My classes started this week, we have a new president, and the sports world is full of great stories. Meanwhile, I'm slacking off. I apologize for not being on top of my game lately, but I've been fairly busy. I caught up with some old friends recently, one of my siblings had a birthday over the weekend, and my cousin was in town today.
Sorry guys, but family comes first. Due to my slacking, I feel obligated to -- as my man Cooney would say -- "drop some knowledge" for you all. I have some thoughts about the Phillies' most overpayed player, on which D1 basketball conference reigns supreme, and why many former athletes are dying young.
Three and Out
1. Like one of his home runs, Ryan Howard may be "outta here" sooner rather than later. The 29-year old first baseman apparently believes that he is worth $18 million dollars a season. Eighteen million dollars. I know, it's a staggering figure.
I'm not saying that he will be gone sometime soon. It probably won't be this season. But if you are the guy who writes paychecks, why would you ever agree to giving Ryan Howard this kind of money? I'll give you this: he's still in his prime.
Otherwise, we're talking about an out-of-shape designated hitter who can't play the field very well. Ryan Howard's salary has jumped from $355 thousand, to $900 thousand, to $10 million over the last three years. His batting average over that span? It's gone from .313, to .268, to .251. Yes, he's produced many runs - but give me eight more inches and eighty more pounds and so will I.
The Phils will most likely win their arbitration suit versus their star first baseman. They offered fourteen mil, he's asking for eighteen. I would be shocked if he got what he wants - but regardless, what does this mean for next year? Let's say they go to arbitration for a third straight year. What will he ask for then, $25 million? At some point, it gets to be too much.
The Phillies have made many key signings over the last couple weeks. They've locked up Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino, brought back Jayson Werth and Greg Dobbs, and solidified their bullpen by keeping Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson. However, Ryan Howard for $18 million is not something that I would want if I were Reuben Amaro, Jr. Philadelphia may be a top-five marketplace, but they don't have to spend money like one. More teams should take notes on the Rays and learn how to get the most out of the least.
2. The Wake Forest men's basketball was the lone unbeaten heading into tonight. They were ranked No. 1 in the land and in just one week were set to face No. 2 Duke in a colossal ACC bout. I guess you know where this one is headed.
Wake got upset by Virginia Tech this evening. The Deacs couldn't stop the hot shooting of the Hokies, nor could they get to the free throw line enough to pull off the comeback. Some will claim that Wake wasn't for real - and that's nonsense.
Wake Forest is more than for real. A team doesn't get to be the nation's top-ranked outfit by accident. Heading into tonight, opposing teams only shot 36.2 percent against them this season. That's good for No. 2 in the nation. Last year's Kansas team, the eventual National Champions, finished the season third in that category at 37.9 percent.
I think the Wake upset says more about the strength of the ACC. Through the first few months of this season, as well as the last couple years, many college basketball fans have called the Big East the best conference. These same fans claim that the ACC is too top-heavy, not as balanced as the Big East.
First of all, the Big East has sixteen teams. A conference with that many teams will always look good because there are so many positive things to talk about. And as far as the top-heavy talk, I see ACC basketball like I see SEC football: It's so good at the top that people forget (or don't care) about the teams in the middle of the pack.
When Ole Miss beat Florida in football this season, people called Florida a fraud. They went on to hold the highest-scoring offense in college football history to 14 points. Fraud, huh? People can say all they want about Wake or their conference not being for real. Just wait until tournament time.
3. A former football great at Texas and eventually a starting defensive lineman in the NFL, Shane Dronett is dead at the age of 38. He was found at his home this morning. The cause of death is not yet known.
Whenever a former athlete -- especially a football player -- dies at such a young age, it always get me thinking. The police were called to his house this morning in response to a possible suicide. Suicide is an awful thing. It's selfish and it's irresponsible. But what leads someone to that point?
I hate to speculate when it comes to this kind of thing, but has anyone considered steroids? Performance-enhancing drug use was heavy ten and twenty years ago. The testing was not as stringent and the average person couldn't tell you a thing about them. Today, thanks to guys like Bill Romanowski and Jose Canseco, the public is more aware of steroids and their role in professional sports. We know what they can do, what they look like, how they can be used, where one can find them, and exactly who's taken them.
What we don't know, however, is how bad they are for your body. If a drug can't be tested for, how will we know what the long-term effects of usage are? In addition to all the unknowns, labs around the world are constantly trying to come up with new drugs that cannot be detected. In this case, the long-term effects may not be known for another twenty to thirty years.
I'm no investigator, but when a 38-year old former football player dies there is something wrong. This is a guy who played 10 seasons in the NFL. He was in great shape for as long as I've been alive. For him to die of unknown causes, it just seems errie. If it was suicide, like the early reports are saying, that may have stemmed from depression. And one thing we know about steroids is that depression is one major side-effect.
My thoughts are with his family. Fortunately, Dornett earned a good enough living that his family can live comfortably. But I know that nothing replaces a loss like that. Everything I've read says that he was a good guy that was easy to get along with. I hope that he lived his life to the fullest. I also hope that we don't see more of this in the coming years.
I'm out.
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