#1 - Major League Baseball needs to investigate The Miami Marlins, namely Derek Jeter, the current CEO of the Marlins and the former New York Yankees superstar who seems to have sold out his current team. The Miami Marlins traded Giancarlo Stanton, the exceptional hitting outfielder, the best player in baseball, to the New York Yankees. In return, the Yankees only had to give up an average 2nd baseman, Starlin Castro, and two minor leaguers who will likely never make the majors. Even Miami acknowledged the minor league players have limited potential.
This trade is unbelievable. Starlin Castro is a few steps below Twin's 2nd baseman Brian Dozier. He's a mid level player, nowhere near the talent level of Stanton. I know some will say "what's the big deal? So the Yankees got a great bargain." The problem is this trade reeks of Jeter playing favorites and sending the Marlin's best player to his former team for peanuts.
I have zero doubt the three other teams in the hunt for Stanton probably were offering FAR more in trade for him. He wanted to go to the LA Dodgers, a team who had strong interest in attaining him, and the Cubs and the World Series winner Astros were also in contention. There's no way all three teams would've offered so little for baseball's best player. This means Jeter, even though he's no longer a Yankee, and is supposed to have Miami's best interests at heart, made the decision to move Stanton to the Yankees, likely costing tremendous value from one of the other interested teams. Miami lost HUGE in this trade. This signifies a new future strategy for wealthy teams; start infiltrating the smaller market teams, and start sending their best players to the biggest teams for pennies on the dollar.
This reminds me of the time Kevin McHale seemed to instigate the trade of Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics, the team McHale garnered all of his glory from. I think the Minnesota T-wolves had a chance to re-sign Garnett, something Stanton was unlikely to do with Miami, but at least the Celtics gave up five players and two draft picks in return (although most of the return value was garbage).
MLB should investigate why no real value came back to Miami. In reality, baseball's going to say nothing, and (my prediction) Jeter will leave the Marlins in a few years, eagerly greeted back in NewYork to a hero's welcome.
#2 - College Football is still garbage!
There are a few reasons I shake my head at NCAA football. First is the reality Ohio State, a team I do not like, would've mopped the floor with either Alabama or Georgia. They just would've. I'm not saying the NCAA purposely left out Ohio State, but I think their desire to have more SEC representation in their four team playoff made them overlook the best team in football. Their formula needs tweaking, to say the least.
I have no respect for the South East Conference (SEC), the conference the NCAA considers to be their most important. The SEC has set it up to where they rarely have to play a game in the cold. While USC might be visiting the PAC 10 mountain colleges, Miami and Florida State occasionally play late ACC games in New England, and Ohio State and Michigan might have to play a brutal cold game in Minnesota, SEC schools rarely play in temperatures below 50. Frankly, I think their best team would get their caboose handed to them in a November road game against Minnesota, if they had to play outside in 32 degrees. I think the SEC is weak, but the NCAA is in love with them.
Finally, the NCAA Division I Football, the bowl games and the corporate sponsors all want to pick the teams who play for the championship. They could easily play a 16 game tournament which would include every top team, and every undefeated team, but the powers that be are terrified of a smaller school not as prestigious as the handful of teams who's logos are featured in every hat store in the country, making a run. This is why they're committed to a half ass solution of four teams, picked in a flawed manner, by a system which is definitely corrupt, to decide their champion.
#3 - Please remember, sports are supposed to be parsley on the plate of life. When I hear Vikings fans scream about how the incredible ending of last Sunday's game was "the greatest moment in my life," I weep. Your life SUCKS if the outcome of a sporting event is it's greatest moment. Your family, your graduation, your wedding, your kid's births...none of that was better?
And it's not just major league sports. The Brained High School basketball coach announced he's leaving the program because the parents are too intense. This is a guy who was a cop, and he insists coaching is far more stressful. The over emphasizing of sports, from youth to the majors, is one of the reasons this country stumbles.
Not saying I don't like sports. I love baseball, and hockey. I'll be watching the Vikings game and cheering on the team, but when the game is over, I'll have about a thousand things far more important to deal with. I have a full life, not one which needs to be propped up by false success. If the best thing about your town or your state is a sports team, then your town or your state sucks. #FACT!
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