The Chapter After Sunday: A Chat With Broncos Star Karl Mecklenburg

Author's note: I had the opportunity to speak with NFL All-Pro linebacker Karl Mecklenburg recently about his new book and his playing career. Along with some fascinating stories about what it's like at an NFL training camp and an honest discussion of the pressures of being a professional athlete, the Broncos great articulates how a commitment to athletics can positively shape a person in his book, Heart of a Student Athlete. Check out the book here and his website here and read below how to win a free signed copy.

Karl Mecklenburg was never supposed to make it to the NFL. The climb was a steep one for a 235-pound college senior with an injured knee who played on the defensive line. But Mecklenburg didn't care what he was or was not supposed to do. It was a climb he was determined to make. After a twelve year career as a Denver Bronco--a captain--and three trips to the Super Bowl and six appearances in the Pro Bowl, it's safe to say, he made it. Now with the same intangible qualities that made him a football star, he's making an impact again.

Heart of a Student Athlete

Mecklenburg's debut book, Heart of a Student Athlete: All Pro Advice for Competitors and Their Families is the sum of his experiences as a student-athlete, a professional football player, a father, son, husband and a motivational speaker. The underlying premise, that success is overcoming obstacles on the way to your dreams, didn't dawn on him yesterday. It's a mentality that was ingrained in him as a youth and one he has carried with him since.

Mecklenburg grew up in hockey country in Minnesota, the son of educated and accomplished parents. His father became an obstetrician gynecologist and an infertility specialist, and his mother raised the four children and later became president of two pro-life organizations, and eventually was appointed deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services where she served the Reagan administration for six years. Education was a priority for their children. So was opportunity.

At age nine, in the fall of 1969, Mecklenburg got his first chance to strap on football pads. A year earlier he saw his beloved Minnesota Gophers football team play for the first time at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis.

"My dad had no illusions of me earning a college scholarship, let alone making a profession out of football when he brought me to that first college football game," he writes.

It was an incredible atmosphere, and he was hooked. His first opportunity as a part of the action came as one of eighty-five kids in a "Football Fundamentals" program. The kids played inter-squad scrimmages on a patch of dirt and weeds and after his first taste of the action he told his father with a grin, "I really love to smash guys!" That's the type of comment that would concern a parent of a badly behaved child. But a nine year old who gets a mean streak when he puts on pads? Different story. Controlled aggression is a boon in some professions. But it wasn't quite that easy.

The Intangibles

Mecklenburg's road to the NFL was not paved with roses and candy. One of the first major tests, both of his character and his passion for football, came when he was a new student at a suburban Minneapolis high school. He was playing on the JV football team as a junior and landed in the varsity head coach's doghouse when he missed a game due to a family commitment. The coach assigned him the task of running one hundred hills after practice the following week. A "hill", Mecklenburg explains, referred to a sixty yard long, fifty degree bluff and wetland area that separated the school from the practice fields. Basically, the coach was trying to force him to quit. After twenty painful, draining hills each day after practice, the punishment had the opposite effect: it strengthened Mecklenburg's love for the game of football, his belief in his own abilities, and it fueled a burning desire within him play college football and be damn good at it.

Every young student athlete will face obstacles in some form. There will be challenges, failures, trials and errors but, Mecklenburg says, "What separates those who make it and those who don't is how they handle those problems." That's how Mecklenburg explained the maturation process in a young student athlete.

Mecklenburg was never supposed to run all those hills. But he completed the task, on his own, without the intervention of his parents, and probably much to the surprise of his coach. The experienced proved a valuable one, because his improbable path to the NFL was an obstacle course that took him through a division two school, a false promise, a year of ineligibility, a torn knee ligament and a painful rehabilitation, and a head coach that didn't think highly of an injured player who wouldn't give up his earned scholarship.

But Mecklenburg was not deterred, and his talent was discovered thanks in part to an impressive performance against Northwestern guard Chris Hinton, the Broncos first-round pick in the 1983 NFL draft. The Broncos took Mecklenburg eleven rounds later as the 310th overall pick. Even the Broncos staff had mixed reviews, with one scout reporting that he was too small to play lineman, but might be suitable for linebacker, and another reported that he was too slow for linebacker, but perhaps he could play lineman.

"There will be nay-sayers, but anyone who is successful in a difficult field is not there by accident," Mecklenburg says.

During his NFL career, Mecklenburg's desire was to be the greatest football player ever. A lofty desire, sure, but he will say that you have to set high goals to achieve great things. The results speak for themselves: the Broncos staff converted Mecklenburg to a linebacker and there were games when he played all seven defensive front positions in a single game. He became a Broncos captain, earned All-Pro honors six times and in 2001 became a member of the Broncos Ring of Fame. He is also a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

Six Keys to Success

For 25 years, from the first time Mecklenburg suited up as a nine year-old in Football Fundamentals until his retirement from the NFL in 1994, September meant one thing: football season. So when it ended, Mecklenburg experienced that moment that every passionate football player does. It's that feeling when a season ends, and there are no more practices, no more film sessions, whistles, bruises or trainers. And of course, no more football to be played. But this time it wasn't the season that ended-- it was his professional football career. No more NFL-inspired adrenaline rushes.

"I used to have an itinerary every week with a game-plan, what to eat, what to do, what to lift," he recalls. "Then all of a sudden, you wake up and there's no schedule, and that was a challenge. I could move, stay up all night. I was kind of aimless."

That liberating confusion didn't last long. This was a guy that would have gone to medical school if he didn't reach NFL fame. He just needed a new passion and desire. So Mecklenburg embraced his legacy, or his NFL celebrity, or whatever you want to call it. He poured all the things that made him a legend on the field into his next profession and next desire with his speaking business and this book: "to inspire long-term positive change in teams and individuals."

Mecklenburg reflected on a football career that by objective standards never should have been, and drew on all his experiences to devise what he describes as a template for success. This template, comprised of the six keys to success, include: teamwork, courage, honesty and forgiveness, dedication, desire and goal setting. The keys are interrelated and interdependent. Don't be fooled though, he isn't running a 12-step program and he doesn't think his word is bond.

"I've challenged my audience to come up with another key; if they do, and it fits, I'm happy to make it seven," Mecklenburg says.

His equipment these days is a podium rather than pads and spikes, and he doesn't get to smash people, but the element of game-planning, tailoring his message to a specific audience and connecting with his listeners keeps him excited and engaged.

"I perform at a high level for a short period of time," he says, and each time he steps to the front of a group he has the opportunity to fulfill his new desire to inspire long-term positive change.

Mecklenburg discusses a "seesaw" in his book to describe the balance of a team, whether it be a sports team, a family or a business. It's a balance of the team-first "leaders" and me-first "egos". Most people are somewhere in the middle, he explains, and the balance sways depending on the size and influence of each group. With Mecklenburg out there spreading his message, there are sure to be more people on the right side of the balance.

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To Purchase or Win a Signed Copy:

Heart of a Student-Athlete: All Pro Advice For Competitors and Their Families is available through Mecklenburg's web site or through your local Independent Bookstore, Barnes and Noble, Borders, or Walden Books.

To win a free copy, go to the guest book on his site (bottom of the page) and mention SportsJudge and you will be entered to win a signed copy of the book.

You can reach Brett Smiley at basmiley@gmail.com

We Interrupt this Marriage to Bring you…Fantasy Football Season - days to go 135

[Editor's Note: With NFL and College Football in full swing, guest-columnist Hayley Rosner takes a look at how to cope with your spouse's fantasy sports addiction.]

I am lucky enough to be married to my best friend, and we're still newlyweds (only married 10 months). My husband is addicted to sports, and more importantly, Fantasy Football. His life, and therefore, our life, revolves around sports. If it's not Michigan football, the NFL, or fantasy football, then it's hockey, baseball, tennis, golf and sometimes poker. We even had to plan our wedding around the University of Michigan football season! I learned early on that if I was going to have any chance of competing for his attention during football season, I better learn something about his affliction... I mean addiction.

I'm not completely out of the loop when it comes to sports; I've always been a casual fan. However, I have not completely submerged myself into the Fantasy World like my husband has. My goal is to help wives like me cope with their husbands' constant need to be glued to the television and/or internet during Fantasy Season. There are 135 days to go until Super Bowl XLIV, and more importantly 135 days until I can get my husband back. That is until hockey playoffs come around.

I am an attorney and just like I have to do with the practice of law, I have to find solutions that we can both live with in our marriage. I have found that learning a little bit about Fantasy Sports is a great way to improve our relationship and get him to compromise and spend time doing things other than watch football. And this was a challenge. When I first heard about Fantasy Sports it sounded really silly to me. It seemed like my husband and his buddies got together and acted like little boys. They use "smack talk" and insult each other and they think it's hilarious. They have even gone so far as to emasculate each other by referring to each other with names like Tonya, Christy and Natasha instead of Tony, Chris and Nate. I honestly didn't get it. It's bad enough that he sat and screamed at the TV when his team was losing but now with Fantasy Football he sits and screams and it doesn't matter which team is winning or losing, now it matters how his PLAYERS are doing, And how his Fantasy Team is doing against his opponent's Fantasy Team.

Here was my first question that drove me crazy: why is it that these guys spend hours and hours negotiating draft picks, then spend a few hours drafting players and then spend hours and hours negotiating trades of those picks?? This is what I learned: Before the draft, depending on your philosophy on where the players are going to go in the draft and depending on the league that you are in and the number of players at each position would depend on when you want to make your picks (in which rounds etc). After the draft, fantasy players may have a void on their fantasy team that needs to be filled so they trade players in positions that they have more players than they need for players in positions that are lacking.

This is what I really think: These guys need to feel like they're in control and that what they're doing is important :) Then they have buyers’ remorse and try to convince their friends that they have a deal that will "benefit both of them". Honestly, if someone is trading players it's because he wants someone new and is not satisfied with his (or her) team. It's not because he is looking out for your best interest. But regardless, the draft is a very important part of the fantasy experience.

I helped my husband with his fantasy draft this year by analyzing available players while other players were being drafted. This helped me learn who was on his team and who to look for during the game and make an effort to at least follow those players. And for all my hard work, I got an extra date night...dinner and an evening void of sports.

Tip for the week: Find out at least a couple of players on your husband's (or wife's) team. They will be impressed with your interest and may even attempt to get involved with something that you're doing that doesn't involve football. Bonus...you can have conversation that doesn't involve how many points you got for Drew Brees's touchdown passes...take what you can get for now!

- Hayley Rosner

Brian Billick's Book, Fantasy Innovations and More Lessons Learned

I don't read a ton of books, but when I pick one up, I usually plow through it. I just raced through Brian Billick's More Than A Game, an excellent look at everything NFL through the eyes of a head coach turned analyst. And no, I am not getting royalties for peddling the thing. But not to be confused with a literary op-ed, I'll tell you why the book mention is relevant here: Billick discusses the way the NFL has changed over the years, from personnel decisions to offensive and defensive schemes to the business of football. And changes in the NFL warp the landscape for fantasy football owners alike.

Any guy in his mid to late 20's who has been playing fantasy football for a while will tell you how it began: the least irresponsible and/or most trustworthy guy among a group of high school friends would collect everyone's roster written on loose-leaf paper on Friday afternoons. Then, on Monday morning he would come in with the sports section from the newspaper and tally the stats and everyone would rush to him to get the score of their game and see how everyone else fared. And that's all we knew. There were no message boards, no online player rankings and certainly no references to fantasy football by network TV analysts in the booth. We were just a bunch of guys in a crowded high-school hallway trying to see who would win $150 worth of beer money that we would spend on our friends anyway.

But as the NFL climate changed and companies figured out how to greater exploit this football obsession, everything changed for that group of guys in high school. Actually it's not just for the football-crazed guys anymore. And for a privileged few it's about a whole lot more than beer money. People that never had more than a passing interest in the NFL are now engaged thanks to fantasy football. Better yet, they're hooked, and the top-five fantasy innovations discussed below made it all possible (some of these might be better described as reasons rather than innovations, but you get the point).

5. Flex Spot, Individual Defensive Players and Defenses: although the least impactful innovation of the bunch, this cracked the list because it's important to recognize the way the game itself has been altered by some creative thinking. The addition of the flex spot has made the already football savvy fans have to consider the value of wide receivers, running backs and tight-ends compared against one another, not just against those at their own position. A subtle change but the added context gives a whole new dimension to the game.

Likewise, the addition of individual defensive players (IDPs) and Defenses (as well as special teams) has had a similar effect of boosting people's football IQ. Defenses and individual defenders that were formerly enemies of fantasy riches became part of the equation, and people in fantasy leagues using these set-ups can probably tell you now whether most teams play a 3-4 or 4-3 base defense.

4. Fantasy "Experts" and Rankings: Back in the day, all anyone had was a magazine in black and white print published sometime in June or July. And everyone usually had one or two of the same magazines. So really, no one was any wiser than the other. Now there's a whole industry of fantasy dorks who actually make a living giving constant analysis and updated week-to-week rankings online. There's mock drafts, colored charts and substantial analysis in dozens of different magazines too. All of the content has made their followers wiser (usually) and more engaged, and the range of content means that everyone doesn't go into a draft trying to get the same "sleeper."

3. Mainstream Acceptance: Money talks, and fantasy sports is now a billion dollar industry. There's even fantasy segments and coverage by the networks and cable shows. Basically, it's everywhere, and fantasy football has become a part of the mainstream, not just a hobby for guys obsessed with numbers. A lot of workplaces even have fantasy leagues. I'm sure there's even a handful of guys out there who are employed in part because they help an aloof boss win a high-stakes fantasy league. The point is, now that it's an "accepted" thing, it's a topic of conversation and more people play the game.

2. Unprecedented Access to Information: We're all getting smarter. In the box-score days, fans had no idea how many times a guy was "targeted" or thrown to. The box score didn't tell the whole story-- just receptions and yards. Now with all the access to online content and NFL blogs for example, people can follow position battles, depth charts, game breakdowns, track statistics and trends with more precision, read scouting reports, follow the status of injured players and beyond. It all makes for a more educated fan, and in turn, more scrutinized decisions with fantasy teams. It also gives girlfriends and wives of fantasy addicts a new gripe for therapy sessions.

1. Online Games and Live Scoring: Hands down the biggest advance in fantasy sports. The creation of a platform for rosters, scoring, trading, message boards and beyond has unified leagues and made more leagues possible. It's allowed guys to seamlessly make sister jokes and propose ridiculous trades. Live-scoring is just an extension of the innovation that allows fantasy players to follow their teams up to the minute. And now the industry has become so profitable that live scoring is free because they all want our traffic. For example, Yahoo! used to charge $10 for their live scoring feature, but it's free this year, presumably to keep people from migrating to ESPN which has never charged a fee for the service (or at least not for a while).

So there it is. What's next? Who knows. If Billick is right, maybe 3-D telecasts. If that happens, I'm sure there will be a legion of fantasy owners who take the opportunity to berate an under-performing LenDale White up close and personal.

Here is a couple of dilemmas that I toiled over this past week:

Decision #1: I had to choose my third wide-receiver between Devin Hester and Derrick Mason. Hester would face Pittsburgh last week and Mason and the Ravens were at San Diego. Pittsburgh lost Polamalu for a few weeks but that defense and the zone blitz is still a nightmare for any offense. Still, Hester can catch a bunch of short passes or screens to pile up receptions and possibly break one. But, Mason is still a decent starting WR for Baltimore and the Ravens have opened up the offense with Flacco this year. I played it conservative and took Mason.

The Aftermath: Didn't matter. They both had crappy games. Mason finished with three catches for 31 yards and Hester had four for 21 yards. Actually, it did matter, because in the 1/2 point-per-reception format Mason gave me an extra half point which allowed me to lose to my opponent by 0.07 as opposed to 0.57.

Verdict: All things being mostly equal, I decided to go with the guy playing the softer defense, but it just didn't matter in the end. Did I mention that I hate fantasy football?

Decision #2: I won't bore you with re-treads of the same decisions week to week, but in the early going when a team is still evaluating it's own division of labor in running back timeshares, this particular dilemma is worth revisiting. That said, I had to pick two of these five running backs (yes, two of these five): Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas, LenDale White, Jonathan Stewart and Ahmad Bradshaw (note that last week Pierre Thomas was listed as questionable but the early Sunday report indicated that he would suit up and see some action).

Also note that my running back stable on this team stinks. For all the virtues of the WR-WR draft strategy, I don't know if it's worth it if you end up having to scrape together a backfield. It's like choosing between caning and waterboarding every week-- yeah, you have options but you're screwed either way. It's probably not fair to compare those players to torture methods... I'll stop whining now. Stewart has been decent although banged up and Thomas is just getting healthy, so hopefully they can form a decent combo. But I chose White and Bradshaw last week.

The Aftermath: Besides Thomas who saw only limited action, I chose the two least productive of the bunch. I thought Bradshaw was poised for a big game against Dallas who got ripped for a ton of rushing yards the previous week by Tampa, and I thought LenDale White would get more than 6 carries against Houston (for 25 yards). Incorrect. Dallas largely contained the Giants rushing attack (but got ripped in the air), and Bradshaw finished with 9 rushes for 37. Elsewhere, Chris Johnson had a historic game and White basically was there to allow Johnson to catch his breath after touchdown runs of 57 and 91 yards and a 69 yard touchdown catch and run. I think he should start drinking Tequila again.

With Thomas returning from injury and the Saints backfield up in the air, against a good Philly defense (well, maybe not, they did give up 48 points), I wanted to avoid Bell. Of course Bell had 86 yards rushing and a touchdown. As for Stewart, he had 9 rushes for 65 yards and 3 catches for 14. On the road against a division foe (Atlanta), still banged up and in a supporting role to DeAngelo Williams, I didn't expect that much.

Verdict: I don't know anything anymore. Who knew that White would play such a small role? Injuries always throw a wrench into the equation, too. But things are starting to take shape and trends are developing, so I certainly won't be starting White anytime soon. I think the main lesson here is to make sure you have at least one no-brainer starter every week. That, and if you completely whiff on both of your running backs, make sure you have an adequate supply of beer in the fridge.

Good luck in week 3, and don't forget to stock your fridge.

American Needle v. NFL Case Going to Supreme Court

This morning, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in the case American Needle v. National Football League (pdf), for purposes of determining whether the NFL teams' collective licensing of individual team trademarks is exempt from antitrust review under the single entity defense.

While there are a lot of strong defenses to the NFL's current licensing arrangement (e.g., pro-competitive effects, undue delay in bringing suit, etc.), I have long held the position that the NFL is not--and can never be-- a single entity. This is because the NFL is composed of 32 separate teams, with separate owners each containing disparate economic interests.

Indeed, the NFL teams have tried to defend their concerted conduct under the single-entity defense on eight prior occasions. Thus far, the NFL is 0-for-8 in those cases (sounds like the start to the 2008 Detroit Lions season).

In addition, the NFL's single-entity argument has severe economic holes in that NFL teams compete against each other, or at least historically have competed against each other, in a wide range of markets, including ticket sales, naming rights and new media. Despite the Seventh Circuit's claim, the single-entity defense has never before applied on a market-by-market basis. Either the NFL is a single-entity (which seems to make little sense when looking at all of these markets in the gestalt), or it is not a single entity (which is the conclusion that hopefully the Court will ultimately reach).

Sports and the Law: The NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, and Antitrust Laws

While last week's bankruptcy filing by the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes got all the headlines, the team is now suing the league, arguing that antitrust laws were violated when the NHL refused to allow the team to relocate to Ontario.

Craig Harris of the Arizona Republic reports that:

As part of the team's bankruptcy filing, the Coyotes on Thursday sued the NHL and alleged the league has engaged in a "conspiracy" to unlawfully attempt to take control of the franchise and prevent the sale to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who wants to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario...

...The suit against the NHL alleges Phoenix is not a viable hockey market, and that the Coyotes have one of the worst home attendance records and have failed to build a large fan base. During the past three years, the team lost $73 million.

SportsJudge founder and Professor Marc Edelman was also quoted in the report and shed light on the slippery slope that the US Bankruptcy Court will face:

"There always has been a conflict of the powers of an individual team and the power of a league. To the extent a court would overrule this, it would open up the door where an owner could sell to the highest bidder irrespective of how other teams in the league feel about it."

While it may seem odd that the Bankruptcy Court would handle an anti-trust case, in a recent article on here on SportsJudge (Q&A on the Phoenix Coyotes Bankruptcy), bankruptcy expert Tim Cedrone alluded to the fact that "the reason the Bankruptcy Court can hear the antitrust claims is that bankruptcy courts have jurisdiction to hear all civil proceedings arising in or related to cases filed under the Bankruptcy Code. Although the antitrust claim could be removed to the District Court, the Bankruptcy Court has the power to hear the antitrust claim because the claim is related to the outcome of the case and has an effect on administration of the team."

This is not the first antitrust challenge in the NHL's recent past. In late 2007, Madison Square Garden LP, the unit of Cablevision that runs the New York Rangers, found itself in a squabble with the league over rights to team websites, broadcasting agreements, and other areas of business. According to the complaint filed in New York Federal Court, "the NHL has unreasonably restricted a team's ability to distribute its own live games through the team's Web site and/or the Web site of its local television holder.''

Throughout the summer of 2008, the NHL threatened serious fines and penalties on MSG unless the parent of the Rangers complied with league rules and requests, and at one point in June, even discussed suspension or termination of ownership. In October of last year, SportsJudge reported (The Real World of Sports Law: Madison Square Garden v. NHL) that the NHL's motion to dismiss MSG's antitrust lawsuit was granted in part, and rejected in part, allowing MSG to continue with their challenge.

For further information on the single-entity defense in professional sports leagues, check out our recent report on American Needle Inc v. National Football League (Supreme Court Seems Close to Taking NFL Antitrust Case).

Marc Edelman also discusses antitrust basics in his published articles, which can be found here.

March Madness Preview: Why You Should Watch Whatever Game Gus Johnson Calls

Tuesday 1pm ET: South Regional Preview (can be found here)
Tuesday 5pm ET: East Regional Preview (can be found here)
Wednesday 9am ET: Midwest Regional Preview (can be found here)
Wednesday 11am ET: West Regional Preview (can be found here)
Thursday 12:20 ET: 2009 Tournament tips off with Butler and LSU from Greensboro, NC

I haven’t done any research to prove this, but it seems that Gus Johnson has a knack for getting stuck with the exciting, it’s-going-to-come-down-to-the-last-possession NCAA Tournament games. Does he end up calling more close games than anyone other commentator? I can’t say that with certainty, but part of the reason why many games are so memorable is because Gus Johnson is calling the game. It’s pretty well known that Gus brings the excitement of a tween who got tickets to a New Kids on the Block Concert in 1989 to all of his games. Whether it’s his “RISE AND FIRE” description of an insignificant shot in the first half or when his screaming at the end of a game coincides with Adam Morrison crying at center court, he's entertaining. We all know that Gus Johnson is well known to most for his March commentary, but few people understand the man’s versatility.

Johnson calls games for the Knicks on MSG, which is probably why we only associate him with college ball. He called a pseudo-MMA fight involving Kimbo Slice where he managed, as only he could, to compare (while screaming) a man with pink hair to Rocky Balboa (which I admit, I have a few qualms with, at least Ivan Drago was fighting professionals in Soviet Russia, wasn’t Kimbo Slice just walking around with a camcorder and beating up on homeless people?). Even with all his experience, Johnson finally walked the halls that Bob Ley, Bill Raftery, P.J. Carlisimo, and Samuel Dalembert (although I’ll have to doublecheck that re: Dalembert) walked years ago. The same halls that Dick Vitale has so graciously disowned in exchange for his degree in obsequiousness from Duke. Those halls are the halls of Seton Hall University. Now Gus Johnson wasn’t going back to school, oh no, he finished all that years ago at Howard. Last year Gus Johnson arrived on the campus of Seton Hall to host the annual sports trivia night. Now that, my friends, is versatility.

I was a senior at the Hall when Johnson agreed to host the event, and I was tasked with heading the "committee" (me and my roommates) that formulated the trivia for the entire night, which means I got to work closely with Johnson to make sure the evening went off without a hitch. What we basically did was rip off the format from ESPN’s Stump the Schwab, but with twelve contestants and no Schwab. Then we put it on big stage in a big auditorium and invited the student body. So Gus agreed to be Stuart Scott, but without the annoying booyah’s, the scary eye, or the need for us to print his cue cards in size 72 font. I still think it’s amazing that Johnson is down-to-Earth enough to accept the role of spending four hours on his night off in northern New Jersey on a stage in front of dozens of presumably drunken frat boys. That sounds like nightmare fuel to me, but Gus Johnson really, really loves sports.

A few of my classmates and I met Johnson over lunch a few weeks before the event. We went over the makeup of the event, what he needed to do, and then mostly just talked basketball. He even took breaks to talk to his young son, who had joined him, in Spanish. Johnson even has great foresight, clearly anticipating the language advantages his son will need when Hispanics obtain a population majority in 2040. But what was amazing is that even over lunch this guy was excited about hosting this thing. The guy has no batteries, he’s always plugged in.

Then came the night of the event. We were all cooped up in an office, putting the finishing touches on scripts (we probably took ourselves entirely too serious, but this was for Gus Johnson, so shut it) when a man wearing an all-black fitted Detroit Tigers hat - cocked slightly to the side - and a leather jacket came walking down the hall. Anyone who didn’t know any better would have thought that he was Bobby Gonzalez’s latest transfer (sidenote: Bobby Gonzalez is Seton Hall’s coach who roams the sideline like he's the next Billy Elliot, and he apparently doesn’t recruit people out of high school). But no, it was Gus Johnson, the same guy we’re all used to seeing in a suit and tie on national television. In a split second he shed his urban look for the sweater and collared shirt he had on underneath. After all, he’s a consummate professional.

The night went on without a hitch (except when passport-losing Korean pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim was an answer on one of his cards, Johnson turned to me (I was his spotter) with a look of ‘Hey B, what the hell is this name?’ but said “I don’t call baseball games” instead). Gus Johnson was about as fired up to host as some contestants were nervous to field questions from him, knowing he could enter an excited but entertaining fit at any moment. He even spent his time between set changes sitting at the front of the stage and shooting the breeze with folks in the audience.

So that’s the side of Gus Johnson that not everyone gets to see, the one who’s the humble guy who is the centerpiece of a feel good story about giving his free time to a bunch of college kids who felt it was better to spend their time making up vague trivia questions so that they could challenge their cohorts instead of doing boring and even more useless things, like studying or going to class. Maybe Gus Johnson isn’t the type of guy who likes to sit at home and read by the fire on his night off, but he enjoyed this little gig so much that he came back for a second year, and by those standards I would think he’d show up again next year (I was just forwarded pictures from this year's event. Not only does Gus own a shirt that says "rise and fire" but there is photographic evidence, at right).

Now that you know about Gus Johnson’s versatility, let’s go back to that whole knack for involvement in the dramatic game. Here it is, a YouTube stroll down March Madness memory lane:


We’ll start in 1996, in what is one of Gus Johnson’s first years calling games for CBS. This defensive battle (or as I like to put it “offensive struggle”) is what he considers his favorite game to have called. Defending champs UCLA inexplicably allowed for dozens and dozens of backdoor cuts by a bunch little nerdy guys from Princeton (some guy named Christopher Doyal played the whole game and couldn’t even spell his last name right. Talk about lowering your admission standards for athletes, Princeton).



Three years later, Gonzaga exploded onto the tournament scene and into the Elite 8. Gus was there too.



Fast forward to 2005 when Vermont stunned Syracuse in overtime, and T.J. Sorrentine knocked down a three from the center court logo.



Then in 2006, Johnson goes berserk when Adam Morrison pulled a miracle shot out of his ‘stache (or whatever rests on that guy’s upper lip) against Oklahoma State. The combined reaction of Johnson (“Larry Bird…baby!”) and Bill Raftery ("ONIONS!") might be one of the best ever.



Later that same tournament, Johnson called the game that ended with Morrison’s midcourt meltdown, while salting the wounds by using his stentorian voice to remind the entire arena that Gonzaga blew a huge lead.



Then, in 2007, Gus had competitive first and second round games (with the exception of Louisville’s first round game), including the amazing game between Ohio State and Xavier in the second round.



Last year Johnson was involved in Davidson’s Elite Eight run, calling their second weekend games against Wisconsin and Kansas. And yes, even though we haven’t delved into March Madness yet this season, Johnson was already in on one of this season’s best games, UConn at Gonzaga last December.

So where can you find Gus Johnson this March? He’ll be calling the games from Minneapolis alongside Len Elmore (whose pseudonym isn’t very creative, by the way). He’ll be calling North Dakota St.–Kansas, which has all the makings of another Bucknell/Bradley-Kansas of years past. Then you have West Virginia-Dayton, BC-USC, and Michigan St.-Robert Morris. Don’t tell me that at least one or two of those games won’t be entertaining in the fortieth minute.

You can spend all day Friday, a whole eight hours, on the other side of the television screen from Gus Johnson while he, and whatever game he’s calling, has you standing and screaming at a high pitch that mirrors his as something extraordinary happens while time expires.

I’ll be spending my late afternoon over on Deadspin, liveblogging the UConn-Chattanooga game at 3pm. So if you’re stuck in a cubicle, stuck in class, or comfortably sitting at home watching the game, join me. A sixteen seed has never beaten a one seed before you know! Either young’un Carter Blackburn or Dick Enberg will have the play-by-play (I think it depends on whether or not Enberg has thawed out from being in storage all winter) and Jay Bilas will be providing the color commentary. We can only hope that he somehow finds a way to bring Dick Vitale to near tears again.

Have a history of disputes in your Fantasy Baseball league? We've got you covered. Head over to SportsJudge.com and sign up for our Fantasy Baseball '09 dispute resolution season package. Fully-customized League Constitutions are also on sale for a limited time only. Don't wait...sign up today!

Dollars and Sense: NHL Salary Cap Shell Game?

Flashback to Summer 2007: Sidney Crosby, the face of the NHL, signs a five-year extension to stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins for $43.5 million or $8.7 million a year. Many around the league applaud Crosby for not maxing out his potential leverage and allowing the Penguins to retain his superstar services for well below the potential $10.8 million maximum salary. As a Penguins fan, I recall local media outlets being thrilled with the "hometown discount" and "mature, big-picture approach" of Crosby and they felt the Penguins now had plenty of flexibility to develop a perennial contender.

Fast forward to a week ago: The 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings locked up Henrik Zetterberg, the face of their franchise, with a 12-year $73 million deal, averaging just over $6 million a year. He is one of the league's elite, and though I will not put Zetterberg on the same level as Crosby, something seemed a little fishy to me about this deal.

Zetterberg's current contract was set to expire this summer and at the age of 29, coming off a 92-point season (with a Stanley Cup ring to show for good measure), one would expect he could have easily commanded top dollar on the open market. Did Zetterberg truly make the ultimate hometown sacrifice in an effort to help the organization resign other pending free agents? And from the Red Wings perspective, why sign a 29-year old with a wonky back to a deal that keeps him on the books until the age of 41? Is this a sudden hiccup by a General Manager (Ken Holland) who has built the most successful NHL team of the last decade?

This isn't the first shockingly-long deal in the NHL since the salary cap era began in 2005. In fact, this is a trend that has been picking up steam lately since Rick Dipietro signed a ridiculous 15-year contract to stay with the New York Islanders through 2022 (By the way, in his third season of the deal, the goalie was recently ruled out for the remainder of the season due to persistent knee problems). The Islanders are still reeling as an organization as a result of their buyout following a 10-year deal with the vastly overrated Alexei Yashin. Another mega-flop like Dipietro could doom the franchise.

A year ago, on the heels of signing Danny Briere to a monster free-agent contract, the Philadelphia Flyers locked up the generally unproven Mike Richards to a 12-year, $69 million dollar extension. This summer, Vincent Lecavalier chose to sign an 11-year, $85 million extension to stay with the Tampa Bay Lightning. I've discussed the three-ring circus of the Tampa Bay Lightning on this blog before, but there's an interesting parallel between these extensions and Zetterberg's which may shed some light on the new preference for long-term deals.

According to TSN.ca, Lecavalier's extension (which will take him to the age of 40) will pay him $10 million per season in the first six years of the deal, but drop to an average of $1.5 million over the final four seasons. The average salary cap hit over the course of the deal is $7.72 million. By comparison, Zetterberg will be paid $7.4 million next season but only $1 million per season in each of the final two years of the deal. As I mentioned above, this amounts to a cap hit of only $6.08 million per year for the Red Wings. You won't find this written in many places, but what you are witnessing is a trend that I feel is about to pick up steam and potentially become a huge issue for the league under the current collective bargaining agreement. Call it "creative accounting" or call it blatant manipulation, but some of the league's most savvy general managers have found an interesting way to squeeze more wiggle room out of the current salary cap limitations.

Three potential scenarios could play out for Zetterberg and the Red Wings over the next 12 seasons. Zetterberg could play out the full duration of the deal and with the assumption the salary cap will rise over the next decade (not a sure thing), his $6 million cap hit will be very cheap for a player of his caliber. Or...when Henrik reaches the ripe old age of 39 and the Red Wings decide that his best days are behind him, they can buy out his contract for 2/3 of the remaining value of $2 million. And third, Zetterberg could decide to retire at any point and both sides walk away from the contract with no questions asked.

The biggest potential risk of this contract for Detroit is the Dipietro situation: a series of injuries which don't force retirement but severely impact Zetterberg's ability to dress for more than a handful of games a season. This is a risk the Red Wings are likely more than willing to take in exchange for a few extra million a season to work with. Keep in mind, the Penguins are taking a $17.4 million hit for Crosby and Evgeni Malkin ($8.7M per year) while Detroit only has to deal with $12.7 million for Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk ($6.7M per year).

While this sets up the Red Wings nicely heading into contract negotiations with other players (Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen) in the offseason, this trend is only beginning and has the potential to cause a major problem for the league down the road, which commisioner Gary Bettman cannot be thrilled about.

As teams begin to pick up on this strategy, many GM's will attempt to lock up middle-aged talent to extensive contracts in an attempt to free up additional cap space. While players like Crosby and Zetterberg draw countless fans and deserve the big bucks, committing such long-term deals to unproven young talent is potentially dangerous. For example, if the Islanders choose to sign pending-free-agent Mike Comrie to a lucrative extension prior to next season, all of a sudden a precedent is now set which many players of Comrie's caliber will begin to demand in future salary negotiations. What if Comrie's skills drop off dramatically after a few years which we've seen happen so often? Can a cash-strapped team survive with overpaid talent rotting away their senior years in the minor leagues?

In a physical game with more than it's fair share of devastating injuries, what player wouldn't want the job security that comes with a contract that spans multiple decades? On top of that, many GM's across the league are under so much pressure to put a competitive team on the ice this year, they are more than willing to forgo any long-term effects in 2020 in exchange for short-term salary cap relief, success, and a Stanley Cup. This is a game the big-market teams are willing to play, and the small-market teams will be forced to play in order to compete.

It's only a matter of time until an overzealous GM signs a rookie (John Tavares?) to a Magic-Johnson-esque 25 year extension and makes a pharse of the salary cap. What do you think? Should the NHL (and other salary cap leagues) allow for a little creativity when it comes to contracts, or should restrictions be put in place before it gets out of hand? Feel free to weigh in with your opinion in the comments section.

July 30th Follow-Up: Hossa Contract Under Investigation by NHL

And Now You Know!: Presidential Winners

Tuesday was a historic day in the United States. I'll keep my political point of views out of this but it got me thinking about football, more particularly, the Super Bowl and how teams fared with different presidents in office. Surprisingly, I found that there is a correlation between winning the Super Bowl and who is in office.

We all know that the Super Bowl winning team gets to go visit the President and share a photo after but who knew that the President actually had an impact on the game? It all dates back to January 15,1967, the very first Super Bowl played and our Commander in Chief at the time was Lyndon Baines Johnson, serving in his second term after he took over after JFK was assassinated.

That first Super Bowl between the NFL and AFL featured the Packers and the Chiefs in somewhat of a lackluster game with the Packers winning 35-10. The Packers enjoyed success the following year while LBJ was still in office, this time against the Oakland Raiders in another blow out 33-14.

In the fall of 1968 a man by the name of Richard Millhouse Nixon was elected president and a week before his inauguration the New York Jets won what is dubbed the biggest upset in Super Bowl history over the Baltimore Colts. Score one for the AFL (soon to be the AFC)and the Republicans, as they had officially taken power from the Democrats and the NFL (soon to be the NFC).

If you look at just inauguration years, here is how it breaks down.

When a Republican is inaugurated in January, the AFC is 5-2 in that Super Bowl
When a Democrat is inaugurated in January, the NFC is 3-1 in that Super Bowl

Follow the Jets' win with another Super Bowl victory for the AFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, and then a third year in a row as the AFC's Baltimore Colts took the crown. As time went on the trend continued for the majority of the time. When a Republican was in office, the AFC seemed to have the upper hand in the Big game. When a Democrat came to power, the NFC quickly gained control atop the league.

When a Republican is in office, the AFC is 13-7 in the Super Bowl***
When a Democrat is in office, the NFC is 8-2 in the Super Bowl***

Before you tally it up and do the math and get worked up, I must admit that I omitted 2 presidents from this tally. I took out Democrat Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Regan. As with any statistics module, you have anomalies. No one cared particularly for Carter as in a recent poll by Wall Street Journal in 2005, Carter was ranked as the 34th worst President. The NFC was 1-3 when Carter was in office (Thus, 9-5 for the NFC when a Democrat is in office).

Then there is Roland Reagan. I am omitting his entire 8-years in which the AFC went 2-6 (15-13 for the AFC with Republicans. Also note that the AFC went 0-4 with George H. W. Bush in office, a tough stretch of 2-8 in the 80s). I target Reagan's time in office because of the 1982 strike shortened season in which the Redskins won the Super Bowl after the NFL implemented a 16 team playoff after a 9 game season. The other reason, Reagan was really a Democrat. He started his political career on the Left and stayed that way until he was 51. So you could count his time in office for the NFC as 6-2, rather than 2-6 for the AFC. It's Reaganomics, just stick with me on it.

If you want more stats, look at a list of the NFL Champions prior to the Super Bowl era. The NFL had their own playoff between the two best teams in each conference between 1933-1965, the American Division (aka AFC) versus the National Division (aka NFC). In the years in which the Democrats held office the National Division was 17-8 and in eight years in which Eisenhower stepped in as Republican President, the American Division was 4-4, which is pretty good considering the dominance of the National Division.

Hey, It's not an exact science but the odds are on the side of the underdog Cardinals from the NFC with a Democrat being inaugurated this week. Here's to history!

And Now You Know! (And Knowing is Half the Battle)

Chin Music: Uncovering a Buscone

[Editor's Note: In our quest to bring you unique insight into the world of sports that you can't find anywhere else, SportsJudge is pleased to welcome Brian Doyle to the team in 2009. Brian recently spent an extended period of time in the Dominican Republic and below you'll find Part 1 of his fascinating look into the world of baseball in the Dominican Republic. Be sure to check back next Sunday for Part 2 of 'Uncovering a Buscone'.]

In late August I sat in front of a supermarket in Cabarate, the Dominican Republic, a small town on the north coast of the country that also happens to be one of the top kitesurfing and windsurfing locations in the world. This was, however, the Dominican Republic so today I sat on the curb with a Louisville Slugger that I’d schlepped with me when I first moved to the country. A handful of Dominicans stopped to talk baseball and ask me what position I play, if I knew how to throw a curveball and a change up, if I know how to recognize pitches quickly, and they never hesitated to apprise me of any of their baseball knowledge.

The first thing I learned about Dominicans, after a heated debate over whether or not Curt Schilling is um… “nice” and “upstanding” (a debate I won by taking the stance that he isn’t), is that their baseball knowledge is always up-to-date and, generally speaking, very accurate. In the age of the internet I’m able to stay up to the second on what’s going on too, but considering no one has reliable electricity, never mind a computer it’s pretty amazing how well informed everyone is, even on breaking baseball news.

After a few minutes of sitting on the curb, my friend Miguel showed up on his moto (which is most like a motorcycle/dirtbike combination) and took me to Islabon, a ten-minute ride away. We screamed small talk over the sound of the engine the whole way.

When we got to the field, it was flooded. A crew of six guys was doing its best to drain it so the team could start practicing. A horse lingered in center field and palm trees sprung up where a fence would normally be. The crew looked up to find Miguel, who is only twenty, walking with an American wearing a dirty Tampa Bay Devil Rays hat (that's me, and yes it’s a Devil Rays hat because it’s from before the team changed its name). One tossed me a bucket. “You might want to take your shoes off,” he told me as I was about to step in the mud.

Half an hour later we sprinkled sand on the infield and left it to dry. Practice continued in the outfield where I was left shagging fly balls while the horse eyed me for entering his territory. I took a few cuts and lined one off the pitcher’s shin. When I went to help him up he vehemently told me to back off, that he’s fine and that doesn’t need any help. Everyone else, including those playing defense behind him, howled with laughter at his plight, cracking jokes left and right. From that day on, during the few chances that I was able to get back to Islabon, I was part of the team (unfortunately, thanks to some unpleasant burns on my hands, I never got to play in a game, but I would have batted eighth and played center field, which is better than hypothetically batting ninth, right?).

It turns out the team I became a part of also happened to be part of an amateur baseball camp, helped run by Miguel. Mondays through Fridays anywhere from fifteen to thirty players showed up for morning and afternoon sessions. Miguel helps run the camp for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it gives him something to do. He’s twenty years old and he’s only able to get an eighth grade education because the Dominican government has no record of his birth certificate, which means he can’t enroll in high school. He has no surviving parents to declare his birth either. No birth certificate means he technically doesn’t exist.

The other reason is that work, much like everywhere else in the world, is hard to come by. Miguel's dad was Canadian, so he knows some conversational English, and that can’t even get him a job in the resort areas of the north coast (not that he could get a job there anyway, since he technically doesn’t exist and all).

A few months later, Miguel informed me that four of his younger pitchers were planning to go to Santiago, an hour and a half away, to audition for some Mets scouts. They were hopeful to get signed to contracts, whatever their value, and stay on at the Mets’ academy. I admit that I don’t intricately know how the Dominican system for finding players works, but I do know that the Mets academy is in Boca Chica (it’s supposed to be brand new and really nice), so I begin to wonder about Santiago. I questioned Miggy about how he heard about the tryout, who’s going with them and so on. The scout that visited is providing transportation and a place to stay. My first thought was ‘Woah, a scout came to Islabon, that's pretty cool.’ My second thought was ‘Woah, a scout came to Islabon? Something just doesn’t seem right.’ Something definitely didn't seem right. I repeated what he told me, and I asked Miguel what that situation sounded like to him. He knew right away.

“I’m an idiot,” he said and hung up.

I called him right back.

“If someone from the Mets or any other team says they’re going to show up in Islabon again, let me know. I want to be there,” I told him. He agreed. He called me a week later.

“One’s coming today.”

*Continued at Uncovering a Buscone - Part 2*

Extra Attacker: Lightning in a Bottle

On Thursday, "The Puck Stops Here" writer Joe Romano touched on the shocking firing of Barry Melrose after only 16 games behind the bench for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Following their 2004 Stanley Cup Championship, the Lightning have quickly become one of the most chaotic, embarassing, and rapidly imploding franchises in all of sports. As a hockey fan, one begins to wonder how and why this happened. After a complete summer roster overhaul can any coach be expected to produce wins only 16 games into the season? For a little background, let's take a look at the short version of the last few months for Tampa Bay after new ownership took over in June.

June 2008: Fired head coach John Tortorella. Hired Barry Melrose as head coach. Bought out the contract of goaltender Marc Denis. Traded assorted draft picks for the rights to sign Gary Roberts, Ryan Malone, and Brian Rolston. Traded draft pick for Janne Niskala. Signed Roberts and Malone, not Rolston.

July 2008: Traded defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich to San Jose for Matt Carle and Ty Wishart. Signed Radim Vrbata, Adam Hall, Olaf Kolzig, Ryan Craig, David Koci, Wyatt Smith, Scott Jackson, Evgeny Artyukhin, Brandon Bochenski, Mark Recchi, Andrew Hutchinson, Zenon Konopka, Chris Gratton, Mike Smith, and Steven Stamkos. Signed Vincent Lecavalier to a 11-year extension. Named Rick Tocchet and Wes Walz assistant coaches. Named Tom Kurvers assistant GM. Announced the resignation of GM Jay Feaster. Named Mike Vernon assistant to hockey operations.

Aug-Sept 2008: Traded defensemen Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard and a 1st round pick to Ottawa for Andrej Meszaros. Signed Meszaros to a 6-year contract.

October 2008: Traded draft pick to Pittsburgh for Michal Sersen. Claimed Matt Pettinger off waivers from Vancouver. Promoted Brian Lawton to GM. Signed Marek Malik.

November 2008: Traded Matt Carle to Philadelphia for Steve Eminger and Steve Downie. Claimed David Koci off waivers from St. Louis. Fired head coach Barry Melrose on November 14. Named Rick Tocchet interim head coach.

Reading through those roster moves, a number of trends stick out. First, the Lightning have obviously mortgaged the future by dealing away as many draft picks as possible in exchange for short term success. While this strategy might work for the Yankees or Red Sox, the bottom line in a salary cap league is if you head down this road you need to win immediately. Think New Orleans Saints of the NHL. After the Saints traded their entire draft for Ricky Williams in 1999 and it didn't work out, it took them years to dig themselves out of the gutter.

The next odd piece of this puzzle that might stand out to you if you're a longtime fan is that every single management move involves a big hockey name from the 90s. Now maybe it's nice to try a legend like Wayne Gretzky behind the bench as Phoenix did, but most of these former players have little or no experience coaching or managing a team. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

The third glaring mistake of the offseason was totally disregarding defense in an attempt to free up more money for big offensive names. Former Lightning Dan Boyle is currently 2nd in scoring among defensemen with 18 points through 20 games, while Filip Kuba is ranked 8th. On the flip side, Ryan Malone, who Tampa signed to a 7-year, $31.5 million contract this summer, has just 3 goals and zero assists through Friday.

So who are the ringleaders behind this circus and why have they been so obsessed with winning today instead of building a foundation for the future? OK Hockey, the ownership group that took over in June, is led by Oren Koules and Len Barrie. Koules gained his wealth as a result of the insanely successful set of "Saw" movies and worked as a day trader for the Chicago Mercantile Stock Exchange before that. Barrie hit it big with his Canadian golf club he started in Victoria. In fact, prior to that he was expelled from his golf club after he chopped down trees he claimed were on his property.

Okay, so we've got a pair of young hotheads looking for instant fame with plenty of money to burn. Koules and Barrie decide it'd be fun to buy a hockey team and hopefully they can make a quick buck in the process. Interestingly though, in a recent feature, Forbes.com shed some light on the financing arrangement: In June, OK Hockey, a group of eight owners led by Oren Koules and Len Barrie, bought the Tampa Bay Lightning, the lease rights to the St. Pete Times Forum and 5.5 axces of land in downtown Tampa's Channelside District near the arena for $210 million, of which $204 million was for the team and operating rights to the arena. The new owners believe they can increase cash flow by $18 million a year. They better. Their purchase was financed with a $105 million, three-year bullet loan, meaning in 2011 they will either have to pay the loan off or refinance it.

Now it's beginning to make sense. Koules and Barrie need to increase cash flow by $18 million a year and pay off the loan by 2011. They don't have the time to build through the draft and solid scouting like other organizations have realized is the key to long-term success in the salary cap era. Increasing cash flow can only be accomplished by packing the St. Pete Times Forum (giving away free tickets if you buy a jersey?), maximizing marketing appeal of the team, and most importantly, making the playoffs. The best approach is that of the Dallas Cowboys. High priced offensive stars (Malone, Vrbata, Roberts, etc), controversial media figures (Tocchet), and a head coach (Melrose) that has been in the living room of hockey fans every week for the last decade. Unfortunately, throwing all of these pieces together and hoping for results a month into the season is asking for a mess.

Melrose believed in players earning their playing time. Management wanted Steven Stamkos, their premiere #1 draft pick from last year, playing big time minutes right away. They wanted Gary Roberts and Radim Vrbata, their high-priced 'toys,' to play more. There are rumors that Koules was in the locker room drawing up plays in between periods. The players began to revolt against Melrose. Melrose skipped practice November 11 in an attempt to wake up the team. Losses piled up. Playoff hopes were heading down the drain. Repaying the OK Hockey ownership loan was looking nearly impossible. November 14th Barry Melrose was fired.

Will this turn the season around or was the public relations disaster just another act in this ongoing comedy? You can expect a handful of spirited games under new coach Rick Tocchet, but the same problems still exist. Tocchet has no head coaching experience and Tampa's defense is embarassing to say the least. Assume Koules and Barrie will continue to puppeteer GM Brian Lawton, especially if the team slips further and further out of playoff contention. In a way, ownership is treating this team like a fantasy team. If players don't perform, trade them, cut them, replace them. You can't run a real organization like this...but if you're looking for solid, on-the-money fantasy hockey advice, make sure to check back every Thursday for Joe Romano's segment "The Puck Stops Here."

Women Against "Women Against Fantasy Football"

Hello everyone. I am Jordan Zucker, commissioner of an all-female fantasy football league, host of Girls’ Guide to Fantasy Football, and a fervent advocate of the NFL. It has come to my attention that there is a group of women coming together to protest the so-called evils of fantasy football. I am here to set the record straight.

Fantasy football is the most brilliant of inventions. It combines pro sports, friendly camaraderie, stat research, gut intuition, and results to look forward to every Sunday. When I was first asked to provide a rebuttal in response to WAFS (Women Against Fantasy Sports), I was immediately enraged and went straight for the jugular. I wanted to refute the grievances and disparage the atrocities of these proclaimed “fantasy widows” who would criticize and condemn this amazing sport.

Then, of course, I took a hot shower to wash off the disgust, lathered myself in lotion (I am such a sucker for toiletries), poured myself a bourbon to relax, and did a little research on my new nemesis. As it turns out, these women aren’t exactly the enemy. The WAFS organization is not saying they are necessarily against the entire industry; they are just against their husbands being overly consumed with it. In fact, some of the women are sports fans as well.

OK, I will agree that being involved in 10 leagues can be considered overboard, but obsessions and addictions of all natures are dangerous. And yes, it is helpful to provide a place for people to share in their struggles, i.e. I Hate Cilantro.com offers a haiku page for fellow victims of the herb to vent their frustrations, just as the WAFS forum exists for women to gripe about their lives.

That said, the biggest flaw I found with the WAFS is this: if you are in a relationship where you feel you are playing second fiddle to the football league, fantasy sports is NOT the problem – it is just the symptom.

Here are a few other bones of contention where I felt they fell short:

WAFS showcases an issue from a woman who yammered: “My husband made a fantasy trade on our wedding night when he pretended to check on an airline flight.” Puh-lease!!! So what? How is that a big deal? Realistically, how long did it take him to do this, maybe 15 minutes at the most? The fact that he had to sneak this trade from you is a red flag in the first place. Don’t be so self-centered to think you have to be his only passion. Seriously, that would be too much pressure on both ends of the equation. Besides, if needy women who whine about not getting enough attention make my stomach turn, one can only imagine how their husbands must feel.

One of the philosophies on the site argues “a true football fan picks one team and only roots for and watches football when that team is playing.” WHAT?!?! A true fan will soak in as much of the sport that is out there! What if your team wasn’t the one involved in a game that had the day’s best action?!?! Besides, you can always root for your team to get the win and your individual opposing player to get the yards. Those interests are not at all mutually exclusive.

I don’t think it is right for people to be judged on how to be a fan. If you find fantasy ridiculous, then don’t play it. Obviously, the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach is going to fall on deaf ears here. If you are downright opposed to playing the game yourself (why?), that is fine. Go ahead and watch your one game without switching the channels.

But WAFS, really? What's next? A website for men called "I Thought My Wife Married Me, Not Oprah?" No, because men are perfectly capable of keeping themselves occupied. So, I highly recommend you to find something else that you are passionate about, something that is so intriguing that you want to excel at it and spend time on it. If you can respect this, then you can congratulate your partner for finding something that makes him (or her) happy, because you can share in the same gratifying personal achievement.

WAFS claims that fantasy sports can make husbands “hollow shells of former selves” and turn them into “fantasy-obsessed junkies.” Well, some people are workaholics. Some people are lazy and aimless. Know what kind of man you chose before you decide to bear his children that you were hoping he would help you raise. Of course, being out of hand is a bad thing, but would you rather the habit be something less benign? An affair or a drug habit would be much more detrimental. Fantasy sports are relatively safe; they are stimulating. Count your blessings.

Basically, it comes down to this: If fantasy sports were able to make a man out of control and distant from his family, then something else was bound to do it eventually. Yes, obsessive behavior is unhealthy, but the perpetrator is not fantasy sports; it is just how the unfortunate problem manifested. In the meantime, be thankful he is happy. If you don’t want to share in his hobby, then find one of your own. Healthy relationships require personal space, support, compromise, concessions, and acceptances. Which means I personally have to get over your refusal to play. …Working on it.

Talkin' Baseball with Chaim Bloom (Baseball Operations, Tampa Bay Rays)

Fantasy players often get their advice from other fantasy players. However, here at SportsJudge Blog (the blog for the fantasy baseball arbitration site SportsJudge.com), we wanted to bring you a step closer to the game.

So, today we are "talkin' baseball" with Chaim Bloom -- an assistant for baseball operations with the Tampa Bay Rays. Mr. Bloom is also a graduate of Yale University.

SportsJudge: Can you tell me what it is like to work in baseball operations for a real Major League team?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): I feel privileged to be working here with the Rays. Our core group of young players has gotten a lot of press and we’re excited about their future, but we also have a wonderful group in the front office and among our coaching and scouting staffs. We have people from many different backgrounds, with a ton of different life experiences, and they are all quality human beings with the best interests of the organization at heart. One of the reasons we feel so good about our future as an organization is because of the people who are here working hard to make things happen. With good people, anything is possible. The caliber of those that I work with and learn from every day is one of the most exciting aspects of my job.

SportsJudge: What type of factors do you consider when projecting a player's breakout season?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): There are so many things to consider when looking for players to break out. Some of them are based on knowledge that we have internally about progress a player has made with his health, mental state, physical condition, or training his core skills. But there are also statistical clues you can seek; a lot of these are well-documented in studies and you can find many of them on the Internet still. Many of these fall under the category of things that are outside of a player’s control and therefore can change independent of him. For instance, we feel we’ve improved our defense dramatically this off-season, and that should help our entire pitching staff even if they perform exactly the same way. You might also look for a player’s runs scored or RBI to improve if he has better offensive players hitting ahead of him or behind him in the lineup. If a player converts RBI opportunities at a high rate, but doesn’t get many of them, he’s going to be limited in how many RBI he can rack up. So it stands to reason that if his opportunities increase, so will his RBI.

SportsJudge: When looking at a minor league player, do AA and AAA stats tell the full story of a player's potential?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): I don’t believe stats ever tell you the full story of a player’s potential, especially in the case of minor league players. Different skill sets will translate differently to the major leagues even though they may result in the same statistical output in the minors. Moreover, many of the minor leaguers on whom you will be focusing are quite young – that’s part of why they are highly regarded prospects. And with young players, there is always uncertainty. They are human beings who are still developing as adults on and off the field, and even looking only between the lines their skills are still evolving. Some players realize their potential immediately, but some of them take longer and if you only look at statistics you’re going to disregard certain players too soon. And of course there are a number of cases where players put up incredible numbers in the minor leagues but could never translate that into major league success. The big leagues are the biggest stage in the world for baseball and finding success there is not just a matter of translating minor league numbers.

SportsJudge: When evaluating a player, what should a fantasy owner consider beyond just statistics?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): You owe it to yourself to consider as many factors as you can – any information on a player can help you make a more informed decision on him. One thing that many people forget is injuries. You might be able to estimate what a player can do when healthy, but you have to factor in the chances of him staying healthy for the whole year, and more important, how you will construct your team to protect you if he isn’t. Certain players might be available on the cheap because they have poor health histories, and if you structure your team with a Plan B in case such a player gets hurt, you might be able to find value in one.

SportsJudge: Having seen inside of a Major League organization, how would this change the way you would approach a future fantasy draft?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): It’s hard for me to say because I don’t play fantasy baseball. I think that the time I’ve spent in baseball has broadened my knowledge of the game and my analytical abilities significantly, even while I know that I’ve only scratched the surface in both of those areas. So I’m sure some of that experience would come into play in any situation pertaining to baseball.

[Editor's Note: The SportsJudge.com team wishes to thank Mr. Bloom for taking his time to speak with us.]