play out if Floyd had hypothetically:  1) moved up out of his weight class to fight at 154 pounds; 2) Faced a fighter like say, Oscar de La Hoya; and 3) lost that fight in a completely one-sided fashion, and 4) then blamed it all on the weight.

Would the boxing or sports community or media accept such a response? All of you Mayweather critics — would you accept that hypothetical reply without social commentary on, at minimum, Floyd’s “character”, and maybe even ”the loss of civility” amongst athletes today?

Stop. 

Think.

Reflect.

The facts are this.

After the fight one man was classy and one man was not — and yet no mainstream journalist in America can actually tell us who was who.

Perhaps you can’t either.

Now tell me why that is?