Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Long

Professional Sports Have Become Tainted With Reality

Michael Long — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:06:57 -0400

If you are like me in any way, you love sports. Not just the sport itself, but the passion and traditions of the game. You love the fact that sports is away to get away from everyday life; it's an escape from normality. That purity is the reason we love the game.

But if you are like me lately, you can't help but shake your head at what the sports world has become. Every day on ESPN seems to bring another headline about steroid abuse, or who is holding out to get another million dollars, or who is bashing who and what coaches have lost control of their team. The list goes on and on. And it makes you sad.

It makes you sad to see one of the greatest pitchers of our time may have cheated his way to the top. It's sad to see the great Hank Aaron's sacred home run record fall in a question of cheating, seeing the last true baseball players' chances of breaking it fall in a cloud of question marks.

You may turn on the TV and see our American hero and Olympic legend partaking in illegal drugs. Or, you may see some of the greatest athletes and wide receivers in the world preform below their potential because they are too busy calling out coaches and teammates, carrying guns, or crying about salaries.

You may see athletes from every sport hold out on themselves and their teammates for a wealthier contract. They are willing to sacrifice their seasons, both for their team and their fans, because they aren't getting $20 million instead of $19 million.

No matter how serious you consider these offenses to be, we have appointed these people as heroes. They are who we look up to in time of need, especially in today's economic crisis. They can offer us an escape and brief moments of happiness that keep us sane.

But they are pushing me and millions of sports fans to the limit. They are bringing in the world's problems and putting them into the games where they don't belong.

I will always love sports. But I miss how the games used to be played. I miss the purity of it. I miss the legacies and legends and magical wonder of sports. I miss that complete escape from reality that I used to get.

The games are still my life, but they are tainted with reality now.

Who's In the Mix? AL Cy Young Hopefuls

Michael Long — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:48:20 -0400

It's that time of year again, where baseball fans begin to make their predictions on who will win the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards of their respective league.

This year has proven to be a great one for a Cy Young mix up. There have been some obvious contenders and some that have come out of nowhere.

This is a list of who I see in the running for the American League Cy Young award.

1. Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians

With an extremely disappointing season that was obviously over long ago, the Indians have seen bad hit after bad hit to their team; however, there has been one bright spot for the Indians, besides Grady Sizemore. Lee has emerged into one of the leagues' best pitchers.

After a disappointing season last year, it was a big question whether Lee would make the roster. He was given a shot in Spring Training, and the rest is history. Lee has been money for a struggling Tribe.

While posting a 16-2 record with a league best 2.45 ERA, his 128 Ks to his 22 walks is very impressive. The Indians record and success hurts Lee, but his numbers are so good that you can't look past him.

2. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels

The Angels have been rolling all year, and have the best record in baseball. A lot of their success has been a result of their pitching. When they have a lead heading into the eighth or ninth, they hand the ball to Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez. You can pretty much well close the book on the game right then and there.

It's not a common thing to hear a closer in the Cy Young talks, but K-Rod has been lights out. He is on his way to breaking the single season saves record; he has 46 at the moment, while posting an extremely impressive 2.86 ERA. If anyone tries to tell you his ERA may be slightly high, and his five blown saves might be too many, just remind them that he has already had 51 save opportunities. The next highest is 37.

3. Joe Saunders, Los Angeles Angels

No, I am really not a diehard Angels fan. Just thought I'd clear that up to anyone who may think I am favoring any one team. I truly believe Saunders is a contender in the Cy Young race. Many people say he gets a lot of help from the lineup, but he does his job on the mound. He's 14-5 with a sparkling 3.07 ERA. I would say that those numbers are good arguments in his case.

4. Mike Mussina, New York Yankees

The Yankees have chipped away all season, putting together what they can to stay in the hunt. Lately they have struggled. I wouldn’t count them out, but I don't see them making the postseason; it's going to be too tough of a hill to climb to get in the playoffs. Mussina has proved a lot of people wrong this year.

Many thought his days were up and that he might even need to be replaced. In 2008, though, the scrappy veteran has put together another solid season. He's 15-7, with a 3.30 ERA. That's a great year, and I would say he's in the conversation.

Well there you go. Maybe a few surprises on the list and maybe some you don't agree with, but it's hard to say that any of these guys don't have a valid argument.

The season is far from over, so it's hard to say how it will end up. In my opinion, it's going to come down to Lee and K-Rod. Lee has dominated in the starting role and K-Rod has been lights out in the bullpen. From what I see, these two have stood out above the rest of the field.

For Love Of The Game? Not Anymore

Michael Long — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:23:59 -0400

As a sports fanatic, I, like thousands of others, make SportsCenter a morning and nightly ritual. I love to stay current on everything that is happening in the world of sports.

The other day, however, I couldn't help but stop and think to myself, "What has happened? Where along the line did the sports world take off into a frenzy of contract dilemas, self-image, trouble with the law, and the list goes on and on."

I can't help but think back to the days when players didn't hold out to negotiate their contracts, and didn't have to wear suits everywhere to make sure they didn't take a bad picture. When it wasn't acceptable to badmouth your coach and fellow teammates, and you didn't have to miss practice because you had an Old Spice commercial to do.

A day when athletes went out and put the ball in their hand and appreciated every moment of it. A time when legends and icons were created. And you didn't have to question every milestone because of the possibility it was a product of performance-enhancing drugs.

I think about how it must have been like when a player took the field with complete respect for the players next to him, the fans in the crowd, and, most importantly, the game itself. That must have been fun to see: the game played as a pure sport.

I'm not limiting these statements to any sport, but putting them on sports as a whole. Whether it's baseball, football, basketball, or any other sport, the games have changed. It's so hard to believe that some of today's athletes respect and love what they do.

When players put their team in second to money, or their own ego, it's a very hard thing to see as a sports fan. Some of todays athletes forget they are not being punished; they have been given the chance to do what millions of people would die for. And then they have the nerve to say they need an extra $2 million or they will refuse to play. I, and many others, would play for nothing, because we love the game.

I would have loved to live in a time when professional sports were more about who won the game, who played their hearts out, and how they played the game. Today it seems it's about who took steroids, who's asking for more money, who's going to prison, and whose trainer injected their wife with HGH.

I mean, aren't we losing sight of the game we love? I honestly don't care who's dating Madonna. If you go out and play the game with respect and as hard as you can, and you appreciate every moment, that's when I care.

I can't honestly say there is no respect for the game. There are those moments in sports where your heart jumps and your hair stands up on your goosebumps. But that's more of a rare thing than it used to be. That used to happen every day.

I will always be a huge sports fan. I will turn on SportsCenter twice a day and watch the latest holdout or who has badmouthed who. I just wish I could have had a chance to witness how it used to be, when it was based on respect, joy, and, most of all, the simple love of the game.

NBA Playoffs Heating Up, Just The Way It Should Be

Michael Long — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:13:42 -0400

With the NBA Playoffs off and running, we have seen some great games and some great blowouts. But now it appears we are going to see a couple series come down to the wire, just as they should.

Let's start with the Hornets and Spurs. Chris Paul and company took the first two games with ease. But they are playing the Spurs, and everyone knows by now that you can never count them out.

Duncan never quite stays down either, tripling his points, rebounds, and blocks per game from Games One and Two as the Spurs took Games Three and Four, evening the series at 2-2.

Next, we go to Kobe's Lakers and the Utah Jazz. The Lakers rolled into this series and just kept rolling, taking the first two games of the series.

But these Jazz are scrappy, as they proved by edging out a Game Three win and fending off a late Lakers charge in Game Four to even up the series 2-2. This series has been great to watch, especially the last two close ones.

We move on to the Cavs and the Celtics. The big three had no problems taking down the Cavs in Games One and Two while LeBron struggled. But the Cavs came back to Cleveland and showed they weren't quite ready to throw in the towel, handing the Celtics a 24-point loss and tightening the series to a 2-1 Celtics advantage.

The Cavs play so well at home, just as the Celtics do, so it should come down to a great finish. Remember though, King James hasn't had his "A" game so far this series, so look for things to get interesting if he finds it.

Finally, we go to the Pistons and Orlando. The Magic dug a hole by losing the first two games of the series, came back to take Game Three, but saw the Pistons take a close Game Four.

With the Pistons holding a 3-1 series advantage, Orlando is in a must-win situation, but don't be surprised if they hang around a couple more games.

All of these series are close, and it is creating great entertainment. That's good for the NBA and its fans. This is the way it should be.

Any one of these teams could make a run and stir things up. It has been a great postseason so far, full of neck-and-neck battles of teams and players.

There is no favorite in my mind, just as there was no favorite for the MVP award; you could have made a case for a lot of different guys. This competition between teams and players is just the way basketball is supposed to be.

College World Series: Goodbye To Rosenblatt Stadium, But Not To Omaha

Michael Long — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:15:02 -0400

For years now, the College World Series has been one of the most exciting and entertaining college sports traditions.

Every year since 1950, great memories, teams, and players have emerged from Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium, the site of the College World Series.

But with the NCAA's contract with Omaha will end in 2010.

The NCAA said, "Either build a new stadium or the College World Series' days in Omaha may be over."

As much as I would hate to see the College World Series leave Omaha, I knew the NCAA was right. Rosenblatt Stadium is still a beautiful park, but it has seen better days.

And besides its age, there has been a growing problem with seating. So, the leaders of Omaha decided that they could not let this annual event get away from its city, so they came to the decision to build a new stadium.

However, this all came at a terrible time for Omaha, which just experienced a tax increase to help fund the new Quest Center.

After a few bumps in the road, along with numerous petitions to stop the new ballpark, the construction plans were finalized.

Officials have decided to put the new stadium in some of the parking lots used for the Quest Center.

However, I am now concerned about the parking. I attended the NCAA men's second round basketball tournament at the Quest Center, and all of the parking lots were full. I'm not sure they can afford to lose parking.

Either way, it is planned that the new stadium will be used for the 2011 College World Series, and a contract extension is expected to keep the World Series in Omaha through 2030.

So, the College World Series stays in Omaha, where it has created a tradition for 58 years. Only time will tell if the new ballpark will live up to Rosenblatt's legacy.