An apology can sometimes be the best of times and the worst of times. This week, Wai Sallas ventures on to both sides of the spectrum to bring you The Friday Sports Dump.
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No one is absolved from saying “I’m sorry.” At some point in your life, you will have to apologize to someone or something. Sometimes you’ll be right, other times you’ll be wrong but you’ll know an apology is needed to clear the air and cleanse the soul. New York Yankees Third Baseman, Alex Rodriguez, did neither.
In the poorest form of stunts for the main purpose of publicity, A-Rod penned a letter to the fans to apologize for his actions. What are the exact actions Rodriguez is apologizing for in his letter? Your guess is as good as mine. Was it for getting caught taking performance enhancing drugs for the third time? Was it for trying to sue everyone in baseball, including the Yankees and his own player’s union? He doesn’t admit to any of these actions nor apologize.
As a married man I have made my fair share of apologies, so I’d like to consider myself an expert. This was just another attempt by Rodriguez to steal headlines. It’s the reason he announced opting out of his quarter billion dollar contract during the World Series clinching game for the Boston Red Sox in 2007. It’s the reason in 2003, he told his agent he wanted to play either for Boston or New York after watching the ALCS and the attention it received. It’s the reason for this:
Rodriguez ends the letter by saying:
“This game has been my single biggest passion since I was a teenager.”
It seems A-Rod mixed up his words, the letter should read, “Since I was a teenager, I’m my biggest passion.”
We don’t need a letter to know that.
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On the other side of the country, another sports-related apology may get the room dusty for those who cried at the end of “Field of Dreams.”
In 2009 San Francisco Giants Pitcher Tim Lincecum was the best pitcher in baseball. He had won his second consecutive Cy Young award and was about to pitch the Giants to a World Series championship the next season. It all bottomed out last year when Lincecum found himself at the end of the pitching bench. The former ace saw hardly any time on the mound as the Giants won their third World Series in five years.
Sometime during that fall from the game’s best to his team’s worst, he and his father had a falling out. Chris Lincecum helped engineer Tim’s unorthodox pitching motion that mustered as much from his wiry frame as possible and then some. When father and son’s relationship deteriorated, so did Tim’s success on the diamond.
“I went to him,” Tim said. “That was tough. It’s like a kid with a bad report card.”
“You can’t hide your report card all summer,” he said.
There’s no lonelier position than a pitcher. You stand on that mound with everyone’s attention on you. You can win the game on your own, or lose the game on your own. At the end of the day, it’s the only position in baseball that has wins and losses attached.
For Tim, it won’t be that lonely, dad Chris will be right behind him.
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Sports Dump 2:
For as many problems as FIFA has, and for as many problems FIFA acknowledges it has, racism has been an ugliness the sport has taken hard steps to weed out. The #SayNoToRacism campaign was a great step towards attempting to eliminate such cowardly behavior.
Unfortunately, as much as we try, racism is still prevalent. In Paris this past week video surfaced of a black man trying to board a train. We’ll spare you the video, but Chelsea supporters were heard chanting “We’re racist, we’re racist, and that’s the way we like it, we like it, we like it,” as the shoved the man off the train on more than one occasion.
Chelsea Football Club condemned the action of its supporters, saying, “Such behavior is abhorrent and has no place in football or society. We will support any criminal action against those involved in such behavior, and should evidence point to the involvement of Chelsea season ticket holders or members the club will take the strongest possible action against them including banning orders.”
In the United States, February is Black History Month. It seems the Nation and the world would be better off if we stopped acting like we lived in the past and started showing the character those who fought for civil rights hoped we would.
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One of those individuals who continues to do more than his share to help the black community is Magic Johnson.
The NBA legend and Kimbra Walter, wife of Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter, are co-founders of Inner City Youth Empowerment.
They are expected to announce a two-year, $10 million investment in the city’s summer job program for at-risk youth, One Summer Chicago Plus.
According to ABC 7 Chicago, the funding is expected to provide 5,000 jobs for children and young adults who are at risk of becoming involved in violence.
One Summer Chicago Plus provides opportunities for young people to work 25 hours a week, to connect with mentors and build social skills.
While racism still exists, there are people proving you can judge a person by their character and not by the color of their skin.
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Vine of the Week: Just as you draw it up
https://vine.co/v/OPLTKm72uM1
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Photo Credit: flickr/smabuki
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Good read. I enjoyed the various sports dumps.
Thanks Tom! I’ll keep pumping them out.