matt weighs in

There have been many newsworthy items the last few weeks. Here are my thoughts:

At this point, it seems like old news given the hoopla, but Michael Jackson died almost one month ago. His name still comes up in Twitter’s trending topics, but I’m surprised it has quieted down as much as it has. Too much other stuff going on for people to continue to care with whom his kids end up living? Are people King-of-Popped out? Rolling Stone, in the past, has not put words on the cover to celebrate someone’s life – they just let the picture alone tell the story of what someone in music meant. I am surprised they didn’t do this with Jackson. Fewer words than usual, but still a little over the top with “Michael Jackson’s Final Days” underneath his picture.

My friend, Dave, wrote a blog post a couple weeks ago about Jackson’s death and the coverage that had some interesting comments. The way he allowed his life to play out is sad, and his public image probably needs to be split into chapters, if possible.

First 30 years: made great music for all-time, awesome entertainer, cared about others in the world, did great things for himself and others. A true icon.
Final 20 years: still entertained sometimes, but did all these weird things Dave mentions that really sullied his legacy. Wasted talent, money, image and good will. A true tabloid icon.

It would have been very interesting to see how his scheduled upcoming tour would have played out, whether he could bring it at age 50 for 50 shows. Regardless, fans around the world still cried in his presence and were willing, no, itching to see an aging pop star do it again.

People want to remember him only one way: either as the greatest entertainer of our lifetime or as the acquitted child molester. I’m going with the hybrid memory of Michael Jackson. Celebrate him as the greatest entertainer, who should have been loved for all-time by everyone, but decided to waste it by doing all these stupid things. What’s wrong with having it both ways?

I had a feeling the Lebron James-getting-dunked-on video was more hype than hysteria. In the couple weeks between when the story leaked and when videos finally became available, I never read or heard from someone who was there who said that it was absolutely out of this world. People talked about it, but only to discuss the supposed cover-up. Until I saw the video, I didn’t know that it happened in the half-court set, that Lebron was a help defender, and that Jordan Crawford didn’t even jump over the King to send it home. Lebron was more to the side. If dunking on his hand is a big deal, then my-oh-my, what a dunk. The real thing, though, (from the camera angles we have) was very disappointing.

Just a few words about the peephole video of ESPN’s Erin Andrews as she is getting ready in her private hotel room. The guys or gals involved in this should be put away, charged with emotional rape, criminal indecency, and pure idiocy. They have put a woman who was doing really good things in her job in a position where she might not be as good or as comfortable going out and doing it in the future.

Admittedly, she gained popularity because she is an attractive woman talking sports, but she did it without all the photo shoots some women on tv end up doing to gain publicity. She covered basketball at Duke, Indiana, UCLA, went to the College World Series, talked letters with kids at the National Spelling Bee – anything and everything to get on the air and gain experience. And she actually does a good job, from what I remember in her appearances. She seems comfortable in front of the camera, doesn’t ask the usual questions, and looks interested in what the person she is interviewing has to say. Many sideline reporters will be too serious, as though what the interviewee has to say will change sports forever, but she laughs with them and gets them to answer outside the cliches.

I wonder what comments she’ll hear when she goes to Cameron Indoor Stadium this winter. It seems over the top, but I wouldn’t be surprised if her life as a sports reporter is soon over. Working with men all day, visiting college campuses all the time, she is going to hear stuff that she never should have to hear, all because a couple people thought it would be funny to make themselves famous by becoming criminals. Just sad, and as the internet shows, it happens all the time to people.

Finally, the Minnesota Twins. What a mess their pitching staff has become. Starting pitchers have a great outing, but can’t finish strong. Batters give them a big lead, but the starters and relievers implode and can’t finish strong. Relief pitchers holding everything together for a couple batters, but totally blow it at the end.

The manager, Ron Gardenhire, is really in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situation when he gets to the latter half of games right now. Leave the starters in, and they’ve shown they can’t go that last inning. Bring in a reliever and they can’t hold it. Gardy has been ripped for doing both in the last week, and he can’t win at this point. He just has to hope that his relief guys are going to come in and pitch well to finish the game. His plan has always been to bring the relievers in for the 7th or 8th inning. He has to stick to it at this point, as nothing is reliable. As long as Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel hit as a group as well as they have been, the run support will be there. And right now, the team needs all the runs they can get.