Vol. 3, No. 15, October 1, 2007 - Play by Play

6 PLAY BY PLAY OCTOBER 1, 2007
Ahhh…Vandy, Vegas, widescreen and brew
A FEW NOTES:
The people who write for Play
by Play, and its predecessor, the
Sports Journal, seem to have favorite
subjects that routinely creep
into their space.
According to the editors and
the designer, my regular topics include
DirecTV, gambling, Vanderbilt University, Nashville and beer. This
seems totally ludicrous to me but that’s what they say.
In Mike Ashley’s case, he likes to write about food, his wife, Radford
University, food, his daughter and the Texas Tavern (food).
Columnist Mike Stevens often tells inspirational stories, writing about
people who have overcome difficult obstacles or who have left an indelible
impression.
Gene Marrano covers the local pro beats — and has had quite a few
teams disappear on him in recent years, including the RiverDawgs (soccer),
the Wrath (soccer), the Steam (arena football), the Express (hockey),
the Vipers (hockey) and the Dazzle (basketball). Good news, Gene. I
think you’re safe writing about the Salem Avalanche baseball team for a
long time to come.
Chris Moody loves to focus on golf, officiating and playing surfaces.
If new surfaces go down, Chris will tell you all you want to know about
them and maybe a little bit more.
So how come I am the one who wrote a story for the Sports Journal on
Salem native Murray Cook He is regarded as the greatest groundskeeper
to come from this area, having put together fields in softball Olympics
and given advice when new stadiums were put in at certain major league
venues. Chris, how did this subject escape you
I also wrote about former Yankees, Expos and Reds GM Murray Cook
when he came to Salem as a scout for the Boston Red Sox. How many
writers can say they’ve profiled two different men named Murray Cook
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I have to admit that sometimes these topics seep into our copy without
us even realizing it. I could have sworn beer was nowhere to be found in
my Sept. 3 contributions, but designer Donna Earwood pointed out that
it found its way into my copy yet once again.
Sure enough, my column about the ghost players from Field of Dreams
related the story about the team doing shows for U.S. forces stationed in
the Pacific and how after their performance, they shared a brew.
It seems innocent enough, so I guess my streak continues for writing
about favorite subjects. Anyway, I’ll try not to mention any of my other
tried and true topics in this issue. But don’t bet on it.
THE JOBS I WOULD LEAST LIKE TO HAVE: I wouldn’t want to be
the commissioner for any major league professional sports organization.
Now these guys have to deal with far-ranging topics like NFL football
coaches illegally videotaping opposing coaches and stealing signals (see
New England’s Bill Belichick); dogfighting (former Virginia Tech quarterback
Michael Vick); gangsters (numerous suspects, some of who have
been suspended and fined); steroids that taint baseball; Tour de France
records; baseball owners crying poor; and much, much more.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell came down on Belichick by fining
him $500,000 and docking the Patriots $250,000 and draft choices next
year. Most members of the media considered this punishment to be too
lenient seeing that Goodell often throws players out of the league for a
year because of their transgressions.
Given the way pro football teams make money, the fine won’t hurt the
Patriots. Belichick’s hefty salary as the NFL’s best coach will more than
cover his infractions. To him, it will be more like a speeding ticket.
Belichick’s character is so cold that it probably doesn’t embarrass him
to be caught. In fact, he said early on that it was an interpretation of the
rules even though Goodell used the King’s English and told him to stop
taping defensive signals by the other team.
I remember when the NFL’s head man had the plushest job in the
world. Pete Rozelle would hold a press conference at every Super Bowl
and tell you how smoothly things were running. And they were…because
Rozelle never had to (or never chose to) deal with cheaters, dope addicts
or players torturing dogs. Every winter, it was business as usual. Most of
the press conferences were snoozers.
BIG MARKET OR NOT: Now let’s look at baseball money losses. Outside
of Boston, New York and Los Angeles, all teams are headed to the
poor house, if you believe the hype.
Yeah, they can’t make it because their attendance averages something
like 30-40,000 sold seats for each of 81 playing dates; plus concessions,
luxury boxes, TV contracts and the sale of team products.
Some teams say they can’t compete with the big-market teams. So
what is a big-market team Philadelphia says it’s not a big-market team
and can’t afford to pay players the same prices they can earn in New York,
Los Angeles or Boston. In my mind, this is a good excuse for losing.
Philadelphia has a very large metropolitan population. I’ll admit that
certain teams have huge advantages over others in baseball. No one has
TV deals like the Yankees, Cubs and Braves. Heck, the Yankees even have
their own television network. Of course, their salaries are out of sight.
Luckily all of New England backs the Red Sox or they wouldn’t be able
to compete. In fact, USA Today recently asserted that Boston has moved
ahead of the Yankees in national popularity. I remember when the Braves,
not Boston, were America’s team. Atlanta is now crying poor.
TOM JOYNES: Former VMI athletics mainstay Tom Joynes passed
away last month. This was one funny dude. When he served as sports information
director, Joynes regaled the writers with his never-ending wit.
However, he might have been too nice a guy. He was moved up to athletic
director at VMI and that began the end of his career. For a time, the
Keydets prospered thanks to a couple of strong college basketball teams
led by Ron Carter in the late 1970s, one of which came within one game
of making the NCAA Final Four.
Football competed because Bob Thalman’s teams often came close to
Virginia Tech and even beat the Hokies some years. However, the end was
near as VMI’s program slipped through the ranks to the bottom of Division
I-AA football, falling behind one of its biggest rivals, The Citadel.
As the program slipped, Joynes took the blame. He never complained.
He simply faded from the field, faithful to the VMI alumni that faulted
him for trying to run a program that had little chance to compete.