EL BARRIO, EL BRONX – What a week! The good Deacon Blaber is jumping up and down, foaming at the mouth. After some of the news and events this week, Saturday couldn’t come soon enough. Today’s topics: Deflate-gate report, Michael Sam v Shane Ray and the New York Rangers.
Deflate-gate Report: “Probably, more likely than not.” That is NFL code for he did it but we don’t have the balls to say it like it is. I said it before, this puts all 4 of their titles in question. Three titles were under Spy-gate, the illegal recording of opposing team practices and now one with Deflate-gate. Of course, the Patriots have their defenders:
“Everyone cheats!”
“The report doesn’t say he was involved.”
“What does ‘probably’ mean?”
and of course…
“It had nothing to do with them winning the Super Bowl!”
I say, wrong is wrong. Everyone cheats is not good enough reason. If that was the case – if criminals will always be criminals – why have any laws at all? You go as far to the line as you can but if you cross it and get caught, then you take your punishment like a man. You don’t whine like this is akin to a highway ticket because ‘everyone cheats’ but you got caught. I encourage some of you to check out Blood-gate in English rugby for an example of a team getting caught and properly punished.
Brady was involved, the text messages show it. The problem is that he is one of the main faces of the NFL, so no one wants to throw him under the bus. If this was a team like the Baltimore Ravens, led by Trent Dilfer – an expendable QB – then maybe we get a real reaction. But this is the Tom Brady Show, produced by Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft. Perhaps Deflate-gate had nothing to do with the Patriots winning the Super Bowl and perhaps it had no effect on them beating the Colts. But who knows? What other close games did they cheat in and get away with it? Are we supposed to believe it was just one game?
Let’s also talk about the flaunt-it-in-your-face response by the Patriots. It was a real, “Whatever, we won. You are just hating,” response. So if Deflate-gate is okay with you, then you can no longer complain about politicians cheating tax payers. Stop complaining about big business cutting corners and shipping jobs overseas. You’ve lost your right to complain about the global financial crisis. Why? Because if the NFL can turn a blind eye to this, then we need to never complain about white collar crime.
Everyone spits out their drink when Ray Rice commits domestic violence and Adrian Peterson is suspended all year for beating his kids (black players, hmm!) but when those upstairs and the face of the league cheat, let’s look the other way. A wrong is a wrong and accountability should apply to everyone. Hey, the Browns’ GM was suspended for 4 games for using his cellphone to text the sideline during a game and the organization fined. The Falcons had to fire their sound system guy, lost a draft pick and paid a fine for their sound system guy pumping in fake crowd noise to disrupt opposing teams. It appears that even the rich have favorites and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell‘s favorite GM is Bob Kraft(y cheat). Kraft is above the law, so to speak. The Equipment managers will stay quiet, fall on their sword and they will be fired. They will be rewarded for their loyalty with good jobs in the Boston area courtesy of Kraft or one of his close friend’s companies.
At the end of the day, Deflate-gate truly mirrors the hierarchy of everyday life.
Michael Sam v Shane Ray: As I researched articles relating deflate-gate, I came upon a piece in the out-of-the-closet section of a sports website relating to Michael Sam and Shane Ray. The article pointed out that with nearly the exact same stats on the field, similar scores in the NFL Combine, being from the same university (University of Missouri) and with the same conference Player of the Year Award, Sam was drafted 7th and Ray still made 1st round. Ray was busted for a drug charge the week of the draft and Sam came out as gay. Sam goes as the 7th pick on a team that didn’t need another linemen (NFL conspiracy so he can be cut) and what happens? He gets cut. Now Sam is stigmatized and no one wants him. Meanwhile, Ray’s very obvious drug charge appears to carried no stigma and he remained in demand. The NFL hypocrisy continues.
New York Rangers: Thank you University of Wisconsin! The great play of Derek Stepan and captain Ryan MacDonagh gave the Rangers hope as they won game 5. They left it till too late but maybe this late sucker punch will hurt the Caps the way their late sucker punch in Game 1 hurt New York. What I don’t get is why the Rangers are the 1 seed and are playing the 2 seed. Shouldn’t that be in the next round?
That is it for now, chime in below and check out Cheesy Bruin’s piece on the Dysfunctional Dallas Cowboys.
