The Continued Insanity of Playing Your Starters In August
NFL experts, are slow learners.
The "conventional wisdom" of live, real tackle, pre-season games, is that your starters "have to" play at least "some" of them.
Experts say this. Not me.
The experts also made Jamarcus Russell a $40 million codeine addict. The experts can't figure out how to make a ham sandwich of Matt Leinart after 4 years in the league. The experts decided to give Derrick Ward and Antonio Bryant big free agent deals, and then CUT them even before the NFL's final blade to 53.
Experts. Uh huh.
The experts are idiots.
I hear this phrase echoed by average fans who call my radio show. "But Czabe, you can't just sit your stars the entire pre-season, they HAVE TO play a little bit, in order to get ready for the regular season."
When anybody says you "have to" play your starters in August, I always respond with: "... or WHAT?"
This is where the stammering begins.
"Or what, you FORFEIT?" "Or what, you'll get shut out?" "Or what, you might lose ONE game?"
The answer is: nobody really KNOWS what. Since no teams have ever taken the arguably sane approach to playing only rookies and free agent hopefuls in pre-season, we don't have any data to analyze properly.
If perhaps a dozen teams took this approach for the next 5 years, we'd have a nice set of 60 Week 1 results over that stretch, to say: So called "cautious" pre-season teams are just 23-37 in Week 1.
Or maybe it would reveal that "Cautious" teams are an impressive 42-18 on opening week. Lending credence to a theory that fresh and rested veterans - especially skill players - perform significantly better out of the gate than their slightly beaten up peers on other teams.
Until we have some hard data to look at, the notion that pre-season play for veterans is essential is nothing more than an old coaches hunch. It's the "way things have always been done."
Certainly, it is quite possible, that some players - especially Pro Bowl caliber veterans - will not miss a beat when the first live game begins in September.
Certain other positions, like running back and wide receiver, which tend to be more instinctive, and individual - and not as scheme or team-mate oriented as defense and offensive line - would likely be less affected by a player going into the regular season "cold", so to speak.
But again, it is not like Star Player A is not going to PRACTICE extensively leading up to the first game of the year. Of course they are.
So I ask, "how bad could they play, just because they don't suit up in August games?"
That's the only question teams should ask. What is the more important value:
a. A player being slightly more "in sync" or "in game shape" for ONE game of the year (the first?).
b. A player NOT getting an injury that causes him to miss time (or an entire season) in a game that doesn't count in the standings.
If you look at it strictly from a cost/benefit analysis standpoint, I just don't see how or why coaches cling to the old notion of playing stars in pre-season.
This season alone, there have been a variety of important players injured.
The Rams #1 wideout Donnie Avery blows out his knee running under an August bomb from new QB Sam Bradford. Necessary? Really??
You can say Avery could have done the same thing in practice. Sure. Possible. But much less likely. You can say he needed the live reps to get in tune with Bradford. But at the cost of his whole season?
Would the Rams trade having Avery and Bradford slightly out of whack on timing for say the first two games of the year, for what happened? Of course they would.
But football coaches - and experts - cling to old notions. They don't make rational arguments.
Remember, football experts were once sure that WITHHOLDING water from players (at various levels of the game) in summer practice, was actually a GOOD thing! Toughened 'em up!
Right.
As of today, my team, the Redskins, have two important players hustling to get fully healthy for the season opener against the Cowboys: Donovan McNabb and Clinton Portis.
McNabb has thrown 34 passes, and had his ankle injured against the Ravens. He has not played since, and will not play again until September 12th. That will make over THREE full weeks since he has played a "live" game.
So you have to ask: "How could those 34 passes in mid-August, which put him direct jeopardy of injury, be of any meaningful significance when the season opens?"
Portis too, has a slightly injured ankle. This came after all of 9 pre-season rushes. He too, will span 22 days between games. Portis has carried the ball 2,176 times in his career.
And you are going to tell me those 9 August carries were worth it?
The counter argument, is that "you can get hurt doing anything in football."
This is true.
However, live fire, is live fire. Period. It greatly increases your chances of getting hurt, and the severity of the resulting injury.
I do not know how often military units perform "live fire" exercises, but I'd imagine it is very limited. And the environment, controlled.
Just because a soldier can get can get killed falling off a jeep going to the mess hall, doesn't mean that injuries are uniformly random and thus, their occurrence cannot be mitigated.
The near-miss decapitations of both Eli Manning and Jake Delhomme should serve as the final wake up call to coaches who still think August games are in any way "important" to players who have significant game experience already.
Delhomme and Manning have both played in Super Bowls, and played very well. Neither one should be playing August games of "capture the flag" with live ammunition, and a bunch of gung-ho recruits blasting off their M-16's like idiots.
Vote Theresa From Milwaukee!
I always thought I was a pretty big golf nerd. Uber-golf-nerd. A real Jack Nerd-laus.
But I can't hold a candle to this gal!
Theresa Hucke is a big Bob and Brian fan, who happened to play in her first B&B Open this past July with gal-pals Renee Jepson and Tracey Hansen. (pictured below, those sassypants!) So anyway, Theresa emailed me to see if the legion of Czabe.com readers, and Bob and Brian Show fans, could help put her "over the top" in this on-line PGA Tour contest.
Her video is cute, and makes fun of those knobs at the PGA Championship who screwed Dustin Johnson out of a playoff.
Plus, any gal who would learn some Japanese to get Shigeki Maryama's scribble, and paint her finger nails with Tiger stripes just to get Eldrick's autograph, is somebody deserving of winning.
Vote early, and often kids. Let's show them the mighty power of Czabe.com and put a hometown golf nerd into the winner's circle!
And Just Wait Until They Have To Manage Manny!
Unaware if you knew about this show already, but if not, heads up. MLB Network has a rather entertaining reality show about the Chicago White Sox, called simply, "The Club."
It's basically medium-security-level access to owner Jerry Reinsdorf, GM Kenny Williams, and skipper Ozzie Guillen. Nothing earth shattering that I saw, but then again I didn't watch that much.
Now that Manny's coming on board - and I'm not sure if they are still shooting new episodes - then "business is about to pick up!" as they say in wrestling.
On another note, I forgot to tell you that I got to play golf with a minority owner of the White Sox while at Grand Geneva Resort following the Bob and Brian Open.
He's a great guy, who wished to remain low-key and anonymous, but did let me sport his World Series ring for this photo.
Curiously, he has only a passing interest in the game. I asked how many games he goes to every year.
Answer: six.
Why? His answer: "I just have better things to do with three hours in the summer than sit around and watch baseball."
Sounds like a PERFECT guy to be a MINORITY owner!
"Home Ah dah Pats!
Classic spot from DirecTV! I love how stereotypical the Miami fan is portrayed. Of course he would have a perfect, GoreTex, Costanza puffy-coat, in Dolphins teal. Nick Saban perfect hair.
And the old warhorse woman. "Homeadapats!"
Maryland Keeps Firm Grip On Potomac Cup
Congratulations to the lads from Maryland. They were too tough, too deep, and too much to handle in the 10th Anniversary Potomac Cup matches at Rocky Gap Resort this past weekend.
Maryland won going away, 22.5 - 13.5.
Day 1: MD: 9.5-2.5 Day 2: MD: 7-5 Day 3: MD-VA Tie: 5-5-2
My eternal thanks to Director of Marketing Dave Sanderson who served as our weekend host. Also to PGA Professional Rick Flowers who helped set up the course for great match play competition, and Golf Course Superintendent Mark Jewell for polishing up the Nicklaus layout to a high shine!
Thanks to Maryland Captain Ron Thomas who was tireless in his promotion of the Potomac Cup this year, and indispensable at my side during the Finals. He did a masterful job of motivating his guys, and creating winning pairings.
Thank you to Jon Guhl and Dick Johns of the Middle Atlantic PGA. Your rules presence was essential on many occasions as players found many nooks and crannies of Rocky Gap's adventurous layout.
Finally, thank you to my players on Team Virginia for playing hard through the entire weekend, especially on Sunday when all chance to win was essentially lost. Over the final 3 sessions, we basically played Maryland even, so I would chalk up Day 1's dismal showing to Captain error on the pairings and matchups.
Below are just a FEW of the many great photos I was able to take from the weekend. A complete shot catalog will be available later in the week.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Potomac Cup Preview - 2010
They say in match play, you should always assume your opponent will hole out their next shot.
Hole out?
Yes.
Even if they are 200 yards away in the fairway?
Absolutely.
In match play, nothing is quite as devastating to an opponent, or pivotal to a match, as the “dramatic reversal.” The kind of hole where one team is cruising to an easy win, only to be dealt a stinging loss by a shot that seems impossible. Or events that quickly spiral out of control.
The last time the Cup finals were held at Rocky Gap, “dramatic reversals” were all over the place.
Some have even become Cup legend.
Like 2004, where Bryant Hatcher and Chick Hernandez were playing Sunday singles. An all-square match came to the narrow, danger filled par-5, 15th hole. Hatcher proceeded to blow two balls out of play off the tee. One left, one right.
Hernandez responded with a sensible, but rather timid iron into the fairway. Hatcher was seemingly dead man walking, but he finally put his third ball in play.
Next thing you know, Hernandez is bunting his ball up the fairway, and four-putting to lose the hole, 9-8. It happened so quickly, it left both men stunned. Hatcher laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all, not out of any lack of sportsmanship.
Hernandez could only sulk back to his cart in shock.
Likewise, Tod Castleberry and Michael Kurtz were playing Sunday singles in 2005, when Castleberry proceeded to blast two balls out of play on the brutal and lengthy 470 yard par-4, 3rd hole.
A seeming easy hole victory about to ensue, Kurtz strode to his tee shot and lashed a 3-wood toward the hole. Castleberry arrived moments later, looked down at “his” 3rd tee shot, sitting 5, and had a stunning revelation.
Kurtz had mistakenly hit Castleberry’s ball. Match play rules: loss of hole.
Shaken, Kurtz struggled the rest of the front nine, and ended up losing 7&6.
Dramatic reversal.
The 7,002 yard Jack Nicklaus layout at Rocky Gap will more than likely produce quite a few stunning reversals during this weekend’s 10th Annual Potomac Cup matches. However, the reversals are more likely to be outstanding golf shots, not gaffes and blunders.
The Potomac Cup was formerly a combination gross/net event, which brought into the team mix amateurs with handicaps ranging from zero to as much as 18. Now that it is an all gross affair, the caliber of play has soared.
This year’s Potomac Cup Finals will feature a record 10 players with a "plus" handicap of better than scratch. An additional five players have direct experience with this Nicklaus layout from previous Cups at Rocky Gap.
One of those players is Maryland stalwart Vance Welch, playing in his record 7th Cup Finals.
“Everyone will be pumped the first day,” Welch said. “The Potomac Cup is the closest I will come to playing in the Ryder Cup. You always want to play your best and never let your team or state down. Then, fatigue, stamina, sleep, how much the guys hang out late at nite, all play a part in Saturday's play. Your hope you have a team of grinders because once you get to Sunday's singles matches -Winning is about who wants it more.”
Virginia Captain Steve Czaban thinks the front nine par-5’s will possibly hold the key to his pairings.
“On day one, I pretty much plan to camp out on #’s 5 and 8, and even 10,” he said. “Back in 2004, only a few of the strong players could reach them in two. Now, I think those par-5’s are potential eagle holes for at least half of our players.”
“If I have some guys who start eating those holes up, then that’s going to change my thinking on better ball pairings. You just can’t afford to two guys paired where neither one has a chance to go for it in two.”
Then, there’s the infamous 15th.
A massive wall of deep grass frames the right side up to 90 feet up the hillside to nearby I-70. Sure, you can find your ball in there – if you have an hour to kill, and several good search dogs.
A deep dry creek bed slashes in from the left side, pinching the fairway to a claustrophobic 18 yards starting around the 300 yard mark.
Virginia’s Frank Romano, also playing in a record 7th Cup Finals opposite Welch, probably won’t be ordering a framed painting of the hole for his office.
“It’s just intimidating, the gunch, that hazard on the left, the “devil's vulva,” or whatever captain Czaban calls it,” Romano said, his voice wandering off a bit. “ I remember during the last Cup we would just cruise along on the back nine and then make a left turn into ‘where do i wanna hit this?’"
"I really didn’t play that hole very well at all. A par 5 with a 20 yard wide fairway with waist high grass on both sides of the fairway?”
“Hell, I couldn't throw it and find the fairway.”
The Devil’s Vulva?
Yes, that’s what Czaban called it back in 2004 as he watched the hazard wreak havoc with matches. The term was a tip of the cap to an infamous bunker at Pine Valley. A bunker so small, it was named the “Devil’s A**hole” by members.
“I just thought the hazard on 15 needed a nickname,” Czaban said. “And as body parts go, it’s just deep, shaped like a big “V” and hairy and nasty. It seemed to fit. And the guys took to it. So it stuck.”
And when the two most accomplished players in Potomac Cup history show so much deference to mere par-5, you know the hole is going to have a big say in the outcome of the weekend.
“The most intimidaing hole by far is 15,” Welch conceded. “You can hit anything from Driver to 5 iron off the tee. I’ve actually hit both. I am sure bogey will win the hole a few times.”
The series score in this event is Virginia 5, Maryland 4. But since a narrow Virginia win back at Nemacolin in 2007, Maryland has stepped on the throttle and left the Commonwealth gasping to keep up. This year, Virginia is closer to their foes on paper, but smart money favors Maryland finally pulling even in the event’s 10th Anniversary year.
The only question, is whether fortune will favor the bold, or the sensible.
Let's Give It Up For "The U!"
Now that Tiger's divorce has gone final, I'd like to dedicate this post to the woman perhaps MOST responsible for bringing down the mightiest single person sports empire since Air Jordan.
Rachel Uchitel, come on down! Take a bow, honey!
Oh sure, I know. Only Tiger's wayward penis is responsible for bringing down the Tiger Era in golf.
But "The U" as I call her, certainly helped. Supposedly, she was NOT "Mistress #1" even though her name was what led to that car crash on Thanksgiving night. She was the woman outed first by the National Enquirer (score another one for them. Boy, they sure are getting shit right a lot these days.)
They SAYYYYY that Tiger wasn't sleeping with her, instead she was just the high end Pimpstress who lined up other bimbos for Tiger. Oh sure, whatever. Like Tiger is going to say, "thanks for the ass, Rache, but you know we gotta be cool. This is a professional relationship."
I know many of you think "The U" is an overly collagen-injected, crooked eyeballed, fake flapjack wanna be.
You are entitled to your opinion.
I think she's got a quality about her that's a bit enchanting. And I do realize all of her technical flaws, as mentioned above. I still don't care. The good photos of her are jaw dropping. Even the bad ones make me stop for a moment.
So without further adieu, here's a totally biased sample of the BEST and MOST FAMOUS Rachel Uchitel pics I could find on the ol' interwebs today.
Here's the pic you see most often. She's holding a velvet entrance rope at some high end party, but I always think it looks like she's holding a vacuum. Probably hasn't operated one of those in 12 years.
Here's the smokin' hot pic of her on the beach somewhere, with someone else (cropped out of pic, thank you.). Just phenomenal.
Here's the pic of her getting into that cab in NYC after the shit hit the plantation style porch fan back in Windemere. Those jeans are like spandex!
Here's one of her I've never seen before until today. GOLFING! Yowza! Musta been cold that day on the course. Ahem....
Here's one that I wish I could find in greater resolution. She's got some kind of Pocohontas thing happening there, and it works for me.
She's also got some cute puppies. Okay, fine.
And she takes them to the beach. All right then.
Looks great in tighty-whitey.
Still looking just as fab in black.
The U can bring it when she's just out for a winter stroll in the city.
And if she ever decides to start modeling again, she'll be able to crank out more gems like this.
So there you go kids! Not like you couldn't surf the web on company time yourself to find these pics. I just did it FOR YOU! And you can thank me later, or not at all. Because I do it as a labor of love.
Rhabdomyolysis
That's what Albert Haynesworth has. Yep. Rhab-do-myo-lysis.
It's when you exercise real hard, get real hot, and your muscles shed little muscle detritus into your bloodstream.
Enough shedding can clog the drain trap in your liver, and you could, COULD, die.
In theory.
Of course, Al never said himself, he has this "disease" or condition. The Redskins never said he has it either.
And don't ask the Lil' General Shanahan. He's already on TILT talking about Albert issues.
Of course, rhabdomyolysis is a very dreaded thing. It has only one known, rare, hard to find anti-dote.
Water.
Yep.
Tough one, that rhabdomyolysis.
It's like saying you are tired, and your muscles hurt.
Water! Stat!
Hey, at least Al doesn't have the dreaded "Three Stooges Disease."
"Maybe I Need To Lie Down...."
When Eli Manning got his forehead crushed in the exhibition opener, all I could think about was the epic SNL skit "Massive Headwound Harry."
Meanwhile Eli, who looks dopey on a good day, looked even more dopey while shuffling off the field with a Saw V caliber wound gracing his noggin.
Do you think they charged him for staining the new faux-carpet at the billion-dollar-plus stadium. "Hey, pick up that blood!"
FOOTNOTE: Somebody pointed out that Eli's forehead gash was reminiscent of another great Giants QB, Y.A. Tittle. Balder, and with less blood, but not a bad get.
"Sunday Red, With Elin Tire Tracks"
That's what I am calling the PGA Championship final round shirt. You can go ahead and use that one folks.
Perhaps Woods would have been able to withstand this horrible year if there were an actual person behind all the ads. But there isn't. Athletes like Woods and LeBron James were raised to cultivate a brand identity, and when you're raised that way, your brand identity becomes your actual identity. There's no separating the two. Woods spent his entire life cultivating his image, and when that image was destroyed, he was destroyed. There was no actual person to fall back on. No separation of church and state.
When Tiger Woods had the image of being an indestructible force of nature, he was precisely that. He needed that reputation. It fed him. And now that it's gone, he has nowhere else to draw strength from. Tiger Woods built his perfection upon the illusion of it. And that's why, as far as major championships are concerned, Tiger Woods's career is now over.
REACT: Bullseye. The existential "who am I" and "why am I here" is core to any performer being excellent. Let's say you see a world class concert pianist perform at Carnegie Hall. You might not think he has much of an ego. You would be wrong. That guy believes he was born to play the piano on a stage like that, and it is what he lives for.
Same for Tiger. Only now, all of the logic and reasoning behind the "who" and "why" of Tiger Woods is tangled like fishing line in deep weeds. Maybe Tiger can un-sort it. Maybe he can find a "real person" to fall back on.
If I had to bet, I'd hedge against it.
Dog Days of Summer
I apologize that the content production here at Czabe.com has been a bit, well, "pokey" as of late. I try to get a new post here every day. But well, things are all out of whack right now, and won't get lined up until September.
So hopefully, you can enjoy your dying weeks of summer, and bear with me.
I am working on the new show on Sporting News Radio (start date, still TBA. We think it'll be before the Thursday night NFL opener on the 10th).
I am also dealing with various vacations (my own, Scott Linn...) and thus can't get the "band" together much to do podcasts and Czabecasts.
Finally, I have been troubleshooting three vexing issues in my life.
A: What's wrong with my wife's mini-van? B: How come my home studio ISDN crapped out? C: How do I configure a new D-Link router?
Well....
A: An independent garage claims they have found the issue, but don't have the tools to fix it. Thus, I have to take their write up to a Honda dealer and say: "Um, do THIS, dummies!" Should be fun. And interesting. The second dealer I told you about that wanted to do 3k worth of work? Well, this mechanic said he didn't think ANY of that stuff was needed. Good to see honest car repair ethics in this day and age. (Chortle!)
B. My ISDN studio at home has been fixed, because - get this - Verizon says a "wire came loose" in their "Central Office" and crashed my data "loop." Well, thanks for the heads up, you asshats! I did a whole week on the phone with Bob and Brian, swapped out my Zephyr Express unit with the engineers at work - all because a FUCKING WIRE WAS LOOSE! Christ!
C. I think I've got a bead on the new router. But two hours into it, I perhaps have another 2 hours to go. You just never know. I think home networking and wireless networking is impossibly complex for even so-called "high level" home computer enthusiasts, much less your typical suburban house-mommy. The new router is a high end one that allows for "port prioritization" so that if I want to Skype some video to another location while broadcasting, I can get the router to give the Skype feed right of way on bandwith and keep crashes to a minimum. Or, that's what some geeks at MicroCenter told me. We shall see.
So in short, like my man above says: "Calm down, people!" I got a lot to figure out. And then we'll get cracking.
Busted Dustin
So much to say, so lets get right to it.
Dustin Johnson and his caddy deserve at least 51% of the blame on this one. His golf ball. His tournament. His responsibility.
But the other 49% is squarely on the PGA of America, for a variety of reasons.
Let's go through them.
1. It's one thing to have other player footprints in a trap. But people in a trap! Ridiculous. Lack of proper crowd control improperly disguised that area as a trap. With Watney irrelevant, the rules official should have been right there, making sure there was no confusion. While he may not ADVISE on course of action, an official is certainly allowed to offer unsolicited clarification. IE: "Hey, Dustin. Careful up there. Remember the bunker rule, you might be in one."
2. The PGA's adopted rule for the week, essentially boiled down to "any area that is sandy should be treated as a bunker." Johnson said as much afterward. If so, that's ridiculous. It means that "magic bunkers" can appear during the course of a week. A low area between mounds gets trampled by spectators. Rain washes it out a bit. Sand accumulates in a small area. Voila! One more bunker that Pete Dye didn't have to design himself, and did not "exist" when play began on Thursday. Illogical.
3. Why didn't the rules officials notify Johnson of his violation BEFORE he hit his pitch from beside the green? They were not obligated to do so, but certainly allowed. It would have been the equitable thing to do, since it may have changed his strategy. I have a theory on this. I think the rules officials "pocketed" that ruling, to see if two of the possible three outcomes would dictate that he let Johnson's transgression slide. If Johnson makes par, he wins, and the official makes a tepid inquiry after all the emotion dies down, says no foul, and it's a wrap. If Johnson makes double, he's out of the playoff, and you can bring it up without any hubbub. But if he makes bogey to get into a playoff, but not win, then they were stuck. Just my theory.
My main argument in favor of Johnson is this: I still don't think he was IN that bunker!
Yes, it was a bunker there. I admit that. Yes, he should have known the rules.
But, I think his ball was sitting on the equivalent of a "washout" of sand, which would NOT be considered part of the hazard. The back edge of that bunker was so trampled and destroyed by thousands of cheese eating 250 pound Packer fans, you simply couldn't tell where it started and where it ended.
And to me, the splotch of sand he was on, was an irregular little finger which almost certainly was not designed, nor would be maintained as such.
To my thinking, it should be incumbent on the PGA rules official to demonstrate with certainty that Johnson was IN that bunker, and not on a washout or spillover.
Just to say: "A bunker is here. Sand goes all the way down this hill to there. People have been treating it like a stolen rental car for a week. All of it is a bunker" creates a totally unenforceable and inequitable situation.
As e-mailer Lou Boezi put it succinctly: "The PGA rule presumed a recognizable but untidy bunker. Johnson's problem was that because of the spectators milling about the bunker simply was not recognizable."
The PGA had good intentions. They wanted to avoid a "this is a waste bunker, this one isn't" situation that screwed Stuart Appleby back in 2004. So they made them all bunkers.
But it's not that easy, and not that black and white. And somebody on the PGA rules staff should have said: "Hey look, fellas. We've got a number of bunkers here, that are essentially ruined. If somebody gets in one, we could have a problem."
That said, let me take a moment to thank Dustin Johnson for hitting the shot in the first place. Wow. Fucking... wowwwww!
I haven't come out of my chair watching golf on TV in at least 6 or 7 years. This shot did it for me.
The future of golf is here. They are 20-something, sickly talented, and hungry. And they don't get bent out of shape at losing a major.
It's like these guys think: "Eh. They have four of them every year. See you at the next one."
This portends poorly for Eldrick's summit assault on Mt. Nicklaus. While this swashbuckling style does not allow for singular dominance the likes with which Tiger achieved, there are enough of these young punks to form a nautical blockade on majors for some time to come.
So while the bulk of the golf world is still all lathered up over the ruling, the real story is this: The Tiger Woods Era, is over. He's not done. But the era, is over.
The media (especially TV types who feasted on Tiger during his amazing reign) are doing all they can to root him back into "form."
Not happening.
Tiger 2.0 (or are we on 3.0?) is going to be a Top-5 player who must fight mightily for those next 4 majors.
But the media are like the kid whose mom told them daddy "went out for a pack of cigarettes." Four years ago.
Daddy isn't coming back, Peter Kostis. And he didn't go out for cigarettes in the first place.
Time to embrace the new blood, and this year's Ryder Cup is going to be a thrilling coming out party.
Pavin's Pressure Shot
Memo to Corey Pavin: You can do this.
Leave Tiger Woods off the Ryder Cup team. The world will not end. You will not be pelted with rocks and garbage.
And, it must be noted, it is crucial for your team's chances of winning.
The same Pavin who used to hit 228 yard 4-woods into the 18th green at the US Open on Sunday, or chip in for birdies from thick rough at the Ryder Cup as a player, needs to summon the guts to play the shot that needs to be played.
Leave him home.
You do this not to embarrass Tiger Woods, or to punish him. You do it because it's the right thing.
Every ounce of logic points to Tiger not being a captain's pick.
Here's how you say it.
Pavin (as written by Czabe):
"Look, I've given this a lot of consideration, and explained it to Tiger. The Ryder Cup selection process is a 'now' thing. How are you playing 'now.' Especially for captain's picks. This has no reflection on his talents, or his career. He's been the world's best player for the last 13 years, and when his career is over, he'll probably be the best ever.
But again, this is a now thing. Right now, he's not playing to form. He is, by our carefully designed points system, a bubble player. And bubble players need to be playing well going into the fall to merit selection. He's not playing well. He'll even tell you that.
Furthermore, he has played a very limited schedule due to changes in his life. This is how it should be. However, this is not a positive credential to be a captain's pick.
Lastly, because of all of this, he will be playing a limited amount of competitive rounds going into the Ryder Cup. This too, is far from ideal.
So in the end, I decided to make the tough call, and go with somebody else. I am sure some will criticize me for it, but when I signed up to be captain, I specifically signed up to absorb that kind of criticism.
I will always regret the poor timing of my captaincy, in which I was unable to have the world's #1 player on my team. But my responsibility is to the team, and our country in this exhibition, not to my resume or his."
"Any questions?"
There. Just say it, Corey. You can even cut and paste if you like. By the time the plane lands at Celtic Manor, all of the Tiger distractions will be long gone. If you choose the "easy" route now, then the hard part will arrive in force next month in Wales.
If you broke obvious statistical trends to put Tiger on the team, do you have the balls to bench him for at least one session, maybe two? He'd be terrible right now in alternate shot, so you'd be looking at a better-ball only captain's pick, plus singles. Which is typical of what captain's picks get.
But Tiger has never, ever, ever sat a Ryder Cup session, even when fatigue or format might have dictated otherwise.
If you feel obligated to bring him Corey, you'll feel just as obligated to ride him once he's there.
And do you really want the history books to show that you got scared into taking Tiger Woods, watched him go 0-4-1, and lost the Ryder Cup by a point?
Now put a good swing on this one, Corey, and hit the shot.
If You Thought Darrelle Revis Wants Too Much Money...
... then you should check out this little gem of a story from a small town called "Bell, California."
Yes, for a massive state, that is massively in debt up to its eyeballs, they still have "public servants" in piss ant little towns gaming the system to give themselves shockingly huge salaries to run nothing more than the equivalent of a municipal lemonade stands.
Robert Rizzo (insert Jerky Boys: "Yeah.. that's right... RIZZO!" sound effect) is the city manager for Bell, and he makes $787,000 per year.
When news of Rizzo's base salary of $787,000 broke, he arrogantly told a Los Angeles Times reporter: "If that's a number people choke on, maybe I'm in the wrong business. I could go into private business and make that money."
Sure you could, donkey. Go for it.
"Maybe I'm in the wrong business" he laments. Dude. You aren't even IN an actual business.
True "business" is when a company creates or provides a certain product or service. Then customers purchase said product or service of their own free economic will, providing (hopefully) a profit for the business and creating jobs along the way.
Then, the state confiscates a certain portion of that business' profits in the form of taxes - and the salaries of the employees of that business - to help PAY FOR donkeys like Robert Rizzo to be "City Manager" for sprawling Bell, California (pop. 38,000).
Ha, ha, good times, California. When people hear that I went to school at UC Santa Barbara and left the state to come back east, they often ask why.
This story, would be reason #1,089.
Not that small time government graft and corruption is eradicated in the other 49 states. It is not. But California is the worst. Followed closely by New York, Illinois and Massachusetts.
Which brings me in a roundabout way to Jets CB Darrelle Revis. As I am sure you know, he is holding out for a new contract, claiming he should be paid as the "best cover corner in football" which I think most neutral observers would agree, he is.
His current contract is a pretty good 6-year rookie deal, guaranteeing him $12 million over the life of it. He is currently (and I stress CURRENTLY) outperforming his salary.
What happens when Revis gets a new huge contract, and is then underperforming his salary? Can the Jets lock him out, and demand a reduction in his pay?
I know what you are saying: "Czabe, the Jets can always cut him if they want, and all they owe is the signing bonus portion of the deal. That's very unfair to the players!"
Yes, but CUTTING a player is a drastic "solution" to him just underperforming his deal. It denies the team the services of a player who might still be worth 60% or 70% of his current pay.
In many ways, it is not a solution at all.
It would be like Revis getting the deal he is asking for, but then being forced to retire! He'd have his money, but he couldn't play. Not much of a win-win.
I am sympathetic to guys like Revis, who are fabulous players that have extremely short earning windows during in a physically brutal and fickle sport.
Plus, Woody Johnson inherited his soap fortune from mommy, daddy, and the family tree. Screw him. Pay the guy! Especially with a new taxpayer assisted Jet/Giant Stadium that has PSL's only the City Manager from Bell, California could afford!
Good Morning, Folks! May I Have Your Attention...
It is indeed a new and beautiful day in sports radioland.
I'm back.
After an 8 month hiatus from the nationally syndicated sports radio airwaves, I am back. And the boys are coming with me. Scotty, Solly, and the dearly departed Al are all back from the radio dead.
See? That wasn't so bad, was it?
Sporting News Radio, as a subsidiary of Mission Media Group of Scottsdale, Arizona, has hired me to host their morning drive shift from 6-9 a.m. from our Washington D.C. area studios.
Oh yeah, football season is going to be fun again kids.
I'd like to say that I just knew it all along. That I was certain this would happen within a year's time, and that the show was just "too good" to not get snapped up by somebody.
But I didn't know that. And I had to assume, that perhaps my run had simply ended.
You guys did have faith, however. Yes faith in me, with perhaps a splash of naivete in how ridiculously stupid the sports radio industry can be sometimes.
As you know, I don't preen at myself in the radio mirror much. I take sports seriously, not myself. I know I am good, but lately I have wondered if "good" really matters any more in our industry.
So when the programming genius at FSR decided 7 years of unmitigated success from me and the guys was all he could handle, I wasn't all that heartbroken. It's the business, what can you do? I did my best. I was proud of the show, and our run lasted a pretty good long while. So truth be told, I was looking for a new lifestyle, and some new opportunities.
Then, I got everybody's emails. That's when things changed.
It wasn't just the sheer volume of emails from you listeners, it was their staggering depth. I am talking about 1500-word-plus emails describing just what it was that made the show so meaningful to them.
You guys remembered a billion more details of segments we did, or moments we had, than I ever could.
The scope of people who wrote to me, was amazing. Age ranges all the way up to 80, and a surprising number of people who claimed they were not even sports fans in the least!
It certainly changed my mind a bit. This wasn't just about me losing a job. Millions of YOU were losing their ride-to-work buddies. It was truly traumatic to many of you.
I was even shocked by some industry calls I got as well. The great Steve Sabol of NFL Films called personally. As I had missed his original call, I returned his call on a break. It rang through to his assistant. I waited on hold. Then, the booming voice of NFL films came bursting through. "Czabe! What the HELL is going on down there!?"
He said he had heard they canceled the show, but just NEEDED to find out directly from the source. I had a chat that bordered on un-seemly manlove because of how much I admire Sabol's work and genius. He concluded the call, by saying matter of factly that I won't be off the air very long. It was very kind.
But I also thought: "Yeah, but what the hell does HE know? I work in this business! He doesn't!"
So as I settled in to being a morning sports radio consumer myself, I quickly began to appreciate how dreadful the national landscape is in that regard. The guy who replaced me is, well, how shall I put this: he's there... for now. And that's all I'm going to say.
And the two other guys on the Disney Sports Channel? Holy regurgitated sports facts, Batman!
I would listen and think: "Do these guys realize, that NOBODY TALKS LIKE THIS when they are talking about sports?"
Which is my only core philosophy about the medium. Good sports radio, is a CONVERSATION. And the more honest, probing, funny, interesting, lively, and no-bullshit you can make that conversation, the better.
That's it. It's that simple.
When I broadcast, I just try to talk to my guys, and talk to the audience, and let the microphones melt away into nothing. Like they aren't even there.
So here we go again. I am so, so, so pumped for this chance. The fellas are equally charged up. They are my faithful engines of creative brilliance. And we're going to do all of what we did before, and then some.
As you may know, Sporting News Radio was once upon a time, One On One Sports Network based out of Chicago.
I got my national radio start there. I remember it like it was yesterday. I rolled into Chicago on August 12, 1994. The day of the F'ING BASEBALL STRIKE that would kill the World Series.
I didn't know a SINGLE PERSON in the city of 6 million. I was rooming temporarily with a friend of a friend I had never before met. My Honda Accord was stuffed to the ceiling with all the crap I owned and could drive in from my parents place in DC.
And it was raining.
Welcome to the big city, kid.
At the time, One On One Sports was the only real "network" doing 24/7 sports programming. ESPN Radio did nights and weekends, but hadn't yet ramped up fully into a round the clock deal.
Over the years, ESPN grew into the beast that it is, and then Fox Sports Radio appeared around 2000. One On One got marginalized a bit, and sold to Sporting News. I think it's fair to say, they became the 3rd horse in the national network race.
Recently, however, long time radio executive Clancy Woods got some investors together to purchase the radio portion of Sporting News. His clarity for the industry, and appreciation for talent is tremendous. I couldn't be luckier to work for a guy like this, because I know he "gets it" like you and I "get it."
This network is going to be a force. You can book that one.
Clancy likes to say that he is "distribution agnostic" about the network and its properties, of which I am now one. By this, he means he'd like to get the longform spoken word product out there in as many ways as possible.
Of course, terrestrial radio affiliates are primary, as is satellite radio, but other distribution channels are here and growing. Things like internet radio and direct audio streaming from websites like, well, www.sportingnewsradio.com.
I can't say for sure, where my show will be heard right away, but suffice to say I will be keeping you posted on all that stuff as I get my facts straight.
On satellite, a bizarre twist remains from the XM/Sirius merger. Apparently - and don't take my word for it, because I may be wrong - if you have an original XM receiver and buy the "Best of Sirius" package, you STILL can't get Sporting News Radio. However, if you have a Sirius package, you CAN get Sporting News Radio on Channel 127.
What does that mean for those of you like me, who have an Acura TL with a WELDED IN XM brand receiver? I don't know, but it doesn't look good right now. Maybe it means I'll have to buy a new car with Sirius installed, and one that doesn't have deer guts all up in its radiator.
I'll have to do more legwork on how and when you could get SNR on an XM unit.
If you have a Sirius receiver and kept it - like I said you should back in January - congrats. We'll see ya'll in September.
In the meantime, we hope to loop back and try to scoop up as many of our excellent market partners we had under the "old" mothership. And I'm talking Richmond, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, et al. We want you back. We're going to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
I even hear rumblings that we might add the show in the DC market. It might just be scurrilous rumors, but then again it may be happening. Stay tuned on that one too.
Thanks again for your most genuine letters and thoughts, and bear with us as we get everything ramped up at our new home.
