THE BEAUTIFUL GAME AND THE NOT SO BEAUTIFUL

This weekend and the next couple of weeks will represent the best and the worst of Sport. On one hand, you have the kick off of the 2010 World Cup, the greatest international sporting event we have, and the attempt by Zenyatta to set the modern day Thoroughbred wins-in-a-row record and attempt to stay undefeated. On the other hand, you have ugly, looming contract holdouts and suspensions of football players. There is a need to discuss this pendulum swing of issues.

The ANALYSIS is, first and foremost, a forum for discussion about the NFL. So that is where I must start. June on the NFL Calendar is like Yuma, Arizona…in the middle of nowhere. The season is months away, the Draft but a fond memory. However, this year, June has taken on an ugly and unwelcome twist. Because of the craziness surrounding the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the likelihood of a lockout and/or strike next March, contract negotiations are complex and dirty.

In previous posts, I have explained my limited knowledge of how this works. For players who are not already signed to multi-year deals, teams offer “tenders” for one year deals in lieu of signing players to long term, lucrative contracts. For some who have been in the League long enough, this can be a windfall (read: Sproles, who signed his one year deal for $7 million). For other key players who don’t meet tenure thresholds, this is viewed as a slight, as penny pinching, and as unfair. The Chargers originally had 5 such players: Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill, Malcom Floyd, Shawne Merriman, and Travis Johnson. Floyd and Johnson have signed their tenders, have reported for camp, and are with the team. Sources say that Merriman will sign his because he knows he only has one year left with the Bolts and he will look to make this year his “audition” for a long term deal with another team. That leaves Jackson and McNeil, and this is where it gets ugly. The team reportedly set a deadline of June 15 for these two to sign their tenders or the offer gets drastically reduced. Keep in mind, both players can sign now for over $3 million for this coming year. More than they made last year. The players have said they will hold out, miss training camp, and miss the season if necessary. Their agents say the same thing. Now, as a dedicated blogger I suppose I should read the fine print to determine what the real deal is. I should research why this type of stance by these players could be viewed as smart in any universe. With a lockout looming, and the League’s union telling players to save their money, the future of massive deals is up in the air. Is turning your back on over $3 million for one year of work in this environment smart? I don’t get it. And, I refuse to read the fine print. At the end of the day…I am a fan. And all of us are the real losers in this stuff as greed and ego take over.

Now, the team and AJ Smith cannot be let off the hook here. These are literally two of the team’s best players. Maybe the two most crucial to Rivers’ success…his best receiver (sorry Gates) and his primary blocker. I understand the reticence to sign Jackson right now, the guy has 2 DUIs, he has had off field issues. But, he is becoming one of the best receivers in the League. Led the League in yards per catch last year…and he is a matchup nightmare. But…I get it…he needs to prove to the team he can be an adult. McNeil is harder to grasp. This guy is a stud. Always shows up, plays hurt and plays well. He has been a rock on a line that has had a lot of injuries and issues. Why wait with him? You got Rivers long term…you need a left tackle long term. I’m confused.

Anyway, at the end of the day it looks to be a long wait. The team has readied itself to play without these guys. They signed a veteran tackle yesterday (Tra Thomas) and they have three rookie wide receivers in camp to take over for Jackson. Oh well, it is one step forward one step back with the Chargers.

On to my second “not so beautiful issue”. I will make it quick. Jeremiah Masoli has been kicked off the Oregon Ducks football team for driving erratically and possession of weed. OK, lets review. Masoli walks on to the Duck football team a couple of years ago as a 5^th string quarterback. Through injuries and events he becomes the starter and is a phenom. Taking the Ducks to a huge Holiday Bowl win in his first year and then setting all sorts of records on the way to the Rose Bowl last year. Even though they lost the Rose Bowl, he was coming back for his senior year…on everyone’s Heisman candidate list. What does he do in the offseason?…gets suspended for stealing from a dorm room and shaking some guy down. While on suspension, but still on the team, he drives around with an open bag of weed in his car. Amazing. The bottom line: Most of these guys are stupid. Good riddance.

Now for the good stuff, the World Cup starts tomorrow. The best month sports can produce. The World tunes in at all sorts of crazy hours to watch the spectacle. Very few things can bring a country together….even fewer can bring the world together. And this is one of them. There was a great article in the paper today. South Africa had a publicized “5 minute celebration” at mid-day…where everyone was supposed to stop what they were doing, come outside and blow a horn, bang a drum, or shout in honor of the World Cup. Well, that 5 minute celebration became a national party, with spontaneous dancing and celebrating going on all over the country for hours. What else can do that? The end of a war?…..a popular presidential victory?  Maybe. Maybe only sports can bring so many disparate people together like that. Finally, a good story amid all of the negative crap that is out there about South Africa including crime, infrastructure problems, lack of crowds, and even the damn Ball to be used for the World Cup.

On to the US team. On paper, the US team should lose to England and beat Slovenia and Algeria. That should be enough to qualify them for the second round. Things never work like they do on paper though, do they? Can our team pull a shocker on Saturday? I am worried about the US defense…and their overall preparation for the game. I feel they lack the continuity needed to truly compete against England. I hope I am wrong, I hope England comes in with too much pressure…too much confidence….and gets surprised. If you look back at our success in the World Cup, it has often come from the element of surprise…we beat Colombia in 1994 because they took us lightly and we were in front of 90,000 fans in the Rose Bowl. We beat Portugal in 2002 because they came in overhyped and unorganized. We beat Mexico in 2002 because they were crowing about drawing a familiar opponent and we spanked them for it. We tied Italy because they took us lightly.

Despite this, the game on Saturday poses a massive opportunity for us to shock the World. To gain respect and to move the sport forward a bit. That game between the US and Colombia was a perfect example of how we can win. It was shown on ESPN Classic the other day. I was struck by how organized we were in that game. There were guys around the ball the whole game…we gave them no space…we counterattacked quickly and efficiently and we did not give up shots. That is exactly what we need. Player for player…we are better now. Our starting 11 is more talented. But can we truly be a team? England is world class…they will make their slashing runs…Rooney is a beast who can beat anyone one on one. They will get their set plays…which they are deadly at. We need to keep up huge intensity for 90 minutes. We need to support each other, stay organized,  and not let guys get into one on one battles. I believe our team can score goals. I don’t think England is particularly great on defense. But if we break down…especially early in the game….and give them open shots and set pieces…we are in deep trouble. Keep it close boys…even a one goal loss is not the end of the world. We have an obligation to play well against Slovenia and Algeria. Have fun on Saturday…wave the flag…GO USA!!!

And finally, on to Zenyatta. She won the Breeders Cup Classic last year against the boys in the most dramatic horse race I have ever witnessed. The crowd, the energy, the race call by Trevor Denman, the atmosphere. It was truly a special sports moment. Since then, she has won two more races in fine fashion….moving her record to 16 starts and 16 wins. She races Sunday at Hollywood Park. There are a couple of other good horses in there. She could get beat, it is a horse race after all, but there is a magic about her. She is one of the only positives in the sport of horse racing. A sport that is rapidly dying for many reasons that are the subject of a different day. For now, let’s just hope she wins again on Sunday….17 in a row. Her owners have said she will head to Del Mar for race number 18 in August if all is well. Let’s treasure that too if it happens. Like I said, there are a few beautiful things in Sports…and she is one of them. She does not know about Vincent Jackson’s contract, or college football players taking drugs, or the fact that the track she is running around is about to be demolished for more houses and strip malls. For a couple of minutes on Sunday, it will just be about a great athlete running around the track providing what sports should provide…….pure joy.