Doughty holdout ends, Kings sign defenseman for eight years

by Timothy Weisberg | Jul 27, 2012 | Blog

Sept. 30, 2011

It’s hard to have your cake and eat it too in the sports world.

The Los Angeles Kings found that out when they finally ended defenseman Drew Doughty’s holdout, signing the 21-year-old to an eight-year, $56 million deal that officially makes him the highest-paid player by annual salary on the Kings.

General Manager Dean Lombardi seemed pretty adamant about signing Doughty to less than or equal to the $6.8 million salary of Anze Kopitar, but they also have Doughty locked for eight seasons, ending any threats that the holdout would go into the regular season.

With training camp coming to an end and the Kings leaving for Europe on Saturday, it was apparent a deal needed to be reached.

The Kings had to make Doughty the highest paid Kings player, but also were able to get Doughty to sign for longer than the five-year deal he was looking for. That would not have sit well, considering both Kopitar and Doughty would have then been free agents in the same season.

And Doughty’s mark as the franchise player didn’t stop the Kings shopping spree this off-season. They also signed free-agent winger Simon Gagne for two years and $7 million, as well as taking on the final $51.2 million of Mike Richards’ contract.

The Kings truly believe they can make a strong playoff push, a long way since AEG bought the bankrupt team back in 1995.

Kings fans were upset, disgruntled and anxious over the uncertainty of Doughty, but that uncertainty is now over. What is uncertain is how strong of a front line the Kings will have with the addition of Richards and resigning Doughty.

“Our team is going to be great this year and I really just can’t wait to get there and hopefully everyone can put this in the past,” Doughty told the LA Times. “I know people are probably pretty angry at me, but things happen and I’m just really happy it’s done.”

So is Los Angeles. They’ll be even more angry if that guaranteed money makes Doughty flirt with complacency for eight years.

Let the games begin.

Arizona State burns Trojans for 43 in dominating win

by Timothy Weisberg | Sep 26, 2011 | Blog

Arizona State went all-black in a game against Missouri earlier in the season. A new look, new team, revamped!

The duel in the desert. Maybe you can call it Black Out, Part II. Maybe it was more of a Maroon Out. Either way, the Arizona State Sun Devils solidified themselves as a legitimate Pac-12 South contender, beating the USC Trojans for the first time since 1999.

12 years in the making, the game turned into a swirling landfill early, as a dust storm brought towering winds and lots of trash into the air. Plastic bags, napkins, you name it.

A symbolic, devastating twist to a sub-par night for the Trojans. Blown around in the dirt and heat. Nothing like a game-time temperature of 98 degrees in late September.

Just when the Sun Devils were looking at a blowout, holding a 21-9 lead at the half, Matt Barkley led the Trojans on three consecutive drives to take their first lead of the game, 22-21.

The Trojans struggled. They were abominable. Yet they were resilient. Yet when reaching the highest peak, they were blown down into the abyss of Sun Devil Stadium.

So maybe a dozen years is a long time, but complacency with a one-point lead is definitely an understatement.

“It’s great for this football team, their resilience,” said Sun Devils head coach Dennis Erickson. “We just weren’t going to lose.”

Or maybe it was the Trojans’ lack of resilience which had many believing the Trojans were simply not going to win.

Poor discipline, a lack of offensive leadership, and turnovers late in drives; the Trojans appeared to accept defeat less than three quarters in.

Late in the third quarter, running back Marc Tyler fumbled. Again in the fourth, Barkley fumbled. The Trojans’ four turnovers resulted in as many points for the Sun Devils (22) as points scored by the Trojans (22).

Then in either desperation or plain idiocy, Barkley lofted a ball up for grabs, only to have the Sun Devils’ Shelley Lyons return it 41 yards to wrap up the Trojans’ first defeat to the Sun Devils since the last millennium, and first defeat in Tempe since 1997.

The Sun Devils were always notorious for their lack of discipline and recklessness out on the field. Well, Trojans safety T.J. McDonals committed two personal fouls for unnecessary roughness less than 20 minutes apart.

Who has the lack of discipline now?

And when you’re not eligible for a bowl game, officially, yet unofficially winning the Pac-12 might make a statement that USC football is relevant again.

Instead, an ugly loss. But then again. Playing Minnesota, Utah and Syracuse to start your season isn’t much of a 3-0 start. Yes, the Golden Gophers lost on Saturday at home to FCS-North Dakota State.

Let the Black Out commence! Because one sack and dust storm later, Barkley and crew were stuck in a dark abyss.

“We’re 3-1, the season’s not over,” Trojans head coach Lane Kiffin said. “A lot of teams would like to be 3-1.”

But the season is over. It’s been over ever since every Saturday game turned into a bowl game for the program.

NCAA football: A monopsony at its finest

by Timothy Weisberg | Aug 30, 2011 | Blog

The NCAA ruled Tuesday that eight players on the Miami Hurricanes roster must sit out games and reimburse them for benefits they received if they ever want to play in a Hurricanes uniform.

One of the eight includes starting quarterback Jacoby Harris. According to ESPN.com reports, Harris must sit out one game and make repayments, Olivier Vernon will miss six games and must repay $1,200. Also, Ray Ray Armstrong and Dyron Dye will sit out four games, and four other players will sit out a game.

The suspensions are the direct result of allegations made by former booster Nevin Shapiro. Shapiro told Yahoo! Sports in a Aug. 16 article that he entertained players at his $6 million dollar home, took them to dinners, and held parties on his private yacht.

Shapiro also mentioned taking players to strip clubs, which is appalling beyond belief that the university would not only deny that they knew Shapiro, but also have the nerve to hand out suspensions to players for their actions.

What about the university’s complete disregard and lack of institutional control over a booster that was not only giving cash payments to players, but taking them to strip clubs?

And one player, Marcus Forston, received “entertainment at a gentleman’s club” according to ESPN.com’s report, and is suspended ONE game?

It’s clear now that the NCAA doesn’t want players to bite the hand that feeds them. A hand that serves up spoonful portions of food, which could potentially be full course meals if not for strict stipulations regarding compensation for players, the very reason we are in this mess.

It’s clear that the NCAA is running a monopsony.

For those of you not familiar with the economics term, it’s a market form where one buyer oversees many sellers. In this case, the NCAA is the buyer, taking in athletes for entertainment value, exploiting their talents for ticket, advertising, TV contract and merchandising revenue, ultimately dictating the terms of the suppliers, which in this scenario is the players.

A free education and opportunity to play college football, and we will make millions of revenue for your services.

It is strictly against the rules to receive any sort of impermissible benefits from a booster, let alone trips to a strip club for a 100 percent discount. These players should not be playing another down. The school should receive the death penalty for allowing a ponzi-scheme artist to come through unscathed and remain in contact with the players.

The infamous “Tattoo U,” in which five players were charged with selling memorabilia for tattoos and cash at Ohio State, witnessed the players get suspended for five games the NEXT year.

Heaven forbid the players are unable to compete against Akron or Toledo. But when there is a Sugar Bowl game where millions of revenue is to be received, it’s a whole different ballgame (no pun intended).

Because what happens when you suspend a player? It hurts the team, and hurts the school’s chances of revenue stream. The universities and NCAA are the biggest culprits of all, slapping players on the wrist by handing out dismal punishments for serious offenses.

Monopsony at its finest. Jacory Harris is a highly-touted NFL prospect who probably rakes in millions of dollars in revenue for the school simply being on the field. No wonder they hand out the most lenient punishments known to man.

Plaxico Burress goes to jail for two years for shooting himself in the leg, and the NCAA can turn a blind eye and then blame the players for taking in the benefits.

The players are far from saints, but it’s understandable why they may take that extra cash.

Shame on the University of Miami and shame on the NCAA. Negligence and exploitation is the biggest crime of all.

Losing and out of contention, Cubs fire GM Jim Hendry

by Timothy Weisberg | Aug 20, 2011 | Blog

The legacy of Steve Bartman lives on, in a negative way, pictured here trying to catch a foul ball in play. AP Photo

Baseball is a very superstitious sport.

Whether it’s a curse that trading the Great Bambino to the Yankees in 1918 resulted in 86 years without a title remains to be seen, but Cubs fans can’t help but blame Steve Bartman for the Cubs demise, and well, the firing of GM Jim Hendry Friday.

For those who do not know Steve Bartman, Mr. Bartman thanks you for having one less person that hates him.

In the eighth inning of game six of the 2003 NLCS, the Cubs were five outs away from a World Series, only for Bartman to prevent Moises Alou from catching a foul ball near the stands.

Eight runs later, the Cubs lost their 3-0 lead. Then they lost game seven, and Mr. Bartman had a target on him if he ever dared to veer into the North side of Chicago.

The Cubs even won back-to-back division championships in 2007 and 2008, and were favored to win a World Series for the first time since 1908.

They didn’t win a single playoff game. A $135 million payroll turned sour, and the losses piled on.

The Cubs finished fifth in the NL Central last year, and at 55-70 and 18.5 games back, are sitting just above the lowly Houston Astros in fifth place yet again.

So Hendry was told not to let the door hit him on the way out. Nine years on the North side, and no Hollywood ending. Only a bitter divorce from a once storied franchise.

Widely praised for landing third baseman Aramis Ramirez in 2003 and Nomar Garciaparra in 2004, along with former manager Lou Piniella, the bloated contracts haunted him, and led to his demise.

Let’s take a look at those contracts, ignoring the 2003 NLCS appearance and Piniella taking the Cubs to two straight division titles:

Alfonso Soriano seven years, $136 million; Aramis Ramirez five years, $75 million; Kosuke Fukodome four years, $48 million. But the ones that probably hurt the most are Carlos Zambrano’s five year, $91.5 million deal and Milton Bradley’s 3-year deal for $30 million.

Not welcomed back for 2012, it was an hour glass already half-empty waiting to fill when he asked to stay through the trade deadline.

“Not many get to be the GM for nine (years) without a world championship,” Hendry told the USA Today.

“So I got more than my fair chance to do that…”

Maybe there is a curse. 103 years and counting. Baseball remains very superstitious. Why?

Because a team loaded with talent was not expected to be this bad, and there is no reason why they should be this bad. Who would’ve thought Zambrano would clean out his locker in the middle of a game, or that Milton Bradley would be, well, Milton Bradley, playing them like the game company that bears his name.

Every GM makes his fair share of mistakes, whether it’s a prospect who never lives up to the hype, or a bloated contract they can’t get rid of.

However, 103 years is a long time to be disappointed, especially when a you have the sixth highest payroll that gives you ugly baseball.

Maybe the Cubs can pry Yankees GM Brian Cashman away from the Bronx. Either way, the Windy City just got a bit colder this summer.

Fifth place and out of contention. Going to give any fan the chills. Even in a very humid August.

College football: When passion turns to greed

by Timothy Weisberg | Aug 18, 2011 | Blog

Current and former Miami Hurricanes players were mentioned in allegations that a former booster provided impermissible benefits to 72 players from 2002-2010. Jeffrey Boan/AP

College football once existed. It was a sport that thrived at State U, where athletes played for pride, tradition, pageantry, and glory.

Saturday afternoons were illuminated with sunshine, marching bands and cheerleaders pumped up the home crowd. The atmosphere was unlike any other.

Now, it appears the NCAA can make mountains out of molehills, with dirt mounds of corruption mounted so high, the playing surface is no longer visible.

It’s no longer a game. Same….scandal, different day of the week.

The tradition is long gone. To put it in rapper Eminem’s words, “so paper thin, it simply blew away with the wind.”

Now, the college football is like the minor leagues. Players come with dreams of playing in the NFL, and fans come to watch the select superstars who will eventually get paid for their services…er…paid millions.

As the USA Today said, “Is it possible to be near a cesspool and not get splashed?”

Put on a rain jacket, and you still get soaked. The recent splash: the Miami Hurricanes. Not newcomers to embarrassing headlines, but nothing compared to what recent allegations have been unveiled.

Allegations by former booster Nevin Shapiro might as well have opened up the NCAA’s Pandora’s Box. Released the last bones in the closet nobody wanted to see.

Shapiro told Yahoo! Sports he disseminated cash, favors, perks, the whole nine yards (no pun intended) to a reportedly 72 former and current Hurricanes players from 2002 to 2010.

Money, trips on his yacht, prostitutes, pretty much anything the players desired. You would think you would have to call Eliot Spitzer for this, but Shapiro has the goods too.

Currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for a ponzi scheme, he claims he has the paper trail to prove it-financial records, photos, everything.

Included is a nice picture of Shapiro donating a $50,000 check to Miami president Donna Shalala.

So who do we believe? A convicted felon or university reps. You would think this would be an obvious answer, but now-a-days, pretty much every school it seems has been splashed by the cesspool of corruption.

Coast-to-coast. USC in the West; Miami and North Carolina on the East coast; Ohio State up north, Oklahoma and LSU in the south. The list goes on.

What’s the scenario? Everyone is a cheater, with not enough fingers to point at. So let’s play the blame game.

Blame boosters like Shapiro, who provide student-athletes barely legal with prostitutes and extra cash, and fail to understand the definition of “ethics.”

You can blame the players, who want to reap the benefits but hold on the responsibility. And don’t even bring up a possible pay-for-play scenario, or some kind of stipend people feel they should be obligated to have. These athletes aren’t innocent either.

They are cheaters too when they use prostitutes or sell memorabilia they won.

Add in an arbitrary NCAA rulebook that the NCAA might as well have written in Navajo, and there is a bleak future towards a stop to the madness.

Knute Rockne is turning in his grave, and the leather heads are in dismay.

Try stopping a flood with a mop. Not going to happen. The NCAA might do a lousy job catching the bad guys, but with so many to catch, can you blame them?

Everyone speeds, but do all the violators get caught? No.

If the rumors are true, should the Hurricanes receive the death penalty? In a perfect world, they should and would. Unfortunately, the NCAA lives in fantasy and would be lucky to give the Hurricanes the same penalties as USC-two-year postseason ban, 30 scholarships lost-for much more severe violations.

This is not the SMU of the 1980s. There are television deals and millions of revenue lost when a season is lost.

And you want to talk playoffs?! Where’s Jim Mora when you need him.

What the NCAA needs is an antibiotic to stop this virus. Maybe even a life-size anti-bacterial wipe. Because this cesspool is messy.