The NHL Lockout Gets Personal

I love hockey, which is not exactly breaking news to those who know me.  So it should not be shocking that the latest NHL lockout has been a source of emotional angst for me from the day it was announced.

I know that a preponderance of the American sporting public is yawning and could care less that games are not being played.  Some may even be celebrating that fact.  I understand this with crystal clarity because quite frankly, when the NBA was going through this exact issue a year ago I could have cared less.

This however is personal.  I feel as if something that I love is being forcibly taken away and I am powerless to stop it.   All because some very short-sighted individuals on both sides are letting arrogance, greed, and a feeling of entitlement interfere with common sense.

I’ve tried from the beginning to take a pragmatic approach to this, at least as much as I’m capable.  Alas after last week’s promising talks broke down amidst juvenile sniping and seven figure bruised egos, I officially lost it.  The dueling news conferences held by Betteman and Fehr was the moment the NHL lockout officially jumped the shark.  It was the point where both sides essentially stated, it’s more important for us to WIN the CBA then it is to do what’s best for their sport.  A sport by the way that struggles terribly for mainstream acceptance in most of the United States.

Better yet, the moment Bill Daly uttered his infamous and patently moronic, “this is the hill we will die on” comment, the season was officially in jeopardy. 

I no longer want to make logical arguments even if they are obviously there to be made.  I just want to walk in to a room filled with all of these idiots and scream…DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW STUPID YOU ALL ARE!?!  Remember the age old question, if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around, does it make a sound?

So yes, I’m emotional.  Much more so than I was during the 2004 lockout and even when they ultimately cancelled the season.   I was devastated (in a strictly sports sense) when that happened but I GRUDGINGLY understood.  Regardless of any revisionist history being painted now, the NHL at that time was a financial calamity with an untenable business model.  It had to be fixed, no matter the cost. 

This time, it simply needs a financial nip and tuck.  That makes it impossible to justify nearly three months of lost hockey.

There is however a far more personal element for me this time, one that goes beyond simply my love for the NHL.  It involves the shared love and passion my wife Emily and I have developed for the sport, a love and passion that is woven in to the very fabric of our relationship.  To wit, four of our first five dates involved NHL hockey games.  Last month we drove to Rosemount in the height of Chicago rush hour traffic to watch a charity hockey game put on by the Blackhawks.  Those facts alone should give some insight to the depth of our commitment but there is more…much, much, more.

When we get a massive snow storm in Chicago most people worry about getting home from work and shoveling their driveway.  Emily’s first thought is that we can probably get a really good price on lower bowl seats at the United Center (she’s 100% right by the way). 

We spent the run-up to our late May wedding more concerned about a Pens/Hawks Stanley Cup final match-up (aka DOOM), then of wedding costs, bad weather or a catering mishap.  We were introduced as a new couple to the Penguins, “Boys of Winter” theme song and we danced to Chelsea Dagger during the ceremony.  Hockey memorabilia was everywhere.

My wife made it a point to purchase two tickets to a March 2009 game at the Igloo so I/we could make one last pilgrimage before they tore down the beloved old barn.  She suggested a weekend road trip to St. Louis so we could see the Haws and Pens both play (and lose to) the Blues on consecutive nights.  Heck she even planned a trip from Orlando to Tampa during our week at Disney just so we could root against the Eastern Pennsylvania Orange and Black Goon Squad.

We have all four episodes of 24/7 Penguins-Capitals on our DVR plus the entire catalog of Blackhawks’ TV episodes.  We have the 2009 and 2010 cup clinching victories for both the Pens and Hawks preserved as well.  These programs have been watched more times than I can remember, most often at Emily’s behest.

Our relationship goes 1,000 levels deeper than hockey and will survive and thrive with or without the NHL.  It does not change the fact that the NHL is an enormous part of our life together, more so than I can do justice to in this forum.  The league and the PA are not just taking hockey away from me or from her.  They are taking it away from us.  It’s yet another element of emotional collateral damage that the billionaires and millionaires ignore while fighting over slices of an enormous pie.

It breaks my heart when Emily laments that her love and passion for the game may be irreparably damaged by this ignorant dispute.  Keep in mind this is coming from a woman who went by herself to watch Blackhawk’s prospect camp this summer, proudly clad in her Antii Niemi jersey.

Certainly I understand and empathize with her disposition which rest assured did not develop overnight.  It started with the cancellation of the Blackhawks Training Camp festival and the associated 5K run.  It continued with the cancellation of the Penguins/Hawks game in November.  It crystalized when for the first time in our relationship we did not see a hockey game in Pittsburgh over thanksgiving.  And there have been countless wasted nights watching reruns of Friends that would otherwise be devoted to the Pens or Hawks.

No matter how much they claim otherwise, Gary Betteman, Don Fehr, and everyone else involved in this moronic conflict do not comprehend the depth of this emotional collateral damage.  They are blind beyond the economics and their selfish need to get the best deal for their side; when a good deal is more than good enough. 

I can accept that Fehr is a hired gun who ultimately could care less about the NHL.  The owners and more so the players however are stunningly ignorant to the reality that their sport and thus their livelihoods rely on the fragile emotional bonds they create with their fans.  Destroy those bonds and the NHL, at least in the United States, could just as soon be Arena Football, nothing more than a winter diversion for parents and their kids. 

It is solely the willing desire of fans to fully vest themselves, emotionally and financially, that allows everyone involved to make the money they do.  Remove that and Jonathan Toews is selling insurance and playing pond hockey in Winnipeg.  No matter how much they claim otherwise, no matter how much they thank us or appear to sympathize with our plight, nobody involved in this dispute truly gets that. 

The NHL and the NHLPA are arrogantly assuming they can survive a second cancelled season if it comes to that.  Their arrogance is rooted in the incorrect assumption that hockey fans are too devoted and passionate about their sport to walk away.  And they could not be more wrong. 

Even the strongest bonds can be broken if enough force is applied.  The same intense devotion and passion that hockey fans are known for could be the explosive instrument that destroys those bonds, if the league is foolish enough to shut down for another season.  There is NOTHING more dangerous in this world than a jilted lover.  Ask Major League Baseball (1995 to 1997) what happens when you overly abuse the trust of your paying customers.  And the NHL today is nowhere near as strong as baseball was when Don Fehr was involved in cancelling the World Series.

I hope both sides wake up to this reality in time to save the season and their sport.  For the first time I’m concerned they may not.

Charlie Batch’s Moment in the Sun

When I think about the greatest wins in recent Steeler history, excluding championships of course, almost every one of them is against the Baltimore Ravens.

There is nothing more fulfilling for a sports fan than a critical victory over a hated rival. Check that…a despised rival. With all due respect (or lack thereof) to New England, Dallas, Cincinnati and Cleveland there is simply no Steelers’ opponent that generates the visceral hatred of the Ravens. And I would have said that before my wife and I endured three horrific hours of emotional debauchery at M&T Stadium last September.

Think about those Steeler victories that make you pound your chest with pride at being part of the Steeler Nation. They are ALMOST ALWAYS against the Rat Birds and frequently in Baltimore. Remember the 92 yard drive and last second Santonio touchdown in 2008? How about the Polamalu strip sack of Flacco in 2010? There are also two recent classics at Heinz Field, the 2008 AFC Championship game and the 2010 divisional playoff comeback victory

“Greatest wins” of course is an extremely subjective measurement. So I use extremely unscientific qualifications for such a designation. How stressed am I during the game? How many times do I throw objects (thank you Limas Sweed) or bang my head off solid objects? How much am I dancing around my condo, pumping my fists and screaming (much to the dismay of Chicago’s West Loop) after the victory?

My wife (and Mike Tomlin) likes to say “a win is a win.” Statistically she is 100% right. And yet there are some wins that are just bigger, that just mean more.

Well we can officially add classic victory in Baltimore to the list.

This one will be remembered as “the Charlie Batch” game. The night the Steelers staggered in to Baltimore and pulled out a phenomenal, season saving victory over the Rat Birds. They did so not only without their star quarterback but with their third stringer as recently as two weeks ago. They did it with a QB who much of Steeler national irrationally and over zealously wrote off after last week’s ugly loss.

The only thing better than this highly improbable victory is the redemption story that came with it. Charlie Batch may never end up in Canton but he’s truly one of the classiest professionals to ever wear the black and gold. The man is the ultimate team player and the prototypical “Pittsburgh guy.” He has not played a lot during his Steeler career but with the notable exception of last weekend has almost always played well when called upon. He deserved MUCH better than to have his Steeler career end on that debacle in Cleveland.

I’m a Steeler fan which means I root for the logo more than I do the names on the back of the jersey. And yet I’ll be the first to admit I’m almost as happy for Batch as I am for the black and gold as a whole.

Let me start off by saying that I don’t think Batch should be the team’s number 3 QB. There is zero doubt in my mind that he gives the Steelers a better chance to win then Byron Leftwich. I made this point repeatedly at Heinz Field two weeks ago as Leftwich limped and gimped through a disappointing loss. I endorsed Batch to be the starter during Ben’s suspension two years ago and have never backed off my contention that he should be the number 2 QB. I simply do not get the coaching staff’s infatuation with Lord Byron whose throwing wind-up is an eerie combination of Major Harris and Bugs Bunny.

That said, Batch was the third quarterback. That means for the better part of eleven weeks he did not take a meaningful snap in practice. In today’s NFL the back-up QB rarely gets practice reps let alone the third QB. So after eleven weeks of inactivity Batch has to start in Cleveland. The Steelers employ a conservative game plan and the team’s running backs respond by fumbling an incredible six time. Let me say that again…six times. On top of which Batch had a 30 plus yard completion to Heath Miller early in the second half of that game that was wiped out by a holding penalty.

I’m not saying Batch played great against the Browns, he clearly did not. At the same time, the overreaction from fans and media was staggering. Batch plays one subpar game, with all the obstacles I noted above and suddenly he is washed up and done? I’m sorry but that’s not a fair evaluation. My honest opinion is that if the Steelers simply hold on to the ball against the Browns they win that game easily and Batch is not being bitch slapped by Rodney Harrison on national TV.

Regardless, it is what it is. The team played awful and Batch was part of it. It was a game they needed very much to win and did not. It was a truly ugly loss in every way.

Of course one of the reasons we considered it a must win game was we all assumed that a victory in Baltimore without Big Ben would be impossible. If the last two weeks, and for that matter this entire bizarre Steeler season has taught us anything it’s that nothing is a given in the NFL. I’ve always thought the “any given Sunday” mantra was a little hokey and overplayed. At the same time I will not deny that at this level, crazy things can and do happen.

I doubt even the most optimistic Steeler fan would have predicted this outcome before kick-off, or even at half-time.

The Steelers simply would not have prevailed without Batch’s strong performance. It was pretty obvious that Baltimore was playing 8 in the box all night to shut down the run. Cleveland did the same thing last week. The Steelers right now do not have elite running backs. Neither Dwyer nor Redman is good enough to succeed consistently driving head on in to eight man fronts.

This game changed when the coaches took the handcuffs of Batch and let him throw the ball. And to their credit they continued to show confidence even when he made a few obviously bad throws. Yes the overthrow of Wallace in the end zone was awful. So were about ten of Drew Brees’ throws on Thursday night in Atlanta. If Ryan Lindley is your third string QB maybe you bail on throwing; with Charlie Batch you let him make plays.

And that’s exactly what he did.

Batch was far from the only reason the Steelers won this game. I could easily devote an entire blog to the brilliant work of the coaching staff and the strong performances of James Harrison, Heath Miller, the offensive line and the defensive backs. Shaun Suisham deserves a major tip of the cap for yet another clutch kicking performance. I could also lament the latest implosion by Emmanuel Sanders and the continued disappointing efforts from Mike Wallace and Drew Butler.

Alas, those are stories for another day or another blog. To me the story of this game first and foremost was Charlie Batch.

This was his defining performance in a Steeler uniform, one we should never forget. It could not have come at a bigger time, could not have happened to a better guy. The victory provided some desperately needed confidence and momentum to a struggling team. And while their playoff hopes likely rest on the Cincinnati rematch, the game provided some critical breathing room.

With father time advancing and Big Ben hopefully returning this very well might be Charlie Batch’s final appearance as a Steeler. If so it was one heck of a curtain call; a deserving swan song for a true class act.

NHL Lays its Cards on the Table

The NHL has reportedly presented a new CBA proposal to its players, offering a 50/50 split of hockey related revenues with no rollbacks on current contracts. The offer also drops many of the pie in the sky extraneous demands from the original proposal, most of which had little or no chance of ever coming to fruition.

In short, the NHL has put its cards on the table. The league has advanced the deal it was probably trying to get from day one.

I have always believed the 50/50 split of revenues was the owners’ end game. Most of what they included in their first proposal; including dropping the players share of revenues to 43% was a smoke screen intended only to create the range of negotiation. If you do the math; the average of 57% of hockey related revenue (what the players get now) and the 43% the owners originally “offered” is 50%. I doubt that’s a coincidence.

The league’s negotiating tact was no different than you or me offering $250,000 for a house listed at $300,000 with the hopes of meeting in the middle at $275,000. Sometimes that strategy works, sometimes it does not. It all depends on the resolve of the seller and/or whether they see through the smoke screen.

Of course as my real estate agent warned me back in 2003, there is also the risk of insulting the seller with too low of an offer. If that happens the situation becomes emotional; and emotion can be a powerful deterrent to getting a deal done.

Therein lies the problem with the owners’ original strategy. They created so much animosity with their first offer that the players walked away in a huff, refusing to make anything more than cursory counter proposals. As my old JV soccer coach Joe Findlay used to say, the idea was solid, the execution was poor. The owners could have accomplished the same goal with a more reasonable starting offer.

Regardless of the reason, the owners seem to have come to grips with that reality and definitively changed their strategy.  They have scrapped the dog and pony show negotiation process which requires both sides to slowly move to the middle.  They have done what so many pundits said they had to do; backed down from their hard line stance for the betterment of the league.

Now the question will the players do the same? Will they understand that the 50/50 split was the goal all the time and that the owners have simply moved up the time table for presenting it? In short, will they take a very solid offer, make a tweak or two where necessary and lace up their skates.

Or will they see this proposal as a sign of weakness and push aggressively for additional concessions?  Will they simply see this offer as the real "starting point" for negotiations to paraphrase Fehr?

Take the former approach and we will have hockey in early November. Do that latter and the BEST CASE scenario becomes last year’s NBA; a shortened season starting around Christmas. The worst case, nuclear option is a repeat of 2004-05; which means no hockey. The reality is likely somewhere in the middle.

So again I ask, where do the players go from here?

I simply do not see the owners moving too far off this offer.  The players must now come to them.  I have read articles suggesting anywhere from 18 to 25 NHL teams are in the red, some because of the revenue sharing dollars they are already required to pay. The NHL today may not be the economic calamity it was in 2005 but there are still very real financial problems.  The salary cap was a starting point solution.  Now the cap figure must be adjusted to a number that makes sense.

I remain SHOCKED at the amount of support the players have gotten from fans in this lockout. They are earning unprecedented salaries even as most of the teams are losing money because the salary cap REQUIRES them to pay 57% of revenue. More than that, fans typically refuse to accept the perceived trials and tribulations of millionaire athletes, even when we are not coming off the worst economic collapse since original Ottawa Senators were hoisting Stanley Cups in the roaring 20s.

In spite of this, public reaction to date has been shockingly pro- player; shocking given that most of us would donate a kidney to make 10% of what Shea Webber earns…to play a game.  I'm willing to bit some portion of it relates directly to the general hockey populace's extreme distaste (however misplaced) for Gary Betteman.

If the players reject this offer, which figures to be the best one they see in the near future, I believe the tide of public opinion will turn decisively against them. My impression is that most people believe a 50/50 split is the right deal, especially if it comes without rollbacks on existing contracts. Delay the season further simply because the all-powerful Fehr thinks they can extract more blood from the NHL stone and I assure you the players will resume their typical role as the perceived villans in CBA negotiations.  

To that end this proposal, for whatever reason they made it, is a brilliant strategic move by the owners. The risk of course is putting their best offer on the table now, before the PA moves closer to meeting in the middle. The reward is shifting perception of blame for the labor stoppage squarely to the players. My guess is this was intentional; given the included carrot of an 82 game schedule and the recent hiring of a political strategist. Even if it was accidental, my conclusion remains the same.

I doubt Fehr much cares about public perception but his employees very well might. Reject this offer and the Shawn Horcroff’s of the world might encounter a bit more backlash when they lament the reduction of their 6 Million dollar fully guaranteed annual salary.

While I do favor small rollbacks from the players, the reality is this deal can likely be made without them. The projected cap range at 57% of HRR was $54.4 Million to $70.4 Million. Taking the league’s oft publicized $3.3 Billion revenue figure, I estimate the cap at 50% of HRR at being between $46.7 and $62.7 Million. That’s a much more livable figure for the current NHL.

According to CapGeek.com, 17 teams are currently below that $62.7 Million payroll figure and 7 more are less than $2 Million above it. That means that for the most part teams can get to the new cap number without rollbacks. Yes it will create a cap crunch for most teams over the next two seasons but so be it. The NFL basically did the same thing this year which is why Mike Wallace is still living on the paltry sum of $2.7 Million per annum. The main point is the league will have an economic model that makes sense in the long-term. And rest assured there will be some mechanism to phase this in such that Boston does not have to drop $6 Million in cap obligations over the next two weeks.

The next move is up to Fehr and the players. I sincerely hope they do what’s in the best interest of the game and work with the model presented. Fehr’s first statement (“this is a good start”) not to mention his track record and the NHLPA’s badly misplaced anger are ominous signs but not unexpected. The question at this point is not what they say, it’s what they do.

Blogging Team Seto and the 2012 Chicago Marathon

After nearly 9 months of hard core training, my wife Emily lined up for her first ever marathon this morning.

After virtually no relevant training, I lined up for my first roving spectator role at a marathon. My somewhat ambitious goal, to cheer my wife at six different spots over 26.2 miles. The plan was carefully orchestrated and logistically sound though ripe with uncertainty. A heartfelt thanks to Shawn Johnson for some excellent viewing suggestions.

Anyway, it turned out to be quite an experience, well worthy of my first, Bill Simmons’ style time line recap blog in several years . Before I start let me say what absolutely MUST be said. My sincerest congratulations to all of the runners and ESPECIALLY my wife. What all of these folks did today is simply incredible. I’m beat down and physically exhausted from my day and I did not do 1% of what these amazing athletes did. My wife and all 37,000+ finishers should be VERY, VERY PROUD of this mammoth accomplishment!

With that my recap.  All times central standard and slightly estimated:

6:00 am (sharp) – Alarm goes off…snooze.

6:05 am – Alarm goes off…awake, for real.

6:15 am – I drop off Emily at the Green Line and the day is underway. Morning temperature is a balmy 38 degrees.

6:17 am – I return to the Green Line stop to return some lost equipment that fell out of Emily’s bag in the car. First and only potential crisis of the day successfully averted.

7:30 am – I post the following video on Facebook to motivate my hockey fanatic wife (yes, we did watch Miracle for motivation on Friday night). The post is accompanied by these famous words from U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks (as voiced by Kurt Russell); “This cannot be a team of common (wo)men; because common (wo)men go nowhere. You have to be UNCOMMON. Should any of you choose to view this inspirational video, rest assured I am ABSOLUTELY NOT calling my wife a Candy Ass!

8:00 am – The first leg of my personal journey, a 1 mile walk to the red line at State and Lake. This is accompanied by my first attempt to cross a street that is part of the course. For comparison, this is sort of like playing the old Frogger arcade game except here you only get one guy.

8:25 am - There is a train waiting when I arrive at State and Lake although I’m not sure if it’s going the right direction. Given my natural danger seeker instincts I jump on anyway, risking life, limb, and going 500 feet the wrong direction. Turns out I’m on the right train and a shockingly unexpected trend for the day has emerged; spectacular CTA timing.

8:35 am – Off the red line at Chicago Avenue, waiting for Emily at LaSalle and Chestnut.

8:45 am – As an aside, I should mention that I’m wearing my black and gold Steeler sweatshirt ONLY to make me more visible to Emily (at least that’s what I tell people). I’m also using the Terrible Towel ONLY so that Emily can easily spot me as she runs by (at least that’s what I tell people). While I’m waiting for Emily 11 runners, again 11 MARATHON runners, allocate a portion of their scarce energy reserves to scream “LET’S GO STEELERS” or something to that effect. That’s why they call it the Steeler NATION folks. We’re like a cult!

8:55 am – Emily runs by and hands over her gloves and hat as the temperatures are souring to over 45 degrees. We’re 3.5 miles in and she’s looking strong.

9:00 am – Back to the red line. I hate to be cruel but there is a foul smelling gentleman at the underground stop who is screaming epitaphs at himself and apparently swatting at imaginary bugs. Ahhh…the city.

9:15 am – Off the red line at Clark and Fullerton. As I hit the street I encounter three people wearing Philadelphia Phillies outfits. Perhaps because the Steelers and Eagles play today or maybe just because Philly and Pittsburgh fans hate each other, they all scowl at me. I’d survive either way but I’ll have my revenge by day’s end thanks to Shaun Suisham.

9:35 am – Waiting for Emily at Clark and Deming (just north of Fullerton), about 50 feet from the apartment building I lived in my first seven years in Chicago. Amazingly during that time I never once viewed the marathon. Like any of you were out of bed at 9:00 am in your 20s…

9:45 am – The Superfriends run by…Batman, Robin, Superman, the Hulk and I believe Wonder Woman. I find myself actually contemplating the question of why Superman is not closer to the lead. You know…because he’s SUPERMAN and all. I also see a gentleman who proudly proclaims himself as “Gay Eagle Scout.” Make of that whatever you want.

9:55 am – Emily runs by mile 9.2 looking powerful and in control. She would call this coincidental but I cannot help noting that my wife is clad in red (jacket) and black (pants), the exact colors of her beloved Chicago Blackhawks. By the way five more “Go Steelers!” screams including one from a guy dressed…in a Steeler outfit. He even admonishes me for not waving the towel. HERE WE GO !!!

10:10 am – After a quick check of the CTA’s first and only proactive modern invention, the internet bus tracker reveals no stops for the Halsted bus. I assume I will be taking a cab to Greektown. Astoundingly as I arrive at Halsted and Fullerton there is a Halsted bus waiting at the stop. Yet another logistical touchdown. Here’s something to ponder, is the bus tracker really such a great invention if it provides completely inaccurate information? Ladies and gentlemen, your Chicago Transit Authority.

10:30 am – Arrive at my building and then a quick walk to Halsted and Adams in Greektown.

10:45 am – The most disturbing site of the day, a tall shirtless gentleman with man boobs that are hopping around like they’re in a food processor. Amazingly women are not permitted to be topless in public but this abomination is perfectly legal behavior in our society.

10:50 am – The women standing next to me complains about an awful, sewage smell emanating from the ground. In a shaky attempt at humor I apologize for not showering this morning (almost as if I’m assuming my brother’s role in this dialogue). Her response, “go figure you’re from Pittsburgh.” BAM…POW. That hurt.

10:55 am – A runner detours course to inquire if he’s seen me earlier on the course. Its official, the crazy guy in the Steeler sweatshirt (at the CHICAGO Marathon) has been recognized.

10:56 am – Emily comes by with the Sears Tower (or Big Willie or whatever) appearing majestically behind her in the background. We’re half way home and she looks fantastic. Oh and five more Steeler yells.

11:00 am – Sandwich break at Halsted and Jackson. There is a part of me that thinks eating a sandwich while watching people endure a marathon is kind of ignorant; but that part grudgingly defers to my growling stomach.

11:25 am (ish) – Here comes Emily again, this time from the west and she still looks like a running machine. She plants a big sloppy wet kiss on me as she runs by. Too much information for the tender sensibilities of my dear readers? DEAL WITH IT. The woman ran 26.2 miles today. I also assume there are 50 or more Steeler yells but they are obscured by loud (and in one case shockingly inappropriate) music.

11:45 am – I head to the Eisenhower to jump on the blue line for a two train connection to Chinatown. As I’m rushing down the extended ramp to the stop (which is in the center of the aforementioned expressway), I see a train has arrived. I start running. Then my jeans start falling down. So I grab my pants to hold them up and nearly trip in the process; all while one of Chicago’s finest admonishes me to be careful. Thankfully nobody saw this potentially humiliating moment. Of course MILLIONS will likely read about it in this blog.

12:00 noon – PERFECT red line transfer at Jackson. Why can’t I have this kind of train luck on work days?

12:30 pm – Arrival in Chinatown.

12:35 pm – Here comes Emily. She’s 22 miles in and still firing on all cylinders. Amazingly this is the first time all day I start to mentally acknowledge how incredible all these runners are…and how they are all certifiably nuts!

12:45 pm – ANOTHER perfect red line transfer. Train is waiting at the top of the steps. If it were not Sunday and I was not scampering all over Chicago I would buy a few lottery tickets.

1:00 pm – My first and only mistake of the day. I hop off the red at Roosevelt and ATTEMPT to fly south on Michigan avenue. The folks in front of me compared our efforts to salmon swimming up-stream. I would say it was more like salmon swimming, up-rapids.

1:20 pm – I complete the two block walk…up rapids mostly no worse for wear.

1:25 pm – Here comes Emily with the finish line in site. She looks so strong you would think this was just a short stroll in the park for her. After yet another kiss, I run ahead of her and take the picture below. Who knew the marathon would give me so many chances to make out with my wife???

1:35 pm – An official marathon text alert informs me my wife has completed the Chicago marathon. WAY TO GO EM !!!

2:00 pm – I walk over a mile to meet Emily at “runner reunite.” I know you all have great sympathy for my hardship; what with 37,000+ other runners around me who ran 26.2 miles AND THEN had to walk that extra mile.

2:05 pm – Reunited with far and away the best athlete in my household!

2:15 pm – One last time, we grab a bus perfectly on time. Given that my wife is a trifle sore from her endeavors, this is a tremendous bit of final fortune.

5;30 pm – Through the magic of the digital video recorder I watch Suisham’s game winning field goal sink Philly and save the Steelers’ season. Totally irrelevant to the marathon but…I gotta be me.

The final tally

Emily – 26.2 Miles, 5 hours 27 minutes and one completed marathon. I could not be more proud of my wife who worked harder than you will ever know to accomplish this life-long goal. Not just the 9 months of training but many, many nights of stretching and rehab as well. I’ll keep the specifics private but will disclose that my wife ran today’s marathon with injuries that would have kept me from walking to the kitchen. No question who is the toughest person in our household.

Adam – 3.5 miles walked (or speed walked) 4 trips on the red line, 1 blue line, and 2 bus trips to reach 6 viewing destinations and the finish line on the course. Unofficially 16 kisses from my wife.

Fans yelling – “GO STEELERS” or something of comparable nature – At least 25.

Players are Ultimately to Blame for NHL’s Labor Woes

I have never supported the players in a professional sports labor dispute. And I’m not about to start doing so with the current NHL lockout.

I have read numerous stories about the greedy owners and how they are asking the players to take a pay cut while the league is supposedly growing its revenues by leaps and bounds. Conveniently omitted from most of those stores are two things; the fact that the players’ salaries have nearly doubled since the last lockout and that according to Forbes Magazine, only five NHL teams made a profit last year (defined as positive earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation).

Somehow the players keep forgetting to mention this when they act the aggrieved party.

I have tremendous respect for players like Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews. They are two of the best players, best leaders, and best ambassadors of and for the National Hockey League. And they are extremely well compensated for this. Crosby just signed a deal that will pay him an annual average salary of $8.7 Million for the next dozen years (on an accelerated pay schedule). Toews currently is working at $6.2 Million per over five years with a huge raise certain to come on his next deal. And every dollar of those contracts is fully guaranteed whether or not they perform to expectations.

In the meantime their employers, arguably the two most successful U.S. based teams in the National Hockey League both failed to make a profit last year; in spite of having three home playoff games each.

Toews is one of several players who has been highly critical of the owners for wanting the players to take a 10 to 12% cut from a wage pool that has nearly doubled since 2005 (based on the mid-point of the minimum and maximum cap). That’s when the NHL rolled out a $39 Million salary cap. A mere eight years later, the MINIMUM cap is now $54 Million (the max is over $70 Million), which means the players have gotten more than their fair of the NHL’s growth.

Sorry if I don’t buy Captain Serious' contention that the owners are killing hockey just to prove they are in charge.

I have no problem with players being paid as long as the league can afford to pay them. I define “afford” as follows; the teams in the league can be reasonably profitable and the league maintains competitive balance. Once that stops, I have issue. To me a league where 25 of 30 teams are not profitable is one that cannot “afford” its current wage structure.

And that’s before we consider that NHL revenues are disproportionately driven by ticket revenue. It bothers me as a die-hard fan that I have to pay $75 for a decent seat at the new energy barn so that the Penguins can generate a manageable net operating loss.

Let’s be clear on something, the NHL is not asking its players to work for minimum wage. The current league average salary is about $2.5 Million annually on FULLY GUARANTEED CONTRACTS. Under a realistic concession plan where the players get 50% of hockey related revenue, the same plan the NFL and NBA players agreed to; the league average would be around $2.2 Million and the highest paid players would still be near $10 Million.

I’m guessing that Shea Webber can still pay his mortgage on that.

I am tired beyond belief of hearing about the concessions the players made in the last lockout. Those concessions were necessary for the NHL to be financially viable. Does anybody really think the owners would have cancelled an entire season if they were not for the most part in dire financial straits? Put it this way, did you ever believe for one second the NFL lockout would last in to the season when that league is minting money? They pushed as hard as they could for a better CBA and then got it done before any football, and any revenue was missed.

Owners cancel seasons when it’s more costly for them to play than not to play. And apparently many of the owners feel they are in the same position now. Why they have to threaten to cancel another seasons before millionaire players get that message across is beyond me.

The players should not be complaining about give backs. They should be on their hands and knees thanking the good lord in heaven that they get paid an average of $2.5 Million per year, in a sport that struggles for acceptance in most U.S. markets. If Chicago and Pittsburgh cannot make a profit selling out a hundred plus games in a row, what do you think is happening in New Jersey, Colorado, Dallas, Tampa, and San Jose? There are at least 10 NHL cities (if not more), where the local team is barely noticed and that’s not going to change any time soon.

The salary cap was necessary to create financial stability and cost certainty for the NHL. Now the cap needs to be adjusted to a figure that allows teams to at least break even during the regular season. There is nothing wrong with that. For my money (which is exponentially less than Crosby’s or Toews’), the players need to get on board with this reality.

I am not saying the owners are blameless here; they are not. I’m on record in this blog as taking them to task for their ridiculous cap circumventing contracts that gained popularity over the last four years. It amazes me that these folks canceled an entire season to get cost certainty and then went out of their way to circumvent the rules in place. I also have issue with them signing guys to big money contracts days before the lockout started. Little or no such activity went on in 2004. I will also concede that their initial proposal to the union was off the deep end and that they cannot expect total victory this time around.

And yes, to some degree the owners need protection from themselves. How is that different than passing rules to protect the players from themselves? Critics say the owners should not overspend even though the minimum cap figure basically forces them to. Well Raffi Torres should not elbow players in the head and potentially ruin their careers. He does so anyway.

Sometimes limits are needed for the greater good.

According to Forbes, three of the five profitable teams, Montreal, Toronto, and NY Rangers generated almost all of the league’s overall profit last year. Those three teams and a few others drive the revenue figures that dictate the cap. The rest of the league cannot keep up with that growth. And it’s not a feasible solution to have Toronto subsidize 20 teams so that Scott Gomez can earn $7 Million annually to score 9 goals.

On top of which, high revenue teams like Philadelphia go on predatory (literally) spending sprees to steal players from small market teams. The goon squad throws some insane contract at Shea Webber in the hope that Nashville cannot financially match it. The Preds then have two choices; match a contract they cannot afford or have their two best players walk away in the same offseason. Good luck selling hockey in Nashville if that happens.

I do not want the NHL turning in to Major League Baseball. And the NHL’s financial model is every bit as untenable at 57% of hockey related revenue as it was before the cap.

There is a popular misconception that the players’ union is stronger now than it was in during the last lockout. The union was every bit as obstinate in 2004 and Bob Goodenow was every bit the Don Fehr clone. The owners ultimately prevailed not because the NHLPA was weak but because after one year of not playing hockey, the players finally got the message; that playing hockey under a $39 Million cap was infinitely better than doing just about anything else. Even after the owners spent a year proving their financial convictions, Goodenow was still screaming at the players not to give in. Does that make any sense to you? Does the union seem like it has the league’s best interest at heart?

It’s not about the strength of the union; it’s about how long it takes the players to face reality. In 2004 it took an entire season. Here’s hoping it takes considerably less time in 2012.

The Steep Price of Excellence for the Steelers’ Defense

I started watching football in 1980.

That qualifies as pretty bad timing if you are a Pittsburgh Steeler fan. I have the vaguest recollections of the Black and Gold’s fourth Super Bowl victory over the then Los Angeles Rams in 1979 but little else. My first true memories of Steeler football are of a 9 and 7 football team in 1980 that kicked off a decade of mediocre football in the Burgh. It was truly the only down period of Pittsburgh Steeler football in my lifetime.

I do not have memories of Joe Green and Jack Lambert eviscerating offenses with ferocity and skill. I do not have memories of Mel Blount blanketing and shutting down the top receivers in the game. I know of that only from books and the grainy highlight videos of that era. My memories are of those proud warriors on the back ends of their career when they were no longer elite players. There were occasions when they could still be great but never again was there the consistency of dominance that existed in the 1970s.

I cannot help but wonder if we are living that again in 2012.

The Steelers of the 70s got old together and the team simply could not replace those great players. That aforementioned decade of mediocrity in the '80s was the price of dominance.  For 4 Super Bowl championships in 6 years that price was a bargain.

The Steeler defense of the 2000s also got old together, again with championship results. You do not break up a dominant group that was the driving force behind an 8 year run of excellence including three Super Bowl appearances and two championships.

Eventually, the run has to end; especially given the NFL’s infinite array of methods to promote parity amongst its members. The question is, are the Steelers about to pay the same price they did in the '80s? Will it take a decade to replace the deep and talented group of stars that drove this recent success?

For what it’s worth, I thought the defense was showing its age in 2009 when the Steelers started regularly blowing 4th quarter leads; often to mediocre (or worse) opponents. To their credit, these proud warriors fought back with another brilliant season in 2010. The defense was the driving force behind an 8th Super Bowl run. That the Steelers ultimately lost that game does not change my view that keeping the unit together was the right move.

And statistically the Steelers had another strong defense last year. They ranked number 1 in the NFL in points allowed; a fairly difficult statistic to argue with. And yet I’m guessing most Steelers fans would say there was something different about last year’s unit. Somehow the defense never seemed as good as the numbers it produced, even before the unspeakable day they were Tebowed in Denver.

The 2011 defense was solid but certainly not the elite, game changing unit we’ve grown accustomed to. There was a shocking paucity of impact, game changing plays; a hallmark of the black and gold for the last 20 years. Worse than that, you got the sense that any truly elite QB was going to pick them apart. It was, adjusting for the philosophical differences of the era; very similar to the 1979 defense; a solid group but one that did not perform to the level of its immediate predecessors.

This results in part from the NFL’s incessant drive to become outdoor arena football. It’s hardly a coincidence that we are seeing record passing and scoring numbers in the league the last few years. It started with liberalized illegal contact rules that made it harder to cover. Then came the reflexive penalty flag pretty much any time a defender dropped a hard hit on a quarterback or receiver. A big component of the Steel Curtain for years was intimidation. Any receiver who went over the middle risked a trip to the hospital; and teams were well aware of that danger. Now those same receivers can run through the middle with impunity.

In short, the NFL has legislated intimidation out of the defensive game plan; a change that damaged the Steelers as much or more than any other team.

Even with the reality of these changes it’s impossible not to notice the aging of this defense. We’ve already seen age and injury take out Aaron Smith and James Farrior. Casey Hampton and James Harrison seem to be on the same path. And it’s slowly but surely taking its toll on the unit’s most indispensable player, Troy Polamalu. It seems only a matter of time before Troy loses that half-step of speed that makes him so dominant, and/or he takes one to many cracks to the cranium (if he has not already).

This transition was inevitable and quite frankly I expected it sooner than now. I’ll be the first to admit I was not overly surprised watching Peyton Manning pick the defense apart last Sunday night; most notably as a result of a complete lack of pass rush from the second quarter on. Certainly the absence of Harrison and Ryan Clark played a factor and hopefully their returns this week (or later) will be impactful. That does not change the fact that both players are aging; and Harrison is now doing so on an injured knee.

I am not suggesting things are hopeless. The Steelers used two first round picks in the last four years on defensive linemen in Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward. If either or both become impact players it would make a huge difference. The jury is still very much out but to this point neither has been a true difference maker. Heyward is still very young; the clock is ticking on Hood.

That means that in 2012, the Steelers two most dominant defensive players are the same as they were in 2008; Polamalu and Harrison. Given their age plus accumulated wear and tear, that’s not a sustainable formula for success at their age.

I also wonder if the zone blitz, 3-4 defense can still be effective in today’s NFL. That defense has always been predicated on obliterating the running game and then blitzing from all angles against QBs in long yardage situations. I’m not sure that approach can work in a league where teams play Madden, video game football, willingly abandoning the run and throwing 50 plus quick passes a game. New England and Green Bay have shown definitively how to beat the Dick Lebeau defense. Those same two teams were stymied twice in five years by the NY Giants; a defense built around a dominant from four. The Giants can pressure the elite passing QBs of today while still dropping 7 defenders in to coverage.

That said, any scheme can be effective with the right players. It’s possible the Lebeau scheme is outdated. It’s every bit if not more possible that the Steelers no longer have the depth of elite personnel to be a truly dominant defense. I’m pretty sure the 1974 and 2008 Steeler defenses could have dominated with virtually any scheme.  The players were simply that good.

So am I predicting doom and gloom? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I have tremendous faith in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ organization. No team in sports has been consistently better at rebuilding and retooling on the fly. Few teams in sports do a better job of maximizing the talent they have. The last eight years have been without question the second best era of Steeler football ever behind the 70s; but keep in mind this team has been a consistent championship contender for two decades. I always believe in this franchise and I still believe a playoff berth in 2012 is fully possible.

That said, sustained excellence in the NFL almost always comes at a price. Eventually teams are forced to rebuild or at least retool. I can’t help but think that the Steelers might be on that path, at least on one side of the ball.

WE...are Penn State

The very first time I heard of a possible issue involving Jerry Sandusky was October 22nd, 2011.

We were celebrating a special family occasion and many of us gathered at my brother’s house that Saturday evening. Penn State was playing at Northwestern and given the Chicago family connection, plus several other Penn State alums in my family, the game became the featured entertainment for the night.

One of our family members is a Michigan graduate so we’ve given each other a little good natured college football grief over the years. And I thought that’s where we were headed again when he asked me, “what’s up with your defensive coordinator?”

Initially I assumed he meant Tom Bradley but after further discussion I realized he meant Sandusky, who was retired for well over a decade. And this person whose knowledge I’ve come to respect over the years pointedly stated that he had heard Sandusky was under indictment for sexual abuse of children.

That was the first time I heard anything, some 13 years after Sandusky was first investigated for such crimes.

Two weeks to the day later I was at the gym when the news of Sandusky’s arrest, plus those of Tim Curley and Gary Schultz rolled across the ESPN ticker. Within 48 hours I knew with shocking clarity that the Pennsylvania State University would never be the same again.

Let me reiterate for clarity, it took 13 years for me to hear even a rumor of Sandusky’s activities. I spent four years at University Park and I’ve been a proud alumnus since 1995. I have numerous family members and friends who attended that school. I personally know at least 100 people who are connected to the University or Alumni Association. They are connected to thousands more. Given the advent of social media, infinitely more connections are available to people you barely know.

And not one person I know had any idea about Jerry Sandusky's "issues" until at least the spring of 2011.

I will add this, during my four years at Penn State there was never so much as a peep let alone a sordid rumor about Sandusky. Yes I graduated three years before the first chronicled incident but seriously, does anybody think Sandusky woke up one morning in 1998 and realized he was a pedophile? The sad, shocking, vile truth is he’s likely been doing this for far longer than any of us dare imagine.

So with that I wish to clearly state for the record the following; which I believe applies to me and every other Penn State student, alumnus, and employee I know:

• We...did not enable Jerry Sandusky

• We...did not cover up his crimes

• We...did not witness and fail to report the sexual abuse of a child

• We...did not blindly worship Joe Paterno

• We...are not members of a cult

Why do I feel the need to say this? Rest assured it’s not in preparation for my grand jury testimony.

I say this because so many have become so willing to broad brush the entire  University and Penn State community. Apparently to many it’s not sufficient to restrict blame to the perpetrator, those who actively covered or failed to report his heinous actions, or even the Board of Trustees. For the record, that group comprises perhaps 25 to 50 people of the 500,000 plus students, alumni, and employees of Penn State in this world.

Apparently the egregious actions of a select few are sufficient cause for many to blame and defame an entire community of people, the significant majority of whom were completely divorced from this tragedy.

We have, for decades on in, proudly proclaimed “WE ARE PENN STATE” to the world. Such declarations and identifications require that we accept both the good and the bad from our school and our community. It does not require that we bare responsibility for the criminal actions or negligence our supposed leaders, especially when we are in no position to prevent it.

I’m not perfect by any means but rest assured if I witnessed a child being sexually assaulted I would do something about it; no matter who the perpetrator. Rest assured I would not sit ideally by for A DECADE plus while the guy came to my office, worked out in my gym and traveled on flights with me and other co-workers.

I get that the entire Penn State community is going to wear the scarlet letter for the foreseeable future. We are all deemed guilty by association because of the horrific acts of a disgusting serial pedophile and the horrendous choices of others to protect his actions. We cannot escape that, at least not in the short-term. I can live with that as reality for now.

That’s a far different reality from those who paint the entire Penn State community as brain dead cultists who enabled a pedophile due to their blind worship of a demigod head coach. I’ve heard it suggested that we are responsible because of the “culture” we created. I’m curious as to how many who sling such actions have any firsthand knowledge of that “culture” but that’s an argument for another day. For now, simply understand that the “religious fervor” you hear about regarding Penn State football is far more myth than reality.

I’m not trying to play the victim card here. I’m not a victim, none of us are. We all know who the victims are and what they’ve suffered at the hands of this monster. Save your prayers and your tears ONLY for them.

I’m simply reminding the world that there are a good half a million plus people in the Penn State community who truly embody “The Penn State way.” And in spite of what you see in the media or on the Internet, virtually every one of us would have tried to the right thing if we had the misfortune to get directly caught up in this mess. All of us would settle for even one story on the $10 Million our students raise to help cancer victims every year for every ten sanctimonious beat downs from Rick Reilly and Jeremy Schaap.

Yes we loved and respected Joe Paterno, probably too much. Understand this however; no matter how much the NCAA and/or media wants to rewrite history, there was no reason not to love and respect him before last November. And while many of us our still struggling terribly to accept his role in this along with the complete reimaging of his legacy that is still a far cry from suggesting we would not have moved heaven and earth to stop Jerry Sandusky if we could have.

I spent a football weekend in Columbus Ohio a few years back. I can assure you from personal experience that Penn State fans are no more devoted or cult like than Ohio State fans. The same repulsive event could have easily happened in Columbus, Ann Arbor, Tuscaloosa, or Austin if those schools had the horrific misfortune of a pedophile on their coaching staff.

I am a card carrying member of the Steeler Nation. I can assure you from personal experience that Penn State fans are no more devoted or cult like than Steeler fans. I would also remind everyone in Pittsburgh that a large portion of the country thinks we are blindly supporting a rapist every Sunday and that the Steeler Nation took a tremendous leap of faith to believe Ben Roethlisberger’s innocence. I doubt we would have made a similar leap if Big Ben was a plumber or an accountant.

Steeler fans, including me, supported Ben in spite of increasingly disturbing tales of his poor public behavior. Is that not as bad or even worse than supporting a man with thousands of testimonials and a six decade track record of mentoring and coaching you people? And for the record, difficult as it is, most Penn State fans are now dealing with the reality of Paterno’s involvement, given that we now have reasonable evidence to support it.

No one person is Penn State, not even Joe Paterno. That certainly includes Graham Spanier, Gary Schultz, Tim Curely, Mike McQueary and anyone else who failed in their obligations. They are the most visible of us and perhaps today the worst of us…but they do not represent who WE are.

WE are Penn State…the hundreds of thousands who try and live the right way every day. I hope those who condemn with too broad a brush will take a second or two to remember that.

From Bad to "Worse" at PSU

Back in November, when the Jerry Sandusky scandal reached its most feverish boiling point, it strained credibility to believe things could get much worse for Penn State. Not when the university, its football program, and its beloved head coach were dead center of perhaps the greatest firestorm in the history of sports.

I knew then that things actually could get worse and expressed as much in this blog. That said, I would be lying if I claimed to have true foresight in to the details of “worse.” It was merely an abstract concept that I allowed myself, primarily as an emotional defense mechanism, to consider if not fully understand.

Well now it’s officially worse.  Much worse.

Over the last 8 months, 60 years of Penn State history has been figuratively obliterated. This morning, the last 14 years of Penn State history were officially obliterated. The scandal is so horrific that the NCAA deemed it insufficient to merely crush the future of Penn State football. They had to rewrite history and annihilate the past as well.

How ironic is it that so many believe Joe Paterno’s actions, or inactions (and those of his co-conspirators) regarding this scandal were motivated primarily to save his pristine legacy. And now that legacy is irrevocably shattered, along with our faith in the man and what he purported to represent. A man who’s passing in January many of us mourned as if he were a beloved member of our family.

The NCAA sanctions are devastating to Penn State’s football program. It very well may set it back a decade or more. Between the official sanctions and the public backlash against the school and program; it’s hard to imagine any football player worth his salt wanting to suit up at Beaver Stadium in the near future.

And just so we are clear on this, I’m fine with that. This is an unprecedented scandal in North American sports and the punishment needs to fit the severity of the crime. Quite frankly, when you consider what our leaders are accused of Penn State got off easy.

A small group of men charged with defending the integrity of our university, have instead been on some level, the instrument of its destruction. That's not to say Penn State as an institution of higher learning is dead. It will ultimately survive in some way, shape, or form. It will simply never be the same. Those men, through their willful ignorance and callous indifference of horrific crimes against children have destroyed something that meant so much too so many.

It’s easy to argue that Penn State University has no business fielding a football team this year. Quite frankly, I’ve come to believe that would be the best course of action, no matter the collateral damage. If you dread the daily public and media scourging of our beloved Alma matter happening right now, imagine what’s going to happen when Bill O’Brien’s boys take the field for what is unquestionably a meaningless season in September.

So no, I will not dispute or complain about the sanctions, they are what they are.  That does not make this any less painful, any less devastating.  The sanctions at this point are more symbolic to the Penn State community; they represent the apex of a scandal the depths and consequences of which we never dared imagine.

I've rarely felt so painfully numb in my entire life.

Understand that for me this has nothing to do with the future of Penn State football. I will be the first to admit that over the last few years, the Nittany Lions have fallen to a lower rung on my sports agenda. There are numerous reasons for this, the details of which are irrelevant to this blog.

For me, it’s far more about the past. It’s about the systematic destruction of our history; a history that binds so many of us together. It’s about taking something that was a tremendous source of pride in our lives and turning it to a nationwide source of scorn and ridicule. It’s about my hesitating every time somebody asks me where I went to college, a question I once answered with unwavering pride. It’s about learning that even a grown adult of nearly 40 years can still have his faith in others shattered.

More than that, it’s about a betrayal of trust and confidence that on some level I don’t think any of us will ever get over.

Penn State fans have been myopically accused by faceless critics of cult-like worship of Joe Paterno. I categorically reject that assertion, at least for the majority. We simply wanted to believe in an ideal, in a better way and the person we thought embodied it. No matter that it’s a national punch line today, we truly believed in “success with honor.”

We believed this in combination with our deep seeded love for the school and for the experience that so many of us rightfully claim as the best four years of our lives.

We took the greatest emotional risk there is in life; we vested ourselves in another human being. And we did so purely on faith given that most of us never truly knew this man we committed so much of ourselves to.

That is why the removal of the Paterno statue is so painful. It represents final tangible act crystalizing the magnitude of this betrayal; just as the vacating of his past victories reflects the symbolic death of his legacy. I would hope those outside the community could forgive us if after 45 collective years we’ve struggled to come fully to grips with the categorical reimaging of his legacy and persona in 10 days?

But we are not the victims here, not even close. It seems hollow to keep repeating this but it must be said; the children are the only true victims. They and only they deserve your thoughts, prayers and support. We are merely collateral damage; of which there is plenty more to come. Our pain is real; but it pales in comparison to the children that were physically and emotionally assaulted.

If anything, this horrific betrayal has allowed me some modicum of perspective on how Sandusky’s victims must feel. If it’s this painful for us; when the ultimate costs are purely intangible; imagine their horror. Imagine what it must be like as a young child to have a trusted adult authority figure betray your confidence and quite literally steal your innocence. Imagine the emotional agony of learning years later that others could have prevented it and choose not to.

On second thought, don’t.

Make no mistake, our lives will go on. Regardless of how we feel today this will ultimately be just be a sad part of our past; something to mourn and move beyond. Will Jerry Sandusky’s victims ever truly get beyond what happened to them? Could even the best of us forgive a betrayal of that magnitude?

No matter how devastated we are today, we must never forget that.

We can’t change the past but we can affect the future. We can make sure that something like this never happens again. We can demand unwavering vigilance from our new leaders; we can require that they protect that which is most sacred in this world. Most assuredly that is not the Penn State football team.

We can accept that as much as we would prefer otherwise, Penn State University has taught us another invaluable lesson in life. It has reminded us with stunning clarity what is truly important in this world.

In the long run we can rise beyond this and show the world what the Penn State way really is. It’s about hundreds of thousands of people living and doing right every day; not about five people who failed miserably in their obligations to protect.

In the short-term, the entire Penn State community wears the scarlet letter from the unspeakable crimes of a pedophile and the failures of his enablers. That means enduring the non-stop barrage of criticism; some wholly justified; some nothing more than sanctimonious blood lust. It means getting up every day fearing the next unimaginable element. It means, impossible as it is to fathom, that things may very well get even worse.

We Cannot Defend the Indefensible

On January 17, 2012, I wrote the following in this blog regarding Joe Paterno:

For now, I’ve made peace with the following short-term compromise. I accept that a decent human being made a terrible mistake. I do not believe he did so with direct intention or malice but that is irrelevant in consideration of the consequences.

I will accept that this is undeniably part of his legacy and that he must answer for his action or worse yet inaction. At the same time, I refuse to directly offset six decades of good; 60 years of giving more of himself than most of us could ever imagine by one awful decision. Not when he neither witnessed nor perpetrated the crime. I still maintain that Jerry Sandusky is the ultimate criminal and demon in this situation; a fact that far too many have willfully forgotten.

That’s my compromise, at least as of today. It’s flawed, biased, perhaps even irrational. I’m in no position to deny that. I’m far too close to this situation emotionally to remain objective.

My position however remains very much fluid. And what frightens me most after Paterno’s statements is that I can now conceive only of my perspective getting worse, not better. Paterno has officially set the “best case scenario” boundary for him and quite frankly it’s not all that great. Given his failing health and the magnitude of the scandal, it’s possible he will offer no greater defense.

 The worst case scenario remains very much in play; he participated in a carefully orchestrated cover up to protect Penn State or his football program. When or if that is proven to be correct, the compromise I described above will be irrevocably destroyed, as will the entirety of Paterno’s legacy. At that point all those involved will be indefensible on any level. I cling to the hope, however thin that no such conspiracy exists; for the good of both Paterno and Penn State as a whole.

---
Today, I posted the following on Bob Smizik's internet blog:

From the beginning...and as recently as last week, I have pleaded with everyone to be patient and let all the facts come out. I hoped those facts might make things better than they appear, but frequently conceded they would likely make things look far worse.

Prior to today I did not believe we were in possession of nearly enough facts to make any conclusions as it relates to a cover-up. We had a grand jury transcript, and little else to PROVE a cover up. People could make educated inferences but nothing more.

I took some criticism for that stance in this forum but I do not regret it. I staunchly believe that before you publically condemn people for involvement in a vile cover-up of sexual abuse; before you annihilate their reputations and legacies there must be reasonable proof of their actions. Prior to today, I do not believe we had sufficient and complete information to make such conclusions.

This is especially the case for a man with a 60 year track record of teaching and mentoring young men. I argued that man deserved and in fact demanded the presumption of innocence as he had earned benefit of the doubt.

As of today, that benefit of the doubt is gone. A neutral investigation has provided substantial evidence of a heinous cover-up. I cannot defend the indefensible nor will I try. Today is a terrible day for all of those who believed or wanted to believe Paterno, Penn State, or those involved.

 It will take a long time to come to grips with the full ramifications of this. And PSU is in no position to argue any sanctions brought against this football program.

---
I’m not sure what else there is to say.

As stated above, I do not regret my position. I was never willfully ignorant of the issue or the potential consequences. I made the decision to support something and somebody I believed in until there were definitive facts to the contrary. Of course this was a biased an emotional decision. It was also based on my own experience and thousands of testimonials from those who knew Joe Paterno that he was a good and decent person. I choose to believe that over media speculation and public blood lust.

I also wanted desperately to believe Joe Paterno. I wanted to believe, no matter how horrific the scandal that somehow, someway, he was above it all. Even with the release of the horrifying Freeh report today, I probably on some level still do. And I’m sure I’m not alone in these conflicted feelings.

Because we love Penn State; because Joe Paterno meant so much to us we will probably on some subconscious level continue to give him benefit of the doubt. We will compartmentalize our anger for his actions and inactions a decade ago, separating that from our belief that he was at heart, a decent person. We will never truly look at him with the same scorn or contempt that most outside the Penn State community now do. When you are as emotionally invested in a person or an ideal as we are, completely and honestly facing the harsh truth can be a daunting task. Perhaps some of us never truly will.

Notwithstanding the horrors of this scandal and his apparent involvement in it, I grieve for Joe Paterno’s soul today.

That said, there are times in life when it’s okay for your heart to overrule your brain...and this is not one of them. No matter our preconceived biases, we must now confront reality. Excepting some shocking revelation to the contrary, that reality is that Joe Paterno was part of an orchestrated cover-up of sexual abuse of children. That act is indefensible, on any level.

If you find yourself doubting that at any time, go back and read the testimony of the children who were abused by Jerry Sandusky. And then understand that several powerful and intelligent people made the decision not to intervene in any way to stop it. I maintain that Sandusky is the ultimate criminal here; a depraved and cowardly human being who tortured his victims right to his final moment of freedom. Regardless, as of today I’m no longer able to fully separate his actions from those who failed in their obligation to stop him.

Six months ago, I stated that I could understand, if not forgive a crime of omission. I could understand how a man put in an impossibly difficult situation, related to acts he neither perpetrated nor witnessed, might erroneously choose to divorce himself from the issue. If that were the extent of his failings it would indicate only that like all of us, Joe Paterno was a flawed human being.

I cannot, under any circumstances understand or forgive anyone who puts the welfare of a university or its football program over the lives of young children. The act is heinous beyond my ability to reconcile. All those involved must be held accountable to the fullest extent possible. Such an outrage must never occur again.

If there is any positive in today’s horrific news, it is this; Penn State can now officially begin the healing process. Whether that process includes football or not is now fully irrelevant. We are in no position to argue any sanctions against the program, even the dreaded death penalty. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I will ever fully embrace Penn State football again, though I’m far too conflicted emotionally to state that as a certainty.

All I know for certain at this moment is this; I feel like we were living a lie our entire lives. I feel like six decades of our history has been summarily obliterated.

I reiterate one final point from my January blog; a point that seems even more poignant today. There is nothing worth compromising your ethics or integrity. There are often daunting short-term consequences for standing firmly behind your principles. Such consequences pail compared to the long-term price of ignoring them.

Indeed they do.

The Quintessential Cub

There is perhaps no single participant in their long and tortured history that more epitomizes the Chicago Cubs than Kerry Wood.

Wood’s career, which came to a stunning halt last Friday afternoon is a microcosm of baseball’s most cursed franchise. It arcs and falls just like a typical Cub season. Which is to say it started with unbridled optimism, peaked early, crashed and burned late and ultimately fell spectacularly short of expectations. The often repeated mantra of the Cub fan, the promise of next season being “the year” became inextricably linked to the promise and failure of Wood being healthy.

Chicago’s long suffering, north-side baseball fans suffered the demise of two brilliantly talented pitching phenoms within one presidential administration. Understand however that you will find little sympathy in Chicago for Mark Prior’s parallel meltdown. Not with Prior’s surly personality and resounding rumors that he was chemically enhanced. The Wood story by comparison is a Greek Tragedy, in a strictly athletic context.

Kerry Wood was everything you want an athlete to be. He was a superior talent with a warrior mentality. He seemed to get how lucky he was to play baseball for a living and was a genuinely committed professional. He wanted to win and possessed the perfect mix of talent, work ethic and determination to make it happen.

Alas that perfect mix was all too frequently spoiled by his imperfect right arm.

I am by no means a baseball historian. There are many whose knowledge of the game dwarfs my own. With that caveat I will say this; the greatest game I ever saw pitched was by Kerry Wood in May of 1998. Kid K earned his nickname that day by striking out 20 Houston Astros, allowing just one hit in the process. If you believe that only a no-hitter or perfect game is subject to the accolades I’m giving this performance, I beg you to find a copy of the game. You will see that for nine innings, Wood made a baseball defy every conceivable law of physics.

I cannot remember who but one Houston player said simply, “we could not touch him today.” And he was right. For nine remarkable innings, Wood turned major league hitters in to over-matched little leaguers. If I did not know better, I would have thought Jim Rigglemen one of those unscrupulous little league managers that doctors birth certificates to use over aged players in Williamsport.

Wood’s performance created meteoric expectations for a hundred years of drought stricken Cub fans. His brilliance fueled Cubs fans to dream the impossible dream; a World Series championship.

As is so often the case on Chicago’s north side, the reality never matched up.

Before the season ended Wood was clutching his overworked elbow in pain. Even as it was brutally obvious that their prized prospect’s arm was breaking down the Cubs irrationally let him start a playoff game after six weeks on the shelf. Before the 1999 season started the great Kid K was undergoing Tommy John surgery on his damaged limb.

The whole surreal story seemed so “Cub-like.”

He returned in 2000 and struggled for three seasons to regain his form. And for one magical season in 2003 he did just that. Right up to doing was here-to-fore consider impossible, leading the Cubs to a playoff series victory over Atlanta in the first round. At that moment it seemed Kerry Wood was back to being the savior he was expected to be.

A week later the impossible dream (or sign of the apocalypse depending on your perspective) was one win away. The Cubs lead the NLCS 3 games to 1 and Chicago, at least north of Madison Street, was dancing with an electricity not seen since the Michael Jordan era. The century long prayers of tormented fans were on the verge of resolution, with Kerry Wood front and center.

Four days later they completed an epic collapse; with Kerry Wood front and center in game 7.

It’s debatable whether the Cubs as a franchise ever recovered from that nightmarish breakdown. What is not debatable is that Wood was never the same. The Cubs spent the next five years recklessly trying to purchase their lost glory through free agency. Wood spent much of that time on the disabled list as his arm continued its systematic breakdown.

By the time Jim Hendry’s $120 Million nightmare of a team rekindled the naive hopes of Cub fans in 2008, Wood was volunteering his way to the bullpen to salvage his failing career. I consider his willingness to endure the indignity of pitching in middle relief a sign of his character; a man willing to do whatever was necessary to help his team and stay in the game he loved. I also believe it one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen on a major league field.

Only the Chicago Cubs could turn arguably the greatest pitching prospect of this generation in to an 8th inning set-up guy. Only for that franchise could such a talent win just 86 career games; excruciatingly extended over 15 seasons. And only the Cubs could break the spirit of the ultimate competitor so much that he would walk off the field and retire at mid-season.

Even Wood’s swan song epitomized Cubs baseball. It was 41,000 fans basking triumphantly in an essentially hollow moment of glory. Don’t get me wrong, Wood deserved the ovation and the adulation for his heart and dedication alone. That said, nothing says Chicago Cubs baseball like an over the top celebration for a meaningless play by a last place team. That it was achieved against their hated rival and equally floundering measuring stick on the South Side only furthers the comparison.

The moment was remarkably fitting a franchise whose fans dance and sing in the isles, celebrating victories triumphantly to the ridiculously hokey “Go Cubs Go” song while they are mired in last place.

For my money, Kerry Wood deserved better than that. The man had the talent and the drive to be an all-time great. Sadly he spent his formative years testing the limits and endurance of the human arm, elbow, and shoulder. There is a reason he was able to make a baseball perform miraculous acts that May day in 1998. It’s the same reason he was under a knife six months later. The human elbow is just not built to continuously snap off 92 mile per hour sliders

It seems pointless and anti-climactic to state the obvious; that Wood never got the Cubs to a World Series let alone broke the longest championship drought in the history of professional sports.

To his ultimate credit, Wood battled to the very end. Unlike Prior, he never acted like a pampered superstar; never thought he was too good for the game. He never complained about being blatantly overworked by the bullpen challenged Dusty Baker even though that likely contributed sharply to his demise. And he gave the Cubs at least moments of brilliance; far more than they got from failed prospects Corey Patterson and Felix Pie.

Wood deserves credit for that. Glorifying it sets the bar far too low in the context of his potential. In the end, Wood will be remembered far more for what he was not, than what he was.

Kerry Wood the person is a hall of famer. Kerry Wood the player is the quintessential Chicago Cub

Penguins Crash and Burn Will Sting for Awhile

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Professional Hockey Club played 11 meaningful games this season. Philadelphia won 8 of those games.

Honestly, I’m not sure much more needs to be said.

There will be a predictable amount of emotional overreaction to the Pens first round playoff demolition and understandably so. The Pens got their rear ends kicked by their most hated rival and their execution and focus in the series was questionable at best (horrendous at worst).

I still believe the Penguins were the deepest and most talented team in the National Hockey League when the playoffs started. This was a team whose radar should have been locked on one goal, the Stanley Cup. A first round exit was completely unacceptable, no matter how unfair the seeds that forced the Pens to play Philly while New Jersey got Florida.

Which is to say that championship teams do not make excuses, they just get it done. I said this in my ill-fated predictions blog; if the Pens were truly a championship team they would overcome an unfortunate first round match-up. To say the least, they did not.

Which brings us right back to losing 8 of 11 meaningful games to Philly and the inevitable conclusion one must come to given that fact. Simply put, Philadelphia was better than the Penguins all year long. We can break down and micro-analyze the series 1,000 different ways. The overriding theme simply does not change.

That should not have been the case. Not with Pronger and Maszaros out of the line-up. Not with so many rookies having to play key minutes for the Orange and Black. Not with a goaltender who struggles to find peace in his sole and harmony with universe as much as he struggles with 30 foot wrist shots. The Penguins with this roster should have been better than Philly.

They were not; not even close.

Some of it may have been psychological a point I made in my last blog. It just seems that between the overriding animosity and Philly’s remarkable penitent for comebacks this season that they got inside the Penguins collective head. Anybody watching game 3 would conclude that the Penguins had completely lost their emotional focus.

Most of it however was physical and/or technical.

The Penguins had no answers for Claude Giroux who was far and away the best player in this series. Much of the credit for that goes to Giroux; the man just had an incredible series. They had no answers for the Philly power play which flat out annihilated a penalty killing unit that was amongst the league’s best for two years straight. Sean Coulturier got so close to Geno Malkin in this series, they could have shared the same pants.

I do not subscribe to the reactionary, fire the coach approach that many fans resort to after a bad loss. At the same time Dan Bylsma will have to answer some serious questions. At the top of the list, why have players like Giroux, Ovechkin, and Mike Cammalleri utilized the Penguins as a launching pad to historic post season performances in the last four years?

That of course is only part of the story.

I’ve never been more inspired by a Penguin team than I was late last season. Undermanned without their two superstars, the Pens battled and fought harder than they ever have, refusing to give up when every reasonable consideration said they should. It was ultimately futile, they simply could not overcome the talent disparity caused by their injuries, but they never quit. And they carried that same work ethic throughout this season, even with the added benefit of Malkin and James Neal at their best.

They continued to battle with passion, fury, and focus, right up to the moment that Crosby returned. And then something clearly and obviously changed. Almost to the day that 87 reentered the line-up, the Pens became a run and gun team trying to overwhelm everyone with superior offensive talent. From there until the final moments of yesterday’s game they never reined it in, never got back to playing the kind of hockey that wins in the post season.

I’m not blaming Crosby for this or even Crosby’s return. I still believe this team was not good enough without him to win the cup. I do believe the entire club let out a collective exhale when Crosby returned. It was almost like they felt they no longer needed that superior work ethic and structure to win hockey games. With a fully loaded roster they were finally just be better than everyone else.

That’s an approach that NEVER succeeds in the NHL post season. Crosby need only ask his landlord for confirmation. The last time a superior talented Penguin team tried to win on skill alone was 1993. The end result was the terrible, awful loss to the Islanders that should never be spoken of. I saw parallels to that team heading in to the post season and wrote about it in the aforementioned predictions blog. There was just something unnerving about how this club played down the stretch, especially against their rivals to the east.

I’m not sure how else you explain what may be the worst defensive and penalty killing performance I have ever seen in the post season. Marc-Andre Fleury will take a lot of blame for this series, and deservedly so but I’m not sure any goaltender could have survived behind this abomination of defensive hockey. Yes Philly is a talented offensive team but I’ll give you pretty good odds they don’t come close to this level of offensive production in their next series.

How else do you explain the complete breakdown of discipline in this series, most notably in game 3? The Penguins faced some ridiculous and irrational criticism as arrogant, cheap shot, whiners down the stretch, criticism that was pure fiction before this series. And then in stunning and embarrassing fashion they lived up to it in game 3.

The entire Penguin club needs to take a hard look at their effort, their focus, and their execution in light of that reality.

And yet with all that we should not forget this: the Penguins lost several games to Philly before Crosby’s return. They lost several games when their work ethic, focus, and defensive play was exactly where it should be. They lost several games when Fleury was on top of his game, Malkin was dominating the league and the club was playing tight defensive hockey.

Simply put, when it’s all said and done, the Philadelphia Professional Hockey club was just better than every incarnation of the Pittsburgh Penguins this year. I will understand if that causes severe intestinal disturbance to Penguin fans. Rest assured it does for me.   It should cause similar or worse distress for the players.  A legitimate Stanley Cup favorite was crushed in the first round by its most bitter rival. More than anything else, that should sting for a long time.