What Is Failure in Sports?

 

   While listening to the Michael Kay Show this week, they were talking about a topic that inspired this week's blog post. The past few days leading up to the Rangers Game 7(which they lost), Michael Kay asked " If the Rangers don't win the Stanley Cup, is their season a failure?" Michael Kay said absolutely it would be failure, Don La Greca and Dave Rothenberg both said it would be considered a success. If you want my honest opinion, it all really depends on the sport and team. What do exactly do I mean?

     Let's start this out, I am a huge a Yankees Fan. As a Yankees fan, it's like Michael said, "Championship or Bust" if they don't win the World Series. With that in mind, baseball varies when it comes to this topic. There are really only 2, maybe 3 teams, if they don't win the World Series it's a failure. The Yankees, Dodgers, and Cardinals fall under "Win or fail" concept. The Yankees and Cardinals fall in this category for a different reason than the Dodgers. Both the Yankees and the Cardinals are known for winning. By a wide margain, the Yankees have the most World Series victories in baseball history. When George Steinbrenner bought the team, he really set up a high standard. The Cardinals, however, have the second most World Series victories. St. Louis has such a rich history of winning, even if it is just the pennant.
 
   The Dodgers are in category of "Championship or Bust"(even though you can throw the Yankees with them too). With a record setting payroll of 290 million dollars, the Dodgers have put together a superstar team. Last year, they were expected to at least make it to the World Series, but didn't make it out of the first round.

    Baseball is very weird when it comes to success and failures. For 20 consecutive seasons, the  Pittsburgh Pirates had a losing season. Finally, in 2013, they broke the barrier and had a winning season. Not only did they win 94 games, but they made it to the playoffs. The did not win the World Series that year, but by no means do I consider that season for the Pirates a failure! It was considered a successful season for them. Last year, the Kansas City Royals had a winning season and made it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. Even though they lost, I feel that for the Royals it was a successful season. They had not made it to the playoffs in 30 years.

  In football, success and failure are measured similarly to baseball. How so? For the past 13 years, teams like the Patriots, Colts, Broncos, and Packers have been expected to win every year. It's a failure of a season if they don't win the Super Bowl.  The Patriots are the most recent dynasty in football. When they lost both Super Bowls to the Giants, it was considered a failure for them.  During the 90's, it was on the Cowboys, the same with the 49ers in the 1980's.
  
    On the contrary, there are teams like Detroit Lions, New York Jets, or Cleveland Browns that a successful season will include a winning season, making it to the playoffs, or just improving on wins. I like to compare the Lions to the Pirates. They both had multiple losing seasons, before having a winning season and making it to the playoffs. A lot of the time, team management, ownership, or the media of that market, puts so pressure on their teams to "Win It All."

   Basketball is very different. Basketball success or failures fall on the superstars. If you look at it, many people are talking about how Lebron made it 5 consecutive finals, not the Heat. Like every other sport, basketball has its royalty with the Lakers and Celtics, but basketball is more about the superstar than any other sport. If Lebron does not win the Championship this year, it will be a failure for him. When Michael Jordan made it to the Finals, it was the same concept. People compare Lebron James to Michael Jordan, which is a bit unfair. Lebron's career is not over yet and still has a lot to play. If someone wants a failure in the NBA look at Carmelo Anthony. He has great ability and talents to play the game, but has never made it to an NBA Finals. Tim Duncan, Shaq, and Kobe Bryant are all not failures.

  Everyone has their own opinions about what a failure is with sports. No one will every have a definite answer. The one thing everyone will agree with is that a successful season is when your team wins it all. Many athletes have individual success and failures, but a teams success and failures all vary. Let's hope we have more stories like the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

What A Cheating Tom!!!

                    

    I am back!!!!! I am sorry a for such a long absence to all my readers and viewers!! Lets get rolling! A lot has happened in the world of sports. Honestly, there's so much to talk about, it was hard for me to thing whats the best way to break myself back in to everyone. Between two men name Alex and Tom, it was hard to decide which one of these fellas I should talk about first. Leading off is my good friend and Super Bowl prey, Tom Brady. Ever since "Spygate" became public knowledge, it made something perfectly clear to me, no one the Patriots staff really likes doing any kind of homework. "Spygate" was the teacher giving some of the students the answers. "Deflategate" was the student asking the teacher to go the bathroom and writing down the answers on his arm.

   I'm here to tell you that "Deflategate" is worse than "Spygate" and that Tom Brady is worse than Alex Rodriguez(who I am not fan of what he did). When "Spygate" happened, it altered the way a team played the game of football. Players and personnel knew what was to come in the game. It really affected more the signal calling the anything else. "Spygate" is really bad because it seemed to have help the Patriots win multiple Super Bowls. By all means, Spygate up there as one the top sports tragedies of all time, but Deflategate is by far worse.

   Before I write any of my posts, I make sure to always do my research. In this case, after carefully reading, listening, and watching to what professionals have to say, Ted Wells only needed 50.1 percent probably cause to write what he wrote in his report. Let me tell you why Ted Wells has way more convincing evidence that Tom Brady is guilty of not only cheating, but altering the game of football.

   In the report, it brings down conclusive evidence that the equipment manager and his assistant are guilty. The text message conversations alone show that they are guilty, as is Brady. Which brings me to my next point. Tom Brady, who supposedly was "very cooperative" with the investigation, did not hand them over any emails, text messages, or phone records. If he was innocent than why not turn any of that over. In the phone records that the equipment personnel handed over, it shows that they have over an hour conversation with Brady.

   Do you want to know why Tom Brady is worse than Alex Rodriguez? We all know that A-Rod is guilty for his double steroid use and as a Yankees fan I will never forgive him, but he only changed the way he played. He never affected the team or players around him. The 3 years he was on the Texas Rangers, they were all losing teams, with him clearly as their best player.

   Tom Brady deflating the ball not only makes it easier for him throw, but easier for his wides receivers to catch the ball and running backs to have a better grip while running with the ball. How many people  think that their nearly perfect season in 2007 could have been helped by deflated balls? By all means, I am not discrediting Tom Brady as a top flight quarterback. When his career is over, I think the writers should decide if he deserves to be in the Hall Fame. If none of this ever surfaced, I would 100 percent say put him in the Hall of Fame. Pete Rose and Tom Brady scenarios are similar. They both did illegal things to "benefit" there team, but why is Pete Rose banished and Tom Brady only getting 4 game suspension? I will tell you why!! That's because Tom Brady will get punished after his career is over, when his hall of fame induction will be delayed!!!