When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

A good article normally stems from a good introductory paragraph; it's that way with almost every essay, paper, or report ever written. You learn it at a young age and you practice it over and over until you finally think you have it mastered. I'd like to think (for the most part) that my intros have been decent enough to keep you reading. That is the goal, after-all. Unfortunately you don't get an elaborate intro today because there's really no nice way to dress this up other than just coming out and saying it: Manti Te'o should win the Heisman Trophy.

Manti Te'o looks up to the sky after beating Michigan State the week he lost both his grandmother and girlfriend photo credit: espn.com

Tonight in Manhattan, college football will once again be center stage. Not surprising, it is Saturday night. Instead of uniforms you get suits, in place of broadcasters you get Chris Fowler. It's a shining night for three student athletes who all deserve to be there and probably all deserve to win, yet only one will. It's probably going to be Johnny Manziel. It's difficult to argue with his resume. The numbers are there. The moment is there. Even the nickname is there. The dude pulled a cat out of traffic, come on. The only thing this guy can't do is legally drink. He's a very talented football player and I get he's a freshman, but if he wins the Heisman tonight, then change the award.

By now you've probably heard of Manti Te'o's hard times (gotta love the back to back apostrophe, don't get to do that every day). Te'o lost both his girlfriend and his grandmother earlier this season, right before he and the Irish were to take on Michigan State. Now, you can be ready for a lot of Charles Woodson comparisons tonight, so I'll start you early. It was the Michigan State game for Woodson that was sort of his coming out party. It was the game where people and looked around and said, "you know what, this guy has an outside shot to win the Heisman." It was that interception that still defies everything humanly possible. For Teo, it was a spirited performance against the Spartans (twelve tackles, two pass breakups, and a fumble recovery) that gave people the sense that this guy may actually have a shot at the Heisman. The thought crept in, after that game, and slowly got bigger as the season went on.

What is the point of the Heisman trophy if Te'o doesn't win it tonight? He's the best story in college football. He came back to Notre Dame for his senior season, kept his mouth shut (unlike Matt Barkley), and made ALL of the plays. He is the best player on the best team in the country. Oh they aren't the best, Alabama is better? They're number one, and if you want to say that Manziel is the best player because of his numbers, then Notre Dame is the best because of their number. All of a sudden, we're back to baseball and the MVP debate on numbers, and how Johnny Manziel has a better WAR than Manti Te'o. Save it...you can't judge an award on numbers, you have to look at more than that. You are picking the winner of the most prestigious award in sports. It's nice to win an MVP or a Conn Smythe, but this is the Heisman. You may have never heard of Roger Crozier but you've almost certainly heard of RGIII (if you haven't, thank you for reading something that probably doesn't make a lot of sense to you).

Johnny "Football" is seeking to become the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy photo credit: bleacherreport.com

Being the best player on the best team doesn't always mean you should win something. There's probably a lot of examples where the team is the greater than the individual, and Notre Dame and Teo may even be one. Chauncey Billups shouldn't have won an NBA MVP in 2004, but he was the best player on the best team. Te'o, however, should win tonight. Teo has 103 tackles and is second in America in interceptions. He's a linebacker. That doesn't happen. So he definitely has the starts part covered. A lot of people say Johnny Manziel will win because of his moment, beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Now, I don't have a lot of friends who like Notre Dame. I do have one good one though, and he was quick to point out Te'o's performance against Oklahoma when I said Te'o doesn't have a moment like that. Twelve tackles and an interception in Norman to beat the Sooners? Alright Jack, fine that counts. So he's got the moment covered. It's not rolling the Tide in Bryant-Denny, but it's not celebrating after beating Uconn, either (see Spartan fans, I take shots at Michigan too). Beating Oklahoma in Norman is not easy, I don't care what kind of year they are having. And the story? Losing both your girlfriend and grandmother in the same week, playing, playing exceedingly well, and leading NOTRE DAME to an undefeated season and a birth in the BCS Title game? Cue Booby Miles's uncle saying, "...and he can pass!!" Yeah, he's got it all covered.

So there's the resume. Now I don't believe in the argument that Te'o should win because he's a senior and Manziel will have his moment in the future. That's about as predictable as Craig Sager's next suit. Who knows what will happen with Manziel in the future. No, the voters should throw class standing out of the equation, and I'm sure they did. Manziel has a wonderful resume too. But do you think he'd even be in this conversation if not for beating Alabama? Hell no. He got hot at the right time, and beamed brighter than the sun on national television when he got his chance. That's what good players do. But everyone forgets about Johnny Manziel's bad games because of his good one, and that's where I have an issue. Twenty-four out of thirty-one for 253 and two scores is great against Alabama. But twenty-three out of thirty for 173 and no scores in a loss against Florida is pretty pedestrian. Should you be allowed to have a bad game and win the Heisman? Probably. But how bout twenty-nine out of fifty-six for 276 with no scores and three picks against LSU? How bout seventeen out of twenty-six for 191, a score and two picks against Ole Miss? Point is Manziel has had plenty of average games. Heisman Trophy winners are not supposed to be average. Now you're thinking, "well, he's a freshman, cut him some slack." You're right, he's a freshman so I will cut some slack on the bad games. I'm not going to give him the Heisman Trophy though in cutting him a break.

That takes a look at Manziel's numbers in the big games. That's really what matters isn't it? That's how Woodson won it: a huge pick against Michigan State and punt return to the house against the Buckeyes. Te'o's worst statistical game came against Wake Forest; he had six tackles. He had six tackles, and Notre Dame won thirty-eight to zip. He had five tackles against both USC and Boston College, but he had an interception in both of those games. He had six tackles and a pick against Navy and he didn't play the whole game. So let's look at what I think are the six biggest games on Notre Dame's Schedule: USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Oklahoma, and Miami (yeah, you're point about Notre Dame not having to go through the rigors of the SEC is now useless). In those six games combined, Te'o had fifty-seven tackles, and four interceptions. Oh yeah, and Notre Dame won every one of the games.

All of that said (sorry Collin Klein, find a corner), Manziel could still win the award and he would be deserving. That's the beauty of having two great players up for an award. But if Manziel wins, then the Heisman trophy should be given exclusively to offensive players, because you're not going to find a defensive resume and story like this one ever again. You're going to see history tonight one way or the other. It's either going to be the first freshman or the first exclusively defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy. The intro might have sucked, but how's that for a finish?

Last Chance

Comebacks rarely work in sports. Unless your name is Jordan or Favre, it's unlikely you'll be successful engaging in a return trip to glory. Every once in a while though, the first comeback will be successful. Occasionally, even the second comeback can produce some results. But the third comeback is normally similar to MJ and the Wizards. It very rarely scratches the surface of being anywhere near a success. So now, as the bell begins to toll, this is it for the NHL.

A lot of fans remember the last debacle that commissioner Gary Bettman enacted on the NHL. Of all the commissioners in sports, Bettman seems to have the greatest Napoleonic complex. So maybe he thought that lockout was a success. After all, it brought a little publicity to the NHL, and also allowed the NHL to claim the title of first professional sports league (in North America) to cancel an entire season due to a labor dispute. A week ago, David Stern took the lead down the back stretch as to who can claim the title of worst commissioner in sports, as he decided to fine the Spurs for doing what Major League Baseball teams call "Sunday." It was a tough task, and it must have been thought out by Stern, because I was sure Bettman had the title on lock. Who would have ever thought that the commissioner most absent from the news would be Bud Selig? Not I, that's for sure. With that said, Bettman will firmly regain the lead (and may never give it up) if these oh-so-fruitful talks we keep hearing about between the NHL players and owners come up empty.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman photo credit: cbc.ca

The NHL somehow was lucky in 1995. It experienced the first of Bettman's mistakes, yet somehow managed to come back stronger, at least in Detroit. Hockey was great and fun to watch. For the first time really since the original six days, the NHL had a rivalry it could put up there with the best in sports. Colorado and Detroit HATED each other. There was no love between those players at all. Aside from maybe four or five of them, there was no respect either. I always found it weird that players from the Yankees and Red Sox would go play for the other team, i.e. Johnny Damon. Think about it, who do you know that has played for both the Wings and Avs? Anyone? I can think of Uwe Krupp and Kyle Quincey. If you know more, that absolutely earns you a beer for tonight. But that's the point. The NHL had maybe the most bitter rivalry in sports. Bold, I know, but just think about Darren McCarty. The NHL was on ESPN, Gary Thorne and Bill Clement were a great broadcasting duo, people still watched Hockey Night in Canada, and on top of all of that the Wings were far and away the standard. So much for that.

The 2004-2005 NHL lockout is still affecting the league today. Now when the Wings and Avs play each other, it's on Fox Sports Detroit Plus if there is a Pistons game the same night. What's the best rivalry in hockey? Probably Pittsburgh-Philadelphia, but there's no rivalry worth putting in prime-time. Arenas aren't nearly as full as they once were. Even a Hot-N-Ready is $20 at the Joe, come on. The NHL is still paying the price for the greed of a few. Cue Bachman Turner Overdrive cause if the NHL misses another full season, well, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Darren McCarty gets revenge photo credit: motorcitysportsgallery.blogspot.com

There is fault on both sides of this equation. The owners are greedy businessmen who want to control the majority of their investments and clients. The players are greedy athletes who want to control their ability and everything it yields. Both sides think they are right and the other is wrong...sounds like politics. The difference between the two is the word fiscal: in politics you hear about the fiscal cliff, whereas if the NHL loses another season, it's going off the real cliff.

I've been a long time believer that playoff hockey is the most exciting time in sports. I don't think there's a close second. Playoff hockey is the only sport (that I wasn't playing in) that ever caused me to skip a class in college. Woops. How bout that, still got a degree! Jokes aside playoff hockey is intense. It's as fast paced as the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. And there is a lot of hitting. It's where names like Kronwall become names like Kronwall. Most importantly for hockey though, it's the place that brings the most fans.

Professional sports are not about athletes and they aren't about owners, either. Sure, those two sides run the show and yes, they make the rules as well. But the engine that is pro sports runs from fans. It's the fans who are willing to spend hundreds of dollars every time they go to a game that keep the ship afloat. That's where the money comes from, period. Do the owners have a lot of money anyway? Yes. But do you think Mike Illitch can afford to go buy Prince Fielder if nearly three million fans don't show up to Comerica Park a year? Probably not. I really question if the NHL executives understand this. I think the players know. I think the owners know. I really don't know if the commissioner knows. Common sense says of course he knows, but come on...three lockouts in less than twenty years? Are you trying to get rid of your fan base?

There may be hope on the horizon. Hopefully by the time you're reading this, the lockout is over. The last couple of days have supposedly been full of good conversations. They better have been, because if they lose this season, you can expect hockey to lose a whole bunch of fans. If Gary Bettman messes this one up, the NHL is in a bunch of trouble, not to mention Bettman will forever be known as the new Buzz Killington. There will be the diehards who stick around, of course. But even Michael Jordan couldn't sell out the MCI Center in his last days as a Wizard. What makes the NHL think their comeback will produce different results? No matter how many times you come back, if you lose that excitement and those fans, you might as well lose everything.

Starting To Finish

The time has once again come to discuss baseball. No fear Tiger fans, I will go nowhere near discussing the World Series (at least the last one). No, with the Hall of Fame vote coming up, the issue on everyone's mind in the baseball world will be steroids. Nothing like some good juice to get things going. I'm also going to stay away from Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens for now, but if you've followed baseball in the last fifteen years or so, then you have undoubtedly heard the name Alex Rodriguez. Whether he was dating Madonna or getting booed, A-Rod made headlines like very few before him. And as the news breaks that A-Rod will have to undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair his left hip, the nighttime soap opera that is the New York Yankees may be losing a key cast member.

Rodriguez with the Yankees photo credit: nydailynews.com

Let me begin by saying that Rodriguez does not deserve half the criticism he has been given throughout his illustrious career. He may not deserve a quarter of it. But that comes with the territory; if you play for the Yankees and make $25 million a year, you damn well better produce. If you don't, well, you'll get booed when you strike out. New Yorkers have the temper of a senile old drill sergeant. Couple that with the patience of a six year old and you have a prototypical Yankees' fan. I realize I'm buying into stereotypes here, but it's only a stereotype because it's true. In the world of New York sports you can throw out the, "what have you done for me," and insert, "what have you done for me lately?" The answer to that question, in Rodriguez's case is, "I gave some girl my number when I get yanked out of the game."

Okay maybe that criticism he deserves. The rest of it you can throw out the window. Every player in major league history (with more than 100 at bats) has made an out. No one bats 1.000...no one. No one fields every ground ball. No one gets every single bunt down. You mess up, a lot. Baseball is a game that is ruled by failure. You've heard the adage that you can fail seven out of ten times and still be successful in baseball. Hell, you can fail seven out of ten times and make seven million a year. In terms of the players who have failed a lot in major league history, and there are a lot of them, Rodriguez is one that belongs in Cooperstown.

Let the debate begin. He took steroids, HGH, crystal meth, and ate krypton. Great. I don't care, and you shouldn't either. In a league where it seems a player is admitting to steroid use as often as Dwight Howard misses a free throw, my thoughts on the whole issue have quickly become, "who cares?" Melky Cabrera had to sit out the majority of the second half of last season for the Giants after failing a drug test, and he was rewarded with a fat contract in the off-season. You understand that if the executives of the game don't care about steroids, then nothing will change. So about the breath you're thinking about using to dispute my argument? Well, you might as well keep ir to yourself and save it, because nothing is going to change.

Rodriguez may not get elected to the Hall of Fame, I'm not sure. Does he pass the eye test? No. The history of voters seems to be harsh on those who played in the so-called "steroid era," and I imagine Rodriguez's fate will be similar to that of Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire. This is only relevant though because I feel we have all seen the last of a good Alex Rodriguez. He may stick around for a few more years in the sun, I don't know what his thoughts are. But he's not twenty-two any more. He's old, and his body doesn't respond the way it once did to injury. So with that said, what a damn career.

A lot of people will look at Alex Rodriguez as a Yankee, missing his AL West years with Seattle and Texas. It's easy to do that; it's New York. I don't think the city sleeps, so neither does the spotlight. It's always on when you play for the Yankees, and you better be prepared to have your legacy carry on from what you did in pinstripes. Is it fair? Probably not. Is it realistic? Absolutely. With that in mind, I'm going to revisit the younger, simpler days of Alex Rodriguez. After all, had he not gone to New York, I firmly believe we are talking about the greatest shortstop ever.

This is the part where if you don't really follow baseball, you now know that Rodriguez was in fact a shortstop before taking his talents to the hot corner. And in doing so, I present to you reason number one for Rodriguez not deserving most of the criticism: he gave up personal accolades for rings. Sounds like someone else, who took his talents to South Beach. Congratulations to LeBron by the way, Sportsman of the Year, that's a nice honor. I would have chosen Tim Tebow, but apparently you have to actually be good to win the award. Anyway, Rodriguez was pretty good himself, and he was a lot better before he put on pinstripes.

Every baseball fan remembers the greats. Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, all of them are immortalized through stories, videos, and numbers. Alex Rodriguez started his career in Seattle, a place that for some odd reason bred two of the most "what could have been" careers of all-time. When Rodrgiuez joined the M's in 1994, he was not the top dog. No, the top dog was the man who had more talent than perhaps anyone else to ever play: Ken Griffey Jr. Immediately Jr. and A-Rod became the marquee combo, putting the Seattle Mariners on the map, a place they haven't been since the duo left. After Texas gave Alex 252 million reasons to leave Seattle, he did. Griffey Jr. unfortunately was not as fortunate, and injuries ruined his career much earlier than A-Rod's.

Rodriguez in his early days photo credit: nasorb.com

Rodriguez went to Texas and flat out dominated the game of baseball. He was the best in the game, by far. He could run, he could hit, he could field, he could throw, and he could flirt; the five tools necessary for a superstar. He had it all, both the fame and the fortune. He was missing just that one thing that drives athletes: a championship. You don't play to finish second. Rodriguez understood that, so much so that he switched positions. The best shortstop in the game, going over to play third base? Better be Derek Jeter playing shortstop for his new team...oh, it was, okay. Rodriguez's position switch would be like Shaq switching to small forward. The premiere position in the league, and you are the best at it, but you're going to switch for someone else just to win rings? Unselfish. And it worked. The Yankees won, and they won with a featured Alex Rodriguez. But then they didn't win after that, so everyone in New York got upset and forgot about the good times...only in sports.

Now Rodriguez may be down for the final time. I just don't see him coming back and being anything more than a glorified pinch hitter. It's a shame, because baseball will be missing one of its greatest talents ever. We are talking about one of the five greatest shortstops/third basemen/whatever to ever play, perhaps one of the top ten hitters to ever play. Five years ago, Rodriguez seemed a lock to shatter the home run record. Then he got hurt. Maybe it was because he was off steroids. Maybe it wasn't. I'm mot sure, and more importantly, I'm never going to be sure. So let's just cherish what we got. Few have been as feared as Rodriguez was and few have been as disliked. Many portrayed him as the villain in Major League Baseball. So I find it only fitting that less than two weeks after the death of J.R. Ewing, the ultimate TV villain, Rodriguez's career too may be coming to an end. Time to find a new star to fill the void in New York.