Jack’s Blog

The recently concluded Michael Jordan Flight School, held on the campus of the University of California-Santa Barbara, has had some eventful moments during its 17 year run.  One of the most incredible occurred just a few days ago during Michael’s free throw lecture.  He’ll briefly discuss how to shoot a free throw, why it’s so important and the issue of making the pressure shot.

He’ll ask for a volunteer to come up and, in front of the entire camp - about 800 campers, the staff and the parents who choose to attend (after all, it’s they and not the kids who have actually seen MJ in action) - shoot one free throw.  Make it and the camper wins a free pair of shoes.  Sometimes, it’s shoes for him (or her during the second coed session) and two of the successful shooter’s friends.  It’s amazing to see campers years apart in age, who have never even met the kid who just made the shot, waving frantically when it’s time to “pick two of your best friends.”

Michael quickly ramps up the reward package by saying, “Make this one and you and your whole team (of 12 kids) get free shoes.”  Often, he’ll pick parents from the crowd (the balcony of UCSB’s Events Center).  Due to its location, there have been many “celebrity” kids attend the camp over the years.  Naturally, the children of basketball stars have been part of the camp.  The children of Gary Payton, Mark Jackson, Chris Mullin and Alonzo Mourning to name just a few.  And, of curse, Michael’s three.  From outside the world of basketball, the camp has had the sons of Will Smith, Kyle Massey (Corey on That’s So Raven) Keyshawn Johnson and Master P, aka Lil’ Romeo.

This year was no exception.  One of the youngsters was Terrell Owens’ boy.  When MJ spotted TO, he asked him if he had a son in camp.  TO said yes and Michael, who still enjoys “challenging” people, had him come out.  TO obliged and as he walked toward the fee throw line, Michael had him point to his son.  TO waved at his son who was in the Pac-12 conference (11-year-olds) which was seated on the floor diagonally across the court from the basket MJ was using for the demonstration.

He then told the former UT-Chattanooga hoopster (and a pretty good one) that he was to shoot one free throw.  If he made it, the entire Pac-12 (actually only eight camp teams) would receive free shoes.  As someone who knows how to captivate a crowd, Michael looked up to the adults spoke into the microphone, “How many people think TO is going to make it?”  After a minute, he followed up with, “Probably a better chance of an airball.”

Just as TO was ready to release the shot, Michael yelled into the mic, “FOR THE WHOLE PAC-12!”  To his credit, TO was true.  Right down the middle.  Swish.  He turned to the Pac-12 and held up his arms in victory.  Every kid in the league - 96 of them - took off to “thank” their benefactor.  It looked exactly like a college game that was won on a shot at the buzzer with the students storming the court.  Only through a microscope.

Of course, none of them could reach up to high five TO so guys were hugging him.  And when 96 people are on the run, and they hug you, even little ones, sooner or later you’re going down.  Before long there was a 97 person dogpile with the Seattle Seahawks’ latest acquisition on the bottom.  Due to the spontaneity, it was a truly amazing sight.

Later on, because my league (I’m one of eight “commissioners”), was playing on the main two courts, I found myself seated next the Pac-12’s favorite free throw shooter.  “TO,” I said to him, “did they get you to sign that waiver?”  Having never met me, he had a curious look on his face.  I continued, “You know, so you won’t sue the camp, claiming you got injured in that massive pile up.”

He smiled and said he had no plans on taking legal actions.  I told him, “We appreciate that because the guy who owns this camp has a lot of money.”  He just flashed one of those famous smiles.

Arthur Frank Burns once said:

“Spontaneity has its time and its place. “

TO’s made free throw was the right time and the right place.

Heading to work at Michael Jordan’s Flight School in Santa Barbara tonight.  These blogs will return on Thursday, August 12 and if past history is any indication, there will be several interesting posts that will come out of the fortnight there.  In the meantime, check out some of the more than a thousand archived posts.

OK, maybe the TO deal was only because it was his only choice but, according to no less a prognosticator than Chad 85 (I can’t find the toolbar for Spanish) claims that winning the Super Bowl is now a probability - or something to that effect.

What does it mean for the NBA that Wade, James & Bosh will be playing in the same uniforms?  Watching the Lakers make their off-season moves, as well as a few of the other elite teams in the league, can only send the message the pro game will be incredibly more exciting, right?  Same for the Texas Rangers, now that they have Cliff Lee and the Phillies who just acquired Roy Oswalt.  We can all get caught up in watching someone take on - and have a chance of actually beating - the Yankees.

Not to throw a wet blanket on all the excitement that is sure to capture our attention, but think about it from the other end.  How many bad teams (in most cases, that means small market clubs) will there be in professional sports?  If we were worried that super conferences were going to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots in NCAA football, won’t that be the identical result for the three major professional team sports?  (My excuses to those who feel slighted I didn’t include hockey and soccer, but having been raised in this country many years ago, I can’t shake childhood prejudices).

Won’t at least half the NBA teams be irrelevant?  And because baseball and football require more players, won’t that make the percentage of “teams with no chance of winning” (much less winning it all) even greater?

The term “level playing field” has been used to describe fairness in team sports in this country seemingly forever.  Maybe now, in order to ensure equity, the fields should be unlevel, i.e. make football fields and basketball courts like swimming pools in which the “loaded” teams are forced to defend the goal at the deep end and score at the shallow end.  In baseball, how about placing “1st-and-a-half base” in shallow right-center field and “2nd-and-a-half base” in shallow left-center?  Make the heavily favored team have to really “touch ‘em all” in order to score.

I’ll let the readers decide whether the term “competitive balance” still applies because according to the Financial Times, the definition of competitive balance is:

“A market situation where no business is too big or has an unfair advantage.”   

    Â

Many of the names occupying the sports pages recently have been old favorites, some still working, some looking for employment and some deciding that maybe now’s the time to hang ‘em up.

Lance Armstrong gave the two-wheeler one last shot and found it might be time to just make commercials - on a stationary bike.  Did he give the Tour de France one last go because he thought he could actually win it?  If anyone would know, it’s Lance - no one’s won that race more.  Or, was he trying to prove to his accusers he could, at his age, win it all, squash all speculation of PEDS, end in yellow, kiss girls (at the end of the race) and ride off into the sunset - in low gear?  Whatever, it didn’t end that way.

One “elderly” chap - a true fans’ favorite (as well as a popular guy among his peers), John Daly, turned heads at the course where golf was invented - at least according to the inhabitants there.  Ol’ JD sported some pants that made him impossible to ignore and his play spoke as loudly as his drawers.  If anyone was looking for a comeback story, St. Andrews was a good place to start.

St. Paul might be home to another comeback story.  Maybe it’s not a comeback tale as much as it is a never leave one.  Brett Favre looks like he’ll be in purple & gold again this season.  The only debate surrounding Favre is whether he needs the additional time to heal or whether he’s just trying to avoid training camp.  Who cares?  His job is one where he is pampered nearly every day of his working life - except for the one day a week he poses as a human pinata.  If you think his decision is nerve-racking, how would you like to be his backup?

Another pigskin prodigy (or is the term pigheaded) is Terrell Owens.  He claims he is ready to play and, love him or hate him, one thing that’s never in question is his body.  If no one picks him up (which would be for a variety of reasons, all non-talent related), he ought to forget reality TV - in which he displays a very spoiled, hate-able side - and head up America’s War on Obesity.  Have those kids follow TO around and they’ll be in shape in no time.  What else they’ll become is another matter.

Another old warrior - and reality TV star - looking for work is Shaquille O’Neal.  He might be encountering some of the same issues TO is.  A talented guy who grabs more attention that his current ability warrants, Shaq has a couple of problems to deal with that Owens doesn’t - due to the demands of his sport.  While TO is still a serviceable wide receiver (although certainly not as prolific as he once was), Shaq has been exposed in recent years as a defensive liability anywhere outside of 15′ from the basket (especially in Cleveland), as someone a running team would have to wait for on offense (Phoenix) and a player a coach would rather not have on the floor at the end of a game if the team had a lead (everywhere).  Plus, the money he’s asking (demanding, begging) for might outprice him in the current market. 

Why is it guys seem to want to hang on so much longer?  The adulation can’t be the sole answer since many outstay their welcome and boos become more dominant that cheers at this stage of their career.  For my money - which ain’t much - the reason is that the key to a successful job is:

“Find something you love to do and get somebody to pay you to do it.”

It’s Norv Turner-bashing time.  Once again, a team Turner has led lost early in the playoffs.  Talk radio show hosts will have an absolute field day!

If it seems I’ve been on an anti-talk radio show host kick, it’s probably because I’m waiting for some audiobooks I’ve ordered and have had the radio on while I’ve been driving.  Anyone who knows me will tell you sarcasm is something I’m fairly well-versed in.  Then why is it I get so riled up when I hear talking heads doing it?

While I (immensely) enjoy back-and-forth repartee (if you couldn’t hold your own in my neighborhood, you’d go home crying everyday), I don’t think people should be allowed to make a living doing it.  Comedians are great and I love stand up, but I have a hard time with people who make money by humiliating and making fun of others - especially when the person doing the ball-busting couldn’t do in a million years the job of the person they’re ridiculing.

So . . . that means I have no issues whatsoever with someone like Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher or Jimmy Johnson taking shots at someone like Turner.  And therein lies my point.  Those former coaches (as well as current coaches) never do - because they know how hard the job is and all the factors that go into winning in the playoffs.

Players (current and former) who criticize coaches are a little different story.  Granted, they have been in the arena and that alone gives them a great deal of credibility.  Before basing a whole lot of credence on what they say, though, what needs to be taken into account is what are/were they like as players?  I mean, should Baron Davis (switching sports here to make the point crystal clear) ever get a commentators job, I would expect nothing less than critical comments directed at coaches.  What else would we expect from someone whose nickname in NBA coaching circles is “CK” (”Coach Killer”)?  Keeping it in the NFL, would you think TO would be impartial when it came to whose fault it was - the quarterback or the receiver?   

Yesterday, the Chargers had a field goal kicker who had made 69 in a row inside 40 yards miss three kicks (two that he normally makes).  Their QB had three uncharacteristic turnovers.  Can you blame those on Coach Norv?  Talk radio hosts somehow, in some smart ass way, will.

Now, I don’t know Norv Turner.  But, undoubtedly, I feel the way I do because, while not in the NFL,  I coached for a long time - and I’ve heard some asinine comments made by people who’ve never coached.  Former coaches have opinions I respect because they’ve been there.  That doesn’t mean they’re the only ones who should be allowed to voice an opinion.  Everyone’s entitled to one.  At the very least, however, the criticism should be based on facts.  Bring up how many times he’s been there - with his team as a favorite - and his teams have gone down, fine.  But don’t make it sound like he’s a total incompetent and . . . that you could have done better.

Count the number of times that he’s gotten teams to the playoffs and research how many other coaches in history there are that have accomplished that feat?  Compare that to how many guys have ever coached.  Because he’s been in that position that many times means he’s in the top whatever percentage of coaches.  Maybe these talk show guys ought to equate that to whether they (or others) consider themselves in that same elite group of talk show hosts.

Many certainly will.  Then they need to ask themselves, “If I’m that good, why am I stuck in the market I’m in?  Shouldn’t I (since there are only 32 NFL teams) be in the top 32 markets?”  If they’re taking shots at college basketball coaches, they only need to be in the top 347.  There’s more wiggle room in that group.  Yet, when rating their own expertise, they need to remember the line attributed to Emmy Cosell when her husband, Howard, asked her how many truly great sportscasters she thought there were:

“One less than you think.”

If an athlete scores the winning touchdown, kicks the winning field goal or makes the game-winning tackle or interception, undoubtedly, there’s a feeling of jubilation.  Similarly, if, on the last play of the game, a player’s performance (this blog will deal only with football players, but this topic is true for any athlete in any team sport), is the cause of his club’s defeat because: a defensive lineman or linebacker had a ball carrier in his grasp, but didn’t “wrap him up,” only to see him break free for the game-winning TD, a DB got beat deep for a score when his team was up 6 or less, an “O” lineman was guilty of a holding call on the game-winning play, a running back fumbled inside the five going in for the game-winning TD, a receiver dropped the game-winner in the end zone, a QB threw a “pick-6″ or a kicker missed a chip shot after his team, down 1 or 2, drove the ball the length of the field.  Usually, there’s no consoling this poor chap.  These situations are the extreme and have a great effect (grow stronger or deflate and go away) on the person involved.  

But it’s during the other games, the ones that are competitive, but maybe not nail-biters, in which we can find out so much more about our teammates, those we coach or those we watch.  For all intents and purposes, there are four situations that can occur.  First, there’s the game the team wins and the player plays well.  Next is playing poorly and losing.  As far as emotions go, the former elicits feelings somewhere between contentment and elation, depending on the individual’s makeup, while the latter usually runs the gamut from disappointment to distraught.

It’s the final two scenarios which define the athlete’s character.  When the team wins, but the individual peforms below his skill level, what’s his reaction?  Can he separate the team achieving its goal despite the fact he “didn’t get his job done?”  Or does he put himself first and make comments derogatory to the game plan, or make excuses for his lackluster effort?  Is it OK to refer to the player as a “competitor” or could it be it the beginnings of dissension?  It’s a sad case when, in a team sport, where the goal is to defeat your opponent, that there are times you can’t even celebrate after you do. 

This is the time for the team leaders to step up.  The major dilemma for a coach is his goal ( or mandate) is to win.  Coaches don’t face the same issues as players.  Sure, there are some coaches who, deep down, know that, even though they won, they but did a poor job of preparing or, in their mind (and probably of their counterpart’s) feel they were out-coached.  But, there are so few people who are aware of this, it’s almost as if it didn’t happen.  Not so with players.  There will come a day - for even the superstars - when the team won despite them rather than due to their efforts.  The leaders need to intervene when a disgruntled player pops off or shows a negative attitude following a win.

Players understand and think like players much more than coaches do.  Coaches think like coaches. (And media members think like media members, but that’s a story for another time).  Empathy is the operative word and the right amount, shared at the right time, can defuse a potentially toxic situation.

The final option might be the toughest to deal with - for all concerned.  When the team loses, but an individual plays well - maybe even has a career day.  Is a running back supposed to be upset after he scored five touchdowns, ran for 250 yards but his team lost?  Yes!  Because that was the goal when the team took the field.

Difficult, sure, especially if it’s a coming out game for a back up.  The nature of the “team player” is to think, “What else could I have done to insure us a victory?”  The nature of humans, tough, is to think, “Man, what a game I just had!”  And if it is a breakout game for a sub, there might even be little thoughts of revenge or resentment, e.g. “I knew I could do that . . . if they only gave me the opportunity.”  Understandable, but still, after the game, it’s not like individual sports like wrestling, tennis, swimming, or track & field, when someone asks the athlete how’d you do and the answer is “Do you mean me or the team?”  The competitor may have won, but the team lost (or, naturally, vica versa), but after a football game (or any other team sport), everybody in that lockerroom has the same record. 

Think of the following names and see what images you conjure up: Peyton Manning (although it’s not too often he has a bad game, nor does his team lose very often), Terrell Owens, Ray Lewis, Eli Manning, Adam Vinateri, Jay Cutler, Tony Gonzales, Ben Roethlisberger, Teddy Bruschi, ________ fill in the blank with your favorite or least favorite ballplayer.

A quote that takes a little thought, but is interesting when you do think about it (in relations to sports - and life) is from Oscar Wilde:

“A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose.  It would be horribly selfish if it wanted all the other flowers in the garden to be both red and roses.”       Â

As the 2009 NFL season gets under way, there will be many fans whose wishes will be kept alive with some early season success.  Others will have their dreams dashed right out of the gate.

The beginning of the season allows fans to engage in what’s quickly becoming America’s favorite pasttime - trash talking.  And when it’s your team that gets crushed in the first two regular season games, you need to take it out on someone.  After all, it can’t be your fault.  I mean, you don’t play.  (Funny though, how much bravado you display when your team wins). 

Who that someone is will most likely depend on where you, or rather your favorite team calls home.  If Buffalo tanks early, T.O. will be a scoundrel, a cancer that everyone knew he’d be all along - even if he’s putting up big numbers (we’re talking reality football here, the way the game was meant to be played, so when the team loses, people who root for that team get upset).

If Oakland goes south, Al Davis will be catching the overwhelming majority of the criticism.  He probably doesn’t deserve all that he’s gotten the past decade, but it’s pretty close to proportional to the praise he received when the franchise was bordering on a dynasty.  That wasn’t all Al’s doing, either.

In Chicago, should Da Bears lose, Jay Cutler will be villified - super stats or not - and all because he popped off when there was no need - right after the trade.  There is a group of loyal fans there who will forgive his losing, but only if the Bears cover.

And, if it were multiple choice question as to which of the Falcons would catch hell if that club started poorly, every answer to that question (but the last one) would be Michael Vick.  And the last answer would be “All of the above.”

Naturally, if these same teams busted out of the gates playing near perfect football, these same cast of characters would be hoisted on the city’s shoulders for their godlike qualities. None of the above have been portrayed - at least recently - as a “nice guy,” which should bode well if you’re a devotee of the man whom a complex is named after.  One of the most diminutive, but nonetheless, effective bosses of all time, Napoleon, is credited with saying:

“A leader of whom it is said. ‘He’s a nice man’ is lost.”

   Â

Prior to yesterday’s Nuggets-Lakers game, I turned on ESPN and a show I’d never seen was on.  I can’t remember its title, but there was a moderator (I can’t remember his name) who had a female journalist to his right (I can’t remember her name, either, but she was extremely articulate and well-versed on the sports topics they were discussing) and to his left was Skip Bayless, who, if memory serves me correctly (and after not remembering the name of the show or the others on it, how can I even think that would be possible), writes, or at one time, wrote for the Dallas Morning News - or some other paper in Dallas (can’t remember). 

I thought I enjoyed Skip when he was on Around the Horn but that was because he was always on it with Jay Mariotti - and most people would enjoy a barracuda in their bath water more than Jay Mariotti).  It was rumored that the citizens of Chicago had a going away party when Jay stopped pontificating writing in their paper - but waited until he left before they threw it).  Then, when I was telling a friend what I was going to blog, he said to me that Skip wasn’t on Around the Horn.  That must mean I confused him with someone else because I am sure I didn’t/don’t/never will like Jay Mariotti.  I’m not a fan of anyone whose ego is larger than his or her skills.

It seems, after his performance yesterday, Skip has become a recent graduate (summa cum laude) from the Mariotti School of I’m Right & Whomever I Deem Wrong Must Be, Even If I’ve Never Met Them.  In everything Skip said during this nameless show, he was not only 100% correct, but he felt the need to thoroughly destroy the character of the poor soul who got in his crosshairs.  He was the clear winner in every debate.  Of course, it might have been more fair had the person in question actually been on the show or even allowed to express his reason for doing whatever Skip was lambasting him for, but why is that necessary when Skip is completely unbiased and totally fair with whomever he had on the spit. 

First, let me make clear that I’m not talking about the segment on Terrell Owens because, as soon as that came up, I had had enough Bayless Wisdom for the rest of my life - even if I outlive Methuselah - and, like most people, I’d outlived my need for anything “Terrell Owens” about three relationship-killing teams ago.

The segment of the show that caught my eye (and rancor) was about the final second of the Magic-Cavs game, the one in which LeBron hit a walk-off three.  Bayless’ description of Stan Van Gundy’s coaching IQ started with Stan’s switching of Hedo Turkoglu in place of Mickael Pietrus to guard LeBron (Pietrus had given James fits all game).  Since media members have been criticized for second guessing - as in, who the hell can’t figure out what should have been done? - Skip claimed that he jumped up at yelled at the TV when this took place.  That certainly is good enough for me to believe it happened, as I’m certain he’d believe others who came up with such a lame story to influence people to believe them.

He criticized Turkoglu for slow feet (but failed to mention that he successfully shut down the first option, which was a lob and only had space created for the game-winning J because James pushed off to make it).  Cavs coach Mike Brown, LeBron and inbound passer, Mo Williams all said the first option was the lob, but Skip the last time Skipp doled out credit was, I believe when Jesus was a sophomore in high school.  Criticism is the new (or not-so-new) mantra for sportswriters attempting to gain fame and fortune.  Hey, it’s what people want to read and hear about (”Gee, my life’s not that bad after all.  Sure, I’ve been out of work for a few years, but at least I can take enjoyment from media members like Skip Bayless cutting down other people).

Bayless also ridiculed Hedo for jumping sideways (”like he was afraid of fouling him!” ranted Skipper).  Let’s see, the Magic were up two with one second to go, what in the world would make Turkoglu fear fouling someone shooting a three?  Bayless also blasted the referees for officiating that made him “sick to my stomach.  The refs kept Cleveland in the game.”  Maybe I shouldn’t quote him, but I’m fairly certain of the gist of his remarks.

After hearing Skip, the All-Knowing, it sounded like the perfect scenario would have been to allow Stan Van Gundy to coach the first 47 minutes and 59 seconds, sound the horn and make the substitution of Bayless for Van Gundy, the thinking being Stan did OK for the “beginning” of the game, but would screw up something that Skip knew so much more about - late game situations.  Naturally, Skip also jumped on the “why wasn’t Rashard Lewis draped all over Mo Williams, a la Lamar Odom in the two games won by the Lakers on Trevor Ariza’s steals?”  This is how most people, probably including Stan VG feel if you watched as he agonized at the post-game press conference intimating as much.

Or, MAYBE, could Skip’s foul mood have come from the fact he calls LeBron, Prince James, because he’s made the case that LeBron can’t make the clutch shot and this made Skip Bayless look bad - and anyone who’s ever dealt with that type of new breed journalist, i.e. the one who, while he may have never strapped one on before in his life, has the uncontrolled ego of a spoiled child who never got to be the somebody others (much less deserving) got to be.

So, if Skip were to admit it (a “journalist’s mistake” is called an oxymoron in that line of work), his main reason he was so upset was because Stan Van Gundy made him look wrong.  If Stan had only had Regis’ “phone a friend,” Skip wouldn’t have to hear about it from LeBron lovers that Skip change his opinion (something you’ll see the majority media member do - on the second Tuesday of each week).

When I checked to see if Skip Bayless was married, I came across nothing definitive.  I did see that his given name was John, but he had changed it to Skip.  Could it be he also refers to himself with another moniker?  The one that scares the hell out of potential matches:

“While every girl is looking to marry Mr. Right, she doesn’t want to find out, after the ceremony, that his first name is ALWAYS.” 

Are the Bills’ fans happy with their team’s latest acquisition?  To answer to that question, we must analyze what drives fans in the first place.  And the answer to what drives fans is simple: To Be Right.  With the fickle Owens, predictions take a back seat to controversy.

What good could come out of the move?  First of all, it’s just a one-year contract.  As egomaniacal as he is, TO is no fool.  He realizes he’s made incendiary remarks after his first two moves, each of which turned out better for the team he left than whichever team he was moved to.

In San Francisco, Owens made comments that QB Jeff Garcia was gay.  Why would he say such a foolish thing, i.e.  something that has nothing to with the game?  It smacks of a guy who is addicted to seeking attention/didn’t get his way/was never treated right in SF.  Yet following his departure, the Niners played at around a .500 clip and it looked like TO might have found a perfect quarterback for him.  As for Garcia, he became an All-Pro QB and married a “drop-dead” gorgeous model. 

Donovan McNabb was as physically imposing a man as his new wideout and it was reported that the two had some heated exchanges.  It was at the end, after playing as deep as a team could play without being declared champions, a fallout of some sort occurred between McNabb and the ever critical Owens, this time referring to the QB’s lack of toughness down the stretch.  When the insults were hurled in his direction, McNabb didn’t have a comment - until asked.  It was his turn to “play Jeff Garcia.”

The perfect deal for Terrell Owens came and went, with TO hoping for a new venue to either overhaul the act he’d been playing, with everybody on board (meaning TO would be the featured receiver and all others secondary).  However, after finally unloading Owens, one of the premier receivers in the history of professional football found a new home … in Dallas.  All seemed right in TO Land.  But, first, a word or two from our sponsor, i.e. TO himself, blowing his former quarterback out of the water.  The lack of toughness issue again resurfaced, along with a few other choice words and phrases.

Now he was in Dallas, home of America’s Team.  It didn’t take too long before Owens was taking shots at Romo.  By now, many feel that this is a natural, as well as a comfortable trait for Terrell Owens.  Catching (and dropping) passes, sniping with head coach Wade Phillips and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, criticizing the play calling, etc. - each of these made a tenuous situation, at best, uncomfortable. 

So, now it’s on to Buffalo.  Owens will have to be on his best behavior (for a year anyway, the length of the new $6.5 million contract).  It’s been bantered about that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, might not have been telling the truth (get out, really?) when he claimed there were several (three or four) other teams who were prepared to make orders.  Odd, then, that Owens would sign the first one - when he’s told friends and media members he’d like to finish his NFL career wherever he signed - because Buffalo has been known to get a tad on the chilly side in the winter and winter last year was every day other than July 3-12.  It’s also a small market town, not exactly what TO clamors for.

It makes a fan wonder how many teams flat out said, “No way” vs. how many said,”We’d consider it but he doesn’t address our more pressing need of (fill in the blank)” or “The money doesn’t work out,” etc.  As far as his skills, ESPN’s John Clayton said it would be an appreciable increase in talent, yet how he acts in the locker room would be the defining factor in whether or not it was a good deal.  Since the Bills are coming off of back-to-back 7-9 seasons, it appears to be a risk worth taking.  But, TO has made teams and their fan base sorry they ever pulled the trigger on this enigmatic “superstar.”

Summary: the good - talent upgrade; the bad - if you have to ask, you probably stumbled on this blog accidentally and are asking yourself what’s going on?

If the Bills win, and sometimes the only way to turn a loser into a winner -immediately - is to take a risk, make sure your finger’s on the pulse of the team year round and take bows if you’re right (as will the fans).  But, a JLo-sized one, if the team loses, it will be viewed as a panic move, designed as a “quick fix,” and a poor decision by a once great organization.

What TO is faced with is not being TO, but being better than TO because as the greatest announcer in the history of play-by-play men, Vin Scully, said:

“Good is not good when better is expected.”¼/p>

With all the money the Dallas Cowboys owe Terrell Owens, I’ve heard more than one person make the comment, “What’s TO so upset about?  Why not retire and enjoy the good life?  He has all the money he needs.  That’s what I would do.”

“That’s what I would do.”  Hasn’t that become the standard way of evaluating someone else’s problem?  Thinking of how you would handle someone else’s misfortune or adversity doesn’t automatically become great advice for the person in question - especially if you don’t know them or they don’t know you!

The key to a thoroughly enjoyable life is to live it doing what you love to do.  Because, in so many instances, the phrase that’s heard over and over is, “I’d love to (fill in the blank), but I just can’t afford it,” most people think money is the be-all, end-all to happiness when, in reality, while it’s obviously a major factor, it’s certainly not the only one.

The reason life is so intriguing is because there are so many diverse people with differing interests.  No doubt, there is a segment of society whose goal it is to accumulate as much money as possible before exiting this world.  The problem here is that people like this have denied themselves indulgences, or even simple pleasures for so long that now, although they may have retired, they still have that defense mechanism against spending.  So, even after raking in more dough than a New Englander in the fall does leaves, these types (i.e. misers), can never feel comfortable opening the purse strings.

Maybe a “special” occasion, like a 50th wedding anniversary or having an 80th birthday party, will turn the piggy bank upside-down just a little.  Throughout the entire gala, however, this miserable little person, in all likelihood, having the best time ever, will wonder why such frivilous spending of money isn’t bringing on feelings of guilt.  Old habits die hard.

Then there is the group whose major enjoyment in life is helping others.  People like Mohandes Gandhi and Mother Teresa; people who, if they received a large, monetary gift, would be extremely appreciative…and then would turn around and donate it all to the local homeless shelter or an orphanage or a school system so that everyone there would have a computer, or clothes, or enough food for a week or two.  Most of the country would scoff at someone so selfless, probably saying, “I can’t believe those people; if I were to come across that kind of money, I’d …”  Once again, having the world revolve around the axis that goes through the top of that person’s head and out their other end, rather than simply appreciate the other person’s kind gesture for what it was.”

Then, there are those who also had money as their god, but only because they wanted to spend it as fast as they got it (think of many of the young professional athletes, mostly in football and basketball).  Another category are the people who want to experience everything life has to offer, those who only care if they have enough money to get to wherever it is they need to go, they’ll worry about getting back when the time comes.  Let’s just not wait until it’s too late.  It’s legendary what these folks do, but they always seem to land on their feet.  And off it is to the next conquest - seeing another country, going on a safari, hiking up another mountain (but a bigger one this time).

Other groups exist as well, e.g. the people who love body building and strong cardio workouts - so they can feel so healthy that they’ll be able to live another 40 years - so they will be able to workout for forty more years. 

When someone enters the room with an announcement the leader of a foreign country is here and wants desperately to meet this philanthropic soul, if that fitness freak is in the middle of a workout (one of three they’ll through in that 24-hour period), the dignitary will just have to wait until workout time is over.  Or how about someone like Hugh Hefner, a man who seems to have dedicated his life to naked women and a carefree life style.  “If I were him, . . .”  To be honest, I’m not sure I could be Hef and, despite all of the bravado, I doubt many other guys could either.  But it sure would be nice to try.

Terrell Owens, supposedly, can’t wait to sign a deal with another team.  He might claim it’s to help that team get to the Super Bowl.  Maybe that’s not the transparent lie most of us seem to think it is, given his past performances (yelling at teammates, usually the QB, or a coach, head or O coordinator), but I, for one, believe it’s intended for nothing other than the limelight TO craves.  I’ve always felt if the NFL would have a designated celebrator (a player who does a dance or growl or some other thing to maintain the spotlight), this particular type of individual would take a pay cut (as long as nobody would know about it).

Money is definitely a mitigating factor, and a major one at that, but there has to be something else, because as Australian novelist, Christina Stead maintains:

“If all the rich people in the world divided up their money among themselves, there wouldn’t be enough to go around.”  �

Terrell Owens: Super-star or super-problem?  How about super-enigma?

As with every person on this earth, Owens has his share of pluses and minuses.  An aside: In the educational field, we call them pluses and deltas - because delta stands for change, insinuating we don’t refer to anything or anyone as a mistake or an error, just as something that, let’s say, might not have worked, but will once we change it.  Also, if we were to call them mistakes, we might hurt someone’s feelings and how can you get a person ready to enter the world (whether it be the working world or the world of higher education), and have that person leave the comfort of the nest thinking they made a mistake?  In California, there have been lawsuits filed and, naturally, won - with lawsuit and California in the same sentence, it’s redundant to say “won.”

But I digress.  Back to the subject at hand - and quite a subject he is.  Is he to be considered a sincere, hard working, ultra-talented player who wants desperately to win, or a phony, showman, front runner who is light years more interested in himself than whatever team he’s on?  Ask enough people and you’ll get plenty of each responses - and facts and figures to back up both points!

If I’m not mistaken, I thought I heard, following the story regarding his release, that he’s one of only four players to have caught for 1,000+ yards in each of the last three seasons and the only one to accomplish that statistic and catch 10+ touchdown passes over the same period of time.  He’s thought of as a workout fanatic and has the chiseled torso of someone who definitely does more than jog three times a week.

After the Cowboys lost the playoff game on January 6, 2007 when QB/holder, Tony Romo, mishandled the center snap for a potential game-winning (chip shot) field goal, TO was at the press conference, seemingly in tears (he was wearing dark, sunglasses so no one actually saw the tears, but if you were to go to Google and type in “terrell owens,” you’ll see a video of the moment and you can decide for yourself.  Owens is quoted as saying, “You guys can point the finger at (Tony) if you want, but if you do, that’s really unfair.  It’s really unfair.  That’s my quarterback, he’s my teammate, and if you guys do that, it’s really unfair (voice shaken and cracking).  We lost as a team.  We lost as a team.”

On the filp side, he’s had a reputation for selfishness, clashing with opponents (mainly his QB - first, Jeff Garcia in SF, then Donovan McNabb in Philadelohia and finally, Romo in Dallas).  Not only did he criticize the QB, the criticism in each case became personal, accusing Garcia of being gay, McNabb lacking toughness and Romo of plotting with his roommate on trips, tight end Jason Witten, to design plays to get Witten the ball.

Owens has also been accused of too many drops (allegedly the NFL’s leader in that category each of the past two years ), of possessing “alligator arms” when he runs crossing patterns and, probably the worst offense, of having a real need to blame someone else when the team loses (when, in football, everyone has the same record, i.e. “you win and lose as a team” - see above quote).

With the athletic skill and body TO has, maybe it would have been better if he’d have chosen an individual sport in which participate - where everthing depends on you and your performance.  It’s been said, more like whispered, that, while TO is a freakishly good athlete, he doesn’t have the internal courage it takes to have everything and everyone depending on you, i.e. maybe he feels, deep down, he is not as good as his bravado suggests.  While no one ever held a press conference in their driveway - topless, displaying a sweat drenched, absolutely cut torso, while doing situps, no one else ever felt the need to pull such a stunt.

But the W’s don’t seem to be enough.  Being an attention seeker appears to be #1 on his agenda.  It doesn’t seem to be enough for him when he scores, that he made his team better and closer to a victory.  It’s more like an audition for the personal showcase of his latest, and definitely well-hearsed celebration.  

TO never could simply grasp the concept that:

“The journey - or process - is better than the end result.”