A-Rod’s ALCS Woes ‘Blown out of Proportion’

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BY STEVEN KUBITZA

The New York Yankees bowed out of the ALCS last Thursday, but they still seem to dominate the media, both in print and on television.

The story throughout the postseason regarding the Yankees had to do with the struggles of Alex Rodriguez.  This was especially the case during the ALCS, when he went 1 for 9 in three games, as he was held out of the starting lineup for games three and four.

What the media ignored is that A-Rod was not the only Yankee to struggle against the Tigers in the ALCS. Robinson Cano went 1 for 18, Curtis Granderson went 0 for 11, and Mark Teixeira went 3-15. The entire lineup only accounted for 22 hits and 6 runs in four games against the Tigers.

While this offensive stagnation was occurring, it was made out to look like A-Rod was the sole reason for the decline. The coverage got worse once he was held out of the starting lineup for the third game of the series.

Upon the news that Rodriguez was being held out of the lineup, Curt Schilling of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight went on to say that he had a hard time seeing A-Rod return to the Yankees next season.  He questioned his ability to play in regular season games since he did not finish out the ALCS.

This point made sense, but he forgot to note that coaches make decisions based on who is playing well at the time. If A-Rod is struggling for a period of time, then it is nothing personal when he is held out of the lineup. It is simply done to give the offense a spark, especially when the entire team is struggling to hit. If there were valid replacements for each player, then Yankee manager Joe Girardi may have tried to make a few more changes.

Schilling echoed the thoughts of many, but those can quickly be put to rest by looking at the contract A-Rod is signed to in New York. He still has 5 years and $114 million left on the deal, along with incentives if he is to pass those ahead of him on the all-time home run list.

The World Series begins on Wednesday, and that should finally begin the transition from talk about A-Rod to talk about the Giants and the Tigers. That is, until the series is over and A-Rod again dominates offseason talks.

‘Dream Team’ documentary a ‘must see’

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BY ANTHONY ALFORD

The new documentary about the 1992 U.S. Men’s Basketball Olympic Team is a must see for any sports fan.

Produced by NBA TV, the film focuses on how superstars with huge competitive egos like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson can co-exist on the same team. More importantly, this film shows what it took for this Olympic team to be the best team in the history of team sports.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this documentary was how they focused on the internal competitive battles within the team.  It was Jordan versus Johnson or Barkley versus Malone to find out who was the best. The practice footage that was used to show these battles was brilliant. Viewers were able to really see how intense every practice was.

The documentary also went in-depth as to how the team’s head coach, Chuck Daly, then the Piston’s head coach, managed all the different personalities on this team. More interviews with assistant coaches, some of them Hall of Famers, would have strengthened the documentary.

The production of this film was excellent.  It gave the audience an in-depth look at the “Dream Team” through many interviews with a lot of perspective.

NBA TV is known for quality NBA programming because that network is operated by Turner Sports, which is the home to the best studio show in sports “Inside the NBA.”

ALCS Announcers Biased Toward Yankees

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BY LORI RAUDIO

Game one of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers was called by play-by-play announcer Ernie Johnson and analysts Ron Darling and John Smoltz. The dramatic game was filled with fair comments about both teams early on, but as the Yankees struggled, battled back, and eventually lost, the announcers’ comments swayed in favor and in defense of New York.

During the beginning of the game, I was impressed the commentators were equally talking about both teams. They would give a compliment to one team, calling the Yankees’ defense “Fort Knox in the infield,” and seconds later praising the “lumber hitters” of the Tigers. Favorable comments were also made about both starting pitchers, Andy Pettitte and Doug Fister. More examples of equitable coverage included video montages of both teams’ seasons and conversations with a member of both teams’ coaching staff in between innings.

The game was fairly quiet through the first few innings, but as play progressed biases became evident. The Yankees failed to produce a run after loading the bases in three separate innings, which turned the focus to the struggles of the Yankees players in the postseason. The announcers talked at length about their poor performance, discredited the good plays made by the Tigers’ Jhonny Peralta and Fister. While the announcers did mention Fister and Peralta, they seemed to be more concerned with the Yankees lack of production.

A topic that was revisited many times throughout the game was the postseason woes of Yankee Alex Rodriguez. He was benched the previous day against the Baltimore Orioles, and the announcers discussed his situation at seemingly every available moment. The camera frequently followed and zoomed in on him, even while the Tigers were batting and had men on base. Rodriguez seemed to be used as the scapegoat for the Yankees’ problems in the postseason.

Those problems continued as the Tigers took a four run lead, but the announcers kept expecting the Yankees to strike back, saying “this is when the Yankees do their best work against the Tigers.” The Yankees did exactly that, in dramatic fashion, in the bottom of the 9th inning. Tigers’ pitcher Jose Valverde gave up two home runs which tied the game. With the Yankees resurgence, more of the announcers’ biases came out, evident in their excitement. Raul Ibanez’s game-tying home run was even praised by one of the announcers as “the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.” They seemed to think the Yankees then had it in the bag, but the Tigers came back in extra innings to win game one of the ALCS by a score of 6-4.

An interesting note for the rest of the series involves Derek Jeter’s injury in the 12th inning. A broken ankle on a diving play ended Jeter’s postseason, and the announcers seemed very upset by this news. As the series continues, it will be interesting to see the stance the media takes on Jeter and the Yankees. If the Yankees lose, it could easily be blamed on the loss of Jeter. If they win, the team could be celebrated for winning without Jeter’s experience and leadership. Whatever the results may be, the remainder of the ALCS will be worth watching.

New TBS Digital Strike Zone Tracker Distracting and Unfair

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BY MATTHEW OSTROW

The new strike zone tracker is distracting and possibly unfair to umpires even though it provides information to fans.

For the Major League Baseball Divisional Series on TBS, the whole game there is a picture of the strike zone showing where each pitch was and the total pitch count.

While this may provide some statistical information to the viewers, this broadcast feature has greater setbacks. 

In the past broadcasts for baseball stations have only used a digital strike zone tracker for big pitches or balls they thought were close.  This change to have a strike zone tracker on the screen the whole game changes some things for the viewer and is something the commentators constantly reference.

Those familiar with baseball know, more than most sports, baseball has a large human element to it.  The strike zone is included in that.  The strike zone is completely up to the umpire. To make balls and strikes so concrete by having a digital strike zone tracker on the side of the broadcast the whole game belittles the umpire.  The strike zone is always changing based on the batter and type of pitches being thrown.

           

According to mlb.com the strike zone is defined as:

           

Rule 2.00: The Strike Zone

The STRIKE ZONE is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter’s stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball.

This rule allows for some judgment by the umpire based on many factors.  The digital strike zone tries to make balls and strikes more concrete.

Not only does this digital strike zone make things hard for the umpire it makes the viewing experience worse for the fan.  While watching an intense game between the Nationals and Cardinals almost a fourth of the screen is being taken up by this strike zone tracker.  This takes away from seeing the beautiful ballpark, clutters the screen and detracts from the viewing experience.

The digital strike zone tracker may be appropriate for big pitches that are close or to show during replays, but the whole game is too much.  Having it on the whole game could hurt the perception of the umpires.  It would be far more effective for breaks in play and replays.

Madden ’13 commentary tops 2012

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 BY MATTHEW OSTROW

The commentary team for the video game “Madden 2013” is the same duo on CBS on Sundays in Phil Simms and Jim Nance.  The duo makes the video game experience feel very similar to watching a Sunday NFL broadcast.  Even the introduction changes according to the venue. When I play with the Vikings at the Metrodome, Nance said, “Be prepared to see a lot of purple today.” He also talked about the stadium’s history.

The analysis from Simms is, for the most part, very accurate and not repetitive.  If you choose a running play and don’t go for the correct gap, Simms lets you know the poor play was a result of the running back’s decision.  Simms also will quickly comment on the way you try to make adjustments at the line with an audible or shift your defense with comments like, “Look at the defense, this has to be a blitz,” or “The quarterback doesn’t like what he sees and is making a change.”

Nance does a good job setting up Simms and the commentary flows pretty well for a video game. In the past, commentary sounded robotic. Now, Nance talks, in detail, about the star players when they come onto the field.  When Robert Griffin III came onto the field, Nance said: “RG3 the 2nd overall pick out of the University of Baylor.”  Then, Simms goes on to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of Griffin as a quarterback.

My only problem with the commentary team of Simms and Nance is that they show very little emotion.  While playing a game down four points in the 4th quarter, my player, Jerome Simpson, made a great one-handed catch. With no conviction, Nance said “Good catch, that will be a first down.”  I would like to have the announcer show more excitement for an amazing play in such a big moment of the game.However, in comparison to last year’s broadcast team of Gus Johnson and Chris Collinsworth, Nance and Simms are a great overall improvement.  They make the Madden experience better with their analysis and class.

First Take a ‘must watch’

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BY MATTHEW OSTROW

The setup of ESPN’s debate show is Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless discussing various issues in sports with Jay Crawford as host.  Stephen A. and Skip are both strong personalities who constantly take stances on the current issues in sports.  Both make very bold claims constantly, which makes for an entertaining show.

Earlier in the year, after Scottie Pippen said Lebron James is the best player ever, Stephen A. was very angry. He responded, “Scottie Pippen ought to be banned from Chicago for the day.” Stephen A. has also called former Raider’s quarterback Jamarcus Russell, “Jabba the Hut, lazy fat slob.”  It is statements like this that make Stephen A. a television personality people either love or love to hate.

Skip has become one of the most vocal people in the media giving Lebron James grief.  Skip has gone on to call Lebron names such as, “the Frozen One” and “Prince James.” This baffles Stephen A. Smith who is a pretty big Lebron supporter.  Stephen A. often uses words such a blasphemous and absolutely ridiculous.  Sometimes, while Skip makes his point, Stephen A. pretends to fall asleep or look at his phone. 

The issue with First Take is, at times, it can become more about whose prediction was right and not about the actual sporting event.  Nonetheless, the show has become something fans talk about during the actual sporting event.  During the final game of the NBA finals, after Lebron won, many people were very excited to see what Skip would say about it. 

First Take is one of the most entertaining sport talk shows on television.  With celebrity guests and the larger-than-life characters, First Take has become must watch sports entertainment.

The Media and Penn State: One Year Later

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BY LORI RAUDIO

The Penn State University scandal involving Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno happened over a year ago already, but it is still making headlines.

The media has been jumping at the chance to do follow up stories examining how the people of Penn State, as well as the city State College, have been affected. One such story appeared on a Nov. 5 regional cover of Sports Illustrated titled, “We Are Still Penn State,” which followed a July article from the magazine called “We Were Penn State.”

The article by S.L. Price argues Penn State University and the surrounding area are too focused on football, continuing to chant the famous “We Are Penn State,” even in the wake of the scandal. This statement of affiliation is now controversial and even called “self defense” by Price. The community is now being criticized for supporting their team.

Price quotes Penn State professor R. Scott Kretchmar saying, “Everybody, when they hear ‘Kent State,” thinks of a massacre. Whenever they hear ‘Penn State,’ they’re going to think of this.” Unfortunately for the community trying to put the scandal in the past, this is most likely true.

Price has an interesting take on the matter, and he shares the belief with the NCAA that Penn State is too football focused. The article, however, unfairly places the guilt on the students, fans and supporters of Penn State. The subtitle even reads “Defiance, Collective Guilt, Revival…Happy Valley One Year Later.”

Price criticizes the people who still support the football program and the university, agreeing with the NCAA decree saying, “The reverence for Penn State football permeated every level of the university community.” But it was the school officials who are guilty of this, not the community and fans that support their favorite team. They were unaware of Sandusky’s actions.

Other members of the media, mainly in State College, have fired back at Price’s article. In Patty Klein’s article, “Sports Illustrated Misses the Mark with Penn State Cover One Year After Sandusky Scandal,” she expressed her frustration at being made to feel guilty. Klein argues the community should not be responsible, as they didn’t know more than any other person in the country did. Rather, blame should be placed on the people who were aware and failed to take action. The surrounding community was rocked by scandal and should not be criticized or feel guilty just because of where they live.

One quote in Klein’s article that caught my eye described how the Penn State scandal has been handled compared to other college scandals in the past few years. She writes, “Penn State has accepted the sanctions even though we look around and see other universities whose crimes were actually related to athletics or academics and the NCAA looks the other way.” While I don’t believe the NCAA looked the other way in these cases, the media definitely has placed more emphasis on Penn State than other schools. The Sandusky scandal is without a doubt a bigger problem than the Ohio State or University of Southern California issues, but the media has let those issues rest. Those communities weren’t blamed for the football team’s problems or featured in “one year later” specials.

While there may be some bias in Klein’s article as she is a Penn State alumna and a writer for an area website, I agree with her more than Price. The State College community should not feel guilty for trying to return to normal and supporting their football team.

Though Sandusky is now in prison, other court cases are just beginning including cases filed by the victims’ families. The media’s attention will be on the area for many months to come. It is going to be hard for the community to ever restore their reputation especially with articles, like Price’s, continuing to fault the wrong people and making them feel guilty for moving on.

Junior Seau Commentary

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BY DANE WINDISCH

Former NFL great Junior Seau and his tragic death have played out in the media since he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home on May 2. For the media, it’s always a sensitive topic to cover when a death such as this one happens and on top of that, to a future Hall of Fame linebacker who was still playing five years ago. ESPN was one of the networks I covered to see how the reporters acted while discussing it and what the different NFL shows on the ESPN networks responded to the death.

Former NFL great Junior Seau and his tragic death have played out in the media since he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home on May 2. For the media, it’s always a sensitive topic to cover when a death such as this one happens and on top of that, to a future Hall of Fame linebacker who was still playing five years ago. ESPN was one of the networks I covered to see how the reporters acted while discussing it and what the different NFL shows on the ESPN networks responded to the death.

During the ESPN’s NFL Live, there were former players coming on and talking about memories they’ve shared with Seau either personally or competing against him. This gave the audience a better understanding of just how Seau was as a person and player and you could see the emotion it brought to some players. No player showed more emotion on air then former teammate of Sea, Marcellus Wiley. Wiley, with tears rolling down his eyes, shared his moments with Seau and how he was as a friend and player.

When tragic events take place in sports it’s very important for all anchors and reporters to know the situation by having respect in their tone and actions while on air. ESPN’s reporters and anchors did a great job at capturing the special moments with the players being interviewed and having the utmost respect for Seau’s legacy.

Maxwell Project Receives Attention from Media

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BY JORDAN CRAVENS

After the second annual “A Conversation with …” event, the Richard A. Maxwell Sport Media Project has received considerable attention in the local media.  This year’s Conversation event featured Ed Goren, Vice Chairman of FOX Sports Media Group. 

During his media career, Ed Goren amassed 46 individual sports Emmy Awards, something he partly attributes to his roots as a news reporter. Goren spoke to a packed house April 25 and advised aspiring sport journalists to “get a job in the news and learn how to tell the story.”

“It was the best piece of advice I ever had,” Goren said. “The best commentators, the best directors, the best producers are the best storytellers in their own way.” Goren took over as executive producer of FOX Sports in 1994. In his position he is responsible for the look, sound, editorial content and quality of the station’s broadcast.

He took the helm at FOX after the station acquired the broadcast rights to the NFL. Goren helped come up with the “FOX Box” and the idea for a scaled-down version of a football field in the studio.

The media executive spoke at Bowling Green State University as part of a spring conversation put on by the Richard A. Maxwell Sport Media Project, Department of Journalism and Public Relations and the Sport Management Program. 

Maxwell , a 1970 BGSU graduate, is the recently retired director of broadcasting for the NFL.

Social media speeds up National Signing Day

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BY ALEX KREMPASKY

Feb. 1 is one of the most exciting days in college football.  But why?  It is National Signing Day. This day is the day in which most high school recruits sign their National Letter of Intent to the schools they will attend in the fall. National Signing Day has also become a very big event with full-day coverage on ESPNU and all over the Internet. However, one tool that was used a lot this year was social media. Facebook and Twitter feeds “blew up” when signees were announced throughout the day. The cool thing about this new technology is every school had a different way to utilize social media to announce the signings.

Facebook was a popular medium for many schools including the University of Idaho. On National Signing Day, Idaho kept Facebook followers informed on each recruit who committed to become a Vandal in the fall. Beginning with their first commit, quarterback Andrew Williams from Elk Grove, Calif., they posted the names, positions, and hometowns for each new player along with a picture of an Idaho Vandal football helmet. Throughout the day, 24 players committed to play for the Idaho Vandals in the fall and each were given a spot on the official Facebook page of the Idaho Athletic Department, which is followed by over 14,000 members. This was an excellent way for Idaho to promote their new recruits as a mid-major program. Their followers were able to keep receive up-to-the-minute updates on the new Vandals commitments.

Twitter is another mode of communication athletic departments all over the nation utilized for announcing their new athletes. The University of Southern California was one of many of the programs that tweeted the news on National Signing Day. USC began the day by tweeting “#USCSigningDay is here! Text USCSIGN to 51234 to have each official announcement sent directly to your phone.” Not only were they using Twitter as a form of quick announcements, but also for Trojan fans to get even faster updates with a text service. USC’s tweets blew up feeds with announcements of every recruit who signed to become a Trojan this fall. There were also links to a profile of each recruit on the official USC Athletics website, and updates on head coach Lane Kiffin’s press conference he held at the end of the day that was telecasted on ESPNU. USC fans were also treated to up-to-the-minute experience via Twitter that many other programs also used.

Social media has made a lasting impact on sports on all levels but college sports have benefited greatly from it. Normally on Feb. 1, fans would have to wait until the evening edition of Sportscenter to get the news on their favorite team’s signings, at best; most fans would have to wait for the next morning’s local newspaper. Now fans can literally find out only seconds after the official fax comes into the athletic department’s office. As social media advances, information will become more instantaneous and more accessible to the everyday fan.