Point that Finger at Me One More Time and I Will Bite It!

It’s a vicious circle in sports, the blame game. No one really wants to take the fall when something bad happens, whether it’s a player, coach, owner, or media talent. However, everyone is quick to point the finger when the going gets tough. Instead of manning up they are armed with a litany of excuses and scapegoats.

I was going to focus on who is to blame for the Washington Redskins playoff fiasco. But Ray did such a great job and had a lot of the same points as me. Therefore, I’ve decided to broaden my piece to include multiple blame victims. So without further intro let’s get right into this. Who and who is not to blame in sports this past week. 

BLAME: RG3

Naive is the only word that I think truly encompasses how Robert Griffin III acted in his first playoff appearance.  He was naive in pretending he was recuperated enough to be an effective on the field. He was naive in thinking people would find his “heroics admirable.” He was naive by not consulting the best orthopedic specialist in the country on the sidelines. Instead he choose to dip and dodge Dr. James Andrews any chance he got, like teenage girls trying to ditch their outcast friend at the mall. For someone who held themself too such a high standard during the season, in the end he proved to be juvenile and a partially torn LCL and ACL is his reward. Congrats RG3 you brought hope to a city to only bring it crashing down around your knee. Surgery took place January 9th. The recovery timetable for Griffin is the standard 6-8 months. (If everything goes according to plan.) 

At least the people of Washington D.C have some things to look forward to. The NHL lockout is lifted and the Capitals will be hitting the ice in the next few weeks. Plus, Stephen Strasburg will be pitching this upcoming season with no limitations. Speaking of players who had coaches limitations forced upon them, Strasburg predicament is the perfect precursory to our next blame subject…

BLAME: MIKE SHANAHAN

It was beyond clear RG3 needed to come out of the game after they scored their 2^nd TD. Of course your rookie quarterback is going to tell you he can keep playing. As we have already determined he is NAIVE!  Of course your player is going to willing go into the shed behind your bench for an undisclosed amount of time and come out ready to play. Cortisone shots can be magical. It doesn’t change the fact that significant damage has taken place. Just makes it more bearable.

Just ask Derek Jeter. His ankle was probably broken weeks before his collapse. Eventually his ankle just gave out. The difference? Jeter is 40 and reaching the end of his hall of fame career, RG3 is 22 and has an entire future to look forward too. 

Davey Johnson put the Nationals playoff rotation in jeopardy by placing an inning limit on his franchise player. He knew that the long term health of Strasburg was more important than the advantage he would give the Nationals in the postseason. The Nats lost in the divisional round, but the sky is the limit for the upcoming season with a healthy Strasburg leading the charge.

The Redskins decided to go for it all or more so Shanahan decided this and put the health of Griffin on the line. He gambled and failed. Shanahan damaged the franchise for at least next season. To be honest, I feel this should cost him his job. Clearly he doesn’t know how to put his players needs first and only wants a shot at one more ring. Elway already got you two Shanahan. Get over it.

DO NOT BLAME: DR. JAMES ANDREWS

Whether it was Griffin or Shanahan's fault, Dr. Andrews never really got to examine RG3 until it was too late. He has openly admitted he was a nervous wreck. Dr. Andrews wasn't really asked for his input. He is the arguably the best orthopedic surgeon in the world and Shanahan put Dr. Andrews reputation in the line of fire. A reputation is everything to a physician. I commend Dr. Andrews for trying to do the best he can in an awful situation. He can only help when asked. RG3 and Shanahan were only looking for the answers they wanted. There was nothing Dr. Andrews could do but watch.

BLAME: THE NHL

We are going to have hockey this year! We are going to have hockey this year! I blame the NHL and not the players for making us wait. The league did everything in its power to short change the players when it comes to revenue, contracts, escrow, you name it. The players stood firm and I commend them for their efforts, although I wanted to strangle them a few weeks back. I am reluctant to buy any merchandise or purchase tickets to games this season. While I cannot wait to watch a hockey game, I’m dying too really I am, I cannot bring myself to support the league that felt we could be mistreated. So for now, I won’t be purchasing that Malkin jersey I’ve had my eye on or getting seats for the next Penguins/Rangers game at MSG. Instead I will support the businesses that really suffered because of the egotistical hockey owners. Bars and restaurants near stadiums are the people who really need our support.

BLAME: THE SPORTS MEDIA

Oh you thought the National Title game would be more of a contest? Blame ESPN for building it up as an even match up. Any time I visited ESPN.com the past few weeks I could not click a page without a National Title game advertisement. Fluff and human interest stories filled the airwaves continuously. It made me want to barf. Did everyone forget that Notre Dame wasn’t that impressive for about the last five years?  Not one SEC team was on their 2012 schedule. They faced teams such as Boston College, Wake Forest, BYU, and a USC team who finished the season unranked. I could see this romping coming from a mile away. Any time you’re the #1 team in America and your considered the underdog should be an immediate red flag. Alas, ESPN would have you believe the Irish had hope a chance dare I say. Turns out it was nothing but a bit of blarney.

Furthermore, I would like to BLAME ESPN for the pointless coverage of AJ McCarron’s girlfriend. I get it, she’s gorgeous. How does this affect the football game? “McCarron clearly is not sexually frustrated which is why his completion percentage is so high.” Alright that isn’t a quote from anyone, but it seemed to be what they were implying. If not, then what was the point? Only quarterbacks can date Miss Alabama? Oh wait, only National Championship winning quarterbacks can date pageant queens. Got it! Thank you for killing the self-esteem of every young girl and boy in America ESPN.

Clearly unless you’re a quarterback of a nationally ranked team, you are not going to date pretty girls. Same goes for the girls. Unless you’re a supermodel, no dating a football player for you sweetie, nuh uh, you’re just not up to their “standards.”