May 23, 2007

It has been an extremely long time since I did a blog. A lot of things have happened in the sports world. The NBA season finished, MLB started, and March Madness occurred. The NBA early draft entry deadline has passed, and now the NBA draft lottery took place.

The draft lottery was held last night and did not go anywhere near the correct form. The teams with the three worst records (Memphis, Boston, and Milwaukee) did not finish in the lottery. Instead they got picks 4th, 5th, and 6th, respectively. This caused major uproar in Boston where it was widely hoped Greg Oden would come there and become the second coming of Bill Russell. The situation isn’t as dire in Memphis, where they’re only a season removed from making the playoffs in the tough Western Conference. Basically the only reason Memphis is in the lottery is because Pau Gasol was hurt to begin the year. Milwaukee is also coming off an injury filled season as well.

Now the talk shifts from who will get the first pick to who will be the first pick. Most people around the league think it’s a done deal that Portland will choose Oden first. Me, I’m not so sure. I really think, actually hope that the Blazers really study this pick. Look, you can’t teach size. But Oden won’t be able to push and just be physically better than everyone else in the NBA. His offensive game isn’t polished enough to control the paint in any way other than defense and rebounding. However, after typing that down, Oden seems like the perfect fit for a team that already Brandon Roy, the reigning Rookie of the Year, Zack Randolph, and La Marcus Aldridge. Oden would actually be able to grow without the weight of the franchise on his shoulders.

The second pick of the draft went to the Seattle Sonics, who desperately needed it. The team was recently sold, and there is growing talk the team may be moving to Oklahoma City. With the second pick, they have the opportunity to get Kevin Durant (if Portland takes Oden), who is an instantly marketable face. He took the campus of Texas by storm and there isn’t any reason that he won’t do the same for the city of Seattle. Pair him with Ray Allen, and the Sonics shouldn’t lose 51 games this season.

Well enough on the draft, there will be plenty of talk about that for the next month. I want to vent about the “policing” the NFL has engaged in. The suspension of Adam Jones and Chris Henry, I agree with. If the league does decide to suspend Tank Johnson, I will understand and slightly agree as well. But I ask: where will it end? It seems Michael Vick will be the next athlete caught in the whirlwind.

The issue of dog fighting has me torn. On one hand, I see and understand the cruelty done to the animals. On the other hand, what’s the difference between dog fighting and horse racing? I’ll tell you the difference. The difference is that horse racing brings in millions of dollars through sponsors and television ratings and whatnot. Both are cruel to animals. The only horse that was saved from certain death was Barbaro and even he was “put down”.

Personally I think that this goes into a deeper issue within sports and society. There is a disconnect between most of the players and most of the fans that come watch them. The divide will only get deeper if these athletes are perpetrated to be “hoodlums” by the media, their teams and to some degree the leagues. I understand the nature to clean up sports, but that will fully occur once society gets cleaned up. These athletes are unfortunately continuing behavior that they’ve learned while growing up. And while they should know that their status puts them in a larger spotlight, the fact of the matter is that they appear not to.

Well I want to close that disconnect through my writing. I am just searching for that opportunity. Until next time.