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Aug 4, 2003 The sporting world’s follies have gotten worse, not better, over the summer stretch this year. Mike Price is now suing everyone in sight over his dismissal (perhaps he will even sue Useless Knowledge over this mention of his name) and Rick Neuheisal is trying everything he can to get his lost job back. But the biggest off- season story comes from the basketball arena, where Kobe Bryant is the latest entrant to the rogue’s sports gallery. Kobe is in the national spotlight, accused of sexually attacking a young lady in Colorado. Both Kobe and Rick Neuheisal have shot themselves in the foot in the area of credibility, with their leading statements turning out to be lies. Notes from Neuheisal’s early meeting with Washington showed he lied in his initial statements. The same is true for Kobe, who told the media something to the effect that “you know me, I wouldn’t do something like that” then later revealed that something indeed did happen. When the opening statement about a difficult situation turns out to be a lie, the person making the false statement immediately finds that they are behind the eight-ball. Some speculate that Kobe’s trial will be as big a deal as the O.J. show was. Whether it turns out that he did or did not attack the young lady, Kobe has no one to blame but himself for the situation he is now in. If he had remained true to his marital vows, he would not be staring into the barrel of a possible prison sentence and the loss of a lot of money in advertising contracts for the next few years. In the baseball world the Cincinnati Reds have self-destructed in a grand fashion. At one point earlier in the season the Reds were actually challenging for the National League Central Division lead. However, a steady decline since then has brought about the removal of the manager as well as several personnel trades. Ken Griffey failed to come through for Cincinnati and is up for surgery yet again. The Red’s pitching also failed and was a major reason for the Red’s implosion. One of the most unfortunate events for the Red’s was the recent trade of Aaron Boone, the Red’s RBI and stolen base leader. Boone was moved to pick up quality pitching (Brandon Claussen and a reliever), but his departure is a significant loss for the Reds. Considered one of the best power-hitting third basemen in the National League, Boone looked to be a star for a long time in Cincinnati. No longer; he is now a Yankee. For the Reds, it has become almost a catch-22 situation – they gave up the hitters to get some pitching, but now what do they do with a down- graded slugging line-up? Injuries are starting to become a factor at the NFL training camps – starters like San Franciso’s Jeff Garcia and Jacksonville’s Fred Taylor have already suffered down time. Several other players have sustained injuries that are holding them out of practice. One of the biggest questions a coach must contend with is how much action to give the starting players during the pre-season game group. Philosophies vary - some coaches play the first team quite a bit and others hold the top players out almost entirely. Last year the St. Louis Rams kept Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk on the sidelines during most of the pre-season action and it did seem like both were rusty when the opener arrived. The preseason is a double-edged sword – the first team needs time playing together as a unit under game-like situations, but the chance of a preseason injury is a possibility as well. Dick Vermeil of Kansas City was incensed early this week when one of his new receivers sustained a nasty injury in a scrimmage against Minnesota. The preseason games are a dicey time for most coaches and the strategies for working out the veterans vary greatly from coach to coach. The Cardinals lost a player for some time due to a totally unnecessary injury. Offensive tackle Leonard Davis broke his thumb in a fight this week – a fight with a teammate. Coach Dave McGinnis was steaming about the altercation as it will set Davis back for a couple of weeks and cause him to miss at least the first preseason game. Most coaches are on pins and needles during the approach to the regular season beginning and an issue like this makes things all the worse. ------------ About the author: Dwayne Hines currently has 12 books selling in major bookstores and writes for major magazines such as Physical and FitnessRX. Email Dwayne Hines: dhines@3dinet.com Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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