What Was He Thinking?

In honor of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I will periodically have a "What was he thinking?" segment of my blog. Within these sections, I plan on hypothesizing what athletes or famous people are thinking when they do idiotic things in front or behind the camera.

So to kick us off, I will start with "What was Big Ben thinking when he was talking with reporters".

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:4d4fb6d4-0461-425e-9a4e-466b2b465b64&showPlaylist=true&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videosearch&fg=everyzing" target="_new" title="Big Ben Apologizes">Video: Big Ben Apologizes</a>

10. Are people buying what I'm selling?
9. Do I look contrite?
8. I hope Tiger has another mistress.
7. I'm so happy I could dodge these charges like I shake off defensive backs. (Get off of me.)
6. I'm so sorry this got into the media.
5. If I wasn't famous or an offensive lineman no one would care.
4. I will make sure the values I portray will be acceptable to you all.
3. How long will it take before people forget about this?
2. I wish I was Tiger Woods.
1. Note to self, ask Tiger for Ari Fleischer's number.

The Master Narrative

For once I have a something to say about a golf tournament, which has nothing to do with golf of course and more to do with the lives of two different men that are being used to create a narrative. What story is the media trying to spin for the consuming public?

"If you're immoral you will not succeed in life."

Now this story line isn't new and for most people it has been fed to us through books, Disney movies, television and parents. We learn from a young age, especially if you're a Christian that good ultimately triumphs over evil. However, what happens when the greatest golfer and the wealthiest athlete of all time turns out to be an immoral person. Well, for some parents and media alike a spin must be made to illustrate how Tiger's actions is negatively affecting him. So with a loss at the Master's (I don't see as a failure) the media has a story line they can use to warn younger athletes that if you aren't a good person (whatever good means) you will not win in sports or life. However, it's easy to see a flaw in this logic if you recognize the years that Tiger was having his affairs, he was successful athletically and economically.

Now, I'm not saying that negative actions in ones society that are deemed wrong have no consequences. They do, however, it's illogical to think that good will reap success in this life because it has been shown through Tiger Woods and others that it doesn't matter if you're good or not. What matters is if you are good at what you do. In the end, we all need to ask ourselves what does it mean to be a success. Is it having the biggest house or having a home full of love? If it means having the bigger house than being moral has little to do with it.

Recovering Jock

What do you call an overweight jock? Retired. For some jocks, including me, it can be hard to keep your body in tip top shape when you are no longer looking forward to an upcoming season or hoping for a future shot at the professional level. Now if you combine little motivation with a girl friend or wife, getting in shape becomes twice as hard, which is a situation I find myself happily in (that's for you honey). Why? Because once you find someone who wants to be with you no matter what, staying in shape is no longer worth the effort. That's right, we are like those animals that puff ourselves up to attract our mates, just to disappoint them when we release our hot air.

Jocks may also be at risk for weight gain because of the eating habits they have acquired while playing sports. Energy intake should = to or less than energy output. So when a jock quits working out, they are suddenly faced with the cruel reality that they can't eat the same amount of foods as before. Just imagine how Michael Phelps will look like if he quits swimming. A large man that swims naked. For those of you who don't get the joke, imagine what a heavy man looks like with his belly hanging over his speedo.

Lack of motivation + wife/girlfriend + eating habits = overweight jock. So what can I and many others do about this inflation equation. Well it's quite simple yet hard to implement. First, motivation must exist. Find something, anything that will push you to work day after day. For me and probably many others it's our future health. Do I want to have diabetes or gout? Secondly, eating habits must change. Now I don't mean become a vegan. I know I wouldn't. Instead, think about eating smaller portions. You don't have to always go for seconds. Remember that food never goes to waste (no matter what your mother tells you) because bugs are always hungry. Finally, everyones human, so don't test the love that your wife/girlfriend may have for you, she just may decide that steak dinner is better than hamburger steak.

So to all those recovering jocks and to myself, "It's time to get off our butts and get back in shape. Nuff playing around. We know what we got to do. So strap your helmets on and go to work".

What Does It Mean To Be A Man?

One of the few things that I had in common with my father was our love for boxing and mixed martial arts. Sitting and cheering as Royce Gracie demolished the competition in UFC’s infancy stages, our bond would grow as we consumed countless amounts of cashews and soda. Those were the moments when I saw a glimmer of pride in my father’s eyes as he observed his oldest son enjoying an activity that he found important. He didn’t like my participation in baseball and saw my involvement as an assault on his personal definition of a man. Personally, I think his disgust for the sport had more to do with his ongoing conflict with his father-in-law than the game itself. My grandpa and father fought a lot. It was like watching two strong bucks antlers intertwined so tightly that the only pathway out would be filled with death and pain.

Once my father realized my passion for fighting. He started to tell me his war stories when he was a teenager. He would illustrate with animated fists how he dismantled some Samoan guy who was twice his size. Or the time when he and his best friend ended up knocking two store managers out cold after being pepper sprayed in the face. These stories painted my imagination and led me to believe that my father was one of the toughest men on the planet, second only to Mike Tyson, of course. My masculine archetype consisted of a brawling, fearless, tough son of a *&^%@. Not willing to take no for answer and surely wouldn’t be pushed around by no man. Sadly, these characteristics didn’t describe me. I was a push over and avoided conflict like the plague.

My attributes would make me a target for bullies at school and at home. I would be bullied regularly at school and would take it without even a whimper. Based on my father’s and my own perspective, I was weak and therefore not a man. Being picked on was the natural order of things. If I didn’t want to be bullied, I needed to be big, strong and have the ability to fight. Maybe this is why I started to play football. Nothing could be more manly than tackling the guts out of someone. Coincidently, harassment from bullies ended once I started playing high school football. On the other hand, it didn’t protect me from the bullies lurking on the football field who delighted in seeing how far I could fly in the air.

What does it mean to be a man? My father's perspective = Tough, fearless and scrappy. Mine = whatever your father teaches you.

The Expendables

Just finished watching this movie trailer and was reminded of the New York Yankees. "High priced stars = success". We'll have to see if this works in the entertainment business. Watch and enjoy the mayhem.

Over The Hill

Unlike a lot of other sports, football ages a player far beyond their years. Case in point, LT (30 yrs), Brian Westbrook (30 yrs), Jamal Lewis (30 yrs), Thomas Jones (31 yrs), Ahman Green (33 yrs) and Terrel Owens (36 yrs) have just been released into the free agency pool of has beens and never was. All of these players with the exception of Thomas Jones seem to have hit their peak and are now over the hill. With mounting injuries from the wear and tear of countless hits football players in their 30's are most like individuals in their 60's and on the verge of retirement than entering the prime of their lives.

I wonder what it feels like to be physically fit than most of the American population and be told that you are over the hill in your sport/employment. While there are many individuals out of shape, like myself, who are entering their prime (hopefully), former NFL players have to face the brutal reality that they won't be able to do what they have enjoyed doing most of their lives because they have become a step slower. I bet at that point HGH/Steroids may not seem that bad of an idea. Hey if it was legal, star players like LT and TO would shine just a little bit longer. Just ask MLB how well that worked for them.

Out of these players, which ones has a chance of making a difference this upcoming football season and pushing the dreaded retirement discussion to another year?

LT Released

A man once the face of the franchise has just been released by that same franchise. Such a change of heart has just occurred with the San Diego Chargers as their once beloved running back has been released. No one, especially me would ever imagine 10 years ago that the Chargers would ever freely part ways with their superstar. With his departure, LT is probably looking to play for a team that can win because with all his hall fame numbers, one number that has eluded him his whole career is one, a Super Bowl ring.

With LT just fresh on the boat of free agency, which team would benefit from his skill set and give him the best chance of getting that elusive addition to his hall fame career?