Top Ten Worst Moments of 2007...

Continuing on with our theme from yesterday, today MTO Productions presents…The Top Ten Worst Moments of 2007. I don’t really like to go into these at length; yet, I think these highlights are important because it takes athletes off the high pedestal that a lot of people put them on. Granted, I’m not comparing myself to LeBron James in any way other than we both live in the state of Ohio, but it just goes to show that athletes make mistakes just like you and I. Except the great thing about being me is that when I do make a mistake, it doesn’t show up the next day on the front page of the Sports section. Let’s begin and remember, you could have totally different rankings and or events than me, but that’s the great thing about sports. There is always room for debate.

1) 756*
-When Barry Bonds hit his 756 record-breaking home run on August 7th, it should have been a time for celebration. But with the release of “Game of Shadows” and being indicted by a federal grand jury for perjury, Bonds’s record is and always will be tainted in the minds of the fans. Long live Roger Maris, the true single-season home run record holder.

2) The Mitchell Report
-This is what any passionate sports fan has been waiting for since March 30, 2006. It was then that it was first reported that baseball had hired George Mitchell to head its steroids investigation. And on December 13, that said report was released to the public. Among the names that we already knew were on there like Barry Bonds, there were others that either took us by complete surprise like Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knobloch or those that we had speculated about but weren’t really sure like Miguel Tejada. As groundbreaking as this report was, in reality, it does nothing more than expose athletes for activities conducted when performance-enhancing drugs were not illegal. So you can’t prosecute them. All we can do now is make sure nothing like this ever happens again. We need random drug tests as often as necessary so we can clean up America’s pastime. So we can instead celebrate the accomplishments of Barry Bonds instead of looking down on them.

3) Michael Vick
-The one thing I hate more than anything is when people look you straight in the eye, and lie right to your face. Even if you don’t know it at the time, when you do find out, it hurts that much more. That’s how I approach the Michael Vick situation. When the FBI raided his Virginia home and found all the dog fighting equipment that was used to electrocute, drown, hang or shoot said dogs, Michael should have right then and there admitted that he was involved. Instead, after his first court appearance in July, Vick released a statement saying, “I take these charges very seriously and look forward to clearing my good name. I respectfully ask all of you to hold your judgment until all of the facts are shown." Memo to Michael: The government just doesn’t indict anyone without sufficient facts. You really think they just woke up one morning and said, “Hmm…I wonder who I’ll attack maliciously today?” I don’t think so. You knew you were guilty and yet you still tried to lie and get away with it like OJ. Do me a favor; say hi to Bubba in prison for me.

4) Tim Donaghy
-This issue has already been beaten into the ground mercilessly. The only thing I want to ask is knowing what we know now, how many games can we consider “fixed” when Donaghy was refereeing? See game 6 of the Suns-Spurs series last year when Robert Horry shoved Steve Nash into the wall on the sidelines. How many ridiculous calls were the result of him trying to cover his and his bookie’s bets?

5) The BCS
-As long as the BCS has been around, it’s never seen a season like this; a season in which four different teams were ranked #1 at some point (LSU, Ohio State, Missouri and USC). A 2-loss team LSU held the #1 spot twice, lost to two different opponents in triple overtime, and jumped 5 spots in the final rankings and STILL made the national title game. While Missouri, lost twice to Oklahoma and was snubbed out of the BCS just because they lost in the Big 12 Title game. And Kansas, at 12-1 was the feel good story of the year after many thought they didn’t stand a chance against Virginia Tech. There is talk about a playoff system but until all the commissioners agree, everything’s at a standstill.

6) Don Imus
-On April 4, 2007 during a discussion about the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, Imus characterized the Rutgers Women’s basketball team players as “rough girls” because of their tattoos. He and his producer Bernard McGuirk took turns using different vernacular to describe the women at one point with Imus describing the girls as a bunch of “nappy-headed hoes.” Are you kidding me Don? Did you forget to take your smart pills or something? Because for you to make that comment on nationally syndicated radio and think nobody would be the wiser and that you could get away with it is just absolutely retarded. You must be off your rocker. There is no excuse for using racism, and if I were C. Vivian Stringer, I’d never forgive you.

7) Marion Jones
-Here we go with the lying to your face again. For years, Marion Jones vehemently defended herself saying she never used steroids. Winning five medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 made her a star in the eyes of those in the Track and Field world. When it was rumored that maybe Jones had “cheated” her way to victory she was furious. Even after her ex-husband CJ Hunter and former boyfriend Tim Montgomery were both convicted of using performance-enhancing supplements. In 2004 she released a statement saying, "I have never, ever used performance-enhancing drugs." She sued BALCO founder Victor Conte after he repeatedly accused Jones of using performance-enhancing drugs and said he watched her inject herself. Low and behold what can happen in just a few short years. In October, Jones pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators and announced her retirement after the hearing. She also pleaded guilty to a second count of lying after it was discovered her known involvement in a check-fraud scheme. Now she’s broke, medal-less and headed for jail. Congratulations Marion, I have really high hopes for Tim Montgomery Jr. I’ll bet he’s in jail within fifteen years.

8) Bobby Petrino
-Three jobs in 16 months. Bobby Petrino are you kidding me? First, you sign a 10-year $25.5 million contract to stay at Louisville, where you lead the Cardinals to national prominence and a win in the Orange Bowl over Wake Forrest. You have Brian Brohm, who many thought would only blossom under your tutelage and Michael Bush, one of the better running backs in college football. It can’t get any better it seems. But what do you do, you leave five months later for the NFL, saying that you’re excited for the challenge that awaits for you in Atlanta. Which is another topic for debate for a later time. And just 11 months in, you leave AGAIN. This time for Arkansas, with three games left in the NFL season. Not only are you a coward for not even finishing a season when you have a contract, but you’re also a liar, and if I were a recruit, I wouldn’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth. You can’t even tell your players face-to-face, you instead leave them a note apologizing for bailing on them. What guarantees does Arkansas have that you won’t bolt when the next opportunity comes along? And don’t give me that B.S about how you had to quit because you had to go out on the road and recruit. The Razorbacks, if they really wanted you, could’ve waited three weeks. It’s not like any other coaches were beating down the door vying for the job.

9) Tim Hardaway
-In response to the news that former NBA center John Amaechi was homosexual, former NBA guard Tim Hardaway expressed his views while a guest on Dan Le Batard’s Miami sports station WAXY-AM “"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States." Hardaway later went on to say, “If he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right. And you know I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room. I wouldn't even be a part of that." My question is, why Tim? Nobody asked for you opinion and by giving it, you only made yourself look worse. Now the word “prejudiced” will always be synonymous with Tim Hardaway, instead of five-time NBA All-Star.

10) David Beckham
-On January 11th, it was reported that English soccer superstar David Beckham, who gained international fame while playing with Manchester United, would be leaving his current club Real Madrid of the Spanish premiere league, to join the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS. His contract took effect on July 1st and was worth a reported $250 million dollars over ten years. This included all of the endorsement deals with companies like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and IBM. The hype and expectations were so high, it didn’t help that Beckham was injured. His first MLS action was on August 9th and he came on in the second half of a 1-0 loss. On the year, he played in 8 matches (5 league games), one goal scored, and three total assists. For a guy that was supposed to come to America and gain more fans for the sport, David Beckham failed terribly.