The High Court

Deep Thinkers Only...

The Daily Verdict

December 9, 2005

 

ESPN.com’s Pat Forde has a column worth reading today on deposed Colorado football coach Gary Barnett.  I don’t always see eye-to-eye with the former Courier-Journal writer, but his piece on Barnett provides perspective on a man who has seen his public image dragged through the mud.  Barnett made several poor decisions as his Colorado program dealt with serious allegations of sexual assaults, sexual harassment, and recruiting sex parties, but it is important to remember that Barnett has been an outstanding football coach and a decent human being.  Forde, who once played high school football for Barnett, provides personal insight and perspective on the man who has gone from being one of the bright lights in the coaching profession to being a roundly vilified figure.  In a society where public figures are so routinely de-humanized, Forde’s look at the human side of Barnett is a welcome surprise from the mainstream media.

 

I hate to do it twice in the same space, but I also have to plug ESPN.com’s Jason Whitlock.  A columnist for the site’s Page 2, Whitlock provides weekly columns full of insight and humor.  During football season, he steps into the role of ‘NFL Guru’ and gives us his ten truths for every week.  And that is where Jason managed to disappoint me this week (so much for the plug…).  While discussing the notion that going undefeated is not that big a deal, Whitlock completely dismissed the relevance of the 1972 Dolphins.  He noted that those Dolphins were not an all-time great team (which is true, to a point) and that they didn’t have a true NFL legend on the team, including Coach Don Shula.  Whoa, JW.  It doesn’t get more ludicrous than suggesting the NFL’s all-time wins leader isn’t an NFL legend.  While Shula did have a losing Super Bowl record (2-3), he won his Super Bowls back-to-back (and the ’73 team may have been better than the ’72 team…the undefeated ’72 team swept through opponents with a cumulative winning percentage of .357), and multiple titles plus the all-time wins mark equals NFL legend.  And for the record, going undefeated in the regular season isn’t that big of a deal.  But couple it with a Super Bowl title and set a new mark at 19-0…and the Indianapolis Colts will absolutely have carved out a spot in sports immortality.  Whitlock argues that the ’72 Dolphins accomplishment is less relevant than winning a Super Bowl.  I say they hand out a Super Bowl trophy every year; nobody has gone undefeated in thirty-three.  And if those Dolphins aren’t relevant, Jason, why were you writing about them this week?

 

And one last mention of ESPN…In last week’s Daily Verdict, I punished the network for not sitting down Michael Irvin from their Sunday morning and Monday night NFL countdown shows after his arrest on drug paraphernalia charges.  Well, this past weekend they did just that.  I applaud their decision to do so, and I respect their decision to have Irvin resume his duties this week.  But don’t expect this truce to last long.  I have no doubt the Worldwide Leader will do something ridiculous to annoy me soon…

 

Baseball’s winter meetings came to a close in Dallas after a flurry of activity.  It’s good to see trades can still happen in the winter.  Free agent signings have impact, but they have never been nearly as much fun as a good old-fashioned deal.  And how about the fiscal restraint shown by the Yanks and Sawx?  If you want to complain about the loss of financial sanity after two years of budget-conscience behavior, you will have to blame the free spending Mets and…Blue Jays?  That’s right, folks.  The franchise from the Land of Labatt’s put their checkbook to work in an attempt to scale over the Evil Empires of the AL East.  The signings of A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan can’t hurt (except in the wallet), but they absolutely overspent on both.  Burnett (five years, $55 million) is an electric talent, but he has a sub .500 career record and a checkered medical history.  Ryan is a premium bullpen lefthander, but to shell out five years and $47 million for a guy who has been a closer all of one season (and a rather irrelevant one at that, in Baltimore) is absolutely insane.  If Burnett stays healthy, he will join a very talented rotation (Roy Halladay, Ted Lilly, Gustavo Chacin), but the Jays will still need more help in the lineup, even after trading for Lyle Overbay.  Are the Jays going to be a threat in the AL East?  Maybe.  Will they eventually regret their winter spending spree?  Almost certainly.

 

Cameramen in Detroit are probably a bit nervous this week as well.  Kenny Rogers appears to have landed a two-year, $16 million dollar deal from the Tigers.  The 41-year old lefthander has a 190-131 career record, but his recent baggage makes this signing seem like a bit of a, well, Gamble…Two years and $11 million for resurgent 37-year old closer Todd Jones seems like a safer deal to me…And The Powdered Wig’s old buddy, Julio Franco has a new home, with the aforementioned Metropolitans.  It’s lost amid the bigger acquisitions (Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner, and Paul LoDuca), but the savvy Franco gives the Mets a great veteran leader and a still-potent right-hand bat off the bench.  Speaking of Delgado, the Mets may have handled it badly (Jeff Wilpon is an absolute buffoon), but they are absolutely right to make Carlos Delgado stand for God Bless America.  Regardless of Delgado’s personal beliefs, the Mets are his employers, and asking him to stand for the song is not a violation of his civil liberties.  I am sure there are some of you that object to wearing pants to work, but hey, you keep following company policy, OK?

 

And finally…everybody leave Roger Clemens alone.  ESPN.com’s Gene Wojciechowski chastised the Rocket for leaving everybody hanging on whether he will return for a 2006 campaign.  Look Wojo, we don’t own Roger Clemens.  He doesn’t owe any of us anything.  I have no problem with the Astros deciding not to offer Clemens salary arbitration (meaning he can’t sign with the club prior to May 1).  They have to prepare as if he isn’t coming back.  But Clemens (who hopes to pitch in the World Baseball Classic in March) has earned the right to take all the time he wants making the decision about coming back.  If he comes back, great.  If not, great.  That’s his call, not ours… 

 

 

Contact The Chief Justice at chiefjustice@thehighcourtofsports.com.