Cameron- A phish out of water?

There certainly wasn't a lack of moisture last night in Pittsburgh, either in the air or on the field (if you want to call it a field). But Cam Cameron, king fish of the Dolphins, has to be gasping for air at this point.

Cameron was brought in last off-season, with the hopes of steadying a franchise who has been for years in constant flux: A parade of coaches since Don Shula to match the parade of quarterbacks that have come through since Dan Marino. Touted as an "offensive genius" he came in part to fix a struggling offense, to bring their level up to that of the Dolphins top-notched defense. Cameron brought in Trent Green, a veteran QB Cameron was familiar with, to take the reigns for a bit, while they groomed 2nd round draft pick John Beck. No one had delusions of grandeur, thinking this made the Dolphins Super Bowl contenders. But an improvement over the previous season's 6-10 record, was a safe assumption- if not down right expected- and a there was at least a glimmer playoff hopes.

Fast forward to last night, and the Dolphins inability to put a single point up on the board, losing a sloppy battle to the Steelers, 3-0. Trent Green is done for the season. John Beck is starting. Those glimmers of playoff hopes have vanished, and have been replaced by utter desperation to get on the board in the win column, as the Dolphins sit at 0-11. Many things have conspired against them this year: injuries, inexperience. But the inexperience of the head coach, is what seems to be hindering them the most.

Cameron came in and decided he wanted full autonomy over the offense, as he would wear both the hat of offensive coordinator and head coach. Now it is one thing for a veteran coach to take over play calling if he doesn't like how things are being handled. But it is hard enough for a rookie head coach in the NFL without having to worry about the plays. And it appears as though one thing can't get out of the way of the other for Cameron this year, as his decision making has been debatable at best: both in-game and personnel. Last night's decision to scrap plans for a field goal after a delay of game penalty remains the freshest.

With the score knotted at zeroes in the fourth quarter, Cameron decided not to try a 42 yard go-ahead field goal after the Dolphins were pushed back five yards on a penalty. Previous to that, the Dolphins had lined up to kick- which was blocked only to be washed out by the penalty. That brought the Dolphins to 4th & 11 on the Steelers 25 yard line. Somehow, Cameron felt that the conditions lent themselves more to a big play on offense (remember it is 0-0 after 50 minutes of football), rather than risking a shot at taking the lead (not to missed is the fact that after the five yard penalty, it put the ball on a patch of the playing surface that was in much better condition- a fact which kicker Jay Feeley lobbied for on the sideline). Cameron's decision to go for the first down led to a sack of John Beck, to turn it over on downs. A missed field goal attempt would have netted the same result. A made field goal? Well, I'm no math wizard, but...

This is just another in a long line of poor decisions by Cameron. From sticking with a lame-duck quarterback (second-stringer Cleo Lemon) for too long, to various questionable play calls, it has left Dolphin fans with a lack of space on their heads left to scratch. There have been, in recent weeks, many in the media and on various blogs calling for Cameron's firing already, and I have been one to dismiss them. But watching his post game press conference last night, the guy just looked like a deer in the headlights: A shell-shocked shell of the offensive genius that was hired to stop the mediocrity. It occurred to me that Cam Cameron may just be in it way over his head. A great offensive coordinator doesn't necessarily make a great head coach. And wearing two hats in this league can prove to be too much. So if Cam can't re-distribute some of the responsibility he'd asked for, this may spell doom and turbulence for him and the franchise he was supposed to stabilize. Fire him now? Call this one a lost battle and part ways? I am suddenly not sure it is a bad idea. Another year of flux maybe what the Dolphins need in order to steady the ship for years to come.

Irish past the point of "Pep"

It was a blast from the past last night, watching ESPN's Lou Holtz dressed up in Notre Dame garb, giving one of his "Lou's Pep Talks"- a goofy segment which airs on ESPN's college football programming, where Lou puts on the get-up of a team facing a specific challenge that week, and acts as their coach giving the pre-game pep-talk. This week's team: Lou's old team, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Their challenge: Beating a team who is as perennially awful as the Irish are this season: the Duke Blue Devils.

Holtz's pep-talk included all the stuff you would expect: summoning the glory and prestige and tradition that is Notre Dame football. All in all, a decent locker room speech. It certainly stirred up memories of the late 80's-early 90's for me, and not only because it looked like Lou was wearing actual articles of clothing he wore on the sidelines back then- foregoing the sleeker, streamlined dandies worn today by coaches and players alike. And it certainly stands to reason to use these elements of history to inspire these kids who seem to have lost their way, if not their will. I would suggest though leaving all that behind and dumming it down to the simplest of messages: Go out there and just be the second worst team on that field!

Inspiration, it lacks. Reality? It is is chock-full. Duke: You fear them on the basketball court and you run them over on the football field- whether you are Notre Dame or Southern Methodist. But as the case is this year in South Bend- it doesn't need to be pretty, it doesn't need to be dominating. All Irish fans can possibly hope for is for their team to suck less than the Blue Devils, and come away with at least one more point on the scoreboard than their foes. Another notch in the nearly empty W column.

That's all folks: there is no bowl-eligibility this year, and it's too late to win a few to salvage the season. Just Duke this week, and another basketball power in Stanford next week. The echos don't need to be woken up- let them sleep 'til next year. Just find a way to win this battle-of-the-bads, and salvage- not the season- but at least a shred of pride. Lou appealed to the seniors in his "pep-talk," and on senior day in South Bend- let's hope the tears will be more of joy, than of another microcosm of this forgettable season.

Anatomy of Greed

LOCAL ONE STRIKES AGAINST THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN THEATRES AND PRODUCERS.

Not a sports blog, but something important to me.

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Irish taking one (two?) for the good of the country?

Here's a noble, if misguided, attempt to put a positive stamp on this dismally unprecedented season for Notre Dame. Last week's historic loss to the Naval Academy, followed by Saturday's drubbing at the hands of Air Force got me thinking. The Fighting Irish are doing their part in improving the morale of service men fighting throughout the world- no word on whether there are last minute plans to schedule games with Army or Virginia Military.

Yes, 1-9 begets finger pointing and excuses as plentiful as losses; but doesn't a feel-good excuse, albeit completely and utterly fabricated, for lack of better verbiage: feel good? All right, at 1-9 nothing feels good. You know just how very bad it is when you can't even find solace the remaining schools on the schedule: Duke and Stanford- teams not often feared off the hardwood.

Once wunderkind coach Charlie Weis hears the boos and definitely feels the pressure that this debacle of a season has placed on him. But he just maybe the first losing coach to receive a call from the President: thanking him for doing his part in the war on terror. Unfortunately Weis may need to worry more about a possible coming Holy war- precipitated by the one call he doesn't want to receive: the Pope.

Shula's remarks surprising, sad

A couple weeks back here I took issue with the NY Post, placing an asterisk next to New England in the standings column- with the notation below that the asterisk carried the meaning "caught cheating." Chalk it up to the NY-Boston rivalry.

At the time, I thought that diminishing the Patriots' season by bringing up "Spygate" was foolish, because they were playing the best football of anyone in the league. As the season progresses, it seems even more ridiculous to to talk of asterisks and qualifications against the Pats, as it is clear- no matter what happened- that they are the team to beat, and could very well run the table this year.

Enter our guy, Don Shula. Talking to the New York Daily news, Shula said "The Spygate thing has diminished what they've accomplished. You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They've got it." Now I understand it is a touchy subject- everytime the topic of somebody making a run at an undefeated season is breached, the '72 boys come out of the woodwork to get their discouraging remarks published by anyone who will listen- but this coming from Shula surprises me.

With the Dolphins sitting at 0-8, any comments from anyone associated with franchise, past or present, aimed at attacking the Patriots' accomplishments this season has to be viewed as a desperate attempt at nostalgia, if not outright jealousy. Even from Don Shula, who has every right to be proud, it seems somewhat pitiful.

He certainly has a right to his opinion, and even later downplayed his strong remarks saying that "[The]Only thing I did was answer questions asked of me," but the reality of the situation is this: If he were someone else making these remarks, it would be just somebody else piping in on a tired NFL news story. But he is Don Shula- unmistakably associated with the Dolphins- and the past and present of the Dolphins' franchise colors what would otherwise be innocent remarks.

Let's get one thing straight. I hate the New England Patriots. And yes, their coach was caught cheating- no defense for that. But I am tired of hearing about Spygate and asterisks. They are playing the best football of anyone I can remember for a very long time. And if they do manage to complete a perfect season, it will have nothing to do with video-taped signals on the sideline. And bringing it up time and time again seems more and more like an excuse, because they are making other NFL teams look silly. I would have hoped that Shula in his vast experience with the game could recognize that. I love ya Don, and I don't pretend to know more about football than you- but I disagree with you on this one.

Turn the (calendar) Page

2007. A year that shall forever live in infamy in the pantheon of my fandom. I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. Never has a year tested my patience, and caused me more grief and/or acid-reflux than this season of discontent. The good thing about being a fan of many sports is the fall-back mentality it affords you. If one of your teams has a bad season, another sport invariably rolls around and helps ease the sting. But never have the stars aligned, or un-aligned as the case may be, against me in such a fashion as to leave me in a state of utter despair- when "wait 'til next year" actually speaks to the pages of the calendar not falling fast enough.

The Los Angeles Kings, my first love of all sports franchises, have toiled for years in NHL mediocrity. 2007 brought the disappointing end to another season. Adding insult to injury, their neighbors to the immediate south, the Ducks (ne' Mighty Ducks) of Anaheim, hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup- in only their 13th year of existance as a franchise (it was their second trip to the finals). The Kings have only been to the Stanley Cup finals once in their 40 year history, never to win it all. Another year, another year of rebuilding.

The long, cold winter ending means spring. Which means Spring Training. Which means baseball. The Yankees carried with them into spring the usual hopes of another World Series title. However, they forgot to show up for the first two months of season. They did rally in time, and in amazing and inspiring fashion, to make make the playoffs- only to disappoint in the first round once again. And the off-season has been less than kind as of yet. Joe Torre is wearing Dodger Blue after turning down a one-year offer to return to the helm of the Yanks. After a regular season for the ages and most likely another MVP, A-Rod exercised the opt-out clause in his contract- not even waiting for the 10-day window after the World Series to begin before doing so. And the Yankees are still unsure of the future of Yankee staples Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera- not to mention Andy Pettitte. After a roller coaster season with a frustrating end, never has there been more questions in recent history as to what the immediate future holds for the Yankees.

So, time to turn my attention to the NFL... The Dolphins made a splash long before the season even began, drafting Tedd Ginn Jr. with the #9 pick over a handful of other possible- maybe even more deserving- players, most notably Notre Dame quaterback Brady Quinn (see below as to the doubly painful effect on me). When the dust had settled, and training camp started, all in Fin-fandom seemed to have calmed down. Daunte Culpepper's turbulent time in Miami had ended, the Dolphins brought in another former Pro-Bowler at QB in Trent Green, and there was a general feeling that there would be improvement over the 6-10 season past. Then the season began. And the losing began. Trent Green was lost for the season due to a severe concussion, former #2 overall pick RB Ronnie Brown's breakout season ended with a torn ACL, and top wide-out Chris Chambers was shipped out west to San Diego for a second round draft pick. As I write this, the Fins- whom are the only NFL franchise in the modern era to have ever completed an undefeated season- are sitting at 0-8 (inlcuding an ugly loss at the hands of the Raiders and the banished Culpepper). Little left to cheer about this year, save for "moral" victories (let alone perhaps an actual victory) and the development of prospects. And it's barely November. Sigh.

So thank God for college football, right? This is one the one I was born into. This is also the one that hurts the most. My grandfather's graduating in 1935 from Notre Dame and subsequent passion for ND football left me no option but to bleed green from September to early January. This year, the loss of four-year starting QB Brady Quinn, along with other key departures on offense at the skill postions would definitely be felt. But the signing of the top high-school recruit in QB Jimmy Claussen would surely ease the blow and point the Irish in the direction of building toward another successful run. But Claussen didn't come in and take a stranglehold on the starting job as he was expected to in spring practice. A three-way battle was born at the QB position over the summer, as well as reports that Jimmy Claussen had surgery on his throwing elbow. The season began amidst cautious optimism, with Claussen at number three on the depth chart. Once the team took the field, it was obvious that this team wouldn't be competing for the national championship this year. And as Jimmy Claussen became the starter, and then following his demotion to backup- it became painfully obvious that there would be no bowl game this year for the Irish. At 1-7, there didn't seem to be anywhere to go but up... until this past weekend. Notre Dame lost in overtime to perrenial dormat Navy. A Navy team that the Irish had defeated 43 consecutive times (context: Roger Staubach was the QB for the Naval Academy's previous victory over Notre Dame). Coach Charlie Weis' utter lack of faith in his special teams unit led him to decide not to go for a field goal on fourth down towards the end of regulation time. And now, despite the soft remaining schedule for the Irish, there has to be an utter lack of faith that Notre Dame will wake up the echos in victory again this season. Somewhere, my grandfather is looking down on all this in disbelief. And I see that disbelief reflected on the faces of all Irish fans- as well as in the mirror- every Saturday.

My lesser passions, pro and college basketball are not without their downsides as well. The LA Lakers' on going soap-opera with Kobe Bryant makes for great headlines but not great basketball. And the recent reports of University of Arizona's fixture Lute Olson need for a leave of absence doesn't bode well for the Wildcats this year- after the 'cats underachieved last season. Geez.

I haven't even metnioned the the debacle that was my fantasy baseball season... It may just be my fantasy football team that saves the year from being a complete sports loss. It's still too early to call that one. But what's not too early too call is 2007 as the darkest sports-year in my three-plus decades of fandom. The promise of next year always looms though, and lord knows I'll be there: praying for the light to shine.

Hasta la vistA-Rod

And it ends. Not with with a bang, but a whimper- as the poet said. Actually it's: Not with a press conference, but a voicemail. According to agent Scott Boras, Alex Rodriguez has opted out of the last three years of his landmark contract, leaving some $80 million- plus (minus the $9 million he will still be paid by the Texas Rangers) on the table; and leaving the Bronx and the Yankees behind. The bomb was dropped by Boras not in a face-to-face meeting, but on Yankees' GM Brian Cashman's voicemail. "He was traveling, I was traveling," was all Boras had to say of his failed attempt to contact Cashman. Guess he thought a voicemail would be better than an IM, or a text- or do they make "Opting out of Contract" E-cards?

Where to even begin with this one? According to Boras, "Alex's decision was one based on not knowing what his closer, his catcher and one of his statured pitchers was going to do," Boras said. "He really didn't want to make any decisions until he knew what they were doing." Now, A-Rod's concern for the future of the Yankees' franchise is very touching and all, but it really has nothing to do with why he opted out. And interesting turn of phrase: "his closer, his catcher..." Last I remember, A-Rod isn't even the captain of the Yankees, let alone in any kind of position to be calling teammates "his." Granted, it's Scott Boras speaking for A-Rod - but he ain't doing the guy any favors. A-Rod was going to catch flack for all of this anyway, walking away from millions of dollars- but Boras is making him look like more of a jerk rather than helping the situation.

All I would love is the truth. For Alex Rodriguez to come out and say he didn't want to play for the Yankees anymore. He didn't want to deal with all that goes with it. Save me the quotes: "Alex enjoyed playing in New York. He played well there. He was comfortable there." Anybody believe that? And if it were true, wouldn't he have instructed his agent to negotiate in good faith with the Yankees and make it happen? But did A-Rod's feelings or opinion bear any weight? The way it is all playing out, it looks to me that A-Rod wanted out. On Boras' "advice," they never even sat down with the club to even entertain what offers may have been on the table. And A-Rod followed that advice, apparently in juxtaposition with what he truly wanted. Which begs the question: Who's working for who?

Scott Boras seems to have an almost hypnotic control over his clients. I have never heard of someone going against his wishes. Why? Because he gets people paid. And that's his bottom line.
Oh he'll go on and on about market-value, statistical analysis, and such- but he wants to put the most money in his own pocket at any cost. And his players go along with with it, because they are getting more money too. And they go along, to the point where it doesn't seem like it's the player that is making the final decision. Boras makes offers his opinion, and that's what wind up happening. But Boras never says it's about the money. What is it about if it isn't about the money? It certainly isn't about loyalty, or love of the game, or concerns about who his closer, his catcher will be. It's dollars and cents, plain and simple. I would love somebody to just stand up and say that. For Boras to say, I just want to get my client the most money possible, so I get more too, no matter what it takes. That's it... then I will stop my griping.

But this isn't about the money for A-Rod. Hank Steinbrenner, in his relatively new position as "Boss" in the Bronx, has proved to be less than sensitive when making remarks to the press. But his comments in regards to A-Rod seemed to strike the nail on the head: "It's clear he didn't want to be a Yankee." And we'll probably never know. Boras can spin it however he wants, but all signs point to the fact that A-Rod no longer wanted to be Yankee. Not only that, but Boras is also making A-Rod a symbol of all that is wrong with the world of sports right now, whether that is actually the case or not. And unless Alex Rodriguez comes out and says Scott Boras his holding his life hostage, then that's all I can take away from this.