Can the Wizards Break DC's Sports Plight?

Promise. On the DC Sports scene, it’s hard to come by and even harder to hold on to, constantly slipping out of the grasp we thought we had secured. We thought we had it when the Redskins made the playoffs in 2012, when DC football seemed rejuvenated and full of hope. If 2013 is any indication, we were wrong. We thought we had it when the Nationals were the best team in the MLB, with the hottest young stars and the right veteran leadership. Pete Kozma changed that. The Capitals? Don’t even get me started on how many times we promised ourselves we were talented enough to make it past the 2^nd round. 

No, promise is something our teams show in flashes, but are never able to hold onto. But the Wizards? They hadn’t given us any sense of promise since we were using Nokia N70s and iPod Shuffles. Post-2007-2008 season, we’ve followed dismal season after dismal season, ridiculous overspending on free agent after free agent (Rashard Lewis anyone?), bad lottery position after bad lottery position, despite our good odds, and random European big man after random European big man becoming another bust. Until. 

Until this year, the year we finally got over the hump. We had a WINNING season. We made the PLAYOFFS. We won a SERIES. And goddammit, we almost knocked off the number one seed. These Wizards? The consensus is that they’re just warming up. We’ve got a young, strong backcourt, abundant veteran leadership, and great team chemistry. Of course, we’ve heard this before. Maybe it’s naivë to think we can retain the sort of promise our other teams exhibited. But something about these Wizards is different. They’ve struggled for so long. They took the time to rebuild instead of hoping one free agent will fix all their problems. Young, growing players highlight the team. Maybe, it’s finally time for DC to emerge out of the hopeless nature of the past. 

As Al Harrington said, to no one in particular as the final buzzer sounded after the Game 5 win against Indiana, “We’ll be back.”

Are Statistics Killing the Essence of Sports?

Legacy is complicated. We all want to live on in other people's stories, memories, and thoughts, but it is hard to recount a legacy, as other people did not experience these stories, memories, etc. with you. In a society increasingly becoming more skeptical, proof is often the first item we ask for after an assertion. In sports, this factual basis is a constant battleground of stat junkies vs. fans, and can often determine the legacy of a moment.
Statistics have to be cited in nearly every conversation about sports, and often, they can be helpful in proving a point. The stats have often been mentioned when talking about NBA star Kevin Durant, and his 41-game streak of 25+ points per game, which ended in early April. This incredible feat is further enhanced upon examining the stats, and these figures clearly serve their purpose. However, years from now when we look back at this amazing string of games, what will we remember? Will we focus on the numbers, and the significance of these numbers in a factual context as compared to other NBA legends? Or will we remember the moments, the dominance, the amazing shots, and the hot streaks? It's a complicated question, and it goes right to the heart of sports.

The true beauty of sports lies in its ability to amaze. It's about the unforgettable heroics: the successful desperation hail mary, the walk-off home run, the buzzer beater, the overtime goal, the moments you dream about as a kid and get to live vicariously through as a fan. It's about the inspirational moments: your countryman winning the gold, the player getting back up, two opposing athletes helping each other, the scrub sinking the game-winning shot. It's about the awe: the freakishly athletic plays, the beautiful finesse, the brute strength, and the amazing strategies, the times that make you stop and just admire the true talent you're witnessing. Sports isn't truly about numbers, or even trends: it's about moments. Moments that statistics will never be able to capture, because a number, no matter how impressive, just doesn't that captivating ability.

Boston and baseball fans alike will always remember Jonny Gomes' series-changing game 4 home run. This hit, which was the key turning point of the 2013 world series, will live on forever. But what will live on? The statistics just don't tell the complete story: Gomes was batting .152 that postseason, and it was a 3-run homer in the 6th inning. Sound groundbreaking? Not exactly. But watching that moment, watching this journeyman veteran blow open a world series, was awe-inspiring, heroic, and inspirational. The stats suggest it was a crap hitter hitting a HR in the middle of a world series game, in the middle of a series. That's not the legacy anyone wants to remember from the moment, except for Cardinals fans and Seth Maness. The true legacy lies in the moment.

The ongoing argument of the existence of 'clutchness' in sports is a prime battleground for the stat junkies to assert their superiority. Stat junkies assert that there is no such thing as hot hand, clutch hitter, or 4th-quarter QB.Through complex algorithms that the average sports fan cannot understand, they claim to have proven that these clutch moments are actually random. True or false, is this really how we want to understand sports? Should we just discredit the Jerry Wests, David Ortizes, and Joe Montanas of sports, Thanksgiving football and playground basketball included? The concept of clutch may not exist in a numerical sense, but no one can deny that with a minute left in the game and down by 2, you would want Tom Brady under center instead of an *arguably* equal QB such as Peyton Manning. Our brains may tell us that with an equal receiving corps and similar numbers throughout their careers, the choice doesn't matter. But our heart reminds us of the Super Bowl drives against the Panthers and Rams, and 2013's dramatic comebacks against the Saints and Broncos. 

Sports are all about heart, and using statistics as a legacy won't allow us to understand the true significance of sports' make-or-break moments.

For short-term analysis, and even long-term analysis, stats are helpful in backing up a point. That being said, the true legacy of sports lie in the moments that make us love them in the first place.

Championship Week

Attention everyone! Sports Gab Champ Week is now available! Just hit the 'NCAA Men's Basketball' heading to check out my predictions, articles, explanations, and more!

Conflict's Antidote: The Beauty of Sport

     As the 23rd Winter Olympics came to a close, as a single tear ran down the face of that creepy bear, we too cried. We, the people of the world, united for 2 short weeks, collectively mourned the ending of a beautiful reunion, a single tear reducing us back to independent nations: nations conflicting, nations warring, nations at peace. But for 2 glorious weeks, our troubled, conflicted nations of the world united and rejoiced together, celebrating who else but our most prized athletes. The true beauty of the Olympics celebrates the true beauty of sport: its uncanny ability to bring together.
     Jeremy Abbott is a four-time US national figure skating champion, and yet when the most pressure  is on, during the Olympics, he has trouble delivering. If the name doesn't ring a bell, surely the memory of the American skater crashing into the wall on a quad jump, and stayed down for about 20 seconds. Abbott may have lost the competition with his unfortunate fall, but he surely won over Americans when, miraculously, he got up. Behind in his program, battered and bruised, and surely in awful amounts of pain, Abbott made the decision to get up and keep skating. Beautifully, I might add. Tell me that didn't give you chills. I won't believe you. No matter what your problems were at that particular moment, we as Americans were compelled to this man we'd known for all of 1 minute, for the drive he exhibited that made us proud to live in the U-S-of-A. Nationally, sports bring us such immense joy. Whether it was Charlie White and Meryl Davis getting the win, the US sweep in men's ski slope style, or Mikaela Shiffrin crying at the top of the podium, we were proud to call ourselves Americans. Sports bring the ultimate pride and joy.
     Maybe the Olympics exist as a platform for what we aspire to be, as a global community. Sure, competition is the immediate backdrop, but doesn't that sort of represent the world? We are all competing with each other for the most revenue, power, etc., but if you delve deeper, we all have deep ties and bonds interconnecting. The Olympics is a representation of this. We are all competing to be the best, but we still gather to celebrate our collective prowess and make friends. Athletes from all over the globe, whatever their countries' conflicts may be, help each other out. This is what we strive for our world to be.
     Sports are able to bring our world together in a way that no else can, and this is the beauty of it. Our most prized athletes put everything on the line for the pride and joy of not just their respective countries' citizens, but the world. Whatever conflict and strife occurs in the world, sports in the Olympics draws us closer. For 2 weeks, we are able to break the lines between our countries, and gather to collectively celebrate the athlete, in all its beauty. Countries still have troubles, concerns, wars even, but the Olympics disregards that. As the Olympic flame stays lit, so too does hope, a light guiding us, the nations of the world, towards the sweet salvation of global cooperation. Hope abounds. Pride flows. Sports triumph.

Was Richard Sherman so wrong?

My first reaction to Richard Sherman's expletive-filled, live-televised rant? I doubled over laughing. Unlike most of America, instead of gaping in outrage, taking offense, or freaking out, I was rolling on the ground in uncontrollable laughter. It was funny! Even though I, and I suspect most teenagers, were laughing, I knew that American society might not perceive it as well.
Basically, the game ended after a TD pass intended for Michael Crabtree was batted by Sherman into the hands of waiting linebacker Malcolm Smith. Sherman proceeded to make the choke sign at Crabtree (for which he was penalized, though it didn't matter of course), and in his post-game interview with Erin Andrews, categorized himself as the best corner in the league, trashed Crabtree, and used a decent amount of expletives in the process. After, Twitter erupted-everyone who was anyone seemed to have an opinion. When Crabtree himself tweeted, criticizing Sherman, Sherman responded with "A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of a sheep". The majority of people shamed him for having no discipline and/or sportsmanship, while a couple praised his passion. Whatever the stance, one thing was certain: everyone knew about Richard Sherman.
Had Sherman not made these comments, what would have been thought of his game-clinching play? No doubt it would have been praised, but perhaps only football experts would understand Sherman's impact, while the majority of people would focus on the man who made the interception, or perhaps Kaepernick's throw. By drawing so much attention to himself, Sherman's play was recognized for what it was. Sherman did not just talk the talk, he walked the walk. Had Sherman not made the play, and still made the comments, I would have a problem. Fortunately, that's not the case. Sherman's getting plenty of attention for his fantastic play, that likely would have been absent in the event of his not commenting.
Richard Sherman is undoubtedly one of the better cornerbacks in the league, as most know. By declaring himself the best, obviously, he has opened himself to criticism. But would a dialogue on his being the best even exist had he not called himself out? Discussion of his prominence would be nowhere near as wide-open as it is now: sure his play would warrant some consideration, but likely, there would not have been discussion as to his being the best CB in the league. Similar to when Eli Manning and Joe Flacco called themselves elite, the conversation had a platform with which to be discussed on. Had any of these men, Sherman included, not made the comments they did, there likely would not be a conversation. Interestingly enough, the times in which these quarterbacks called themselves elite was the offseason before each man won the Super Bowl. Coincidence? Maybe, but perhaps the existence of a discussion on each man's eliteness propelled them to win it all.
Establishing the above, and accepting the fact that Sherman backed up his words with stellar play, can we excuse his alleged poor sportsmanship and expletive use, on live television? Maybe not, but the passion Sherman exhibited cannot be denied. Put yourself in Sherman's shoes-you've just made the game-winning play against a receiver who's considered to be one of the best, and now your team is going to the Super Bowl, the most coveted spot in perhaps all of sports, but most definitely in football, your line of work. I know I would be so charged up, I'd probably curse Crabtree out myself, maybe even on live TV. Sherman was so hyped up, I'm surprised he didn't call himself the best linebacker, hell, the best quarterback, in the league as well. The palpable passion Sherman exuded may have been a bit too extravagant, considering the circumstances, but can we really deny him the chance to celebrate? Critics of Sherman argue that maybe he was passionate, but on account of the impact his words have, due to the nature of where he works and its large amounts of viewers, he should know better than to express his passion in such an 'inappropriate' way, where he knew a large audience would receive it. These people have a point, but when one is so pumped up and passionate, is it reasonable to expect him to contain himself?
Maybe the blame falls on American society itself. We are so afraid of our words or actions being taken the wrong way, being judged, that we have evolved into a hyper-politically correct society. In a country where people have to constantly watch what they say, it's hard. We all slip up. Why should a professional athlete be any different? We expect those with impact to set a good example, and that good example means conforming to a society that stems from intense and necessary neutrality. Maybe we expect too much, especially in the face of passion. What Sherman said was just an extension of the immense fervor and enthusiasm he felt. Isn't that why we love sports? Watching people lay it all on the line for the good of their team, and mirroring their passion with our own? Watching football is about gritting your teeth, tensing up, and watching behind clenched fingers. Loving football is about the overflowing excitement and joy of seeing the people you back come out on top. Sherman? He was just loving football, the reason we pay attention to people like Sherman in the first place: because we love it.
At the end of the day, was Sherman so wrong? If he wants to enjoy his game-saving play, so be it. Who are we to let our politically correct society keep him from it? We are criticizing a man who graduated from Stanford with a degree in communication, is currently working on his master's, writes a column for Sports Illustrated, and in football circles is considered to be one of the most intelligent guys around. He is not stupid, or naive. If Sherman could go back and choose to change his actions, would he? He is currently the most-talked about athlete (if not person, thanks to Justin Bieber) in the nation, has opened a dialogue on his being the best cornerback in the league, and is now playing in the Super Bowl. I know I wouldn't. So maybe, just maybe, he's not so bad after all.

Wild Card Weekend Picks + Who's the Team of Destiny?

As spreads become set, people start placing bets, and people talk about the fact that the Super Bowl will be in New York as if we haven't heard from the 2+ years of coverage, one prevailing message shines through: We're all screwed. The NFL playoffs have been such a crapshoot recently that no matter how much you know, we're all in the same boat. Since 2006, only two teams that had first-round byes won the Lombardi, there's been a Round 2 upset where the spread favored the loser by at least 8.5 seven times out of the last eight years, and Mark Sanchez won 4 playoff games. Yes, you read that right. FOUR PLAYOFF GAMES! It's not often disputed that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees are the current best QBs. Yet come January, those men are a combined 19-16, while Mark "Butt Fumble" Sanchez, Joe "I Get Paid by the Incompletion" Flacco, and Eli "Interception Record" Manning are a combined 21-9.
What I'm trying to say here is that the playoffs are a complete crapshoot. What I've found is that each year there's a 'Team of Destiny', a team that people have doubts about. The 2012 Ravens, 2011 Giants, 2010 Packers, 2009 Cardinals, 2008 Jets, 2007 Giants: they were undervalued and went far. Here's a case for why each one of the teams playing this weekend is the coveted 'Destiny Squad'.

Packers:
The Packers have already got some green and yellow magic going with that 4th and 8 last week. This is a team that has won games with Scott Tolzien at QB. Who's Scott Tolzien, you say? My point exactly Clearly they've already got some luck, and they can't even sell out the game, meaning people are betting against them (or nobody wants to sit around in below-zero weather). Already having luck + non-believers? This team is definitely a contender.

Bengals:
Everyone and their uncle has been talking about how you can't trust Andy Dalton, so the undervalued aspect is already in place. They haven't won a playoff game since 1990-if they do win they might as well go all the way to the Super Bowl.

Chargers:
They've got absolutely no momentum after barely beating out the Chiefs' backups (2012 Ravens, anyone?), and are lucky to even be in the playoffs anyway. Nobody believes in these guys, always a plus when you want to be the Team of Destiny. Also, there's the Redskins. The Redskins have beat the Super Bowl winner the past 3 years, and the Bolts are the only team they've beat in the playoffs this year. There's definitely some hope here.

49ers:
Everyone's been talking about Kaepernick's inconsistency, so they've already got doubters. They were kept from winning the division by a bad referee call involving Ahmad Brooks and Drew Brees, so they've got the revenge factor going for them. Also, they're incredibly talented.

Chiefs:
They've gone 3-5 the last 8 games, have lost to every playoff contender they've played, and have perennial playoff  losers Alex Smith and Andy Reid. Recipe for disaster? Sure looks like it, but this kind of non-moentum and bad stats are usually present in the Team of Destiny.

Eagles:
No one disbelieves in the Eagles, per say, but very few people believe they're going far. I like to call this half-belief, and it was present in the 2010 Packers. Follow these guys.

Saints:
All anyone can talk about is Drew Brees' shabby record in away games, let alone his record in cold weather. Disbelief? Present! Destiny? Potential!

Colts:
Everyone's quick to mention that while the Colts offense has rejuvenated recently, it's been against the likes of the Texans and Jaguars. Like the Eagles, people sort of half-believe in them, which gives them destiny potential.

MY PREDICTIONS:

Packers: 20        49ers: 16
The Packers are made for cold-weather, so this will be tough for a team coming from San Francisco. Rejuvenated by a 95-yard drive with 1:30 remaining, the Packers D holds on for the win against the men in red and gold.

Chiefs: 39      Colts: 31
I just don't have enough faith in an up-and-down Colts team to knock off a Chiefs team that while questionable, had one of the best records in the league. With the Colts down and driving, Trent Richardson will fumble in the red zone with under a minute left, and Tamba Hali will return it for a score.

Saints: 27   Eagles: 22
Drew Brees will shock everyone with a great game, and Nick Foles and Chip Kelly's inexperience will derail them. Rookie coaches rarely make it far. The Saints defense will get a big stop on 3rd down with around 6 minutes left, and the Saints will take all of it off the clock for the win.

Chargers: 27   Bengals: 13
The Bengals can't overcome their playoff losing habits with a terrible game by Dalton, and the suspect Chargers D forces too many 3-and-outs.

Sound off in the comments with your thoughts! Happy football watching!

D-Rose Knee-ver Catches a Break

     When the NBA season started on October 29^th, fans were very eager for the first game, which featured the Chicago Bulls vs. the Miami Heat. Why? Derrick Rose, the 2011 NBA MVP and 3-time NBA all-star, was playing his first game since a season-ending ACL tear during Game 1 of the first round of that year’s playoffs. ACL tears are serious injuries, particularly for basketball players. Before a modern surgery tactic was formulated for dealing with these painful injuries, they were career ending. While football player Adrian Peterson and Robert Griffin III came back from ACL tears roughly 9 months after the injury, Rose chose to sit out a whole year and a half of basketball. In basketball, players are constantly jumping and making quick cuts across the court, placing more stress on the knee than football and other sports. Rose wanted to take the time for his knee to completely heal, and even get better at basketball, instead of rushing back and risking further injury. Unfortunately for Rose, and Bulls fans, all the extra prep couldn’t prevent what happened on November 22^nd against the Portland Trail Blazers.

            Without Rose, the Bulls were still a good team. In the ’12-’13 season they earned a spot in the playoffs, and had a key win over the Miami Heat to break their win streak of 20+ games. Add Derrick Rose back into the mix? The Bulls had the potential to go very far this year, and Rose seemed like his old self in just the 2^nd game this year, sinking a floater as time expired to beat the New York Knicks, 82-81. But Rose just couldn’t seem to catch a break on that November night. Once again, Rose suffered a knee injury, this time on his right knee. The next morning, it was confirmed that Rose torn the meniscus in his right knee, and that he would be out for the remainder of the season.

            Rose underwent successful surgery in late November, and is recovering well, physically. Emotionally? "I know how much work he has put into his rehab and the type of person and player he is," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "So I feel for him because of all the things that he does and what they mean to our team."

            For the Bulls management, this is a nightmare. The front office decided to keep the team, which included talented (and expensive) players Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and Luol Deng, intact going into this season, knowing Rose would be back and that they had a serious shot at the championship, despite some monetary concerns. With Deng set to become an unrestricted free agent next year, and Boozer likely to pursue other options as well, it’s nearly impossible that Rose will have the same level of talent surrounding him when he comes back from his most recent injury, barring any setbacks.

            While the situation looks grim, it’s not completely desolate. “He’s still going to be Derrick,” said Deng. “He still is going to work hard and come back even better.”