Rings Don’t Mean a Thing

What if Ben Roethlisberger had done that again this year?

2 rings. Coulda been 3 Big Ben.

1 touchdown away from Super Bowl immortality. A perfect execution of the 2 minute drill the only obstacle in his way. Alas, it was not meant to be.

As good a quarterback as Ben Roethlisberger is, his performance in the Super Bowl showed us why we shouldn’t base so much of a player’s value on championship victories.

Prior to the Super Bowl, there was a lot talk of whether or not Ben Roethlisberger is deserving of a Hall of Fame spot. Tough question considering the man is only 28 years old and at this point there is probably not too much point in dissecting this issue.

Ben Roethlisberger’s overall numbers are not Hall of Fame worthy by any means. However, the fact that he has 2 championship rings and was very close to 3 puts him into that discussion. A couple bounces here and there for the Steelers and the difference in our view of Ben Roethlisberger is vastly changed.

The issue at hand here though are the championships that allow Ben Roethlisberger to be considered in Hall of Fame discussion so early in his career and the lack of championships that see us questioning the greatness of athletes such as Dan Marino.

Clutch play under the most pressure packed situations is part of what defines great players. It should go without saying that part of winning championships is the ability to overcome the difficult conditions.

With that being said, it’s hard to understand why the brilliance of an individual player is centered so much around championships in such team oriented sports.

It is only on rare occasions where you will see me defending Lebron James but the fact that he still hasn’t won a championship at this point in his career should not diminish his greatness in any sense. Don’t get me wrong, I was as happy as anyone to see Lebron quit, yes quit, on his Cavaliers against the Boston Celtics. Nevertheless, now that we have been able to see what the Chosen One’s supporting cast is really like it is astounding that he ever got as close as he did to winning the NBA finals.

Imagine if Lebron had decided to stay in Cleveland and continually was surrounded by a sorry excuse for championship contending cast. If those were the circumstances, maybe in 10 years we would be talking about how Lebron just can’t win the big game and all the reasons why he is no Michael Jordan. True, Lebron James is no Michael Jordan, but the importance of championships is constantly overshadowing his undeniable dominance.

If he doesn’t win a championship with his Miami Heat, well that’s a story for another day.

Ben Roethlisberger has played on some outstanding teams and, especially in his first Super Bowl, played more of a game manger’s role. Is there any way in which the Steelers’ could have won if Roethlisberger had to carry an increased load on offence? Probably not. It isn’t mentioned enough either that the Steelers won Roethlisberger’s first Super Bowl largely because of a couple of blown calls that still give official Bill Leavy nightmares

1 ring and the Hall of Fame talk disappears. 3 rings, suddenly Roethlisberger is thrust alongside the Troy Aikman’s and Terry Bradshaw’s.

I may be too young to break down the intricacies of Dan Marino’s Miami Dolphin teams. However, it is well-known that he wasn’t surrounded by talent that for the most part was championship worthy. You can’t blame Dan Marino for being unable to bear the burden of less than adequate teams.

It’s this same injustice that results in more worthy players being left off all-star team’s because their general manager has yet to surround them with talent worthy enough of competing with the best in the game. *Cough* Kevin Love *Cough*

Sure, some of the failure to win comes from the individual player himself, but in team sports like basketball, football and hockey, you can hardly put the sole cause of that inability to win on the most prominent player like many people do.

Peyton Manning has proven to us throughout his career that he often doesn’t have the capability to duplicate his regular season type of performances in the playoffs. Even in his lone Super Bowl victory his stats were less than impressive. Then again, what if Peyton Manning had an offensive line similar to the one Tom Brady has been blessed with throughout his career.

Again, a completely different story to tell your grandchildren.

Agree? Disagree? If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, please feel free to reply in the comments section below. Or you can e-mail me at cross_can15@hotmail.com. I am on twitter follow me @paintstheblack and I will gladly return the favor.

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When will they ever learn?

Michael Vick looks to be in trouble with the law again

In the past decade, professional sports has been a revolving door for players who are repeatedly involved in off-field incidents and it seems that this trend is going to continue.

Today, more details were released with regards to the shooting that occurred after Michael Vick’s birthday bash last Thursday night.

It was initially thought that Vick left the nightclub w,here his “ALL WHITE 30th birthday bash” was taking place, at least 10 maybe 20 minutes before the shooting occurred. However, time stamped video shows that Vick left the nightclub at around 2:07am and that the shots rang at about the 2:10am mark.

The shooting victim has now been confirmed to be Quanis Phillips, a party attendee and a co-defendant of Vick’s in the federal dog fighting case. Vick is not a suspect in the shooting, but part of his probation states that he is not allowed to have contact with anyone convicted of a felony unless granted permission by his probation officer. Vick claims that he did not invite Phillips and that he did not associate with him at the party.

No one right now knows the real story behind this but time and again we are seeing the same athletes unable to stay out of trouble off of the field.

It is possible that this incident is going to spell the end for Vick’s NFL career as the NFL has said that they have a zero tolerance policy with regards to Michael Vick’s case. Even if this incident wasn’t Vick’s fault or wrongdoing, the fact is that athletes are constantly putting themselves in situations where they are almost asking for trouble. As Colin Cowherd says, “nothing good ever happens at 2 in the morning.”

It would seem like it is about time that these players start to shape up and get with the program? Sure doesn’t look like it to me. I think that the small percentage of professional athletes that get in the news for their off the field altercations are always going to be around and that is something that is not going to change.

You would think that these people would learn from their own but also from watching the mistakes made by other athletes. I always wonder why they don’t learn, but what I think many of us fail to consider, is that change is not as easy as it looks or sounds. My question is whether these athletes are mentally capable of stopping themselves. This is not an attack on these athletes’ intelligence, rather it is a question of overcoming inborn personality traits and characteristics that lead them in the direction of their oblivious decision making.

It is mind boggling to see professional athletes willingly throw away fame and fortune.

If you are over the age of 15 I am sure you have heard a bit about the Nature vs. Nurture debate. Well, I’m a big believer that nature prevails in most situations. There is no doubt that nurture plays a fairly large part in the development of a person but in the end you cannot change who you are. You may be able to change your appearance to society and those around you, but in the end your true colours will eventually triumph. Just ask Tiger Woods.

Adam “Pacman” Jones is a prime example of a talented athlete who was given repeated opportunities to reconcile but decided not to take advantage of them. Jones’ legacy could very well end up being the professional athlete that couldn’t get away from strip clubs.

Pacman was drafted 6th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL draft but missed most of training camp due to a contract dispute. Apparently the Titans were concerned with several off the field incidents that happened shortly after the draft. This included a fight that put him on probation.

Then in April of 2007, after Pacman’s breakout sophomore season, he was suspended one year for numerous off-field altercations. In 2008 was traded to Dallas where during the season he was suspended for four games because of a dispute with his bodyguard. Later, in January of 2009, the Cowboys announced they would release Jones after officials learned that he was a suspect in a June 2007 shooting outside a Las Vegas strip club.

Pacman was given more than enough opportunities to succeed and leave himself financially set for the rest of his life but against better judgement he decided to take a different route.

Needless to say, but Ben Roethlisberger drinks like a champion

Another star who has had a number of incidents is Big Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben has had not one but two incidents involving women who have accused him of sexual assault. As an observer from the outside you figure one time isn’t so bad, it could just be a crazy woman looking for some attention. However, when you hear the same allegations twice you do not give the same leeway to a person. Roethlisberger will be suspended for the first six games of the upcoming NFL season. Big Ben is also well known for his hard partying ways.

The jury is still out on Ben Roethlisberger as he already has two super bowls to his name despite his problems off the field.

One other guy I want to mention is Tennessee Titan quarterback Vince Young who has also had a number of issues off the field. Despite some of his early on-field success, Young went missing for a bit in 2008 because he was upset over being booed by Titan fans and spraining his left MCL in his knee. Young almost lost his job but was kept on and had a nice little comeback season last year after being reinstated as the team’s starting quarterback. But this past offseason Vince Young got into a fight at a nightclub with a person who allegedly made some derogatory remarks about his alma mater Texas Longhorns.

So yet again, just when it looked like Vince Young was turning the corner and becoming more mature he, like so many others, regressed back to his old ways.

Yes it is true that maybe Vince Young was provoked. Maybe Michael Vick didn’t do anything wrong at his own birthday bash. Maybe Ben Roethlisberger did not rape these women. Maybe Pacman was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I don’t buy any of those maybe’s but even if they aren’t true there is no denying the fact that these players are putting themselves in a position to get in trouble. Is it really that hard to avoid a nightclub or a strip club. It’s great to have fun but why would you ever risk all the things that you have worked so hard for in your life just for a bit of entertainment?

They all talk the talk and say that they are going to rescind their old reckless ways, but walking the walk is a whole other beast.

Why the —- is Michael Vick going to a nightclub for his birthday. When you’re under the kind of scrutiny that Michael Vick is under it is completely nonsensical to do that.

Is it that these guys think that they’re stars and feel invincible?

Possibly.

But as I said earlier I think that it is more to do with athletes unable to resist. Unable to resist the temptations of being a star, the spotlight, and everything else that the life of a professional athlete has to offer. I think that they are people who live off the adrenaline of life. It is who they are and it is how they get to the top of their profession. They can’t force themselves to make the smart decision.

Michael Vick, Adam “Pacman” Jones, Ben Roethlisberger, Vince Young, Tiger Woods, Plaxico Burress, the list goes on. If you’re asking yourself when will they ever learn?

The simple answer is probably never.

Agree? Disagree? If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, please feel free to reply in the comments section below. Or you can e-mail me at cross_can15@hotmail.com. I’m now on twitter follow me @paintstheblack and I will gladly return the favour.

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