Double Standards and Domestic Violence

by Joe Ruffolo
@BrewMastrJoe

This is a direction I'm not used to taking, but what's this world without risk takers?  I like to keep my topics, to sports, but while on Twitter the other day, I found myself standing at a (proverbial) intersection of Double Standards Rd and Conflicts of Interests Ave. It left me feeling perplexed.

Domestic violence.

It's no joke and it knows no different degrees of itself.  

The NFL learned that the hard way last fall, as we all saw these domestic violence cases thrusted into the mainstream spotlight.

Some groups of people were (rightfully) publicly shamed and others were black balled from their perspective employers (that's a matter of perception based on who you ask).  

The media even reached back to the previous summer, when Hope Solo was arrested, and (later on) vindicated of domestic violence.  

Not even the Women Of Sports are safe.  

Or, are they?

It's not like our society is littered with Double Standards. Ha!

When I stumbled upon this tweet by Sarah Spain, of Chicago's ESPN 1000, I was confused, curious, and interested.

I decided to SKIM this Allison Glock Article (You'll understand why that's important in a minute).  The first part of the article, is a reporter spending her day with Hope.  At one point, it details Hope's laziness approach to a clean staircase(and home).  Her husband is usually on her case to clean up after herself.  Then there was something about an eye roll as her husband spoke, so I moved on.  

I wanted to read about the altercation that took place last summer.  Everyone has heard the cliff notes of what happened, but I wanted to read what this ESPNW journalist had to offer up, and well, might as well read Hope's bullshit excuse too.

I'll spare you the details of what happened, but the Article goes on to explain both partie's account of the events taken place was consistent to a certain point, and then they differ.  Usually thats when these violent acts take place that no one wants to be responsible for.  

The truth is always in the middle.  

I imagine thats the case here.  

Did anyone else miss the double standard? 

Contradiction? Maybe even the hypocrisy of ESPN?

Instead of continually scrolling down, I decided to ask a question to Sarah Spain:  

I was very careful how I worded this tweet because I see this poor women trolled by mindless Millenials who hide behind their twitter handles.  At the very least, I was trying to avoid being lumped into her mindless troll followers.

Based on her response, I obviously failed the task at hand.

Can't really argue with her there.  After all, I did only SKIM the Article the first time around.  So, I bucked up, put on my "big boy pants", and read the Article.

But first, she needed to know something.

So I read.  The whole Article.

It's a well written article, but it also has the perception of being Hope's platform to tell her side of the story.

I decided to look at ESPNW's home page.  Well, what do you know.  ESPNW.com had this featured on its website and was using it to set-up the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Which is being broadcasted on ESPN networks.

While I was reading the Article, I received this Tweet from Sarah.

There's nothing more frustrating, when there's an attempt to have a adult conversation, to have someone try and goad you into an argument.  

Is it really, that hard for a Cornell graduate to comprehend that someone who knows how to read can SKIM an article, not read the "fluffy" parts (by no means was this a fluff piece, but there was a lot of fat I had to sift through).

So instead of being sucked into her attempt to discredit me, I trudged forward.  

It's obvious this style of approach to the subject has thrown her off.  

Im sure, by now, most of her "fanboys" would be in an outrage, tweeting in CAPS, and hurling obnoxious things to her and/or about her.  

I'm trying to emphasize to her, that I'm not trolling or trying to insult her.  And this is the response I get in return.

Now she's on her 3rd attempt to discredit me by claiming I haven't "read the article".  This is another bogus attempt to bait me, or a very high-brow attempt at calling me stupid.  

I hope its the former.

Clearly, she's in no position to make such assumptions.

Her stance on this was starting to become very one dimensional.  

So I responded.

I figured the direct route was the fastest way to end this conversation.  It's a direct question that requires a "yes" or a "no".

So I waited for her response.

Waited a little more.

Nothing.

I figured 60 minutes was a long enough period to wait for her response.  At this point, it was time to check out of this conversation.

That was it.  Or, so I thought.  

Hmmm.  Suspicious.  

I tweeted her a screen shot of those two tweets.  I replied to them within our conversation so she couldn't "miss" them.  

And then she responds, sort of.

I was quite surprised and perplexed by these two tweets.  They're overly snarky.  I not once, hurled an insult her way.  I even, semi-apologized for the harshness (which there was none). Still, I'm met with this attitude? 

Let's start at the beginning of these two tweets.

It was a simple "yes" or "no" question.

She dodged it. 

This is the kind of response a politician would bestow upon a reporter to avoid any conflicts or faults.

The tweet is directly connected to our conversation.  How it appears on my feed and not hers isn't a mystery.  

It's a cop-out.

We will never know that, but if something doesn't make sense, it's probably not true.

The last part of the first tweet is a very obtuse.  Who is she to assume, based on the timing of a tweet, the amount of subject matter my mind can absorb.  I'm not saying I'm Stephen Hawking, but ESPNW by no means, is like reading "The Economist".

Yes, that RT was a promotion.  

I hate to break it to you Sarah, but your Twitter Account is a promotion, in itself.  

Your Twitter handle is your name (PROMOTION!) With your profession attached to it (PROMOTION!).  

That's a promotion! 

PROMOTION!

Talking about "Promotion".

Promotion.

Talking ab-

Ok, I digress.  

Onto the second tweet.  

Reacting to Sarah's tweet after SKIMMING the article and asking a legitimate question, in a very professional manner, is still going to get you banished to her "trolling fanboy" group.  

Attempting to compare me to those mindless millennials, who lack respect for her (unlike me) is a slap in my face.  

I'm still struggling to comprehend her logic.  Trying to insinuate I'm creating a double-standard by reacting to her RT is not the same as reacting to any of those other RT'd male-driven stories. 

Why?

Mayweather's fight wasn't broadcasted on ESPN.  

The women's 2015 FIFA World Cup is.

Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy are two guys out of 2,500 (roughly).

They do not make up the entire NFL.

Mayweather was half of the fight.  

There was no fight without him.

That's where I was ultimately trying to go with that.  In the end, to not call it a promotion is insulting to me and anyone else who stumbled onto our conversation.  

Sarah's elongated response to a "yes" or "no" question tells me everything I need to know.

If you're doing nothing wrong, you don't need 140+ characters to make a point.  

I know this because she usually responds to her "fanboy trolls" with 2-6 word responses.

(Look at her Twitter page, you'll see what I mean)  

Not the case here.  

There wasn't a point to argue, or worse, be goaded into an argument.  

Watching her squirm was good enough for me.  So I sent her two more tweets and called it a day. 

She responds. 

This conversation is still on Twitter if you'd like to read it in chronological order.

Now she's playing dumb.  

I've been in enough relationships in my life to know what it means when your partner is playing dumb.  

She COVERED the question, but she didn't answer it directly.  

NO Sarah, you didn't answer everything. 

One day, I hope to turn on Sportscenter at 6pm EST and watch Sarah anchor the desk for years to come.  She's always been a favorite of mine and I respect her and her opinions.  

But that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun, and hold her accountable.  

Debating can be a sport within itself.  

Just try debating with a dash of "fun" next time and try to not take it so seriously.  

Debate is just a sport in the end.  

  

March is great month to be a Cubs fan

by Joe Ruffolo
@BrewMastrJoe


The last 7 baseball seasons haven't been kind to the Cubs.  Some might argue, they haven't had a good season since World War II.

But I'm going there.

(See the many blogs before this one)

Since the reconstruction of the baseball side of the Cubs franchise, fans of these "Lovable Loser's" have been waiting patiently for this tree to bear its fruit.

Very patiently.

I can't help to wonder, is this all just hype?  Excuse my pessimism on the subject, but is drumming up all this interest a way to sell an underdeveloped product in a underdeveloped ballpark?

I'll tell you what isn't underdeveloped.  Kris Bryant.  Oh, and the Cub's farm system.

But I digress.  Back to the pessimism.

We all know how ESPN works.  They're the proverbial hype-man of the sports TV world.  It's almost comical really.  Whenever they have a barn burner of a Monday Night Football game, watch the promos.  It's no different than watching that little guy on the big stage, yell into a mic, running back and forth going on and on about how amazing "this" is.

I'm just hoping that's not the Cub's season in a nutshell this year.

Since Theo was brought on, I lowered my expectations to the point I was no longer emotionally invested into any competitive game the Chicago Cubs played.

Not even a fist pump when they would win a one-run game.

A lot of the celebrating I had done in the '03, '07, '08 has now been relegated to the offseason.

The offseason?!?

When they drafted Kris Bryant, if you were my neighbor, you'd think the Bears just traded Cutler for Rodgers.  When we dealt "The Shark" to the A's last year, I was so used to the veteran-for-prospect flipping, it was just business as usual for Cubs fan.

But I still celebrated that move like it was 1908.

Ugh.

After 4 seasons of celebrating "off-season" moves, I'm ready to finally re-invest emotions into the Cubs.

Or am I?

It's very exciting to finally know I can re-invest my emotions and time back into the Cubs.  It's quite refreshing really.  I was there when they were at their peak with Lou Pinella.  And then watching it all crash down (in person) in 4 errors, and topped off with, a Manny-Ramirez-steroid-induced home run. To see this team go from glory, to being deconstructed to a 100 loss team, and back to showing promise, has been a lengthy journey.

My "fan-ternal" instincts are telling me to push my chips to the middle of table and go full boar into this season and expect a Cubs World Series run like never seen before.

But this is why I love sports.  The fact that a team can emotionally inspire me to believe in them no matter what they have put me through in the past is a testament of my love for my team, city, and sport.

However, I refuse to open myself up to that.

I will watch my Cubs this year.  I will be at the edge of my seat.  I will fist pump strike outs, home runs, one run games won by the Cubs, any crazy move Joe Maddon makes, I'll be the first to back it up.

Cubs fever will be sweeping that nation this year, and I have a feeling no matter how much preventative medicine I take, there will be nothing I can do to prevent this disease from infecting me.

Will the NFL survive the next 30 years?

by Joe Persinger
@BrewMastrJoe



What is going on with the NFL?

Last fall, we all witnessed the reality side-show the "No Fun League" brought upon itself.  How did they manage to botch that Ray Rice debacle?

But is there such a thing as bad press?

There is not.

When "deflate gate" happened last January, it's all we could talk about.

Deflated footballs.

I spent a week listening to ESPN, CNN, Jon Stewert, and many other media outlets discuss this fascinating subject and the many facets that went along with it.

Was the NFL concerned?

Of course not.  We're talking about football, and there wasn't even a game being played that week!

Can you name any other business in this country that has that kind of pull?

I can, but thats not the direction we're going here.

And even if I did name them, they're revenue stream probably isn't anything close to what the NFL's is.

When the NFL is in crisis, the company always seems to grow stronger.  It's like that big ball of sludge in the movie, "The Fifth Element".  The more you fire at it, or try to agitate it, the bigger and stronger it grows.

All this news of NFL players retiring at early ages fearing head trauma could affect them later in life.

Should the NFL be concerned?  Probably not.

Are we are seeing is the cause and effects of awareness?

Maybe the downside to inflated salaries in a brutal sport?

We are watching this sport evolve in front of our very eyes.  I remember 15 years ago, when the league started shifting from 350 pound tree-stump run-stoppers, to leaner, faster, pass rushers.  Soon enough, defenses started getting faster, hits were more violent, and franchise QBs, and other skill positions were being decimated by these really fast defenses.

The NFL had to respond.

The "Brady rule" seemed to be the start of the "nerfing" (excuse the MMORPG reference) of NFL defenses.  Soon after that, hits to the head, especially hits on QB's, and all the other nerving penalties aimed at defense were now being enforced.

We see where the last 6 years has brought us and that got me thinking.

What's the NFL going to look like in 20 years?

30 years?

Maybe to get an idea of where were going, we need to look where we've been.

30 years ago, the NFL was dominated by rushing offenses.  Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, to name a few.

It was a rushing league.

While the Chicago Bears were dominating the league with the 46, Lawrence Taylor was redefining the right outside linebacker position.

He was getting to the quarterback with such speed and ferocity that most Left Tackles didn't have the foot speed and agility to keep him from the QB.

So now teams were forced to change the way they scout the Left Tackle position to find more athletic big men, to keep these guys at bay.

And now.....

It's a passing league.  The only way to be successful is to have a franchise QB.

And not just any QB.

And you need a push rush, to get to said QB.

A few years ago, it looked like the era of the mobile QB was being thrusted upon us.  And it was going full steam ahead.

But then they were exposed.  Mostly, to the big fast defenses in the NFL.

And their bodies couldn't maintain the high level of play with all that abuse on a weekly basis.

So, you will still see the Pure Pocket Passer sustaining success.

I'm sure the game will evolve to take out the more brutal situations.  Kickoffs, Punt Returns, will probably be the next to go.

Maybe were focusing on the wrong side here.  Sure, the game will evolve and change.

Parents and players are starting to see what the long term effects of playing such a brutal sport can do to someone.  Is it really worth all that money to have to struggle to live later in life?

So in 30 years, when you turn on your Apple TV (in your Apple Car, while wearing your google glasses) and the first play of scrimmage is the away team taking a snap at the 30 yard line before the first second of play has ticked off in the first quarter, are we going to be looking at the best product on the field?

Or are todays kids, going to pick up a baseball or a basketball instead?

The next Tom Brady might be the Seattle Mariners Right Fielder.  Maybe the next Meathead Tight End of the New England Patriots trys out for the basketball team in high school, doesn't make the team and ends up being Rob "I peaked in High School" Gronkowski.

Maybe we will actually start to see an American Short-Stop compete with some of these caribbean baseball players who are dominating today MLB games.

Who knows?

There is one thing I know though.

If I ever have a son, I'm going to hand him a baseball in his left hand and teach him to throw it as hard as he can.

After all, baseball isn't nearly as violent as football, and like the NBA, all the money is guaranteed.

And I won't have to worry about my son being hurt, killed, or receive any long-term health affects
from playing baseball.

Well, sort of.

(See all the arm injuries here)

Too bad he's going to be to short to play in the NBA.

W2W4: 2014 Chicago Bears Pre-Season Week 2

@BrewMastrJoe



As we enter into this second week of preseason football, and with all the national hype about "Johnny Football", I am here to ask one question.

What are we to expect of the Chicago Bears tonight?

What and Who are we looking at?

The emergence of the Bears high scoring offense last year was soured by one of the historically worst defensive teams ever to be fielded by the Chicago Bears.

Thanks to Phil Emery.  This all feels like years ago.

So, what are we looking at tonight?  Here's a few things I plan on keeping my eye on.



Jared Allen

I'm sure this one is one everyone's list.  How is Allen going to look tonight? It's his first preseason game so the expectations cannot be to high, but the eye test will be all I need.  In a game that has no bearing on the season, as long as Allen looks like he's in shape, isn't getting blown off the line of scrimmage, and suffers no injuries, I wouldn't be too worried about his future.


Offensive Line

Jordan Mills will be sitting out his second game in a row tonight giving Ola and company a chance at few extra reps.  The run game didn't look that sharp last week, but that is expected in the beginning of the preseason as RB's and Offensive Lineman take more time to get in sync.  The Bears are taking a very cautious approach to Mills after his surgery last January, so even without him in the starting lineup tonight, I'm looking for the Bears to show some flashes of a solid running game.  Even if it's the pass that helps set up the run.


3rd WR Option

Who will emerge in the wake of Marquis Wilson's clavicle injury? Can Michael Spurlock's skill set help the Bears this year? Can Josh Morgan going across the middle or throwing a block or two be enough to get him on the team? Or maybe Eric Weems steps up this week and shows he can be more than just a special team contributor.  Judging on how Weems dropped that easy ball thrown to him last week, I'd say he's the long shot out of the three.


Shea McClellin and Jon Bostic

These two looked atrocious last week.  Shea was getting blocked, he was out of position on numerous plays, and really didn't seem to do anything productive, beyond standing in his spots.  Shea has an uphill battle ahead of him playing in a defense that really doesn't fit his skill set.  Jon Bostic is a beast.  His explosiveness and hard hitting is essential in this Bears defense, but he didn't look to well either.  It's week 2 and by now, all those preseason sophomore jitters should be out of their system.  Let's hope those two can turn it around and make some plays tonight.

Number 2 QB position

Jordan Palmer might have played his way out of the #2 QB spot, but who really thought he was going to keep it.  I know this sounds pessimistic, but Clausen is a Trestman guy, and they go back a few years ago to when Clausen was working out for the 2010 draft.  In all fairness to everyone in this situation, Clausen did prove he deserves this chance.  He looked poised and sharp last week throwing 2 TD's unlike Palmer who hasn't been playing as well as Clausen.  

Wrigley Field: 100 Years of Misery, Happy Birthday!!

@BrewMastrJoe

(This is an excerpt from an earlier blog that I have updated and re-edited for Wrigley Field's 100th Anniversary)

From 1906 to 1910 the White Stockings (who were now officially dubbed the Cubs) won 4 National League Pennants, had 4 World Series appearances in 5 seasons (1906-1910), and won back to back World Series titles ('06, '07). 

They were the first MLB team to win back to back World Series. 

West Side Grounds

In the early twentieth century, immigrants who lived on the West Side of Chicago had no clue what this sport called baseball was.  

Attendance at the West Side Grounds started to suffer.

The Cub's were now feeling the pinch once again. 

With most fans leaving the West Side Grounds to go to the new modern Comiskey Park, it was time to respond.  

Another modern ballpark was being built on the corner of Clark and Addision in 1914 for the new Federal League. With the White Sox on the South Side, the Cubs on the west side, there was a new league and team on the north-side, the Chicago Whales. 

The league folded in 1915 and the Whales were no more.

At the start of the 1916 season, the Cub's started calling Weegham Park (Wrigley Field) home.

Weegham Park

It wasn't long before the Cub's found themselves in the 1918 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. 

At the time, Wrigley Field could only hold a crowd of 14,000.  Comiskey Park held a capacity of 28,000 people and ownership felt that Wrigley Field lacked what the forner had, and wanted to increase revenue at the gates. 

Greed obviously played a role in that decision. 

 The Cub's "traveled" to the South Side to play at Comiskey Park and gave away their home field advantage, 

and the World Series in 6 games.

This is where everything would take a "loosing" turn for the Cubs.

Other than going 1-3 at Comiskey Park against the Red Sox, in 1918, the Cubs have a dismal 

2-11 World Series record at Wrigley Field dating back to the '29 World Series.  They are 8-24 in the World Series they have appeared in, and are winless at Wrigley Field in '29, '32, and the '38 World Series. 

1945 seemed to be the only World Series the Cub's showed up for.  They won two games on the road in Detroit, and won game 6 (in 12 Innings) at Wrigley to force a game seven, which they lost.

In 2003, the Cub's played the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

It was the franchise's first post-season series win since 1908.   

The Florida Marlins came to Chicago for game one of the NLCS and were victorious.  The Cubs won the next three games in the series, but in game five Josh Beckett pitched a two hit, one walk gem that shut the Cubs out, bringing the series back to Wrigley Field for games six and seven.

D'oh! 

In game six, the Cub's were only five outs away from their first pennant in 58 years, but all that changed on a foul ball hit to left field.  Ushering the Cub's into the Steve Bartman era.  

What a load of crap.

Luis Castillo ends up walking, and two batters later Alex Gonzalez bobbles a double play that could have ended the inning. It was a defensive error that costs the Cub's game six.  Bartman did not help the sitchuation.

Like Bob Stanley of the Red Sox,  had he not given up that wild pitch in game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Buckner would not be an adjective.  

After taking a 3-1 series lead, even if we lost game six, the Cub's still could come back and win game seven!!  But everyone had the same cold bitter feeling I had.  

The "curse" loomed.  

I never believed a curse even existed. 

I attended Game 2 of the 2008 NLDS.  

What I witnessed next changed a lot for me.

Four consecutive fielding errors by Mark DeRosa, Derrek Lee, Ryan Theroit, and Aramis Ramirez led to a 5 run inning which sucked the life out of the Wrigley Field crowd.  

The good vibes were fading fast and the so was the crowd.  For the next five innings it was nothing but sloppy pitching and spotty hitting.  

I was stunned.  

Arriving home, I turned on Sportscenter to watch that evenings highlights.  Instead I was treated to a collage of the Cub's five post-seasons collapse of '84, '89, getting swept in '98, Bartman, and then the "four" errors.  

Something I personally got to witness. 

A 2-11 World Series record at Wrigley Field and an abysmal .333 winning percentage in the World Series is all the proof you need.  Need more proof?

Eight consecutive post-season losses dating back to the 2003 NLCS. 

D'oh!

Wrigley Field sits on what used to be known as the Chicago Theological Lutheran Seminary grounds.  

There really hasn't been much to brag about in the last 106 years and it's not looking like it's going to get any better.  

Well, there always next....century?

2014 Chicago Cubs

@BrewMastrJoe

Who are these 2014 Chicago Cubs.  They can create runs, pitch, play defense, and have a guy or two in the bullpen that can throw.  

This pitching staff is pulling their weight, but it's not a staff that says "I GOTTA SEE THESE GUYS PITCH!!" The last pitching staff the Cubs had to that effect, would maybe be the 2008 group, but that could be debated.  

Oh Cubs.  How I wish it was two years from now.  

Seeing Javy Baez and his bat speed in spring training and the rest of the league reacting is a great feeling.  Watching Kris Bryant develop last fall, Albert Almora showing his maturity and speed, and how Mike Olt bounced back and crushed the ball in spring training had just reinvigorated the Hope from within.

(As I'm listening to the Cubs play the Cardinals right now, the former team is displaying horrendous defensive fundamentals and bad pitching against a talented team)

It's pointless, to me, to try and second guess Rick Renteria on anything.  I could start doing that, but I'll just save that for another post on another day.

As exciting as it is to watch the Cubs produce runs, I think it's fair to remember that upper-management is still building for the future, and if that means they have to flip guys for (most likely more pitching) prospects, it's probably for the best.

Maybe I should blame all this new found "Hope" on the Bears desire to embrace the LETS WIN NOW mode.

Chicago Sports: Trending downward?

by Joe Persinger
BrewMastrJoe on twitter



What is happening to Chicago sports teams this weekend??

Last Saturday all 3 1/2 major sports team managed to lose their respective games (Which baseball team gets the 1/2 credit is up to you, you all know where I stand there).  Chicago sports have not had a great trend since the turn of the decade.  Let's take a small look at what these 3 1/2 team's recent trend (dating back to the turn of the decade)




Yes, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that same year, but has happened since?  They lost in 7 games to Vancouver in 2011 and lost in 6 games to Phoenix the following year.  They Hawks are having a great regular season, but as every hockey fan knows, the post-season is a different potato.  Anything can happen.  The Hawks have been the brightest spot on this blemished city sports landscape of recent.

Trending:  Stagnant




Then there's the Bulls.  Blessed with one of the better head coaches in the NBA, they are cash strapped.  They have $20 Million dollars sitting on the bench for the entire year because the point gaurd of the future is a mental head case.  Or like they say on streets of Rodgers Park "he's a bitch".   I have seen this team show flashes of brilliance. They were outplayed last night by a Nets team thats had their fair share of struggles.  Over the last two years they've reached the post-season, losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conf. Finals in 2011. Then in the first round to the 76ers after losing DRose after owning the best record in the NBA in 2012.  That would be the very definition of trending backwards.

Trending:  "Backwards"





The "South Side" has another trend that just wont seem to go away.  After owning first place in their division for most of the year, the second-second city team lost the lead down the stretch to the eventual AL Champs, the Detroit Tigers.  The White Sox haven't been to the post-season since 2008 and are starting to flirt with the ten year mark since their last World Series victory.

Trending:  Downward





The North-Siders have been trending downward since 1908.  When you set the bar for what dynasties are known for today in the Major Leagues, only to be on the other side of the spectrum 100 years later, you are the definition of trending downward.  Zooming in further, the Cubs don't seem to be trending anywhere.  The last two teams they've fielded lack pitching, pitching depth, defense, and timely hitting. This team doesn't seem any better and they already lead the league with errors and have had one in at lease every game.

Trending:  Trended so far down, they are even beneath the 2002 Oakland A's and that proverbial 50 feet of crap