Trash Talking & Taunting
Because in modern times it’s a requirement that everyone has to be mad about something, the current discourse surrounds the aftermath of the women’s championship game. More specifically, fainting couches were put to good use as Final Four MOP Angel Reese celebrated in the game’s closing moments, duplicating Caitlin Clark’s “you can’t see me” gesture as well as pointing to her ring finger to indicate where her championship ring will soon go. Suddenly the internet mob turned into a bunch of characters from a lesser Tennessee Williams play. “My sensibilities have been offended!”
Sadly, this is yet another example of the specter of race permeating everything. Few people complained when Clark trash talked to her heart’s delight or when she went viral by dismissively waving off a 3-point attempt by a South Carolina opponent to indicate that she wasn’t worth defending. Yet once a young woman of color such as Reese does the same thing it suddenly becomes the end of sportsmanship, if not of civilization itself.
Reese had become a central figure well before the championship game, fully embracing the Bayou Barbie nickname, going so far as to apply for a trademark on the moniker. She is unabashedly and unapologetically herself; she powerfully fought back against her critics a couple of weeks ago. She pointed out how female athletes are often in a no-win situation. Women are criticized for not appearing feminine enough, yet when Reese plays with long eyelashes or rolls up her shorts she is called a diva.
Just in case no one has ever watched a sporting event before, trash talking has long been a key component of men’s sports. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be the case in the women’s game as well. There is a fine line between standard give-and-take and indefensible taunting. I myself find it difficult at times to accurately define what’s cool and what’s not, but in this instance I cannot criticize Reese. She was essentially giving Clark a dose of her own medicine.
Or to put it another way, if this is OK:
Then so is this:
Coaches
The NCAA tournament can be brutal. The single game elimination format leaves zero margin for error, something as simple as an off night from a star player could easily result in a surprisingly early elimination for a favorite. Because of that, it’s unfair to judge a player, team, or coach too harshly based on tournament results. In reality, that’s not the case as coaches that fall short time after time wind up wearing the equivalent of a scarlet letter, at least until they finally win the thing.
And keep in mind how difficult it is to win. Across the 5 power conferences + the Big East, there are easily more than two dozen schools with fanbases that expect nothing less than a title, so any year for all of these schools will almost certainly end with not just disappointment but demands of better results. Is that fair? Remember how much criticism Jim Boeheim heard over the years until Syracuse finally won it all? Jay Wright heard a lot of the same stuff, as did Scott Drew. One of the current prime examples is Matt Painter. Purdue annually compiles outstanding regular season records, yet consistently falls short in the tournament. Is there something lacking in his style, or is he simply a victim of always running into the wrong opponent on the wrong night? And if it is the case of him not being a coach with the capability of carrying his team across the finish line, is that really so bad? Look no further than St. John’s. Louie Carnesseca was an institution with his particular New York charm, but there was always the sense that opposing coaches could outmaneuver him in close games. The Johnnies were regularly ranked in the top ten, but never won the whole thing. After his retirement they’ve had successful seasons here and there, but have rarely been a championship threat and haven’t been able to put together a strong multi-year run. Going further back in time, DePaul is an even more dramatic example. Ray Meyer coached there forever, wearing the “great regular season but underachieving postseason” crown. Since his retirement almost 4 decades ago they have been one of the most irrelevant major conference schools. Be careful what you wish for, fans. Only 1 school each year gets that pot of gold; a 25 win season punctuated by a disappointing tournament run sure beats the alternative.
Of course, no mention of coaches who always seem to underachieve in March cannot ignore the name Rick Barnes. He’s the poster child, mostly because he is cursed with Resting Befuddlement Face. His looks of pure puzzlement as seemingly safe leads dissipate is as much of a Spring tradition as the swallows returning to Capistrano.
Time To Remember Some Guys
The reality of the dawn of a new season is that for all the excitement surrounding promising rookies receiving their first shot, it of course also means there will be losses of an equal number of veterans. It’s the nature of the beast that most of the departed players fade away into obscurity. Sure, fans will always fondly remember their own players but that’s a geographically limited remembrance. A New York fan favorite means little to a Chicago fan, just as a player fondly remembered in Seattle barely registers to a Milwaukee fan. Unless a retired player moves from the playing field to a coaching staff or to a broadcast booth, those that aren’t all-time greats recede from our collective memory until they show up on a Hall of Fame ballot in 5 years. “Oh yeah, that guy! Geez, he’s already been retired for 5 years? Damn!”
So why not take a brief moment to acknowledge some memorable players not on Opening Day rosters. I’m presuming that someone will eventually sign Zach Britton, and with the new rules make speed more valuable there may still be a place in the game for Dee Strange-Gordon. But looking beyond future Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, there are plenty of Guys Worthy Of Being Remembered who may have played their final games.
Two former #1 overall draft picks in Justin Upton and David Price are among those that are likely out of the league. There is former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel. You never know if teams want to roll the dice on veteran relievers, but at the moment Alex Colome, Sean Doolittle, and Greg Holland are outside looking in. Chris Archer at one time held a lot of promise, but he now appears done. Special notice goes out to Lorenzo Cain, who was released by the Brewers midseason last year. They intentionally waited to make the move until he officially reached 10 seasons in the majors, which qualified him for a full pension; a very classy move on their part. And I know Mets fans will cringe at the mention of his name, but Jed Lowrie - who notwithstanding his oft-injured Mets tenure - retired after a fine career.
Two final names stand out. I can’t imagine anyone wishing to sign Robinson Cano, so last year was his finale as well. He put together a Hall caliber career, but multiple PED suspensions obviously tarnished his accomplishments. Even before that, I always felt that he got a bad rep. Because he was so good, he looked so smooth and effortless on the field. Because of that, combined with his sunny disposition, a lot of people felt he was never really trying. And let us not forget the remarkable career and durability of Oliver Perez. Back in the days when he seemingly walked the bases loaded in every start he made, no one could have foreseen that he would have lasted into his 40s. Yet he remade himself into a dependable lefty reliever, and with the new minimum batter rules, he will go down in history as arguably the game’s final true LOOGY. Much respect.
Monday Night News Dump
Obviously the indictment of a former President is a huge story and should be treated as such, but the round the clock coverage of his travels on Monday was a tad over the top. Watch his plane take off! Watch his motorcade exit LaGuardia! Watch his Uber Eats delivery guy deliver a dozen Filet-O-Fish sandwiches! The round the clock coverage obscured incredibly important stories in 2 other states.
In Tennessee, students who are tired of the surge in school shootings have been staging mass walkouts this week and many of them have also descended upon the state legislature demanding passage of gun control measures. The Republican majority has taken the extraordinary steps to move to expel from the chamber 3 Democratic house members who joined the protestors. A simple Google search shows that multiple Tennessee lawmakers in recent years have been accused of sexual misconduct. That apparently does not warrant sanctions.
And of course there is always Florida. A bill is on the floor to ban abortion after 6 weeks, and arrests - which included some prominent Democratic lawmakers - were made at a peaceful protest at the state Capitol. It seems that Ron DeSantis’s “this is a state where we cherish freedom” claims only go so far. Open, unlicensed carry = good. Peaceful protest = bad. Dissent against Supreme Leader must not be tolerated; yet another example of Florida’s march towards unbridled racism.
To The Moon!
I was at the age that just missed being able to truly appreciate the Apollo missions. I was only 3 when 11 landed, so even though my parents had told me where I watched it, I have no real memory of it. I vaguely recall Alan Shepard’s golf shot, but the only mission I have clear memories of is 17, because the original launch was to have taken place at a time when I would be able to watch it on TV. I’m not sure if I realized at the time that it was to be the final mission, but I was disappointed that they had to abort the initial launch, so I didn’t even get to see that.
There was enough space news in my childhood to draw my interest; I clearly remember the Skylab handshake with a Soviet crew as well as the development of the shuttle program, but as the years moved on it was clear that we were not going to hit the milestones that science fiction had promised us. We didn’t achieve Space: 1999, let alone 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Which is why this week’s news surrounding next year’s Artemis II mission is so exciting. The crew for the mission that will orbit the moon was revealed, and we could conceivably have a manned landing as early as 2025. This could eventually put us on the path to achieving a manned mission to Mars. I know the impulse is to focus on the cost of space exploration, but space programs have always greatly benefited society. The technological research and development that is required to make the projects possible eventually trickle down and improve the lives of ordinary folks like you & me. A true win-win.
And on a related note, I highly recommend Mary Roach’s book Packing For Mars. It thoroughly covers the logistics required to send people on such a journey, everything from the long term effects on the human body from prolonged zero gravity to waste disposal. It’s a great read. So ends meeting #1 of the Steve Book Club.
In Closing
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