No picks in this edition. Just hot sports opinions on a Monday morning.
Authentic All-Star Games
The NBA All-Star Game was this weekend in New Orleans. So were games of the mens’ hockey tournament in the Olympics.
Both feature the best of the best in their respective sport. Both include great plays and highlights. Only one really matters.
And that’s why hockey at the Olympics is easily the best all-star event in sports. Yes, I know it’s not considered an official “all-star” event. But it includes high drama, intense rivalry, as well as a physical edge that no all-star game could ever match.
The greatest part? The best is yet to come. If you were lucky enough to get up early on Saturday morning and catch the Russia-USA game that went to a shootout, you saw one of the greatest games played in quite some time.
If you thought that was good, wait until the probable Canada-USA match-up in the semifinals later this week.
Who won the NBA All-Star Game anyway? Yeah, I don’t care either.
Rings Hollow
Allen High School recently announced that it would offer 2013 state football commemorative championship rings to all students for $299.
I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous.
Pro teams have started the trend of giving out championship rings to many of its staff. Recently there has been a push towards giving them to interns, ushers, parking attendants and the like. The Mavericks gave its fans an opportunity to buy a ring.
I used to think that these types of offers were fine, if not warranted, especially for the front office staff of a team. But at the end of the day, the real men (or women) that earned the championship really should be the only ones that get rings. My vote would be to limit the rings to the players, coaches, trainers and sport staff.
The VP of ticket sales? Congratulations. You sell tickets. And now you have a chance to sell more. You should not get a ring.
Have you ever seen the Stanley Cup? Some of the names engraved on it are ridiculous. I’m friends with some of them; fellow NHL PR guys who have no business with their name on the best trophy in sports.
Kyler Murray, star QB for the Allen Eagles – you get a ring. Tom Smith from third period French – no.
The Customer is Not Always Right
Last weekend, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart ended up in the stands at the end of a play at Texas Tech, and shoved fan Jeff Orr after calling Smart, “a piece of crap” (according to Orr). Smart was suspended for three games for his actions and he apologized to Orr, his teammates and coaches.
Now, first off – Smart never should have shoved Orr. There is no excuse for those types of actions by a player to a fan.
But that doesn’t mean that Smart was the only one in the wrong here. Mr. Orr has a track record of being an over-boisterous fan, who often calls opposing players names and uses profanity (check out this beauty from a few years ago from a game vs. Texas A&M in which he makes a crude hand gesture). Most Big 12 teams know who he is and don’t care for his actions. Which means Texas Tech knows about it too, yet has done nothing to stop him, which basically means they condoned his methods.
Fans pay a lot of money to attend games and do have the right to cheer for their team and voice displeasure on a bad call, etc. I’m a huge fan of hecklers, as long as they remain in good taste with their actions. But the customer (or fan) is not always right, especially in this case.
Most people know that Smart was wrong in his actions. Most also probably feel that he was justified a little bit, and glad that Mr. Orr is finally getting some notice for his negative actions as a fan that he has been practicing way too long.
