sportsblog

Give Bettman a break

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman takes a lot of abuse, mainly because he’s an American who came from a basketball background to run a hockey league Canadians treasure as their own.

He gets blamed for the struggles of NHL teams in non-traditional markets like Florida and Arizona. But it was only a relatively few short years ago that Wayne Gretzky was getting kudos for, by playing in Los Angeles, extending the NHL’s footprint across North America.

So if it’s not working, whose fault is that? A bit of both, no? You can’t have it both ways, folks.

The real point though, is this. Whatever his faults, at least Bettman is accessible and has something of a sense of humour. What other professional sports league commissioner these days would go on TV, one on one, between periods (innings, halftime, whatever) with a commentator, as Bettman did during an intermission of the NHL all-star game with Ron MacLean, and actually engage in some real back and forth dialogue instead of conducting a stage-managed photo-media scrum op?

And then pour water, as Bettman did, over the new NHL jerseys to demonstrate how they don’t retain H2O?

Cut the guy some slack.

Big on the Bulldogs

Two tickets, $45. Total. For walkup, first row up against the glass.

Parking: $10

Meal for two (in a roadhouse): $30

Game program: $5

Total cost of American Hockey League game in Hamilton: $90

Time with son last weekend for the Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal farm club) against the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit): Priceless.

Yes, it’s a cut below the NHL, but $90 just down the road in Hamilton compared to taking out a second mortgage to watch the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre?

No contest.
And we — and some Kitchener fans decked out in the duds a few rows behind us — got to see former Kitchener Rangers defenceman Andre Benoit, playing his usual intelligent, effective game in the Bulldogs’ 5-1 victory, to boot.

Affordable pro hockey. Imagine. Worth the stroll down Hwy. 6.

The new NHL uniform debate

You’ve no doubt heard the NHL is going to new uniforms for all its teams.

They debut at the all-star game this week and will be used by all teams next season. They’re more aerodynamic and so on.

My son hates ‘em. Says they’ve spoiled things by taking out all horizontal lines.

Must be a generation gap thing, with him, at age 14, being the traditionalist. I don’t find ‘em so bad. But maybe that's because he oversold them to me as a looming disaster. But upon seeing them, I don't see the problem. He still thinks I'm nuts.

But I really don’t see what the big deal is. Here’s some samples, the Habs, Boston, Detroit . . . what do you think?

The apology industry

Great rants by Real Madrid soccer team president Ramon Calderon the other day. He went off on David Beckham about being nothing more than a Hollywood movie star hopeful who is only joining the L.A. Galaxy because he can't get another playing gig.

But Calderon wasn't finished. Then he dissed other members of the current Real team for being overpaid egomaniacs and criticized the team's fans for failing to get behind the club.

Then he apologized. He should have apologized to the fans. After all, they pay the freight.

But as for his views on Becks and overpaid, egotistical athletes? He's right. And one has to figure he believes what he says. Most sports followers would agree. So why apologize?

Well, because it is de riguer in the world these days. A person comes out and says something — and we're talking relatively innocuous items like rating sports figures, not something truly abhorrent or racist. The statement fosters adverse reaction, so then the person apologizes — usually not for what they said, but for how people took it. As in, "I apologize if I offended anyone." Which isn't a true apology.

The larger point, though, is this: Either zip your lips in the first place, or stick to your guns if you're saying what you truly believe.

The "embattled" Marty Schottenheimer

That's how the coach of the San Diego Chargers is always referred to in sports stories which tend to highlight his 5-13 playoff record.

There was some speculation about whether Schottenheimer would be fired after the Chargers lost their playoff game to the New England Patriots last Sunday, but he will be back — although he rejected a contract extension.

But let's be clear about something. There's a reason Schottenheimer has such a lousy playoff record, though he is a decorated regular-season coach, with 191 regular-season wins. And that reason was evident on Sunday — he's been prone to poor decisions. That was the case when he lost a crucial time out on a silly replay challenge against New England on a fumble by the Chargers that was obvious to anyone and had no hope of being overturned.

At the end of the game, CBS commentator Jim Nantz said "another heartbreaking loss for Schottenheimer."

Not so. He deserved it.