John Albert Elway Jr.

I never liked John Elway back in the day. I can't say there was ever anything that John Elway did that caused my hard feelings for him. In fact, I can't even say that I remember seeing John Elway play. There is a faint memory of the Broncos beating the Cowboys back when I was a Dallas Fair-Weather fan, and being upset about that. But I'm not even 100% sure that ever happened. Maybe that was my way of justifying my disdain for him.

Or maybe it was the Church Ball Coach that would take me out of the game and say "You never make that pass! Unless you're John Elway, don't even try it!" Apparantly this guy wasn't a fan of full-court passes.

Or maybe it was getting beat every day at recess in 5th grade by the team with the 6th grader for a quarterback. Of course the kid's name was John, so you can imagine what everyone called him. "He throws like John Elway!" all the kids at school would say. He always wanted to use the Junior Size football that only three kids could catch. I started to dread recess because I knew we were headed for a beating. Eventually we had to stop playing because someone broke an arm. I did miss being able to play football at recess but I didn't miss playing against John.

I don't know why, but I never outgrew my dislike for John Elway, the man I knew nothing about. He was the Ben Roethlisberger of his day: he didn't look, talk, or act like someone who was good at football. He was retired by the time I started really caring about football so I never learned anything about him. I should have given him a second chance.

I am here today to say that John Elway is a hero and there are few, if any, pros that I respect more. I was checking out ESPN.com the other day and I came across an article by Rick Reilly titled Hey, pro, don't want to be a role model? It's not your choice. In the article he tells of a boy, Jake, who loses his father, and with that, his will to exist. Jake and his father were simple guys who loved the Broncos. When his father died, Jake didn't care about anything. Reilly surprised Jake by taking him to Elway's restaurant where they ran into the owner himself. Not all the details are clear about how much of the day was arranged by Reilly, but by the end of the day Elway kept surprising all of them. John Elway was a super hero to Jake. All it took was one day of kindness from an icon to bring a boy back to life.

Thank you, John Elway, for caring about the people who care about you. I think as kids we would all love to be friends with our favorite pros. As we grow older we start to think that all pros spend all their free time in gentlemen's clubs and shoot themselves in the leg for fun. I think there are a lot of good guys out there and I don't think our media gives them enough credit. On the other hand, giving the good guys credit makes it hard to keep hating them. A few more examples:

Santonio Holmes: shut down the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and shattered the dream of Cardinal's fans everywhere. So what does he do after the game? Goes back to the hotel with his kids and goes to bed! He didn't commit any crimes, or humiliate himself on the national stage. How am I supposed to feel about the guy now?

Pete Carrol: the thorn in the side of every other Pac-10 team. This guy steals our recruits, beats us during homecoming, and is condecending every time he talks about Tucson. You know what else he does? Spends his evenings and weekends with inner city kids trying to teach them that there is more to life than what they learn on the street. He figures if he's going to take a job in L.A. he might as well try to do some good while he's there.

It really tears a guy like me apart.

Too little credit is given to franchise owners who are good for the game. I seem to have developed a frustration toward owners who make decisions as if a sports team is a for-profit business. If you are interested in making money, buy some car washes. There is something pure about athletics that is cheapened when moves are made for money reasons.

For all the criticism he Yankees and Red Sox get for out-spending other baseball teams, you can't say they are not in it to win it. They and others may be judicial in their spending, but they do not make moves to "salary dump." The trading deadline this year valued expiring contracts, and trading for cash in a way that just didn't sit well with me. How can you demand a fan to emotionally invest in a team when it is obvious they aren't doing everything possible to win?

Stern was recently asked which of all the NBA owners in his tenure as commissioner was his favorite. One of those he mentioned was Larry Miller of the Jazz. He cited reasons including the success he brought to the team in the smallest media market, and establishing an environment where a coach could lead a team for 20 years...in the NBA of all leagues They held on to stars like Stockton and Malone, and now have Deron and Boozer. I admit to not being the biggest Jazz fan, but I became a fan of Miller's a few years ago. My most vivid memory of him was a report given by a Sager type before a playoff game in Salt Lake City. He reported that the Jazz owner would not be in attendance. That sounded crazy to skip a home playoff game. What could be more important? It turns out it was because the game was on Sunday, and he wasn't there for religious reasons. That was really cool. This is a must read

I don't know much about Miller, but all the articles since his passing have highlighted his contributions to the community as much as his business success. The NBA lost a great owner, and the community of Salt Lake city lost a good citizen.

Just like your home town, mine had a Foot Locker that everybody went to for Nike Airs, New Era hats, Starter jackets, and some various cheap shoe cleaning kits. By the time I was in high school, some football players a few years older than me got jobs there. Not only did they work there, they figured out a way to steal hundreds of dollars worth of shoes, hats, and apparel over several months time. One by one, the owner fired the people he thought were stealing the stuff, relying on the testimony of the most experienced employee, a friend of mine. Almost a year had gone by and just about everybody had been fired except my friend, yet stuff was still getting jacked. At that point, the owner knew my friend was the mastermind and fired him.

Flash forward to 2009 and the crumbling Phoenix Suns. One by one, all-star players are getting traded, coaches are getting fired, and rumors are flying faster than Ussain Bolt. There's obviously a problem, but lots of people are leaving and the problem is still there. This is the point where Steve Kerr is the only one left at the Foot Locker, and the owner has to fire him--NOW!
I don't need to explain what the Suns were, and what they are now, but to put it shortly, the Suns have become the sports equivalent of our economy. What once was a never-before-seen offensive statistics bubble, based on a high-risk "7 seconds or less" strategy, is now a bubble burst. Sound familiar?

Two things I don't get: 1) How has nobody mentioned Steve Kerr's sole responsibility in this mess? and 2) How did Steve Kerr get this job?? He's five years away from becoming the next Matt Millen. A likable former player that won multiple titles (because of hall of famer teammates), and was great in the booth. And like Millen, Kerr has no previous front-office experience. Why put someone in charge of a multi-million dollar organization if he's never held a position remotely close to the one he's offered? Maybe I should ask the man to Millen's left.

The worst part about this is that Steve Nash dies a little each time he has to walk the ball up the court . And sooner than you think, he's gonna retire and focus on his MLS interests. Steve Nash deserves a ring, BAD. And because of Steve Kerr (who has four undeserved rings) he probably won't. Let's just hope the Suns ownership isn't as dumb as William Ford; or worse, the owner of my local Foot Locker.

Ode To David Stern

I thought David Stern was partially to blame for the Suns being robbed in the 2005 playoffs by the Spurs (the villains). Stern refused to be reasonable about a silly rule that punished players from stepping foot onto the court during a fight. Stoudemire was suspended and the rest is history. Bad history. I thought the suspension was contrary to the spirit of the rule. I hated Stern.

My thoughts about Stern have changed. He gives insightful, and well reasoned responses to questions during interviews. I appreciate how he crafts answers in a way that masks his motives, yet candidly address difficult subjects unlike his commissioner contemporaries. He has some Bob Costas in him. His insights are always enjoyable, whether I agree with them or not. Speaking of Costas, he is on MLBTV now and was as good as ever when the A-Rod story broke.

I've come to appreciate his impact on the game. Save for the weird basketball and the WNBA, all his ideas have been really good. Ditching the Sideline Retro Jersey. Expanding in Europe and Asia through online presence and pre-season tours. Establishing a minor league in the D-League . This has a lot of promise, especially when the elite high-schoolers stop going to college all together. Making the All-Star weekend "cool." And, lastly, keeping the players union in check.
The challenge on the horizon are the ongoing negotiations to re-up a collective bargaining agreement. Let's hope that goes well.

If he'd only go retro...