Brady, A-Rod, Pacquiao: Birds of a Feather

5/9/2015

Tom Brady explains it all with his hands; so does Manny Pacquaio

Update: Tom Brady has been suspended four games and the Patriots have been fined $1-million dollars and deprived of two high draft picks.
In other words: only four games, only $1-million, only two high draft picks.
Meantime, Pete Rose is banned for life from baseball for betting on games and lying about it. Guess Rose was not as creepily charming as Brady (above).
Back to our regularly scheduled programming:

They have one thing in common: they think you are stupid. You, the sports fan. They say things and expect the fan to believe them. Because that is the nature of a fan: blind faith.

Brady showed up in Salem, Mass., the other night with a smug look that comes from winning all those Super Bowls and he assured the crowd that he didn’t know anything. They cheered him. Because they are Patriots fans.

Ever since this deflated-football business surfaced, I have been saying that the truth would emerge that a Patriot employee named Elmo who made a modest salary would have done the actual dirty work in a back room. Turns out there are two Elmos. Now a report says Tom Brady probably knew. Probably.

This happened in the world of Robert Kraft, just as the Belichick spying and other scandals happened in the world of Robert Kraft. But Patriots’ fans think it’s all fine. And other fans wish their team cheated that well.

Roger Goodell, who must decide how much to suspend Brady after the recent report, is already exposed for his disinterest in the damage perpetrated upon generations of football players. The commissioner has acted as if he could bluff his way through because of football’s television ratings and income. Those guys with the deteriorating brains? Collateral damage, apparently. Goodell's face betrays no inner life, no sense of guilt.

The Yankee fans gave Alex Rodriguez a curtain call the other night for passing Willie Mays’s home run total of 661. This accomplishment does nothing to eclipse Mays, a beautiful baseball player who brings a smile to aging faces. A-Rod is from a more recent generation. He cheated multiple times, was penalized multiple times, and now he is back, one of the Yankees’ best players. Fascinating. What happens if his spurt of energy, coordination, power, whatever, fades by mid-summer?

The Yankee organization now publicly welches on a contract, claiming it was a marketing deal, not a bonus for his 661st homer. The Yankee organization also paid the salary of Roger Clemens, one of the great pitchers of his time or any time, but having been in the hearings and the courtroom, I can say Clemens got off lucky because of an amateur prosecution.

Then there is Manny Pacquaio, who declined to mention that he had a damaged right shoulder for his “fight of the century” last Saturday. What century? Boxing is the Brigadoon of sports. It only re-appears periodically. But people spent millions, to watch a charade by a boxer with a damaged shoulder. Now there will be lawsuits. Normal.

One of the great lies told to fans is that sports breed good character. It is one rationale for colleges fielding semi-pro teams and paying athletes minimally, under the table.

Sometimes the scandals back up and flood over the side. This seems to be one of those times.

John McDermott

5/9/2015 09:02:44 am

Don't forget the San Francisco Giants fans and their longtime idol Barry Bonds. "Drugs? What drugs? You're just a hater!"

George Vecsey

5/9/2015 10:40:58 am

I was in The City for the record-breaking HR....Selig looked like a man getting root canal without the gas...Bonds was miserable when he was young and skinny, too. But what talent. GV

KL Bob

5/10/2015 02:41:43 am

Was hoping you'd have something to say about the Brady thing and... Bonus! A-Rod too! You'll be happy to know that Willie Mays has a new generation of fans too, in Asia, (well, two anyway...) who know the difference between 660 and something else. They were won over with the Vic Wertz story/video, and laughed when they heard Don Liddle's, "I got my man" line. We found a Mays biography over here at a bookfest for a buck or two and my 11-year-old has had a lot of fun with it.

It's all dollars today - hard to explain that to them. Thanks for writing this piece.

George Vecsey

5/10/2015 04:37:56 am

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/29/sports/baseball/29vecsey.html?_r=0

Hello, thanks so much for the note. The above is my piece on the Arnold Hano 50th anniversary of Willie"s catch. Keep an eye out for a Hano documentary down the road -- not mine.
You live in Asia -- of course they know their baseball. I remember covering the Mets-Cubs 2-game season opener in 2000, and how the fans booed Valentine for walking Sosa with first base open. Japanese fans never boo that tactic -- but they knew they could because it was a National League official game, and they could switch gears., How cool was that?
Best
GV

KL Bob

5/10/2015 10:19:42 pm

Great piece on the link, thank you. Mays giving his glove to the kid, the kid keeping it forever, the players fearing their manager - 50 years ago sure was a good time.

I'm from Connecticut, so like Valentine, and a Red Sox fan, so don't. He was big news in Japan when he managed there, had his face all over adverts for Shinsei Bank, and really worked hard, successfully, to be accepted there. It's nice to see him at Sacred Heart now - hope he has a good impact on the kids there.

The Mets in Tokyo - that's a pretty good road trip for you!

George Vecsey

5/11/2015 12:51:25 am

Bobby V gave me a scouting report on the Japanese players before that trip. Said there were two terrific players named Matsui. In MLB terms, he was half right. I was very impressed the way V put himself into his two gigs in Japan, including the language. GV

Alan Rubin link

5/11/2015 02:20:49 am

George

We should not confuse character with “characters”.

Brady, A-Rod and Pacquaio are products of greed, arrogance and fan worship. You commented that they think us fans to be stupid, but they probably are not concerned about us at all.

The lie about sports breeding good character is probably limited to your examples and is not universal. As with reporting in general, bad new sells. Rarely are examples of good sportsmanship reported.

The May 10, 20015 NYT article about Boston University’s hockey goalkeeper in a 4-3 loss to Providence showed the better side of sports. Matt O’Conner was stunned by the outpouring of sympathy he received after taking responsibility for having given up an early fluke goal that altered the flow of the game. The photo of the Providence player consoling Matt after is how good players show respect for their opponents.

It was interesting that the NHL teams interested in Matt shrugged off the fluke goal saying that these things happen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/sports/hockey/goalie-finds-perspective-after-losing-track-of-a-shot-in-a-title-game-loss.html?ref=sports&_r=0

Here are only a few examples of character:

A player had hit the game ending home run is a championship women’s softball game twisted her ankle rounding first and could not continue. Since it is illegal for teammates to assist her, the opposing team carried her around and touched her foot on home plate.

The second place runner in a prestigious 10K race waited for the front runner to cross first after taking a wrong turn.

I heard a 10 year old little league player tell his coach to let a better hitter bat for him in the last inning so that they might win.

Starting at a very young age, athletes have a good sense of fair play and judging ability. This often becomes distorted with time by the influence of parents and coaches obsessed with winning.

MyJust4Keepers coaching manual devotes an entire chapter on how to deal with parents.

I recently watch one of my favorite sports movies, Hoosier. Gene Hackman was great as a flawed coach who had the right instincts. His statement to the team just before leaving the locker room to play the big city powerhouse, “win or lose I’m proud of what you have accomplished”, which is what it is all about—doing your best.

George VecseyAlan,

5/11/2015 03:39:24 am

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/sports/baseball/30vecsey.html

Alan, where you been? Thanks for the note of sanity, reminding us of acts of decency around sports. I did write about that softball incident in 2008., (link above) your point is correct, there are individual examples.I've seen a few tennis players (Martina...Sampras...Nadal) give back obvious bad calls (electronics has cut that down)...but my main point is that sport lives off an undeserved reputation. you are right, thought...they probably do not care. great to hear from you. GV

Josh Rubin

5/11/2015 10:21:07 am

Nice comments from my dad about real sportsmanship.

George, I thought your trio could use a fourth -- James Dolan, for hiring Isiah Thomas as president of the Liberty. I don't see how the team's fans or players are supposed to stomach that one.

George Vecsey

5/12/2015 05:08:50 am

Josh, spot on about Dolan. He may even be in a different category. Imagine hiring Thomas for a women's team -- and then going out to try to sell season tickets to female fans. Isn';t that the definition of chutzpah?
Best, GV

Alan Rubin link

5/12/2015 10:05:04 am

George

There must be a something better to call James Dolan as we should not give chutzpah a bad name.

Boycotting the NY Liberty could be counter productive as it could impact the players and women’s sports.

Sports are similar to politics in that fans often do not understand the issues but often act against their best interests.

The TV in the locker room where I swim is always on one of the annoying sports channels. All they discussed was the Tom Brady and Patriot penalties and fines.

Commissioner Goodell finally took a strong stand on an issue. The Patriot fans only differed in the degree of venom expressed toward him. Immigration reform has a better chance of passing in congress than the Boston Patriot fans realizing that they support a “rogue” organization.

The Saints' coach who ordered the injuring of opposing players should have been banned for life, not suspended for one year.

Three years ago I volunteered with the Boston professional soccer teams, the women’s Boston Breakers and the MSL NE Revolution. Several of us were trying to help them develop their brand in the western MA, about two and a half hours away.

The young account executive for the Revs was very helpful, but she left near the end of the season because of the rigidity of the organization, which is run by Bob Krafts’ son Jonathan.

We were going to Gillette Stadium for a meeting and I asked if we could watch soccer practice for a few minutes. Although she was agreeable, her boss said that until we showed more of a commitment we could not. I said to tell him that if three volunteers driving five hours round trip to help the Revs were not a commitment, then he did not know what one was.

I left the Revs when she did, but I’m still with the Breakers after three years. It is a shame that women’s soccer does not get enough MLS and corporate support.

Alan Rubin link

5/13/2015 01:43:59 pm

George

Jere Longman’s take in the May 13, 2915 NYT,” A Player or a Team Seeks an Edge. So What’s New?”, is another take on the Tom Brady mess.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/13/sports/football/in-tom-brady-mess-distinguishing-cheating-from-chicanery.html?ref=football&_r=0

I enjoy his reporting and see some merit to his comments, but there is a difference between gamesmanship and habitual cheating.

Gene Palumbo

5/13/2015 05:19:34 pm

This is good.

http://cognoscenti.wbur.org/2015/05/12/deflate-gate-steve-almond

Alan Rubin link

5/13/2015 11:38:54 pm

Gene-very good. Finally, a Greek tragedy that I can understand.

George Vecsey

5/14/2015 02:30:53 am

Gene must have taken a great Greek Drama class at Amherst.
Although I have to say that Brady's foolish grin in that Salem interview did not remind me of a Greek or Shakespearean hero -- just a pretty boy who can throw a football but no clue how badly he comes off. Hisl lack of self-awareness was Romney-esque. GV

Comments are closed.

QUOTES

Measuring Covid Deaths, by David Leonhardt. July 17, 2023. NYT online.
The United States has reached a milestone in the long struggle against Covid: The total number of Americans dying each day — from any cause — is no longer historically abnormal….

After three horrific years, in which Covid has killed more than one million Americans and transformed parts of daily life, the virus has turned into an ordinary illness.

The progress stems mostly from three factors:
First, about three-quarters of U.S. adults have received at least one vaccine shot.
Second, more than three-quarters of Americans have been infected with Covid, providing natural immunity from future symptoms. (About 97 percent of adults fall into at least one of those first two categories.)
Third, post-infection treatments like Paxlovid, which can reduce the severity of symptoms, became widely available last year.
“Nearly every death is preventable,” Dr. Ashish Jha, who was until recently President Biden’s top Covid adviser, told me. “We are at a point where almost everybody who’s up to date on their vaccines and gets treated if they have Covid, they rarely end up in the hospital, they almost never die.”

That is also true for most high-risk people, Jha pointed out, including older adults — like his parents, who are in their 80s — and people whose immune systems are compromised. “Even for most — not all but most —immuno-compromised people, vaccines are actually still quite effective at preventing against serious illness,” he said. “There has been a lot of bad information out there that somehow if you’re immuno-compromised that vaccines don’t work.”

That excess deaths have fallen close to zero helps make this point: If Covid were still a dire threat to large numbers of people, that would show up in the data.

One point of confusion, I think, has been the way that many Americans — including we in the media — have talked about the immuno-compromised. They are a more diverse group than casual discussion often imagines.

Most immuno-compromised people are at little additional risk from Covid — even people with serious conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or a history of many cancers. A much smaller group, such as people who have received kidney transplants or are undergoing active chemotherapy, face higher risks.

Covid’s toll, to be clear, has not fallen to zero. The C.D.C.’s main Covid webpage estimates that about 80 people per day have been dying from the virus in recent weeks, which is equal to about 1 percent of overall daily deaths.

The official number is probably an exaggeration because it includes some people who had virus when they died even though it was not the underlying cause of death. Other C.D.C. data suggests that almost one-third of official recent Covid deaths have fallen into this category. A study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases came to similar conclusions.

Dr. Shira Doron, the chief infection control officer at Tufts Medicine in Massachusetts, told me that “age is clearly the most substantial risk factor.” Covid’s victims are both older and disproportionately unvaccinated. Given the politics of vaccination, the recent victims are also disproportionately
Republican and white.

Each of these deaths is a tragedy. The deaths that were preventable — because somebody had not received available vaccines and treatments — seem particularly tragic. (Here’s a Times guide to help you think about when to get your next booster shot.)
***

From the great Maureen Dowd:

As I write this, I’m in a deserted newsroom in The Times’s D.C. office. After working at home for two years during Covid, I was elated to get back, so I could wander around and pick up the latest scoop.
But in the last year, there has been only a smattering of people whenever I’m here, with row upon row of empty desks. Sometimes a larger group gets lured in for a meeting with a platter of bagels."

--- Dowd writes about the lost world of journalists clustered in newsrooms at all hours, smoking, drinking, gossipping, making phone calls, typing, editing.
***
"Putting out the paper," we called it.
Much more than nostalgia.
---https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/29/opinion/journalism-newsroom.html

Brady, A-Rod, Pacquiao: Birds of a Feather

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