USA Track & Field To Replace Livestrong?

I'm a former track guy.  I ran track during all four years of high school. I barely missed qualifying for the state meet during my sophomore year in the triple jump, but qualified in my last two years and was named all-state during my senior year.  I used to watch meets on television, and I always tuned in during the Olympics.

I was reading a recent copy of the Sports Business Journal and I noticed an article highlighting some soon-to-be released limited-edition shoes geared toward increasing revenue for USA Track & Field (USATF).  According to the article, the shoe will commemorate 30 years since USATF's initial organization.

There will be approximately 800 (500 men's and 300 women's) pair available online for $95, and USATF wants to sell them all.

The director of operations says they want to release one or two per year over the next couple of years n order to increase revenue.  Merchandise revenue has already expanded from about $30000 in 2002 to over $1 million in 2009, which is expected to double this year.  It is estimated that revenue should swell to $10 million by 2016.

I'm also a sneaker fiend.  Though I don't get to satisfy my thirst like I used to, I can at least admire the style and technology of a great pair of kicks.  These shoes seem to employ some pretty bright colors, which I'm not such a huge fan of, but the simple and classic styling
is pretty hot.

I'm sure these will be big sellers. This initiative could do wonders for American track and field athletes.  Bringing track and field into the mainstream and blending it with pop culture is sure to take some of the pressure off Lance Armstrong.  If he is discovered to have been cheating, Nike and the Livestrong campaign will undoubtedly part ways.

May Is Nearly Over. It Might Be Time To Panic.

Cardinals Baseball means different things to different people.  Some St. Louisans just want to be able to be seen at the stadium or at Hrabosky's Saloon.  These are your socialite fans. Going to a game is more of a social outing with red, white and navy blue coordinated outfits.  They don't care how Carp's pitching, how Yadi is hitting, or what the record is as long as there's a game to dress up for...

Some of us slightly rabid fans that simply want the Cardinals to win because Cardinals Baseball is an endearing part of your childhood, and you admire the history and prestige of the franchise, the abundance of great ball players that have graced this city, the skill it takes to play the game, and the bragging rights over every other so-called "baseball town" in America.  The way the game is played now is much different from the days of Ozzie Smith, Vince Coleman and Willie McGee (who deserves to have his #51 retired, by the way), and you've come to accept it.

Today's game is more about power, and less about speed and base-running prowess.  This shift is the reason that Matt Holliday was re-signed (and overpaid) for seven years and $120 million.  Let's look at this year's numbers for Holliday:

	G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB		SO	SB		AVG
	45	172	25	48	76	13	0	5	18	14		30	3		.279

These numbers aren't totally rotten... if you don't make $17 million a year... with the St. Louis Cardinals.  I realize that these guys are human, with human tendencies and lives outside of baseball.  However, contracts of that size, from this franchise come with tremendous expectations.  One home run every nine games is not the production that this lineup requires for success.  But it's not all his fault.

We've all gotten used to Albert Pujols being Albert Pujols. His numbers don't stink either, but over the past 10 games, Phat Albert has 0 home runs and 0 RBIs in 34 at-bats.  He has been the picture of consistency over the past nine or 10 seasons, so he's allowed to slump a bit.  My concern is that there's an injury that he's hiding while playing through pain and discomfort.

We're about to reach June.  Most of the time, I don't panic about where our team is at this time of the season... most of the time.  This season is different.  Given the aforementioned Holliday contract, and the fact that we've got a starting pitcher going on the DL and the fact that Pujols's contract will be an issue at the season's end, and the fact that the team is under-performing concerns me.  In fact, if the Cardinals don't win the series this weekend against the Cubs, I'll be in full-blown panic.

My fear is that this team will fall far-short of its own goals and the expectations of its fans, and have to endure a bidding war for a possibly-injured, possibly-declining Pujols while over-paying for a possibly-declining Holliday.  


And lost in all of this mess is the fact that Mark McGuire has re-joined the organization in a coaching capacity. I'm not sure how good of a hitting coach he is, but he seems to be a good scapegoat at this point.


Regardless of who's at fault, or what needs to be fixed, or tweaked, or whatever, they'd better start winning.  Now.

A Spirituality Check

I have experienced an incredible run of divine blessings recently, and I feel like my spiritual relationship with the Almighty is growing exponentially each day.  In light of the blessings I've received, I have made (and am still making) a conscious effort to release ill will and residual grudges against those that have wronged me in the past. 

I called a friend to apologize for my role in a recent disagreement that left us not speaking for months. He didn't answer, so I left a message.  I'm not professing any new found holiness, just that I'm trying to walk the talk.  I hope that my sincere apology helps to heal a fractured friendship.  I felt good to make such an effort.  I decided to move down to the number two item on my list...

The Bible says that we should pray for our enemies, so I decided to take some time to speak to God about my worst sworn enemy.  Just as I'm sure there were people that prayed for Jack the Ripper, I would pray for the IRS.  Instead of simply asking to have my year-long issue resolved, I would ask for a fair and just decision from those responsible for evaluating every nook and cranny of my 2006 earnings.  I definitely wouldn't pray any harm upon them.

As I readied my words, I thought of the unambiguousness of The Good Book and how good it felt to be at such spiritual peace.  But I thought more... God's Word is unambiguous, but the IRS is quite ambiguous.  Hmmm... A government agency that's existence alone is unconstitutional.  So if I pray for an agency, its employees and the directives of said agency, would I then be praying against the Constitution? 

What a can of worms... By praying for the IRS and the binding amendments of the Constitution, wouldn't I be somehow praying for the demise of the IRS?  After all, I would also pray to be the last American to feel bullied and pillaged by Doug Shulman and the other thieves IRS staff.

(IRS Commissioner, Doug Shulman likes likes poetry, long walks and legal racketeering)

I felt conflicted.  I suppose I have more growing to do.  I clearly haven't healed of my negative feelings regarding the aftermath of being audited.  I am definitely in need of a lot more grace as well as some (more) patience.

X's and O's, Or Jons and Joes?

You all know that I'm a sports fan(atic).  Now that I am an intern at a sports talk station, it feels like my habit is being encouraged!  It's like giving an alcoholic a job at a brewery - I get to be around it, but I don't get to interact with it.

For the few hours I'm there, I get to listen to the personalities give their take on various issues.  I don't get to help write any of the material. I don't help edit.  I just listen.  Even when one of them is dead wrong, I just have to sit and take it.  The beauty of my blog is that I get to voice my opinion.  Unfortunately, I don't have the audience that the station gets.

After a week of listening to Kevin Slaten bash Tony LaRussa, I've got to question the validity of his finger-pointing.  I don't believe that coaches at the professional level do that much coaching.  At the pro level, I think it's less about schemes and game plans and more about leadership and focus. 

Seriously think about that for a minute...  In pro baseball, they don't even call them coaches. They are called "managers."  Why?  Because that's what professional coaches do - they manage the egos of their millionaire athletes, they manage the media, they manage the pressure of expectations on players and organizations. Joe Torre is and has been one of the best at this, but even he has had Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera and the New York Yankee payroll.

Vince Lombardi, who might be the greatest motivator in the history of pro football, had Paul Hornung and Bart Starr develop into offensive juggernauts and put all three of them in the Hall of Fame. Before Lombardi came to Green Bay, the Packers were a collection of lazy losers. By the time he left, any man on roster would've run through a brick wall if Lombardi said so. 


In the NBA, Phil Jackson has had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille Oneal on his championship rosters.  Phil also had assistant coach Tex Winter and his version of triangle offense, so maybe he's the one-in-ten instance that refutes my argument.  The NBA-adaptation of the triangle offense helped take Michael Jordan from a perennial playoff threat to a six-time World Champion.  The funny thing is that Jackson (head coach) gets the credit for Winter's (assistant coach) system.

(The triangle offense has produced 10 NBA Championships)

However, by and large professional sports is about finding the right personality to manage the athletes on and off the court.  For the most part, pro athletes need to be saved from complacency. I'm not saying that professional players don't need to be coached at all; they just don't need to be coached as much.  They would not be professional athletes if they weren't already exceptional at their sport.  Every great coach has had great players to coach. There isn't a single "great" coach that hasn't had an All-Star, All-American or Hall of Famer on a championship roster.

You'll notice that the few coaches that are considered great haven't reached their elevated status by employing inconsistent talent or repeat felons.  When players don't perform to expectations, the coaches get fired. Like it's anyone else's fault that the players miss free throws, strike out, commit penalties or any other in-game gaffs. The coaches get too much credit and too much blame for what happens during competition.