Several updates, more than a few of them disturbing... (7/31/18)

• We have effective confirmation that the dual Twitter-detective incidents on Sunday were fan-related.  Deadspin reported yesterday, as a part of a larger "The Value of Public Shaming" article, that the Sean Newcomb bigoted tweets were discovered by a Washington Nationals fan, to wit the Braves fans (and Deadspin points out this is ridiculously easy!) began to search Nationals players for similar tweets and found Trea Turner's!

(By the way, the article confirms that Newcomb was a high-school senior when he sent his.)

Two thoughts on this:

First, this is exactly what I feared was going to happen after the Hader incident -- and now I think you have a new avenue that's going to make it very difficult for this not to take over as a new form of harassment.

Why?  Because this kind of bigotry is part and parcel of the American sports experience, especially among White players.  As one of my readers passionately put it to me yesterday:  Sports has a bigotry problem -- and a huge one.

So does teenage America.  And this is nothing new.  When I was in high school in Wisconsin, not only was there the occasional gay slur pointed at anyone not popular in the school, but even the occasional semi-homophobic statement from the old Economics/Typing teacher: 

"Deer hunting?" (In response to a student giving an excused absence slip.)

"Two legged or four legged kind?"  (And, once the student chuckled and said no...)

"Or is it... G-A-Y..."

Specifically to sports:  Baseball has been noting a marked decrease in the number of African-American players, with a US News and World Report article from last year stating that, from 1981's number that almost 1 in 5 players in Major League Baseball was African American, the number in 2017 is about 1 in 15!!  (18.7% then to 7.7% in 2017)

What people like me are correctly being cautioned about is the probability that there may be an intrinsic attempt to re-segregate what American sports can be segregated.  (Baseball is probably a group of prominent White superstars wanting it away from being attempted.  Hockey is pretty close to begin with, and the African-American players are noting significant racist pushback.  Adam Silver will not permit it in a league the report notes is 3/4 Black.  And, sorry #NFLBoycott racist pigs.  The NFL is about 2/3 Black.)

(It's probably that last part that is about the only reason MAGA Hats like Tom Brady aren't trying to bleach the league.)

• The first two blowbacks of the new helmet-contact rule have hit the National Football League and it's training camps.

First, it has resulted in the holdout of at least one first-round draft choice.  Chicago's Roquan Smith, the eighth pick in the NFL Draft this year, is holding out because the Bears have placed wording in his contract which allows them to take back guaranteed money if Smith is suspended (or even otherwise disciplined) under the new rule.

Well, this brings up a large question to me:  Is that standardized language?  If it is, then Smith's argument really has to be against the rule.

The other part of this, though, is true even in that case, but is more true if it's not standard language.  Is Roquan Smith admitting he is no longer of the caliber of the 8th overall pick without using his helmet in illegal manners? 

This, by no way, would be unusual.  Jadeveon Clowney of the Texans got into the NFL largely because of a massive illegal targeting hit in his sophomore season's bowl game.

Is Roquan Smith admitting he's a headhunter?  If so, the Bears may be having significant buyer's remorse.

The second blowback comes from Philadelphia. When the league came to Philadelphia for a presentation on the new rule, a significant amount of questions were left from Eagles players.

This should also be no surprise.  A borderline hit in the first week of the pre-season by a Philadelphia player set the tone for "Hit 'em.  Hurt 'em.  Put 'em out.  Win."  Philadelphia was fined significantly the first several weeks of the season.  Their team did a large part in setting the tone in that manner.

One article said much of the defense was left with the question of how they were supposed to tackle in the first place!

That's one of the reasons I would not be stunned at all (and in fact am predicting) about a 7-10 point increase per game in scoring (which would put the average somewhere 50-53) this year -- because, with 30 years of ESPN glorifying the helmet-as-missile hit which is about to end football, these brutes have no idea of how to play defense whatsoever.

• In a move that is not only contradictory to their White Right segment of their audience, but probably may alter my Super Bowl prediction, the NFL has ordered Jerry Jones to STFU about the National Anthem policy.

And Pandora's Box Has Been Opened...

We have, now, a THIRD MLB player who's had to apologize for inappropriate tweets.

Trea Turner of the Nationals.  Sports Illustrated reported on that.

At least three Tweets with homophobic slurs in the 2011-2012 offseason.

The one major distinction here:  He was actually drafted by the Pirates in that regular season's Amateur Draft, unlike Newcomb and Hader.

But we're at the point where it's clear that there is probably going to have to be at least two full days for EVERYBODY:  One for sensitivity, the other to get the Hell off social media before all Hell breaks loose.

And you can now bet every little Twitter twit is looking up the Twitter accounts of his rival team.

We've opened Pandora's Box.

Same song, second verse. Same as the first.

Sean Newcomb of the Atlanta Braves probably is headed down the same path as Hader.

Tweets as a teenager surfaced today -- he, at least, got out in front of them, according to Yardbarker, but probably has sensitivity training and the like ahead of him...

Of course, this was when he almost no-hit the Dodgers.  One strike from immortality.

But I do get the feeling there's a larger story here.

I mean, make no mistake that there's hundreds of them in the pipeline -- said something stupid as a teenager on Twitter, and someone looking to ruin his career...

This is another example of "Every athlete, essentially, is compromise-able."

Keep this in mind at key moments...

What You Can Get Away With When You Are Important And Have "Legitimate Purpose": UFC Edition

Conor McGregor should be banned and in prison.

Instead, today in a New York City court (wonder if he got "Walkie Sackett" or the like...), Conor McGregor copped to a plea deal for this:


He got only a disorderly conduct violation for all of that.

That's felony vandalism, just for the damage to the bus, in the state of California.

Not to mention the several fighters he injured in the assault, which would add assault and battery, probably deadly weapon...

But Conor McGregor is important -- he makes money.

Hence, his purpose is legitimate.

And that means no criminal record, making it almost, if not, impossible for any state athletic commission to ban the punk-ass bitch dupe.

State of the Game: Two MORE Reasons Rob Manfred is an Idiot

It is becoming more and more apparent that the concept of "professional sports", in this day and age, is far too flexible of a term to be defined.

And a lot of this is not only the incompetence of the owners, but also the incompetence of the Commissioners of these leagues to force a concept that "professional sports" requires a given level of player and effort on the part of the organization to be considered "professional".

Two more cases of that came across the transom this morning.

Deadspin has resurrected a long-standing debate:  When will Rob Manfred throw out the Wilpons, for not only incompetence, but financial malfesance?

The Wilpons were of a number of people swindled by Bernie Madoff -- and, to cover themselves, took what assets they had and leveraged them.  This included the Mets.  In 2011, they needed $100 million to keep afloat from Major League Baseball, and wanted another $50M!

The Wilpons also were part of a sexual-discrimination plot against employees, including one who was fired for becoming pregnant!

Just in the last week, one player was ordered to pitch through symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease -- while another player was forced to play with a chronic heel condition that now will have him, after surgery, out a year at least, if he ever plays again!

The Deadspin post puts it best:

"But the cascade of disgrace over the last week has been both so dramatic and so dramatically mishandled on the team’s part that the McCourt Standard—an ownership group that is sufficiently embarrassing and sufficiently over its head as to have an actively negative impact on the broader state of play in the league—is now not just in sight but tentatively in play."

As my anonymous baseball-historian friend points out, this was talked about by many baseball fans when the McCourts were getting thrown out!  Now it's seven years later, and New York is trying to pass off a mid-market (if not small-market!!!) team???  Now, it's seven years later, and no one seems to get that the Wilpons are using this team, at best, as an ATM?

But, at least to me, I begin to wonder if one of the reasons it's not happening is because most of the league doesn't give two shits about the concept of a professional sports team and a concept called WINNING...

Because you could be San Diego right now.  The Padres have put together what would be an innovative ticket plan, but Yahoo! Sports reports that discards the singular major notion of a sporting event.

How do I say this?  The more the Padres lose at home, the more that a person holding this ticket can attend.

For $99, you can buy as many games as you want to attend at the Padres stadium -- with one catch.

The ticket (and it's tracked electronically when you are scanned into the stadium, I would assume) expires when the ticket is used for five San Diego wins.

San Diego is 42-63, 20-31 at home.  Meaning that, at least on average, that ticket would probably be good for thirteen games...

But are we basically, then, rooting for San Diego to lose?

Unintended Consequences Department:  Would this not encourage fans of other NL West teams to possibly take over the stadium?

Arizona has ten games left in San Diego.  San Francisco five, Colorado has three.

Oy vey.  Blinded By The Light.  Again.

Suspension Blotter: Training Camps Are Opening, and you know what that means...

Picking up a couple tea-leaves today:

• New York Jets:  Rashard Robinson:  4 games, substance abuse.
• Jacksonville Jaguars:  Dante Fowler Jr.:  1 game, a various record of off-field incidents finally too large for the NFL to ignore.
• New York Jets:  ArDarius Stewart:  2 games, PEDs for a masking agent.

By my count, there are 28 players from 18 teams suspended at least one regular-season game to start the season.

The Jets become the sixth NFL team this year to have two players suspended (Jets, Vikings, 49ers, Giants, Saints, Panthers).

And, like clockwork, here's Jerry Jones...

The Dallas Cowboys will be required to stand for the National Anthem.

Jerry Jones' edict.

One reason is that the Cowboys own the Papa John's at the stadium, and he doesn't have a problem with the racist piece of shit who used to be the face of his company...

Baseball attendance is down.

Saw this on the (surprisingly sparse) MLB Reddit page...

Attendance is down in MLB this year.  Average MLB game this year (to the All-Star Break) now has an attendance of 28,576, down 5.3% from the 30,168 last year.

Only nine teams saw an increase from last year  (all standings as of 2:00 PM Pacific time 7/24/2018):

• Milwaukee (+19.9%, leading NL Central decent part of the first half, now 2.5 out of first in the NL Central, best 2nd-place record in the NL)
• Houston (+18.5%, defending "champs", lead AL West by five games, 2nd best record in baseball)
• Seattle (+9.5%, 2nd in the AL West, 2nd in the play-in by 2.5 over Oakland)
• Yankees (+8.1%, 2nd in the NL East, 1st in the play-in.  Six back of Boston.)
• Arizona (+7.6%, led the NL West most of the first half, 1.5 back of the Dodgers now, half-game out of the play-in.)
• Atlanta (+4.9%, led the NL East a good part of the first half, now a half-game behind the Phillies, and the afreomentioned half-game ahead of Arizona for the play-in)
• Dodgers (+4.6%, NL defending champs, a great run after an abysmal 16-26 start, 1.5 game lead in the NL West.)
• San Diego (+3.2%, God knows why)
• Angels (+0.1%, had a run but sputtering out.)

That's it -- the top seven teams year-over-year are all in the decreasingly-few competitive teams left.

• Boston?   #17 at -1.9%.
• AL Central leader Cleveland (now 8.5 up on Minnesota and the only team in the division not 8 or more under .500):  #12 at -0.3%.
• Oakland, only 2.5 back of Seattle, but #22 at -14.3%.  Ten teams are down at least that much.
• Philadelphia, leading the NL East by half a game, just a tick behind Cleveland at -0.4%.
• The Cubs have the best record in the National League.  They also are a tick behind Boston at -2.0%.

And here are the bottom six:

• Detroit:  -22.3% attendance.  Sixteen under .500 and no shot.
• Baltimore:  -23.1% attendance, and a real shot at the 40-120 Mets.  28-73 through 101 games.  42.5 out of the division with 61 to play.  32.5 out of the play-in.  They might not even see September.
• Pittsburgh:  -23.8%.  And they're three games over .500 and only 7 out in the division!
• Kansas City:  -23.9%.  And they've only won 30 of their first 99.  They're only three games ahead of Baltimore!  24 out of the division, 29.5 out of the play-in.
• Toronto has lost a quarter of it's attendance year over year:  -25.2%.  Seven under .500, 23.5 ou of the division, 13 1/2 out of the play-in.
• But nothing holds a candle to Project Wolverine in Miami.  Derek Jeter's boondoggle should get him banned in the Best Interests of Baseball:  Attendance has HALVED -- and WORSE!!  Attendance is down FIFTY-FOUR POINT THREE PERCENT!  Average attendance: 9,559.

And another case of "The Show Must Go On" crashes: Ryan Lochte

Ryan Lochte has been banned because he's a stupid idiot who has no right to be in sports.

This time, he was banned for an illegal recovery method (at minimum) for a year -- because he posted it on Instagram.

He posted using an IV drip, and it was found to be too large for USADA rules.  He was not doping (but, c'mon, with this guy's attitude, would it be any surprise if he has in the past?).

He's out for this year's US Championships and next year's Worlds.  How this guy is even thinking of Tokyo after the shit he pulled in Rio...

(Deadspin)

And, while all this is going on, the largest change to the National Football League gets some clarification...

Doesn't it always seem like the biggest stories in the NFL are buried just after they put out the red meat?

In a move that will probably increase scoring a touchdown a game (because you can't play defense in this league without helmet-to-helmet hits) and the playing time of a game 15 minutes or more (because all such ejection calls are made in New York under the "non-football acts" new rule AND this rule), the NFL finally announced today the new helmet-contact rule.

Deadspin is where I'm getting the news.

It is a 15 yard penalty, as of this year to be caught:

"using any part of a player's helmet" (note that the facemask was in this rule and then removed from it -- though one could say a facemask is part of the helmet anyway, so this applies) "to butt, spear, or ram an opponent" (it was also removed for unnecessary or violent pretenses -- ANY butt, spear, or ram is 15 yards, as long as it's not incidental contact, which can happen!)

Now, that's the yardage part of it.

There is, according to the NFL, an additional set of criteria for ejecting players -- and, again, all of THOSE calls happen in New York!

How will the new @NFL Use of Helmet rule be enforced? Details below: pic.twitter.com/eerAo2lLG3

— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) May 22, 2018

The player must lower his helmet to create a linear, unobstructed, and avoidable path to the opponent.

Well, I see two problems already, before we get to a video the NFL has provided:

• The Kurt Warner hit, which I've seen a lot more of in the last 2-3 years.  Where a player will actually butt the opponent with his head into the chin and neck of another player, often causing serious (and sometimes career-ending!) injury.
• Contact to the head not using the helmet.  It appears that the "NFL Targeting Rule" will not take into account for ejection any strike during a play using hand, arm, or shoulder to the helmet of the opposition.

So the rule doesn't go far enough in the first place.

But the NFL did provide a video to try to educate the fans as to the new rules:

Today owners approved the ejection standards to go along with the Use of the Helmet rule. Here’s the rule explained with video examples from the 2017 @NFL season. pic.twitter.com/Dzs4EWGVdx

— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) May 22, 2018

• First:  Cleveland at Indianapolis, Week 3.  Second and 19 from the Indy 17, Jacoby Brissett passes to Kamar Aiken.  After the catch, he turns upfield and is helmet-to-helmeted by Cleveland's Christian Kirksey, knocking Aiken out of the rest of the game.  It is declared a foul (though a blatant textbook helmet-to-helmet which should've been covered under previous rules, NO FLAG WAS THROWN ON THIS PLAY).  He was also NOT FINED.
• Second:  Kansas City at New England, Opening Night.  Third and 6 for New England at KC's 15.  Brady to Danny Amendola for just short of the first down, but Ron Parker of the Chiefs downs him -- using his helmet.  This one isn't as obvious, but he lowers his head with just the neck to ram Amendola to the turf.  NO PENALTY WAS CALLED on Parker.  He was also NOT FINED.
• Third:  Indianapolis at Jacksonville.  Week 13.  Second and 7 for Jacksonville at their 36.  Blake Bortles completes a 21 yard pass to Dede Westbrook, and at the end of the play, Indianapolis' Antonio Morrison lays out spears Westbrook.  NO PENALTY WAS CALLED.  He was fined in that game for a facemask, but not for this play.

In all three of the above cases, that is seen as a generic foul and 15 yards only under the new rule -- even though it appears that, in all three cases, the ejection criteria which are then shown to the viewer before further clips would qualify!

• So the first play they show after giving the criteria is Philadelphia at Atlanta, 2015 MNF Opening Weekend Doubleheader First Game.  1st and 12 1/2 from the Philadelphia 2 1/2.  Sam Bradford completes to Jordan Matthews.  He's wrapped up by one Falcon (Justin Durant) and then helmeted by William Moore, who clearly lines him up and nails him.  They call that an ejectable foul.  NO PENALTY WAS CALLED.  Moore WAS, however, fined $23,000 for the hit.

One of the reasons I see this greatly extending games is:  What is the material difference which makes that an ejection, and the Parker and Kirksey fouls especially not an ejection?  The NFL might want to explain that.

• And then, I almost don't even need to know what this one is.  Chicago and Green Bay, Week 4, the Danny Trevathan hit.  I really think the rise of BLATANT hits of this nature last season -- this one, the one on Burfict during that awful Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game, the one on Joe Flacco -- led to the new rule...  Trevathan was penalized (but not ejected!) and suspended one game (originally two) for the hit.

I think the only real question the video leaves me, as I said, is how the last two are differentiated from the first three.

(UPDATE TO PREVIOUS POST) That took... about 6-12 hours. National Anthem Policy Repealed, Subject to NFLPA Negotiation...

I tried to tell the moderators at the NFL Reddit that the statement that the Dolphins would fine and/or suspend players committing to the National Anthem protests was not ambiguous at all -- by putting it within the context of "Conduct Unbecoming the Team", the statement was in fact correct.

Well, the backlash of the Dolphins releasing that the National Anthem protests would be so declared finally got the NFL's attention:  The entire National Anthem protest policy is on hold, and they will negotiate it with the Players' Association.

So, I will once again ask all the Red Hats who #NFLBoycott:  When you gonna start the shooting?

Fucking fascist pigs.

Hader Story Not Over Yet: Meeting in Milwaukee Tomorrow

Billy Bean, MLB Ambassador for Inclusion, and other Major League Baseball officials will meet with Josh Hader over the tweets which surfaced Tuesday night.

Now, a lot of the talking indicates they may well state he could be an ambassador for the league for social media responsibility.

But it is clear, especially if you read the MSN/USA Today article on the subject, that there are strong words being bandied about here.

Milwaukee is a very racially-charged city, and it is not clear at all as to whether he would be able to pitch there after some of those Tweets or whether protests or worse would follow.  It is almost-certain that the series with the Dodgers will be the first look to see whether this is possible.

It is not implausible, even still, that he may be forced to go elsewhere before the deadline.  That may involve his teammates (to whom he is also required to meet on Friday), or the city of Milwaukee itself -- which has many African-Americans who will attack the first "White Boy" they see if so inflamed.  (I know from my experience in the city itself for four years, in which I was attacked as such at least twice!)  Stay tuned.

And here we go: National Anthem Protests Completely Banned For the Miami Dolphins

The first team to have it announced that National Anthem protests will be banned is the Miami Dolphins.

In a one-sentence statement in their paperwork, National Anthem protests are now "Conduct Detrimental To The Team".  That can lead to fine or suspension, or both!

Donald Trump just found a new favorite football team.

Three Dolphins were identified as kneeling during several games of last season.  Only one is still with the team:  Kenny Stills.  They added another player who raised his fist, Robert Quinn.

At least one Miami business host has cancelled his tickets to Dolphins games, and likes his decision.

So, ESPN, these are your 25 predictions this year...

As we're getting to training camps (yeah, we're almost THERE...  yippee... *twirls little finger*)...

I think for at least the second year I've caught it, ESPN has done their "25 predictions for the next three NFL seasons" post.  So, let's see what ESPN is offering up as looks into possible NFL storylines:

1) Le'Veon Bell leaves Pittsburgh.

Almost a given with the contract drama, tagged now the last two years.

Probably also a given with his role in Pittsburgh, in general, being about Dallas-level in the league's doghouse.

2) Odell Beckham Jr. leaves New York.

This is pretty much required for the Giants to be relevant.  Odell Beckham Jr. may be as marketable as Hell, but he's also one of the five players who are so toxic to the NFL's discipline policies (and one of only two who I would say are strictly on-the-field problems), and can basically torpedo any thought of his teams seeing the Super Bowl.  He either gets his head right, or he will be on that short list of best players never to even sniff the Super Bowl.

3) Dallas Cowboys to win Super Bowl LIII(E), LIV, or LV.

Well, consider, this is the first year in at least three they already don't have to cut a check to the league for excessive drug and other suspensions before the 4th of July.  I do believe that's been the major impediment for the Cowboys.  Yes, they have one suspended, but so does half the league.  I think Donald Trump would love to see Jerry Jones get a Lombardi some millenium -- and, with the league changing the game and being wide open, they're probably the best political fit.

4) Philly won't.

Something happened in this Super Bowl.  Either TB12 and no one wants to admit it, or the very real possibility rising over the horizon (and I was NOT the first one to come up with it) that Bill Belichick sent Robert Kraft a message and deliberately threw a Super Bowl (and if there's one coach ever who could do it and get away with it, it's Belichick), but something was rotten in Rotterdam.

That, and the fact that the game probably wants to get away from "Hit em, hurt em, put em out, win...", which, though Philly calmed down after the first four or so weeks on the fine blotters, Philly still set the tone pretty good at the start of the season, makes this a pretty good look as well.

5) The anthem controversy isn't going away.

That's a given.  Question:  Does this, at some point in the next three years, lead to a work stoppage?

6) At least two more teams will be sold.

I'm going to add something to that:  At least two more teams will be FORCED TO BE sold.

Carolina was force-sold after the allegations against it's owner, and sold for almost $2.3 billion.  The ESPN article keeps it mundane, but I can't think we won't see at least two more owners run out of the league for similar in the next three years.

7) Russell Wilson will be the highest-paid quarterback.

Not if he's still in Seattle.  I get the idea, but I don't think anyone confuses that Super Bowl run in Seattle with simply marketing Wilson.

8) The Cowboys, because of how young running backs are getting paid, are going to have a problem with Ezekiel Elliot.

I think that's going to come down to whether Elliot can keep his nose clean.

9) David Johnson will lead the league in scrimmage yards the next three years (if he gets a new deal).

And no one will care.

11) Threats of a work stoppage will get louder.

I think we're getting one.  Question being:  Does it happen at the end of the CBA, or with the anthem situation?

12) The Texans will control the AFC South.

No reason to see otherwise.  What other real choice do you have?

13) The Patriots finally lose their foothold on the AFC East.

See #4.  Especially if what I believe is behind the scenes on TB12 comes out, the run may finally be on the back legs.

14) Drew Brees retires after Tom Brady does.

TB12 could have a lot to say on that one.  *cough*  Brees will break the yardage record this year, and how many years have you heard of Drew Brees getting injured?

15) Kirk Cousins wins more games than Alex Smith.

It may not be Ryan Leaf levels ("KNOCK IT OFF!!"), but that Alex Smith #1 to San Francisco is going to be one of the greatest busts of all time!

16) Josh Rosen gets on the field more than the other Class of 2018 QBs.

Sam Bradford's injury gives him the nod -- but, since it's Arizona, no one will care.  Once again.

17)  Jim Harbaugh returns to the NFL as a head coach.

If the NFL will take him...  This situation at Michigan isn't going to work out.

18) If current ownership keeps the Bengals, Marvin Lewis will stay.

If Vontaze Burfict and his bullshit hasn't come back on Marvin Lewis by now, I'm not sure what will or what CAN!

19) Josh McDaniels will get a rehab tour and another look at coaching in the NFL.

Well, look what Belichick did to the Jets, people!

20) The kickoff will disappear.

YES.  This is a black-letter definite. And will punts survive???

21) The combine will move to LA.

Can't see why not, especially with the new stadium providing a nice backdrop for the event.  (Las Vegas, however, does merit some look as an alternative.)

22) The Rams will be interesting.

Street and Smith's -- and I don't know if a wide-open season has them doing this regionally with a number of different targets -- has actually picked the Rams to win the Super Bowl this year.  Let that process.

23) The marijuana policy will change, but not to stop testing for it.

The NFLPA would like to get the league off the backs of players using pot for recreational purposes, and there's a good argument for that.  What both sides do want a look at is to see if someone is using pot to conceal an injury or addiction.

24) The Browns won't make the playoffs.

At some point, you'd be better off folding this damn abortion of a team and putting an expansion team in Cleveland.  Leagues have gone under for better football than these Browns can offer.

25) The ties between the Jaguars and London will intensify.

Jacksonville and the NFL doesn't work.  That team is going to have to go somewhere.

Two Rob Manfred moments today: One right, one very tellingly wrong...

• Hader has to do the dreaded "sensitivity training".

Not much else you could've done there.  He was 17, it was seven years ago in high school.

My anonymous friend said the best seen theory on all of this, in my friend's opinion:  A former rival pissed off that Hader made The Show and is an All-Star, knowing about these Tweets all the time and waiting for the perfect time to torpedo Hader's career.

If that's the case, that may even be scarier than my theory of a bunch of fans trying to make themselves famous by playing Twitter Detective.  That's because there's a number of these along the paths of every professional athlete.

If we're going to get to the point that every rival who didn't make it of a pro athlete who did has an axe to grind...  Oh boy.

It may be time for all of you to get off social media, boys...

• Speaking of "People Who Wish Would Just Shut Up", it's Rob Manfred again!  He tried to call Mike Trout out, saying that Trout should market himself more, since Trout is largely seen as the best player in the game, and not close!

He's telling you something, Mr. Blinded By The Light.

He wants Trout on one of his five Preferred Teams:  Yanks, Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Astros...

It is appearing (as if last night's callback to the Juiced Ball Series didn't give you a hint -- with ten home runs (six eighth-inning or later!), and 14 runs) that Manfred wants all the power and all the hype on a small number of teams (and can't be happy that the Dodgers landed Manny Machado today!), and is all but calling Trout out to either go Hollywood or go elsewhere.

Well, the Angels had a statement to make refuting Manfred's wishes, and I'll leave that up here for your reading as the sole response to that at this time:

Today, the #Angels released the following statement on OF Mike Trout: pic.twitter.com/xFLURtZ4bT

— Angels (@Angels) July 18, 2018

Another story where the true lead of all this will probably be buried...

(Hat-tip to my anonymous friend and Deadspin.)

Josh Hader pitched in tonight's All-Star Game, and gave up a key 3-run home run.

That said, the Milwaukee Brewer is probably going to be the center of the two slowest days in American sports (unless you're a fan of British golf, and "EIGHTEEN FUCKING TIMES!!", like Robin Williams did in a classic comedy rant on golf -- God rest his soul...), and it's a bunch of people who probably will be the lead of this story, in actuality, that are why.

During the game, someone was perusing Josh Hader's Twitter account, and found numerous tweets from 2011 with the N-word splattered all over them, as well as several homophobic rants.

Josh was 17 years old at the time, and didn't enter the minors until the following year.

He should be fined and strictly monitored on his social media for a while.  Put the fine to relevant rights charities.

And that's it.

I'm as hardcore on the subject as many, but people need to understand:

He was 17.

This was seven years ago.

He has apologized and walked back.

He is prepared to pay whatever penalty.

But, that said:  There is a larger story to this, and this lead probably is going to get buried.

Someone only found this because Hader was in the All-Star Game tonight.  Is it now clear that every player in that game probably had a similar bunch of Twitter detectives poring through years of their Tweets, hoping to make themselves famous?

Hader's hateful comments are terrible.  Let's make no doubt of this.

He was 17, it was seven years ago.

(EDIT TO ADD IMPORTANT NOTE:  Someone had claimed to find a 2016 Tweet from Hader slamming the Trayvon Martin protestors -- the Tweet has, however, been confirmed a fake photoshop by the idiot who actually shopped it.)

What we should, however, begin to wonder is how many other players got investigated tonight by someone trying to make themselves famous?

Be careful out there, athletes.  Nothing goes away on the Internet.

Take that from someone who knows.

Suspension Blotter: Keim loses, Gregory wins.

• A team suspension to report.  It would be under the auspices some form of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy, but:  
• Arizona Cardinals:  General Manager Steve Keim:  Banned 5 weeks and fined $200,000 by the Cardinals for a extreme-DUI guilty plea 99 within two hundredths of a percent of super-extreme.  The NFL will accept that as more than sufficient.
• On the other end of the spectrum:
• Dallas Cowboys:  For the first time since the end of the 2016 season, and after two seasons in which Randy Gregory was suspended 30 of the 32 games of the two seasons, Randy Gregory has been reinstated conditionally by the NFL.  A fourth similar offense is a life ban.

Make that FIVE Olympic sports now under investigation for sexual assault in the United States...

Hello!!

Mr. Fencing Gold Medalist from 1976!!!

Mr. Bach, Chairman of the IOC??

Do we have to go up and down the line to every sport offered in the Olympic calendar in the United States before the IOC steps in on these investigations of rampant sexual assault in the athlete-selection systems of, now believed and alleged, at least FIVE United States Olympic Committee sports governing bodies?

Joining equestrian, gymnastics, swimming, and taekwondo on this list is diving.  (The USA has separate governing bodies for swimming and diving.

Deadspin reported yesterday afternoon that a class-action lawsuit has been opened against USA Diving, (the sanctioning body for diving under the USOC), Ohio State University (good Lord, that's the THIRD Big Ten University involved in this kind of shit -- and they've already got a major problem in their wrestling program that I need to go back and cover at some point in this mess!!!), and a coach named Will Bohonyi.

Bohonyi is accused, over a period of 2009 to 2011, of demanding sex from one college diver (he was coaching in Indiana (not at Indiana University) at the time -- this is why the lawsuit is in Federal court in Indiana), and to rape at least one diver, and the lawsuit alleges he was able to do this with his status as a coach of the US Olympic Diving Team.

The unnamed diver fled Bohonyi and spent her last two years in college diving elsewhere.

A second accused incident occurred at Ohio State, when Bohonyi was a coach at an intramural diving club, which included rape, forced entry of objects, child pornography (he asked a 16 year-old for nudes, the law prosecutes all minor such offenses up to 18), and an obstruction of the incident when a teammate went to the head of the club during a meet in Tennessee. 

Eventually, Bohonyi was fired, and took it out, raping the now-17 year old, according to the lawsuit.

Bohonyi was supposed to be banned for life from coaching in 2015, but has been found coaching minor female divers as late as last year, as well as a consultant for a USA Diving sponsor!

That's five, Mr. Bach!!

HOW MANY MORE???

Or do we have to have all of them to prove that this is systemic throughout the entire US Olympic Committee program before we even think of disqualifying the Olympics' biggest cash cow???

Anyone who's been paying attention long enough knows the truth about Papa Jerk.

Ahh, it's good to see the jackass finally getting his.

Papa Jerk may finally have gotten his ass run out of town because of his mouth.

Forbes Magazine reported that "Papa John" Schnatter (he of the moated multi-dozen car garage and other conservative excesses) made the point, in opposition to the NFL National Anthem protests, that Colonel Sanders called Black people n-----s, and faced no repercussions.

He's now out of Papa John's completely, and has been removed from all branding.  Major League Baseball and many other corporate partners have ended their sponsorship deals with Papa John's.  As one example, the NFL has gone to Pizza Hut (as a result of Papa John's actions regarding the protests last fall).

I'm pleasantly surprised -- it would appear that using the slur would actually fit him in well with America's right, and I will be very interested to see if pro-slur boycotts are forthcoming.

Couldn't happen to a "nicer" guy, though.

Two disturbing jurisprudence NFL updates...

• The woman believed to be the ex-girlfriend of Buffalo's LeSean McCoy DOES, in fact, believe that her ex-boyfriend put out a hit on her for the robbery of jewelry on Tuesday.
• Kellen Winslow Jr. faces the rest of his life in prison after the charges from his latest escapades came down:  Two counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping with intent to rape, one count forcible sodomy -- and this now involves a third woman, a 2003 17 year-old unconscious victim, in which California law does allow unlimited statute of limitations in certain cases that the prosecutor and the courts believe were met here.

Maybe LA itself doesn't WANT LeBron, and, Commissioner Silver, you're wrong...

Two NBA notes:

• The new LeBron James mural in Los Angeles is gone.  It was completely whitewashed today after a number of Lakers fans basically made it clear that LeBron James may NOT, after all, be welcome in a Laker uniform....  (USA Today)

One graffiti writer refuted his claim as "King James"...

Another simply put "3-6", James' record (or, if you wish, that of his teams') in NBA Finals...

A third called him LeFraud.

And a fourth said "We don't..." something "... you!"

Jonas Never, who painted the mural at Baby Blues BBQ in Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, whitewashed the entire thing shortly thereafter.

• Adam Silver says the continued dominance of the Golden State Warriors is not a bad thing for the National Basketball Association.

He's wrong.

He's flat wrong.

Adam Silver has existential problems with his league right now.

Is it any wonder that a lot of incompetent GMs and owners are basically stealing money and match-fixing all over the place by tanking what could be half or more of the regular-season contests? 

Isn't it absolutely clear to a lot of people that at least 26 of the 30 NBA franchises are rank useless, a number that could well reach 28 or 29 as of this year??

You wouldn't have this tanking if this weren't a one-team league, in which the Warriors, even they being thuggish assholes the last three years, are one good fourth quarter away from pretty universally being viewed as the greatest team of all time (at least for one season), and be four-time defending champions instead of two?

Why is most of this league, or it's fans, supposed to care if it's now clear that title #4 is, even with LeBron in LA, about a 1-2 shot, according to the SuperBook?

You're wrong, Adam.  Even if I'm a fan of the Warriors if I'm a fan of any NBA team, you've got a problem and it needs to be fixed.  And none of the solutions are pretty.

Another chance to put football itself on trial...

Another big one coming that could further blacken the eyes of the NFL...

The big one is this exploding LeSean McCoy story.

It now appears, the latest reports indicate the Buffalo Bills have a major problem.  LeSean McCoy may have orchestrated an incident at his home, where his ex-girlfriend Delicia Cordon lives -- up to and possibly including a hit on her life!!

He has now hired a defense attorney, as evidence appears to indicate a number of men beat Cordon to regain possession of jewelry McCoy claims was his, among other things...

A friend of Cordon's believes McCoy is responsible for sending the men, whom police indicate have probably commited crimes of:

• Armed Robbery
• Aggravated Assault With A Firearm
• Residential Burglary Without Force (????)
• and Aggravated Battery

(Without Force??????)

The NFL's new policy does allow McCoy to be banned during the investigation, but only if he's charged or the NFL believes he should be (they say it another way, but the fact is it's basically saying the NFL believes he should be charged).

All I have to say is:  Football is going to have to go on trial in one of these cases -- especially if it's becoming clear that McCoy sent armed thugs to do his dirty work...

And that's not the only problems the NFL has right now:

• Someone else has had enough of Pacman Jones -- an airport worker was arrested for a violent and ugly brawl with Jones in which the worker was arrested (and it's pretty clear this "trainee" for ABM was trying to make a name for himself at Jones' expense...).
• Kellen Winslow's rape case just took a sudden turn when one of his alleged victims actually, in open court, fingered one of his attorneys instead!

This ticking timebomb between players and referees has to be dealt with at all levels.

AAU tournament in Georgia, and all Hell breaks loose.

RAW Athletics and it's coach, Howard Martin, have a lot of questions to answer.

About THIS...


Martin claims the ref started it, but by the time most of the video the public sees has commenced, RAW Athletics is assaulting multiple officials.

I will go this far:  In a rarity for these types of events, the referee was an open and willing participant in the fight.  He "wanted to go".

Then a second official (who came from elsewhere because of the incident) seems to go after a man who appears to be Martin.

It looks like at least four players from RAW Athletics threw punches at the refs.

This story is NOT over by a long fucking shot.

Someone needs to be banned from sports for life -- but the fact the refs were more than willing to fight does put a complication in this incident not common in such.

Suspension Blotter: And yet another...

A third suspension was announced just before the holiday:

• Los Angeles Rams:  Jamon Brown, 2 games.  Substances of abuse.

That now makes half the league have at least one player suspended to start the next season.

You'd think, at some point, this situation would actually get some mainstream attention...

SHUT UP!!! (so sayeth much of the Internet to the increasing toxicity of the comment section)

I noticed it a couple times in the last week or so, most notably when I was viewing an article on the WWE and Daniel Bryan...

And Deadspin reported it yesterday and my anonymous friend pointed it out:  No more comments section on ESPN....

Good.

I will admit to more than a bit of toxicity against idiots over the course of my time on the Internet -- and have been pretty much banned from almost all discussion possible, my latest when I was banned from yet another professional wrestling discussion (Reddit's main one) over what I viewed (and still do) as an effort to gloss over the Kenny Omega story I posted about here earlier this week.

Much of it is just the complete idiocy of people and, frankly, it's just time to get rid of the ability of these 80-IQ morons that pass for sports fans and Donald Trump fans and...  well, in most cases, fans of just about anything.

Most of the forums have become either political dick-waving or...  just dick-waving in general.

Given the general discourse in our country and the complete idiocy of just about everybody therein, it's just time to understand that certain people should just SHUT THE FUCK UP.

(To show this is not limited to sports, CNN had already eradicated the ability to comment to it's articles -- same reason.)

Gee... Russian World Cup, and racism runs rampant!! Whoda thunk?

(Slight deviation from the boycott's intent, but I do, if the situation merits, ask the people who requested the boycott if this material would be worthy of it -- and, given the nature of it, they usually agree.)

Yardbarker had a disturbing article up earlier this week before the Round of 16.

It is no secret that Russia is one of the most racist nations in the world (along with Russia's anti-LGBT stand -- which has surprisingly been kept somewhat quiet over the course of the last three weeks so far!!!), especially as it relates to soccer.

It now appears this has transferred to the play on the pitch.

• Death threats for an Assyrian Swede who had a large hand in one result.
• Two Mexican broadcasters did the "Yuri Guerriel" slant-eye gesture after their team qualified for the Round of 16.  They have been suspended indefinitely.
• Accusations of Australian fans making monkey noises at an African-heritaged player.
• Though the Russians have largely kept the anti-LGBT stuff quiet, the Argentines have not:  FIFA has fined the Argentine federation 80,000 pounds for violence and homophobic chants after an embarrassing 3-0 loss to Nigeria, one in which Maradona flipped the bird to the crowd.
• Two Albanian Swiss players, in scoring goals against Serbia, gave politically charged goal celebration signals and were also fined.
• And even the US, as Hope Solo has opened her mouth again and said the sport is for rich White kids...

Gee....  And I was thinking the Russian ultras were going to be bad.  They've had help.

Is LaVar Ball willing to end LeBron's meaningful career to seize control of the NBA?

Someone needs to end this fucker from any relevant media purposes before this giant piece of shit really does something we're all going to regret.

Latest news from the LaVar Ball reality TV program indicates he is willing to sabotage the entire LeBron James Lakers situation if he (LaVar!) can't be The Man...

• LaVar is trying to force LeBron and the Lakers to give his boy the ball.

"According to the outspoken patriarch, his son Lonzo will not only mesh well with James but make the former Cavaliers superstar “better” – as long as the Los Angeles point guard has the basketball in his hands."  (Denver Post)

All I have to say, at this point, is Adam Silver needs to step in on this fucker yesterday.  It was clear that LaVar's basically saying "I'm going to be The Game, The Brand, and The Man in the NBA -- or I'll blow it all up."

• And now speculation is that he may have taken the first step in doing so.

The Lakers are looking to get rid of LaVar by trading Lonzo.

So what does the Big Baller camp do?

They leak that Lonzo has a knee injury so no one will take him!!  (At least this is the contention the Lakers now believe....)

That should be grounds for termination, right then and there.

But what it really indicates is that Adam Silver needs to step in and throw LaVar Ball out of the league -- and if that means none of the sons can ever play in the NBA, so be it.

We're already at the point that Golden State, even with LeBron in LA, is about -200 to win the title again, fourth year in five.

I could easily see a scenario that LaVar Ball would attempt to destroy the NBA if he (not his son, but his brand) is not The Man in the NBA.

Adam Silver, put a stop to this.

Suspension Blotter: Add team #15 to the list...

• Green Bay Packers:  Aaron Jones, 2 games for a marijuana arrest.
• San Francisco 49ers:  Reuben Foster, 2 games for a marijuana arrest and a weapons charge.

The Packers become the 15th team in the NFL to have at least one player suspended for the start of the 2018-19 season, and we haven't even reached July 4 yet.

The 49ers become the 5th team to have two players suspended (Saints, Giants, 49ers, Panthers, Vikings).

No team has three or more.  If the policy is the same as previous seasons, any team having three or more suspended players must pay a significant fine based on lost salary to the league, up to $500,000.

The suspension rule and the prohibition of PEDs, I also see, has ended an NFL career:

• Jerrell Freeman, probably as part of the decision based on that he has ended his NFL career, was banned for two years for strike three on PEDs.  Freeman was cut in February by the Bears, the suspension came down in May, so no team is responsible.  It was clear that only PEDs kept him in the NFL -- this is the third consecutive year he was banned for PEDs.

LATE EDIT:

• Julian Edelman's appeal has been denied.  This is the one for four games from the Patriots that no one is really sure what he tested positive for.  This has implications:  Edelman has seen the same doctor that Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady (TB12) have seen.

Oh dear for the love of God...

DeMarcus Cousins just signed with the Warriors.

Adam Silver, you have an existential problem with your league.

As pro wrestling fans attempt to bury the story, more comes out that indicates Kenny Omega... has some explaining to do...

Been keeping an eye on the Kenny Omega story as it appears to be at least fading into some background.

Japanese industry and corporate decision-making can be quite...  interesting...  that way.

But Reddit user "volcelnation" found this picture from the same CEO Gaming convention two years ago...

With the caption:

 "Huge thank you to @KennyOmegamanX introducing me to @TeamVisionDojo who supplied the #CEO2016 wrestling ring!"

And, with a nod to the posted picture in the Florida sex offender registry, it appears that Chasyn Rance is in the picture, with Omega, to his immediate left in our view.

And remember, Omega said, in his explanation per his actions:

Here it is: I produced all matches from dark match #2 on.I gave the ring crew (also a wrestling school) carte Blanche to have our first dark. No entrances,no name graphics. And thus they had a match. I met Chasyn once in 2004 so his name was familiar. The other guy I’d never met.

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 30, 2018

It would appear, unless the person standing next to him is not Rance, that Kenny Omega has lied.

The costs of catering to the 12th Man cult...

Kam Chancellor ends his career today.

Age 30.

Neck injury that has showed no signs of healing since last October.

Legion of Boom, huh?

Well, the Boom is felt on both sides of that equation...

The NBA makes it's major-market power play.

LeBron James, just minutes ago (when I started this earlier), was announced to be a Los Angeles Laker.

4 years, $154,000,000.  3 years definite, 4th is a player option.

I mean, I knew it by the end of Game 3 that LeBron was gone and the Cavs didn't care if the door hit him where the Lord split him.

They'd rather be a 30-win team without him than in the NBA Finals with him.  As a result, the Cavaliers are now 500-1 to win the title -- the Lakers are now 7-2.  (and that is just with James -- if the rumored superteam takes shape...)

Take a look at the reality of the NBA...

The Warriors probably tanked more than a fair bit of the regular season themselves this year, just to make things somewhat interesting.

And then they ran through the playoffs and won one of the worst NBA Finals in history.

The NBA needs a second team.  One-team leagues do not tend to survive long.

If you take a look at LeBron's situation, there were three teams he probably could have gone to once he opted out.

If you take a look at the NBA's wants, there were three major-media-market cities they would want LeBron to land in.

Those two lists had one intersection:  The Los Angeles Lakers.

Stay tuned -- there's more coming to LA than this.

Suspension Blotter: Add two more to the list...

We're getting near training camp.  Here's two more who won't be starting the regular season eligible:

• Philadelphia Eagles:  Nigel Bradham, banned for the first game of the regular season for a 2016 arrest for battery and aggravated assault.
• Indianapolis Colts:  Robert Turbin:  Four games -- you guessed it, PEDs.

By my count, the Eagles and Colts become the 13th and 14th teams this season to have a player (or two -- no one has reached the fine threshold yet) suspended.