Roberto Alomar Visits a Friend of Mine

By Ethan Rabidoux

I went to Queen’s University with Michael Hart and his older brother Aaron. They were two of the nicest guys I met and huge baseball fans.

Now, Michael is battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

Recently, Michael was visited by his favourite baseball player from his childhood.I’m sure many of us shared a similar admiration for Roberto Alomar.

He is probably the best all-around Blue Jay in team history.

Check out this article:

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110516&content_id=19139422&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor&tcid=fb-tor-alomarvisitshospiatl-051611

Alomar dropped by the hospital to visit Michael and wish him a speedy recovery.

I felt the need to share this on this blog. I want to wish Michael a quick recovery so he can get back down to the Rogers Centre as soon as possible.

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UFC 129 a Knockout

By Ethan Rabidoux

Let me start off this blog post by stating the obvious; last night’s UFC Pay-Per-View wasn’t the greatest PPV the MMA juggernaut has ever produced.

That’s true. But it was still pretty damn good.

The fallout this morning in the media has been an unbelievable amount of bitching about the main event between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields.

Check it out: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ys-meltzer_stpierre_ufc129_victory050111

I simply can’t get my head around the complaints. Obviously I would have liked to have seen a knockout or some kind of dramatic finish but that really isn’t St Pierre’s style. It never has been.

On occasion he thrills the crowd with some spectacular finisher but he’s climbed to the top of the Welterweights with his very disciplined and patient fighting style. St Pierre’s fight last night was exactly how I thought it would go…

With one big exception. Shields did much better than I anticipated. There’s no doubt that St Pierre won the fight. He landed more body blows and he remained in control the whole match but the hits landed by Shields did more visible damage.

St Pierre was a bleeding good from above his eye by the end and the match never went to the ground. St Pierre was able to keep the whole match as a stand-up fight which is what he prefers whereas Shields is stronger on the mat.

Despite that, Shields stood his ground and did well. GSP had to skip the post fight press-conference to go the hospital.

Given everything I just said, that’s not a bad main event match. The outcome was what everyone wanted with a few unexpected surprises tossed into the mix.

Everyone wants to see something climactic especially on a historic night. Instead, fans got a very good bout that went the distance and surprised everyone.

When viewed from that perspective, people need to cool their jets. UFC 129 was a knockout.

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Habs Need Their Away-Game Mentality

By Ethan Rabidoux

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action tomorrow night.

Les Habitants currently lead Boston 2-1 in the quarter finals. It should be 3-0.

Tuesday’s performance was absolutely pitiful until the middle of the third period. Montreal fought like hell in Boston then came home and flopped. It was like they were just watching the Bruins do their thing.

In the last ten or fifteen minutes, the Habs finally stepped it up and peppered the Bruins but couldn’t quite seal the deal. Had they played like that for the entire game, the results would have been different.

I never thought I’d agree with Don Cherry on hockey but he said Tuesday night during Coach’s Corner that the Montreal Canadiens snap to attention when they’re on the road then slack off in front of a home crowd.

He said that in the context of Montreal’s mediocre performance in the first two periods of Game Three and I think he’s on to something.

Game Four is tomorrow night in Montreal. We’ll see if the Habs bring their away-game mentality to the Bell Centre and bury the Boston Creams.

On a completely different note, I stopped watching last night’s Blue Jays game in the 8th inning thinking it was going nowhere and Toronto was going to lose…

Boy was I wrong!

I still don’t think Toronto earns a Wild Card Spot this year. I think all the pieces are there for the Blue Jays to be contenders in two seasons but they still need some maturity before visions of the post season can dance in the heads of Jays fans.

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Hockey, Baseball and MMA

By Ethan Rabidoux

Forgive my recent hiatus over the last two weeks. I spent one week in Cuba and then the following week catching up at work.

Right off the bat, I wish to share something about Mixed Martial Arts. My girlfriend’s brother brought a kick-ass website to my attention. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before.

You can stream UFC fights live from here:

http://mmaint.com/mma-live-stream

They’re pretty good at getting the fights up almost instantly. Anyways, I thought I would share.

The Toronto Blue Jays got off to a decent start. They won their series against the Minnesota Twins.

I still think the Jays are at least two seasons away from even a Wild Card finish.

Toronto doesn’t have the power it had last year but it doesn’t need as much power as last year. The teams still needs pitching.

Guys like Brandon Morrow are future 20-game-winners but not for a few more seasons.

That’s the crux of the issue. Most of what’s needed for a playoff run is there but it needs a few more years to mature.

I think Jays fans are in for a good solid year of baseball but still no playoffs just yet.

As for hockey,

Montreal will move on to the playoffs, Toronto will not. All is right in the universe.

And Carey Price was votes MVP by the fans as he deserves to be. Too many of my Leaf friends were giddy at the start of this season with predictions of Montreal’s demise due to an incompetent goaltender.

Enjoy eating crow my Hogtown homies! See you next season.

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Strikeforce Struck Down

By Ethan Rabidoux

Dana White has proven once more that he is the master of the MMA universe.

The announcement last weekend that UFC has purchased its biggest rival has almost completely eradicated any competition in the industry.

Strikeforce now joins Pride and WEC in the graveyard of UFC challengers. White has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to monopolize Mixed Martial Arts.

But is that a good thing?

I was a fan of UFC long before UFC was cool. I prefer its product to any of its previous opponents but I also believe competition is not only healthy, but essential for any industry to reach its full potential.

Case-in-point – professional wrestling. The finest era for fans was when WWE, WCW and ECW were duking it out in the ratings pushing the other to do better.

Vince McMahon absorbed his two opponents in 2001 and now wrestling sucks.

Lest anyone get indignant, obviously there are differences between WWE and UFC that will ensure UFC never gets as bad as professional wrestling. For one thing, it’s real.

What I’m talking about is the business side of the industry. This is Economics 101; monopolies are inefficient and inferior to perfect competition.

So far, Dana White’s approach has been vindicated. MMA remains the fastest growing sport on earth and UFC is at the crest of the tidal wave. We’ll have to wait and see the long term impact of White’s predatory, competition-crushing methods.

As for the deal itself, it was a no-brainer for UFC in the short term. From what I’ve read, the Strikeforce investors were looking to sell. ProElite Inc. was looking at buying it up. For those who don’t know, ProElite Inc. was once a dominant fight promotion in the USA and was then bought up by the even larger conglomerate Stratus Media Group.

They were circling the wagons looking to buy Strikeforce. Dana White was concerned that a group of well funded investors who know a thing-or-two about fight promotion may be able to mount a challenge the UFC hegemony.

White pounced first.

Allow me to repeat myself; I love the product Dana White pumps out and it is in his organization’s interest to crush all opponents.

I just don’t think it’s healthy for any single company, however good they are at what they do, to control absolutely every square inch of market share.

I vote for competition. It will give fans that much more choice and force all promoters to stay on their toes.

In the meantime, I’ll just keep enjoying the fight while the fighting is good.

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NFL Lockout from the owners’ perspective

By Steve Bull

With the talk of an NFL lockout still floating about the sports-ether alongside the names “Chara” and “Pacioretty” I’m going to take a stance many don’t.

I side with the owners.

Now before you jump through your computer screen and throttle me, let me clarify.

I’m not speaking to the details of this NFL bru-ha-ha.  Nor the past NHL lockout.  Or even the MLB one before that.

I’m speaking in broad generalities here.

Back in your chair?   Phew!  Ok, here we go.

The basic argument of player vs. owners boils down to this: The “product” is the game on the field/rink/diamond and the players are the entire reason the league and “product” exist.  Therefore, they are entitled to the profits the fat-cat owners rake in without ever taking to the field.

It’s obviously much more complex than that, but I’m sure we can agree that’s the basic breakdown.  Players do the work and are the draw, and should share in the cash.

Wrong.

The players are employees and in terms of the business, they’re just a piece of a much larger puzzle.

Strip away merchandise, and concessions, and venues, and TV rights, and even just to people paying money to see sport X played.

The owner of any business has certain risks and rewards and responsibilities.

RISK: They risk their own money – massive amounts in terms of the pro-leauges, ranging from hundreds of millions of dollars to more than a billion.  (In 2010, Forbes estimated the value of the Dallas Cowboys at $1.65 billion, the Washington Redskins at $1.55 billion, and the New York Yankess at $1.5 billion).

The players, on the other hand, risk their bodies… they train their entire lives, make massive sacrifices, and for that they are handsomely rewarded.  NHL.com lists the MINIMUM salary for a player in 2010-2011 at $500,000(http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26366).  That’s minimum wage.   Back in 2008, TSN reported the AVERAGE salary of an NHL player was $1,906,793 (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=240324).  More than fair.  More on this under REWARD.

If the player gets injured, their career is over.  But they – in almost every case – can go on to other careers.  Many have side businesses while players (i.e. Mr. Horton and his little donut shop in Hamilton).

If the team goes under the owner loses millions, if not billions.  If they lose money in one year, who covers that??  Not the players.  The owners.

If you want to share in the profits, you share in the risk like a shareholder of a corporation.  If times are good, it’s good for you, but if times are bad, well sorry fella…. hope you’ve got a diversified portfolio.

REWARD:

“Players don’t play the game for their whole lives… they need to make more to survive!”

There are no shortage of sites working on this, but one estimate(http://www.quanthockey.com/Distributions/CareerLengthSeasons.php) has the average at 5.52 years.  Let’s round that down to 5 and even round the average salary from $1.9 million down to $1 – halfway between the minimum and the average, a conservative estimate.  That’s an average career payday of $5 million dollars.  Assuming they start playing pro early, at 20, and end at 25, and they live an average life expectancy of 75 years they have $5 million to last 55 years…. an average of roughly $91,000/year…. more than reasonable.  Anything more now you have to justify not only that athletes deserve to earn enough to last their lifetime, they also DESERVE to earn a luxurious life??  Nope.  Be a superstar, make more than the minimum or get endorsements… otherwise, chalk your career up to 5 years in the bigs, experiences most only dream about, and enough money to live well above the average level of comfort for your entire life.

The owners risk billions of dollars, are on the hook for annual losses, and everything in between.  If they turn a profit – good for them.  They earned it.

RESPONSIBILITY:

The owners are responsible for the entire franchise… all that fun stuff we eliminated earlier: the merchandise, the TV rights, the venue, the fan base (marketing).

The players are responsible for their individual actions.

If the player messes up… the team may lose a game.

If the owner messes up… the team may go under.  The players are out of jobs.  The front office is out of jobs.  The arena/stadium staff are out of jobs.  And the fans have nothing to cheer for.

I’m down with athletes making big bucks to be on the big stage and have people like me expect perfection from them.  And yes, the current model is more equitable than the old days when players had to have summer or winter jobs to pay the bills while the owners raked it all in.  But no, the players aren’t “entitled” to the profits until the players unions agree to share the financial liability for losses.
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Myron Rolle could save the NFL’s image, but the NFL has questions

By Daniel Punch

Check the football headlines today.

You’ll find unadulterated greed tearing apart the NFL as players and owners fight for a bigger slice of the endless money pie.

You’ll also find unimaginable stupidity guiding four players from the national champion Auburn Tigers who were arrested for armed robbery, blowing maybe the best opportunity of their lives.

Dig deeper—there’s more to be depressed about. As I mull through these discouraging stories about my favourite sport, I am reminded of an older story that passed under the radar for most sports pans, but one that deserves to be rehashed.

It’s the story of a supreme athlete, Rhodes Scholar, and budding philanthropist—and also of the NFL’s unforgivable short-sightedness. It’s the story of Myron Rolle.

Myron Rolle was a highly-touted safety out of Florida State

Rolle’s story is both inspirational and infuriating and must be told in two parts. ESPN’s Wright Thompson does a fantastic job of telling the first part and I invite you to read for yourself.

But to sum it up quickly, Rolle was a third-team All American, second-team all ACC safety for the Florida State Seminoles. He was a first-team freshman all American in 2006 and went on to start almost every game in his three seasons at FSU—one of the top football schools in the nation. His credentials and his play on the field had many prognosticators picking Rolle to be drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. This would mean big bucks for the Bahamian-American kid and a bright future in pro ball.

There was just one problem—Rolle wasn’t your typical NCAA athlete. While many of his peers left school after three years to cash in at the NFL draft, Rolle was leaving FSU because he was finished. He had earned his Bachelor’s Degree in two-and-a-half years with all his pre-medical requirements and a lofty 3.75 GPA. Rolle had his eyes on an even bigger opportunity than the NFL draft—at least in his eyes—as he was offered the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

Instead of tunnel vision towards Sunday stardom, Rolle had his bright eyes set on neurosurgery, on opening a free health care clinic in the Bahamas, and just about everywhere else his brilliant mind and ambition could take him. So Rolle decided to opt out of the 2009 NFL draft and instead spent a year earning his Master of Science in Medical Anthropology, returning to enter the 2010 draft and continue his football career.

The first part of Rolle’s story is filled with superlatives about this polite, dedicated kid for whom the possibilities are truly endless—the kind of kid you dream your daughter brings home. But in the second part of the story, the NFL showed that they weren’t much interested in having Rolle come to dinner. In the 2010 NFL draft, Rolle’s name wasn’t called until the last pick of the second-last round.

How did this happen? How did a talented, brainy, projected first-rounder fall so far in the draft? Apparently NFL teams questioned his dedication to football.

He did, after all, forego the opportunity to jump to the NFL at the first possible chance. And of course that should be the only ambition for today’s NFL player. Players are supposed to dream but only within the confines of the field.

Rolle earned the Rhodes Scholarship and studied at Oxford University

Instead of a player dedicated to greatness in all facets of his life, NFL teams opted for those more ‘dedicated to football’. So Rolle had to watch while players who tested positive for drugs and players with ‘off the field issues’ paraded up to the stage before him.

The man had aspirations beyond a multi-million dollar contract, and somehow that was a problem for the NFL. He had dreams to do more with his life than play a game that—albeit a great game—is only a game. Not dedicated to football? Here is a man who had to forego a career in ANYTHING HE WANTED to return to the draft. Should’t the world of neurosurgery feel just as spurned as the NFL?

And so the NFL futilely fought to squash its image problem amidst sexual assaults, shootings, drug charges and other ‘dedicated’ acts while Myron Rolle spent the 2010 season on the Tennessee Titans practice squad. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. But I’d have a hard time believing it had to do with dedication.

His peers will likely go on to miss games holding out for bigger contracts, be arrested for God-knows-what, and then flame out at the tender age of 30. But Myron Rolle is going to keep doing what he does. He’s going to keep studying, working hard, and running multiple community-based social programs in Florida. He’s going to succeed in many ways regardless of whether the NFL gives him an opportunity.

It just seems like a waste to give up on this kind of person so quickly. Shouldn’t pro sports be promoting the Myron Rolles of the world? If you’re an NFL owner and have to choose between Myron Rolle with one eye on a medical kit and Ben Roethlisberger with one eye on the coed in the bathroom, which one is the bigger risk?

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Chara hit yet another overblown NHL incident

By Jesse Reynolds

A loose puck, a battle along the boards, and then a rub out.

A hockey play.

A scandal?

This week’s hockey hysteria — seemingly constant in a season full of ‘incidents’ — centers on Zdeno Chara, who rode Max Pacioretty into the stanchion at the Bell Centre in a recent Boston-Montreal game. As a result of the hit, the Canadiens’ player has a concussion and a fractured vertebrae in his neck — a serious injury; there’s no argument there. Hopefully Pacioretty will be back on his feet and ready to play again soon.

The real problem here is not anyone directly related to the incident, or to the NHL.

As is often the case, it’s the people who never really have anything to say about the sport until something unfortunate happens. This week’s incident, not surprisingly, has prompted people who know very little about hockey to speak their minds and make total asses of themselves.

The only opinions that matter here are those of the players, teams and officials involved, the league, hockey insiders in the media, and (naturally!) mine.

When I want a knowledgeable opinion about something related to hockey, it doesn’t come to mind to ask an airline, the police, or the Prime Minister.

Maybe just once, the mouth-running naysayers could bite their tongues, let it go and spare our fair sport their meaningless drivel. Obviously not the case this time around, and for that my keyboard is now the beneficiary of my frustration.

Let’s think about the hit for a second.

At the time it occurred, Boston was clearly losing the game (which ended 4-0 in Montreal’s favour). Pacioretty had been a thorn in the side of the Bruins all night. He was racing Chara for a puck, and the big defender angled him out and into the boards — a standard defensive play.

“Experts” who have no doubt seen nothing but a five-second clip of the hit, or at best highlights of the game, will determine that it was a vicious attack and that Chara fully intended it. Whether or not he did intend it is subjective (he claims he didn’t), but as far as instant replay is concerned, this was a common hockey play.

What made it an incident was where it took place on the ice. Among hockey players, the padded stanchion between the teams’ benches and the glass has always been known as a dangerous spot to find yourself on the end of a body check. But every so often there you are, headed right toward it with nothing to do but brace yourself.

When a player takes a clean hit and suffers a serious injury, it’s unfortunate. Hitting is not a part of hockey so that players can injure each other; it is a way to defend, to dispossess an opponent of the puck, and to swing the emotional momentum in your team’s favor. If a hit (as in this case) doesn’t break any rules, it doesn’t merit a suspension.

Frankly, the five-minute major for interference (giggle) and game misconduct issued to Chara on the play was more than adequate punishment. And despite pressure from outside sources, the NHL is standing firm on their decision — good on them. They’ve been suspending players for dangerous hits all season, controlling the issue well. But it can’t get out of hand.

As for the voices of concern, best to pick them apart one at a time.

Montreal Canadiens

In the past few days, reports say that the Canadiens feel ‘helpless’ because of the lack of disciplinary action.

I’m sorry guys, aren’t you professional hockey players? What have you been doing your entire lives? That’s right, take his number and remember him next time. Get him back with a nice clean hit. (Note: Don’t pull a Bertuzzi)

Pacioretty says he is ‘disgusted’ that there is no suspension. If I were him, I would be too. But the mark of a true sportsman would be to understand why they made the decision and agree with it. A lot of players have had their careers jeopardized by big, clean hits. It’s a part of the game — ask Eric Lindros and Alyn MacCauley about it.

Air Canada

Is this a publicity stunt? I understand that they’re a major sponsor, I really do. But at what point did they get the idea that they could use their sponsorship dollars as weight in the league’s decisions? Gary Bettman stated that if they didn’t like it, they could take their dollars elsewhere. I thought I’d never say this about Bettman, but here it is… well played, Mr. Commissioner.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

He says he’s concerned about the number of serious injuries in recent times and that the league should take care of this for its own good.

Honestly, who isn’t concerned about serious injuries? Suspending Chara on this occasion is not going to curb the number of players hurt by body checks. The NHL is keeping its focus on dangerous checks and headshots where there is intent to injure — truly illegal hits.

Also, the only time I ever saw the PM at a hockey game, he was wearing a Senators jersey. That’s all the information I need to classify him as someone who knows nothing about hockey. Thanks, but no thanks Mr. Harper. Why don’t you stick to reviving the economy and making lame TV spots?

Montreal Police

As if this body check hasn’t already turned into enough of a sideshow, the police are investigating whether the incident merits criminal prosecution.

I am embarrassed for them. Come on, guys. Let’s just admit that a bunch of Habs fans down at the precinct got together, lost their minds, and decided this was a good idea.

 

Bottom line, nobody likes to see anyone get injured. If the play had resulted in nothing but a big hit, and Pacioretty had gotten right back up, you can bet the Canadiens would be after Chara and it would have put a huge jolt of adrenaline into an already tense match-up.

That’s hockey. Take it or leave it.

EDIT (March 12): Came across this today. Very similar incident at the Bell Centre — a player (John Sim) is sent flying headfirst into the stanchion by Montreal Canadiens’ defenseman Hal Gill. The fans cheer, Sim gets back up, and the game continues outrage-free.

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Probert’s Brain

By Ethan Rabidoux

Former NHL tough guy Bob Probert’s brain has been studied. It was discovered that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy when he died.

Naturally, this has revived the debate over fighting in hockey since Probert was a legendary brawler.

Check out this article:

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/brain+hammers+message+home/4382994/story.html

This article points out that, aside from fighting, Probert also abused drugs and alcohol which probably didn’t help anything.

But the bigger point in this article comes from Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault. He says he’s more concerned about injuries from hitting than from fighting.

Players are far more likely to get scrambled by a hard, physical check along the boards than from a fist fight on the ice.

Don Cherry has weighed in on the issue offering up his criticism of the equipment hockey players now wear. They may as well have on body armour.

Cherry specifically cited the massive shoulder pads players now wear as the cause of the concussions. They are rock hard and enable the players to bulldoze through each other.

Ironically, it’s akin to the introduction of the boxing glove in the late 1800s. It was designed to prevent injuries but all it did was make the fighters more willing to hit to the head since their knuckles were now more protected.

I do think the occasional hockey fight adds some excitement to an already exciting sport and I don’t buy for one second that Probert’s brain damage was from throwing fists.

The issue of concussions in the NHL is far more complicated than a simple ban on fighting.

This also isn’t an issue only in hockey. Boxing, football and even professional wrestling have grappled with brain injuries far worse and far more often than the NHL.

Check out this video The Fifth Estate did on Chris Benoit. Start watching it at the 2:25 mark. It goes in-depth about the problem of concussions in wrestling and football.

You can bet this also applies to hockey and banning fighting will barely make a dent in the problem.

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NFL Lockout: Owners about to fumble their golden egg

By Daniel Punch

Imagine a world with no NFL football. It sounds like the tagline from some nightmarish dystopian movie. But it’s becoming more and more possible we won’t need to wait until 2012 for a disaster.

The first zero-hour in a string of many for the 2011 NFL season comes Thursday at midnight when the old collective bargaining agreement officially expires. The two parties have yet to make any significant progress and a deal looks extremely unlikely before that time.

So it appears that shit will be hitting the fan in the most profitable sports league in the world. I know as much about labour law as Vince Young does about quantum physics, but they tell me things will unfold this way: At midnight the owners will officially lock the players out while the players union will officially dissolve.These are supposedly the big-gun negotiating tactics that will back the opposing party into a corner. But with both sides in their own corners, it’s hard to get much done.

All is certainly not lost. Things won’t really get dicey until the scheduled start of training camp in July. If neither side has budged by that point, the season would be in serious jeopardy.

Sports collective bargaining always seems like the tactics of crybaby kids, but this time is particularly pathetic. The NFL makes $9 billion annually and has long stood up as the model sports organization, complete with a profit-sharing system that ensured an unmatched level of parity and success. The squabbling and inability to keep a CBA amidst that kind of gold rush sends one clear signal: $9 billion just isn’t enough.

They say your dollar just won’t go as far these days, and commissioner Roger Goodell agrees.

I usually direct most of my ire in these situations at the players. The owners are often faceless billionaires doing only what we expect of such people—squeezing every possible penny out of the common man. On the other hand, the players are our heroes. They’re our example of how talent and perseverance can elevate anyone to greatness—and they betray our love and admiration for some extra cash.

But this time I’m pointing the finger at ownership. The owners chose to opt out of the 2006 deal that led to their record profits this past season. The owners are the one with the demands—a higher share of that $9 billion profit and a reorganized 18-game season.

Sorry to tell you, NFL owners, but you’ve got the cushiest deal in professional sports. You have the world’s most profitable league and plenty of rules in place to make sure you gravy train never runs dry.

The NFL has a hard salary cap. It’s not the cushy, exemption-filled luxury tax—doesn’t it just sound plush and filled with down feathers?—of the NBA, or the lawless Wild West spend-a-thon in Major League Baseball. It’s a hard cap—as hard as Ray Lewis and Marvin Harrison driving a stolen Escalade. You just don’t spend more than the cap. Remember how the NHLPA fought tooth and nail to try and keep the hard cap out of their league? Well the NFL already has it and it’s not even on the table anymore.

NFL players make the least money on average of players in any of the big four sports. Yes, the sport where contact is required on every single play, and where players risk their long term health more than any other, pays its athletes the least.

And NFL players have less job support than your average mafia loan shark. Players can be cut before the season regardless of the terms of their contract, and the team doesn’t owe them another penny. There’s no cashing in on one big season then coasting for the term of your $100 million dollar deal. A player can sign a huge long-term contract one year and be out of work the next. At least the mafia will take care of your family after you get whacked.

Owners don’t just want more money, they also want players to play two more games per season. The ‘enhanced season’—as the NFL calls it—would eliminate two preseason games and add expand the regular season schedule. While this is appealing to the fan in me, I can’t imagine the toll two extra meaningful games would put on players’ bodies.

The NFL plays 16 games instead of 82 or 162 for a reason—you just can’t play more! Players need a week of rest to recover and to prepare for the next brutal chess game the following Sunday. The list of injuries is already packed through 16 games and if you tack on another two it will just mean more less-entertaining games played by shorthanded teams.

That’s without even mentioning the long-term affect it could have on an already hobbled and concussed group of NFL alumni. The league has quoted its own studies showing that more games don’t result in more injuries. That sure sounds logical, especially coming from a grizzled, battle-worn group like the NFL ownership…

To put the icing on the cake, the owners want to lead their players out to slaughter twice more, all while cutting their share of the profits. Talk about taking your golden egg and chucking in the goose’s face.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell

I’m not asking anyone to cry for NFL players. They’re making millions to play a game they love and I’m sure among them are some of the greediest people known to man. But look at where the NFL is as compared to other leagues and ask yourself if owners have a right to deprive fans of the sport we finance.

It was sad to see the 1994 MLB season cut short and I hated the 2004-2005 NHL lockout primarily because of the non-stop, obnoxious, news-less coverage on Canadian television. But losing an NFL season would be a serious blow to the millions of fans who make it a permanent fixture on their weekly calendars.

They say steroids saved baseball, but I’m not sure the NFL would need much in their needle to save their sport. Football is so deeply ingrained into the Sundays and Mondays of North American life that people will probably begrudgingly return come 2012 should the unthinkable happen this year. But that doesn’t make it right.

So I’m going to continue to calm fill the empty feeling in my stomach that started five minutes after the Super Bowl with the promise of the next NFL season six months down the road. And I’m going to have faith that the best sports league in the world will cut the crap and realize things don’t get much better than they have it. Either that or everyone can remember the $9 billion a cancelled season would cost them. Either way I have one message: Don’t make me watch the CFL, Roger Goodell. Don’t you dare.