Do Records Matter Anymore?

61
755
56

These are historical numbers

73
762
262

These are modern numbers

Do you know what they are anymore? Growing up, every baseball fan knew 61 homers in a season, 755 in a career and Joe Dimaggio’s 56 game hitting streak. As a baseball fan, I needed to research the new home run records (add the asterisk if you want) of Barry Bonds for a season (73) and a career (762). The other number on that list – you will never guess, Ichiro’s single season hits record.

So with Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez hitting his 600th home run today, joining an elite group of seven other players, why is everyone shrugging their shoulders at this milestone?

Could it be because he admitted using steroids? Could it be because of his purple lips? Maybe it is just because he plays for the Yankees. Whether it was Rodriguez or some one who is loved like Ken Griffey Jr., the numbers are starting to mean less and less to the fans. What we care about now apparently, is scandals and winning. Give us one or the other, preferably both – c’mon Cincinnati Bengals!

Many things have contributed to the apathy towards modern sports records. The increased length of the season has allowed players a better chance of beating records. Ichiro’s record of 262 hits would never have happened if the season was 10 games shorter. The length of the season is one factor, but the number of teams and players involved in the league also figures into the issue. The expansion of all professional sports has watered down the talent pool to the point where the super star athletes stand out like sore thumbs. It is much easier for someone like Rodriguez to succeed when he is facing sub-par talent 3 out of 5 games (given the benefit of the doubt that teams have two good pitchers).

With players now involved in more games per season and playing against worse competition that helps them get their numbers up, the other factor is length of career. Players are involved at the top level for a much longer period of time. All sports start their recruitment of players in high school, and the best are already playing major roles on pro teams by the time they hit their 20th birthday. With the extended careers, based on age, better physical care by the training staff, better off-season training, not to mention performance enhancing drugs and it turns records into a thing of the past.

Will numbers always matter to the sports fan? For sure they will, but they are changing. A players worth is no longer measured by home runs and runs batted in, it is now OPS and WAR and UZR. These are complicated mathematical formulas to determine the worth of the player to his team, it’s just too bad these don’t translate well to the back of a baseball card.

Heartbreak Kids

The world is filled with ups and downs. For many the sports fans, there have been more downs lately.

For the past month 32 teams took part in the FIFA World Cup, and all but one left happy (unless you count New Zealand who finished as the only undefeated team). That means that 31 countries went home with their tails between their legs to a fan base that is dejected and must wait another four years for glory to come their way.

For the past two years, fans of the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat dreaded the summer of 2010 when their star players could opt for free agency and leave their team and city for a new chance of winning. In the past week, it was first Chris Bosh who left his fans in Toronto and then, as part of a one hour TV special LeBron James left Cleveland. In Toronto, but especially in Cleveland these players were important to the identity of the city and franchise and they are now gone and a void is left. The fans in Cleveland are especially heartbroken since James was a native to Ohio and they thought he would have loyalty to the city. Alas, they were wrong.

Maybe you are a baseball fan, and since we have reached the midway point of the season you have analyzed the fate of your team and decided that they no longer have a chance to play in the post-season. If you are a Blue Jays fan, this happened in April since 3 of the best teams in baseball play in your division and no matter how many home runs you hit, it won’t be enough to topple the Red Sox, Yankees or Rays.

Although, I really enjoy sports, I have had very few “heartbreak” moments as a fan. Maybe I’m not wrapped up enough in my teams (the wife would disagree), maybe I have been lucky to be a fan of teams that have won recently (that’s not it – Packers, A’s, Nuggets, Jays, Raptors) or maybe it is I’m just not emotional enough (the wife would agree).

The first time I remember being really down from a sporting memory was in 1988. At the time I followed the Jays really closely. I was also a big baseball card collector and had grown attached to the Jays players by collecting all their cards. I had team sets from 1977 all the way to the present. Watching Sports Desk one evening, it came across the screen that the Jays had sold the rights to Willie Upshaw to the Cleveland Indians (at the time I remember him being traded). Upshaw was at the tail end of his career (only played one season for the Indians) and the Jays had a first base prospect that needed to play – Fred McGriff, so if I understood the business more it would make sense, but I was young and attached to Upshaw and his contributions in 1985 and 1987. It got a little dusty in the house that evening.

The other time I remember being really down about a sporting event was in 1993. It was a great year to be a Notre Dam Fightin’ Irish football fan. The team was playing great and ranked #1 in the country after beating the previous #1 Florida State the week prior. All that was needed was a victory in the last game of the regular season over pansy and un-ranked Boston College. It was not to be. The Golden Eagles kicked a last second field goal to beat the Irish. It dropped them out of the national title picture and they have never recovered and neither have I.

What is your sports heartbreak story?

Can Fans Make A Difference?

The roar of the crowd can sometimes be a good thing and other times it can be very distracting. The cheering and booing, we believe as fans can have an impact on the game and can make a difference, but does it really?

There are several ways fans are trying to make a difference in sport these days, which ones actually do, well that is for you to decide.

1. The Vuvuzuela – the ever present buzzing you hear while watching World Cup games. The noisemaker is distracting to everyone watching at home, so one can only imagine what it must be like on the field. Players cannot possibly hear each other, the referee or the coach for instruction. Soccer players have long been exposed to singing and chanting in the stands but this is different and not in a good way. Effect: X-Large

2. The Fan Rally – the rally is becoming more present in trying to get an idea or thought noticed by a team or particular player. We have seen an abundance of fan rallies trying to get certain NBA free agents to choose a new hometown, or stay in their present city. Miami has organized meet-ups for Dwayne Wade and New York and Akron have both mobilized itself to support the signing on Lebron James. Nothing in Toronto for Chris Bosh though…guess we are tired of rallies after the G-20. Effect: Small

3. Fan Club – although not that popular in North America, the fan clubs or supporters clubs in Europe and South America are very strong and organized. These supporters can often control many of the decisions that happen within in a team. These can include which players to sign, if a coach should be fired or even if the ownership should change (see Manchester United and Liverpool). Effect: XX-Large

4. Blogs/Media – the North American version of the supporters club. Fans take to message boards and writing comments in newspaper articles to show their displeasure (normally) with a certain decision that a team or management has come to. Unfortunately, many of the blogs (this one included) have a small reach and therefore cannot sway management decision making like the supporters. Effect: Small

5. Cheering – the old fashion approach to the fan making a difference. Two great examples that this can still work happened this year. During the Grey Cup, fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, known as the 13th man, took over the stadium in Calgary to the point where it was basically a home game for the green riders. Unfortunately, during all the cheering and effort to distract Montreal from kicking a game winning field goal, the team didn’t notice there were actually 13 men on the field. It cost them the championship. The other example was during the NBA playoffs. ESPN columnist Bill Simmons started a twitter account call @CelticsChants – where he posted cheers for fans to start during home games directed at opponents. These were successful and turned going to games at the TD Bank North Arena something similar to going to games at the old Boston Gardens. Even though Simmons didn’t tweet anything during the actual finals, Boston fans gave us the great “Ugly Sister” chant directed at Lamar Odom for marrying the “other” Kardashian. Effect: Medium to Large

6. Getting Naked – popularized in the movie Major League, getting naked is certainly a way to get the attention of your team. For fans of the Paraguay World Cup, your super fan (pictured above) and model has agreed to take it off if you win the tournament. Betcha everyone has a new team to cheer for now…



One thing many of us don’t think about while participating in all this is how it actually affects the athlete. Are they sad that they are being picked on? Does it make them happy because by being booed at an away stadium means they are doing well? A couple of incidents have occurred that let us know that the fans voices are being heard.

Near the end of a lackluster season with the Toronto Raptors, Hedo Turkoglu was booed on the court for giving less than stellar performances. Coupled with the fact that he had sat out games because of the flu and was later seen enjoying the Toronto nightlife with teammates caused a fan backlash and he was booed while on his home court. During the summer, Turkoglu did an interview with a Turkish media outlet and in not so many words said he would like to leave Toronto because the fans didn’t respect him. He wondered openly how they could boo him on his home court. The other similar incident happened after England’s second game of the World Cup vs. Algeria. A disappointing performance for England, that led to a 0-0 draw and put the team in danger of being eliminated. While leaving the field the team was booed by supporters who had traveled from afar to see their country play. Wayne Rooney, arguably the best player on England and one of the best in the world left the pitch and turned to camera and cursed the fans for booing the team and said it didn’t help at all. Well, you know what Wayne – play better and we wouldn’t boo….

How do you express your fandom? Can you see yourself as part of a supporters club or would you just rather go to games and clap clap clap

Any Real Rivalries Left?

After watching the most recent ESPN 30for30 documentary on Reggie Miller and the New York Knicks and seeing the hatred the fans had toward the opposition, seeing how the players didn't get along, the hard fouls and over the top coverage from the local media, it made me think - are there any real rivalries left?

If there are any rivalries, they are few and far between. In that same 30 for 30 documentary, the coach of the Knicks at the time was Pat Riley and he instructed his players not to shake the hands or talk to the Pacers players. That would never happen today. In a recent interview, T'Wolves player Kevin Love talked about how he grew up playing against the other top 10 picks from his rookie class. He can't hate any of them because they are his good friends. He may still be competitive, but I can't see him punching any of them.

Football is the same way. While growing up, the best of the best that eventually make the NFL play on High School All-Star teams, go to combines or visit universities together. Obviously, football is a physical game and players are still going to hit each other, but the friendliness before and after the game takes away from the rivalries.

The real rivalries aren't with the players anymore, they are holding on simply because of the fans.

So according to the fans (or at least this fan) here are some of the best rivalries left;

SOCCER
There are lots of rivalries in Europe, especially those cities that have two teams. My vote is for the North London rivalry between Tottenham and Arsenal. This rivalry has been one sided lately, but the Spurs finally broke through this past weekend, winning for the first time in 10 years! With that win and Tottenham on the verge of qualifying for Europe, just maybe the tides are turning.

BASEBALL
Just watch ESPN Sunday night baseball to see who the rivalries are, because those are the games that are always shown. The obvious choice is Red Sox vs. Yankees, but I think that Cubs vs. Cardinals is about to take over. This rivalry features the best player in the game in Albert Pujols and the longest World Series drought. It is Sox vs. Yankees circa 2004.

HOCKEY
Any of the Canadian teams or original six teams against each could qualify, but I think the hatred runs deepest in the west. The battle of Alberta, no matter how crappy the Oilers are, that rivalry with the Flames brings out the best hockey.

FOOTBALL
I'll let one of the best football writers take this one, from a recent Monday Morning QB article, Peter King broke it down like this...

NFL rivalries. The best before Sunday night (current, not necessarily historical) were Patriots-Colts, Packers-Vikings, Ravens-Steelers, Jets-Patriots. The Eagles-Giants, Eagles-Cowboys, Cowboys-Giants rotated in intensity. Now the Eagles and Redskins will go into that top group for the next three or four years. If I'm Howard Katz, the NFL schedule-maker who has a major headache putting this season's slate together, I'm going back to my drawing board this morning on Philly-Washington to make sure at least one of those two meetings is a national prime-time game.

BASKETBALL
Phil Jackson might have started a rivalry this week, when he named Kevin Durant as a player who gets special treatment from the referee's. Especially, with the Lakers and Thunder set to meet in the first round of the playoffs. This rivalry could continue because as Durant is one of the best young players in the game and Kobe still has some fight left in him. The one rivalry that lives on is New York vs. LA Lakers. No matter the situation in the standings this is always a good game from the two giant franchises and with the Knicks ready to make a splash in free agency this summer, get ready for multiple tv appearances and lots of media coverage of the two teams.

Now that I started the conversation, what are your favourite rivalries in sport?

Fan Protest - A How To Guide

Toronto was never the city of champions - Edmonton got that crown a long time ago, but the big city mentality has always been that Toronto should win major sports championships.

Toronto is never called a "small market team", the owners of the cities franchises have lots of cash, players (especially hockey) like playing in the city, the fans are knowledgeable and loud and players generally seem to enjoy the city while they are here. Unfortunately, winning championships though, is still not something that happens regularly in Toronto and lately even being a competitive team has been a struggle.

Check out the resume;
Toronto Maple Leafs - No Stanley Cup titles since....not even gonna mention the year
Toronto Blue Jays - Last title was 1993, haven't been competitive since the strike in 1994
Toronto Argos - Last Grey Cup 2004, been through a couple of owners recently and were a miserable 3-15 last year
Toronto Raptors - Haven't won a championship in 15 years. 5 playoff appearances, and only one playoff series win
Toronto FC - No playoff appearances in the 3 years and 3 coaches in the same length of time

What are fans to do when losing is unbearable and no one is fixing any of the problems? Fans in other cities have protested owners and franchises, but Toronto fans are too loyal. Leafs and Raps fans have been selling out the ACC (and the Gardens before that) no matter how many loses the team compiles. The Jays and Argos have there die hard fans and get about the same attendance year after year now. TFC is still new enough that fans flock to the BMO Field.

Although, not going to the games isn't really an option (people like going too much) and the walk-out has never worked really well, but I think the soccer firms (fan clubs) in England have the protest down to a science. When Manchester United and Liverpool fans unite, wear different colours but can still support their teams, that is how a fan protest should work.

So Toronto...who is ready to arrange a protest for the last Leafs game of the season. Everyone can wear green and white like the St. Pats. It would be a great night for all and might send a statement...

Someone start the Facebook Fan page, haha...

Update: United hopes to get 1 million protesters- and you thought Leafs fans were die hard.