When John P Surma, Vice Chairman of the Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees, announced Joe Paterno was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Penn State football team, he and the Board of Trustees instantly became public enemy #1 in the delusional world of Penn State students and lunatic football fans.

Paterno was not innocent in this mess. As the man in charge, he’s as responsible for what goes on within his football program as the ones committing the acts. Obviously not on a criminal level, but from the school’s perspective, everything traces back to Paterno. Jim Tressel was fired for knowing about NCAA infractions and taking minimum to no action in alerting school officials about the situation. There was little fuss when Tressel got canned. Paterno declined to alert authorities that kids were being molested and raped inside his own locker room, and when he got fired for essentially ignoring the well being and innocence of children, people were outraged. Huh?

When did we start valuing 409 college football victories more than the lives of children? Does donating enough money for an entire library give a man a lifetime pass for any and all future sins? Who the **** cares that Paterno was fired via a phone call and not a ticker-tape parade down College Ave. He didn’t deserve better. Those children did.

Paterno made his bed nine years ago when he chose to do as little as possible to protect his town, his university, and his football program from the marauding of an old, perverted man. Joe Paterno made that call, not the Board of Trustees.

Paterno supporters can scream all they want about how he went to his Athletic Director with the information he was presented. They can cry about how Paterno met his legal obligations. Correct. He did.

But what did Paterno do after Tim Curley (the AD) didn’t go to the proper authorities? Did Paterno just assume Curley was a world-class investigator? What would you do if you went to your boss to report a case of child abuse and days later you learned he/she did nothing? Wouldn’t you go to him/her again, and then to the authorities if he/she continually ignored the situation? Or, at the very least, why did Paterno still allow Jerry Sandusky within 100 miles of his football program after an eyewitness (whom Paterno obviously trusted enough to keep on his staff) saw Sandusky raping a child? People can twist the situation to try and protect Paterno, but it won’t work. It took 409 wins to build the legend of Joe Paterno and one bad decision to send it crumbling to the ground.

Has Paterno unfairly become the focus of this tragedy? Absolutely. But that’s the way it works when you’re a larger-than-life figure at one of the country’s most notorious universities. As my dad often reminds me, “To whom much is given, much is required.” Paterno, for some inexplicable reason, acted to protect his colleagues instead of the victims, and because of his failure to act, the lives of several more children were ruined. Did the idiots causing mayhem on College Ave in State College think about those victims before rioting on Paterno’s behalf? Did those spewing venom at the press conference even consider Paterno dug his own grave before they viciously attacked Surma and the Board? No, of course not. Those rabid Paterno apologists were more concerned with a football program and the legacy of a man, a man who obviously was more talk than walk.

There’s no honor in ignoring children in desperate need of a voice. There’s no honor in ignoring evil; whether child abuse, an A.D. ignoring civic duty, or permitting a repeatedly accused child molester to visit your facilities with UNDERAGE CHILDREN. There are no excuses, either.

In the closing scene of A Few Good Men, two Marines were found not guilty of murdering a fellow Marine because the death was ruled accidental and the Marines were following orders. However, both Marines were dishonorably discharged. The younger, more ignorant marine looked at his legal counsel and cried, “What did we do wrong? What did we do wrong? We did nothing wrong!” At that moment, the older, more enlightened Marine somberly admitted, “Yeah we did. We were supposed to fight for people who couldn’t fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willie.”

Joe Paterno was supposed to fight for those innocent children. Instead, he followed orders and fell in line. He deserved to lose his job. He deserved that lousy phone call. Those children didn’t deserve his passivity.

One after another, my brilliant boring ideas for midweek posts kept falling through. So, I emailed my brother and asked him what I should write about. The topics below were his recommendations. If you have something you’d like covered, send it along.

LSU/’Bama
I like college football. But I don’t love college football. Too many teams. Too many crappy games. Too many songs/chants/traditions to learn. You see, growing up in the Philadelphia area, college football isn’t that big of a deal. You like the Eagles, and that’s it. If you find time for a collegiate team, so be it. Good for you.

To be fair, college football can be fun and exhilarating, just not in the Big Ten. I went to a big time football school that rhymes with Ben Tate. While there, I still didn’t acquire a taste for collegiate football. Especially Big Ten football where the football is brutally boring (Michigan being the exception), and the uniforms are beyond dull (again, Michigan being the exception).

Obviously, I don’t have a favorite team. I’m a college football nomad. Last year I picked Auburn as my team after they knocked off Clemson in an exciting game early in September. (Front-runner? Yep.) This year, I chose Clemson because they looked decent and Brian Dawkins went there. I don’t know all that much about college football, but I know the “BCS Title” is a fancy way of saying “The best team from the SEC.”

What I’m trying to say is college football isn’t important to me. However, even a nonchalant fan like myself is intrigued by Saturday’s SEC showdown. It’s the biggest game of the year. I haven’t watched every game LSU and Alabama have played this year, but I’ve seen enough to pick a winner.

I’m picking LSU. I know Alabama’s defense is great and they’re at home and blah, blah, blah, but LSU and Les Miles have a weird knack for winning games they just shouldn’t be winning. Miles is the Charlie Manuel of college football. He’s goofy and a little strange, yet finds ways to get the most out of his players because they love him so much. Can I name more than seven players on either team? Nope. I’m just excited to be super excited about a college football game for the first time since I scalped my Ohio State – Penn State ticket for a large sum of money.

Philip Rivers needs a hug
I tabbed Philip Rivers my 2011 MVP over the summer. After eight weeks, he’s probably ranked 127^th in the MVP rankings. Needless to say, I was off. After fumbling away a win in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football last week, fans, news outlets, and talking heads have asked, “What’s wrong with Philip Rivers?”

Well, there’s really nothing wrong with Rivers, per say. His issue is the absence of Darren Sproles. Sproles, who left for New Orleans via free agency in the offseason, was Rivers’ security blanket. Especially on 3^rd downs, Rivers could always count on Sproles to juke his way to a 1^st down, or at the very least, bail Rivers out of a sack. With Sproles gone and Antonio Gates nursing what seems like a never-ending foot injury, Rivers is without his two most reliable targets. Vincent Jackson isn’t helping matters, either. After a shortened season in 2010 due to an extensive holdout, Jackson doesn’t look like the same player he was before 2010. He showed flashes when he tore through New England’s secondary in Week 2, but Jackson has done little since. Besides, every receiver has a field day against New England.

I’m not excusing Rivers’ play, because a quarterback like Rivers should still succeed with such a talented stable of players. However, if you took Wes Welker from Tom Brady, he would struggle to adjust as well. In fact, after the Patriots traded Deion Branch following the 2005 season, Tom Brady struggled to a certain degree with a subpar group of receivers in 2006. It led the Patriots to bring in Wes Welker and Randy Moss in 2007. Rivers’ receivers aren’t subpar at all, but Darren Sproles was Rivers’ Deion Branch.

NBA Lockout.
As the lockout drags on, I’m forced to either watch TV shows I don’t enjoy (Happy Endings) or be productive after my son crashes for the night. I’d prefer a nice NBA matchup to productivity and certainly, lousy TV, so I’m a little bummed progress hasn’t been made toward ending the lockout. Plus, I’m a gigantic NBA fan. I can survive a little longer without it, but if I’m entering 2012 without a full slate of NBA action through February and March, you can bet I’ll be devastated.

I know what you’re thinking; college basketball is better anyway. Well, you see, it’s not. You’re wrong. I love college basketball, too. Big time conference battles on ESPN make fabulous TV and conference tournaments followed by the NCAA Tournament make up one of my favorite sports stretches of the year. But it’s not the NBA.

NBA teams don’t regularly shoot 30% and win. NBA players don’t panic down the stretch and hoist contested threes in a two point game with 24 seconds still on the clock (ok, Andre Iquodala might do this). NBA teams don’t play defense like an NFL safety, bogging down the game and forcing us to watch college kids shoot 45% from the charity stripe. So sue me if I prefer millionaire NBA players to thousandaire college athletes.

Also, let’s hope it doesn’t come to this, but if the NBA lockout wipes out the entire season, the 2012 Summer Olympics will be our first glance at NBA Superstars in over a year. How many players will want in on that team? Wait, how about this…

Let’s televise the Olympic tryouts. Full, 24/7 national television coverage of three to four weeks of tryouts open to any NBA or super-talented collegiate player. After a year without NBA basketball, I’d eat this up. Plus, the Olympics would be twice as exciting because we would all feel an extra connection to the team because it’d feel like we made it through tryouts with them. It’d be like Hardknocks: The 2012 Men’s Olympic Basketball Team. We’d pick our favorite underdogs and then get misty when they’re sent home just like we did with Danny Woodhead in 2010. It’d be fantastic. Well, not really, because it’d mean we didn’t have an NBA season, but it’d be a nice consolation.

Seriously, com’n David Stern. Stop being pig headed. Agree to 52-48 in favor of the players. You remember the players, right David? They’re the guys that put rear ends in the seats and make your TV deals so lucrative? Don’t cheat your workforce because your owners are as brilliant with their money as the US Government.

Baseball news
Philadelphia is all up in arms about whether or not to bring back Jimmy Rollins. Word on the street is the Phillies don’t really want him at the price it’d take to bring him back. Plus, age is a serious concern for this squad, so keeping Rollins wouldn’t make the Phillies any younger. It also doesn’t help that the Phillies have limited funds to improve a team in desperate need of an offensive makeover. Oh yeah, Cole Hamels is due for arbitration, too. Super. The Phillies are handcuffed to fading players with enormous contracts and a depleted farm system. Unless Ruben Amaro Jr. is a miracle worker, the Phillies are destined for the NL East basement in four years.

As for the World Series Champion Cardinals (yes, the team Charlie Manuel allowed into the playoffs), they’re without a manager. Tony LaRussa went John Elway on St. Louis and went home. I tend to believe LaRussa knew something about the Albert Pujols situation that we don’t. But even if LaRussa didn’t, why would Pujols want to come back and play for a team that could now flounder under a new manager? Obviously, the Cubs would be in a similar situation, only worse. That leaves the “Los Angeles Angels of a handful of other California cities” as Pujols’ most competitive suitor. Actually, never mind. This is about money, not winning. If the Cardinals pony up, he’ll stay put.

It’s no secret that men’s basketball and football make billions and billions of dollars for the NCAA each year. It’s also well known the athletes that generate all that revenue for their respective institutions see no kickback, at least not legally.

So, the question currently distracting us from the upcoming Final Four is this: Should college athletes be paid?

I went to a premiere Division One football school in the Big Ten. I’ve seen how coddled collegiate athletes are. They have their own dining commons for certain meals, unlimited access to tutors, first choice at the best on-campus housing, they’re showered with enough “gear” they could go to college naked and leave with a year’s worth of clothing, and they can get down with girls way out of their league simply because they’re on the team. Yes, even the fat, ugly ones get some. Oh yeah, most of them have a portion or all of their college experience on the house. So yeah, they may not be getting paid, but they aren’t exactly suffering, or more importantly, racking up school loans like 98% of their peers.

On the other hand, most athletes have little time when “in season.” Practice, school, practice, study, sleep. That’s their day. There’s no time for a part time job to earn spending money so they can hang out with friends or buy their Mom a gift for Mother’s Day. I understand the frustration there, but these students are not “indentured servants” as they’ve been so frequently referenced in recent days, either. A student athlete on a full scholarship saves himself close to $60,000… and that’s at a state school. A scholarship athlete at a premiere private school easily saves six figures, and receives a premier education, nonetheless. So please, let’s not pretend these kids are suffering. There’s millions of college students overwhelmed with college debt well into their 40’s who don’t have the same opportunities simply because they don’t run as fast or jump as high.

However, if you really think college athletes deserve some sort of compensation, I’m open to these three scenarios.

1.       A small stipend given to players, but only during season. Trust me; I’ve witnessed firsthand how Division One football players spend their time in the offseason. Gorillas at zoo are more civil and productive. A stipend during season would give athletes money they legitimately don’t have the time to earn. During the offseason, though, they’re back on their own.

2.       Pay the players a modest bi-weekly salary laden with stipulations. For example: Only give athletes home and away uniforms, a warm-up suit, one pair of playing shoes, one team shirt, and one team sweatshirt. The player is then responsible to care for those belongings. Or, he can pay to have the university’s custodial services to care for his team gear. On top of that, coaches or the university can fine a player for being late, missing practice, subpar grades, conduct detrimental to the team. And finally, a player forfeits his entire pay for that year if his arrested for any misbehavior, including DUI or public intoxication.

3.       Let’s be honest. College students aren’t the most responsible individuals when it comes to spending the limited funds they do have. I doubt college athletes are an exception. Why not do college athletes (especially those that will never graduate) a huge favor and pay them in similar fashion to a pension. Pay would be earned based upon a universal system across the entire NCAA so schools would all be on a level playing field. The system t would take into account team performance, grades, personal behavior, and years of service. Each year the total sum would be added to an account that will then pay out to that individual student ten years after they leave school if they do not graduate, or five years after they graduate.

Again, I’m not convinced we need to pay college athletes, but the aforementioned proposals are ones I would  at least consider.

As for paying collegiate athletes licensing fees for promotional videos or other related NCAA content? Please. They’re supposed to be amateurs. Playing a collegiate sport at the Division One level used to be regarded as a great honor. Now I’m supposed to believe it’s some awful burden? Since when did an 18 year-old kid who can shoot a ball through an orange rim or chase down a ball carrier faster than everyone else become entitled to everything? Do we not believe in earning anything anymore?

I hate it when I hear people cry college sports are better than professional sports because college players play “for love of the game.” Yeah, some do… about the same percentage as the ones in the professional leagues. Let’s be honest, though, if we took away the brand sponsorships, the national TV exposure, and the chance to become a professional athlete, would kids still want to play sports at the collegiate level? Some would, but not nearly as many, and I guarantee those that would still play wouldn’t be complaining about playing for free, either.

World Series
I love the World Series. I never miss it…except in 2010. I still can’t figure out exactly why I didn’t watch. I never stop watching just because my team gets eliminated. In fact, when the Sixers lost in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, I was relieved. I no longer felt obligated to watch their crappy games. Yes, the Phillies loss in the NLCS was unquestionably painful. But that’s never stopped me from continuing to watch before. Therefore, if I had to pinpoint why I watched less than 50 pitches of the 2010 World Series, these would be my best guesses.
A. Other than Josh Hamilton, no player on either team captured my interest. I tuned in whenever Hamilton was due up. I caught most of his at-bats in the first three games before giving up entirely.  If I wanted to watch Pat Burrell go hitless, I could have popped in my Phillies season recap DVD from 2003 when he batted an astounding .209. Cliff Lee, Tim Lincecum? No thanks. I’m all for good pitching in the Fall Classic but I need more than that to turn off Sunday Night Football.  I know the Rangers have talent, but I didn’t know enough about them to care.
B. I was drained. After being down on the Phillies for most of the 2010 season, I found myself emotionally tied to the team more than the 2009 version. As a Philly fan, I appreciate the teams that struggle and then succeed. The 2010 Flyers were adored because they were overwhelming underdogs. While the Phillies were heavy favorites entering the postseason, they were also a struggling, overpaid club until mid July.
C. No ties to either team. I have quite a few friends that love sports. (They may use another word than “friend.”) Regardless, I didn’t know a single person invested in either team. I always can root for another team in the postseason as long as it doesn’t jeopardize my allegiance to Philly teams. But I need a reason. I had none.
D. FOX did away with the soothing World Series music and used their NFL intro tunes instead. With no team, no player, and no friend invested, I needed the music. It wasn’t there.
I’m not convinced any of these reasons were what actually kept me away from the Series, but at least I took a swing at it. You know, unlike Ryan Howard.

NHL
I’ve read the news release from the NHL a handful of times and still can’t believe what I’m reading. The captains will choose the NHL all-star rosters? Really? I’m all for gimmicks to liven up the all star events -Lord knows they need them- but this could go wrong in so, so, so, so many ways.
First, why would the NHL further alienate their fans? The NHL doesn’t have the endless fan base the NFL boasts. Gary Bettman can’t do whatever he wants. Fans are finally starting to return to hockey after the lockout in 2004. The league is full of good teams, budding rivalries, and superstars. Fans love voting for all-stars. Why take that away? I don’t get it. If you want to make the all-star game more exciting, give a million dollars to the winning team, or better yet, allow the winning team’s captain to skate to center ice, face Bettman and give a thumb up or thumb down Gladiator style on whether Bettman gets to retain his position. Now that would be exciting.
Second, who would want to be named captain? Regardless of who you pick, you’re going to piss off an opponent, teammate, or friend. It’s unavoidable. How would you like skating through the second half of the season with a bull’s eye on your back? If you think jaded hockey players forgive and forget, you’re crazy. Grudge and NHL are synonymous. Players get bonuses for being named an All-star, too. When players lose money because of another player’s biased decision, you can absolutely expect the hostility to spill onto the ice. Actually, on second thought, I like this idea. Captains choose the teams! Woo-hoo!

College Football
Poor Cam Newton. In any other walk of life, Newton’s situation would be understood, expected, and applauded. If you have a product that people want, you sell it immediately. Not next week, not next quarter, not in three years. You sell it now. Cam Newton’s product is himself. He’s the perfect college quarterback. He’s big, he’s fast, he can throw, and can he ever run. Unfortunately, Newton probably won’t be an NFL quarterback. In my opinion, his throwing abilities aren’t sufficient enough, and mobile college quarterbacks don’t translate to the NFL without an all-world arm. Why is it so wrong that Newton tried to get paid while he could? College sports aren’t for amateurs anymore. It’s a professional business. When college kids invent Facebook, they’re not told to wait until graduation to monetize their product. Why do we ask the same of college athletes? Put a salary cap on college sports. It won’t eliminate all of the shady compensation but at least we can stop pretending college football is still an amateur sport.

NBA
There’s an unbelievable amount of excitement in the NBA right now. I can’t remember the last time I looked at the NBA schedule every night before February. Here are a few highlights and lowlights.

• It took Chris Paul all of seven games to reclaim his title as the world’s best point guard. In fact, he probably catapulted himself into the top five players in the NBA. Derrick Rose is must see TV, too.
• I know it’s only November, but I couldn’t be more optimistic about the Spurs. They’re balanced, experienced, and young, all at the same time. More importantly, they’re hitting the 3’s they bricked for most of last season. Richard Jefferson (who looks renewed), Gary Neal (surprise of the NBA thus far), and James Anderson are shooting 47% or higher from long distance. The defense is a disaster but I’m hopeful that will be righted as Gregg Popovich adjusts to his new rotations.
• While Dwyane Wade and LeBron James took slightly less money to join forces, Chris Bosh is stealing money. An aging Boston Celtic front court, Omeka Okafor, and Paul Millsap have now brutalized the Heat. Bosh was supposed to be one of the league’s premier big men. I could rattle off ten players that are not only better, but wouldn’t cost $15 million per season. It’s way too early to write off the Heat because of Bosh’s struggles. However, it appears the road to NBA infamy will be a little bumpier than forecasted for Pat Riley’s offseason bounty.
• Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t the same without Steve Nash. The Knicks still look bad and Stoudemire’s numbers are way down after a stellar year last season. Lucky for New York, the Timberwolves will gladly accept Stoudemire’s contract in a few years when LeBron opts out of South Beach.
• As I discussed here, Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City are struggling. When teams circle you on the calendar, it’s not so easy to win in the NBA. This is part of the learning process for a young team like the Thunder. Whether it takes them a few months or an entire season to adjust will define their season.

First all of, Tiger Woods’ indiscretions are none of my business. His occupation and income expose him and his private life to the media’s intrusion. While I understand this is part of fame, it doesn’t justify the lack of respect for another human’s privacy.

Originally, I applauded Tiger for not acknowledging the media as he dealt with his transgressions and took inventory of the fragmented pieces that were once his family. Bunkering down until his life was straight was the right move. Tiger owes the media for his prominence in athletics and for expanding his brand. In no way, shape, or form does he owe them access to his private life. For nearly three months (with the exception of a website post), Tiger remained dormant … until last Friday.

I wasn’t compelled to write after the Thanksgiving crash or Woods’ admission to extramarital affairs on his website. Tiger Woods isn’t my friend, neighbor, hero, or favorite sports figure. What he did was morally wrong, but again, none of my business. I took any and all means necessary to avoid the media’s coverage of the situation. It was Brett Favre’s retirement cycle all over again. For nearly a month, I hated my TV.

Nothing Tiger does influences my life in any way. I don’t want a Cadillac because Tiger drives one. I don’t wear Nike because Tiger is plastered with the swoosh on Sundays. I still don’t enjoy golf. I was at home last Friday and chose curling over Tiger’s apology. I really didn’t care. All I wanted was for Tiger to go away and come back when he was ready to golf.

Tiger Woods = golfer.

My desire to avoid this fiasco changed after I read the transcript from Tiger’s speech. I know, I said I didn’t care. I wasn’t lying either, but a specific quote from Tiger’s mea culpa posted on twitter dragged me in.

“Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology.”

This is exactly why I loathe 95% of professional athletes. It’s my opinion that any athlete that declares himself a role model, regardless of whether he actually is or not, isn’t a good role model. If you’re a positive role model, you don’t need to remind us. We’ll see it for ourselves. Role models don’t campaign to be role models. Role models don’t consider themselves roles models. Role models don’t apologize for failing to be role models.

What Tiger (or any self-proclaimed role model) should have said when he apologized for his embarrassing behavior was this:

I’m sorry for believing I was capable of being a role model. I’m sorry I played the “addicted to sex” card to excuse my behavior. The truth is there are 3.5 billion men on earth that suffer from the same addiction, and only David Duchovny and myself are dumb enough to use it as an excuse. I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to admit to myself and all of you that I wasn’t a role model, and in doing so, allowed millions of people worldwide to believe I was something I clearly am not. I am a great golfer, the best on earth. I am also an irresponsible coward. I am sorry. Thank you for your time.

Would a professional athlete ever deliver that or a similar apology? No. Never. Charles Barkley would come close though, and THAT is why Charles’ infamous, “I am not a role model” declaration was the most humble, self-aware statement ever uttered by a professional athlete. Chuck knew he couldn’t be a role model. He didn’t pretend to be something or someone else. He came right out and let us know. This is me. Don’t do what I do. Find someone else. Sure, we would have liked Barkley to act differently, but at least he wasn’t lying to us. Charles was humble enough (maybe selfish) to understand he was no role model.

Humility is the key. Take politics for example. My wife believes that any man who actually wants to be President is twisted. Think about it, she’s right. Every four years we vote for an individual who stands up and essentially says, “I know exactly what’s wrong with this country, and I’m going to fix it. I know I can fix it. I’m smart enough to fix it, and the other guy is an idiot.” Rule number one in life: never believe in anyone who thinks they’re great.

The same rule applies to the role model situation. If I was in charge of an endorsement company or a national foundation and wanted to find a good role model for young people, there’s only one way I would conduct my search. First, I would approach athletes who “appeared” capable of being role models. Then, I would ask them if they thought they were worthy of being a role model for young people. Anyone who answered yes would immediately be removed from consideration. A humble understanding as to why you’re not a role model is the foundation for actually being one. Similar to the presidency, no one in their right mind would envy such a task.

Tiger Woods’ apology for failing as a role model is ironic because he, like so many athletes, never should have been one. Maybe Tiger didn’t ask to be one, maybe he did. It doesn’t matter now. If Tiger was a true role model, he would have told us long ago that he wasn’t worthy of such an honorable title. Charles Barkley did it. Mark McGwire didn’t. Who do we love more now? Charles Barkley.

Tiger Woods = golfer.

Nothing more.

We’ve entered the black hole of the sports calendar. The Olympics saved us this year, but this is normally a period for reflection, planning, and complete and utter boredom. I’m going to pass some time, specifically three minutes of your time, by sharing how I choose my favorite athletes in the four major sports.

If you consider NASCAR one of those four (a reasonable argument), then I will quickly inform you that I only know the names of a few drivers, that Jimmie Johnson is on a tear similar to Michael Jordan’s early ‘90’s run, and that Toyota drivers are not permitted to pit until their gas pedal issues are resolved. That’s the extent of my NASCAR knowledge. I digress.

Wait, you actually have standards for your favorite players? Why yes, yes I do. In fact, I have specific criteria that must be met. Don’t laugh. If I’m investing my time and hitching my fan trailer to someone, I need to know he’s up to the task.  (Special thanks to my cousin Wayne who shared his input and inspired a future “athletes we like to hate” post coming soon.) Here’s my checklist:

1. Are they too cool to try/care? If so, then I don’t bother. This is like girls that smoke (when I was single, of course). Regardless of how attractive/rich/beautiful she was, smoking was not negotiable. Likewise, acting too cool to try/care is not negotiable. DeSean Jackson is flirting with joining Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Jose Reyes, Manny Ramirez, Amare Stoudemire, and Richard Jefferson in the “too fly to try” crew. Trying/caring only in big games or when the score is close doesn’t count either. It’s all or nothing. I want guys diving after loose balls, sacrificing their bodies, and giving 110% despite the scoreboard. (Notice I couldn’t come up with any hockey players? Effort is what hockey is all aboot, err about.)
2. Is there enough talent? While I don’t need Michael Jordans, I do need to win games. A fourth string cornerback can work his tail off on special teams, but if he can’t shut down the opposition’s top receiver his effort is irrelevant. Effort is enough for his mom to love him. Not enough to be my favorite player.
3. Would I want to be his teammate? All personal preferences on this one. I can’t pledge my allegiance to a whiner (oops, sorry, didn’t see you there Cindy Crosby). Nor will I root for a “love me some me” egomaniac to succeed (how are you today, Terrell Owens). Finally, it would be impossible for me to support someone whose teammates can’t stand him (here’s to you, Wilt, Barry Bonds, yester year’s Kobe, and yet again, TO).
4. Does he have “IT”? “IT” can’t be taught or acquired. You either have it or you don’t. Tom Brady has it, Donovan McNabb does not. “It” is that uncanny ability to rise to the occasion. To overcome obstacles. To hoist a team on your shoulders and carry them to victory, or more importantly, championships. Derek Jeter, Martin Brodeur (shaking my head), Kobe Bryant, Ben Roethlisberger (I just threw up a little) and Dwyane Wade have this.
5. For who? For what? Seriously, Ricky Watters would like to know. I’ll defer to Aaron Rowand for this one. Take it away, Aaron. “For who? My teammates. For what? To win.” Well said.

That’s the current criteria. “For who? For what?” was the latest addition – added in 2007. The list is always changing, so I’ll update it as necessary. Remember, ask not what you can do for your favorite athlete, ask what your favorite athlete must do for you.

Who are my favorite players? Glad you asked…

…coming soon.