Hear me out...What to talk about, what to talk about

Since last Saturday the sports world has had plenty of buzz and entertaining stories flying around. Picking one for this week’s column is tough and I’m not feeling a column buffet this week, per se.

So it comes down to finding one good story to write about.

There was the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in which Eagles head coach Doug Pederson outmaneuvered Pats head coach Bill Belichick at every turn.

Nah, that’s been talked about enough and there isn’t much to say about the Super Bowl, other than if you work in the marketing department at RAM Trucks and the idea comes up to use a historical figure to hawk your product. Don’t do it, especially when Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t care for capitalism. Make life easy on yourself and go get Sam Elliott or some other deep-voiced actor to talk about how tough your trucks are.

Next.

There was Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels leaving the Colts at the altar because owner Bob Kraft and Belichick talked him into staying.

Entertaining absolutely, but I’m disappointed the internet hasn’t spoofed this story with the final scene in “The Graduate.” It’s perfect, just superimpose the head of McDaniels on Katherine Ross and Kraft/Belichick on Dustin Hoffman.

Look, I know McDaniels went back on his word and all but it’s hard not to blame him. Given the chance would you rather work for an erratic, meddling boss like Jim Irsay or the Krafts who will let you do your job and will take care of you? It’s an easy decision.

I also thought it was hilarious the Colts GM declared that the “rivalry” (The Colts haven’t beaten the Pats since 2009) with the Pats was back on. Ooooohhh, that’s why you’ve let them beat the breaks off you for almost 10 years, why didn’t someone flick the “rivalry switch” sooner?

Next.

What about a basketball story? The Cleveland Cavilers reconfigured half their roster during the trade deadline this week. Interesting yes, but I’m not sure if I can get a full column out of it just yet.

Basketball teams take time to gel so we’ll need at least a month, month and a half, to see if the trades worked. At least UW alum Larry Nance Jr. landed softly. Going from LA to Cleveland seems like a punishment but he does get to play with the best player on the planet in LeBron James.

Next.

Oh, how could I forget about the Winter Olympics?

I like all of you, so I’m going to cut straight to it, the Winter Olympics are boring. I have tried for years to care and I was hanging in there when the NHL allowed their players to play but since that is a no go, goodbye Winter Olympics.

If there ever was an indictment against the Winter Olympics it’s curling being a big ticket event. Curling, the sport where Person A slides a heavy stone across the ice and Persons B and C feverishly sweep to get the stone toward the target. When we eventually have to explain this to aliens it’s going to be absolutely embarrassing and even more so when we have to say Scotland, the country that gave us William Wallace, created it. Unequivocally shameful.

Next.

The NFL draft is creeping up and there are rumblings the Browns have their eye on UW QB Josh Allen. This does deserve a full column but it’s just too soon.

Next.

I got it, the NFL and MLB announced their Hall of Fame classes for 2018. I know the MLB did this a few weeks back but the NFL did introduce theirs just last week so it’s current.

HoF talk is perfect sports banter, that simple question of “Does Player X deserve to be in the HoF?” is a guaranteed 10-minute, passion-fueled argument with stats tossed out every which way. Entire sports talking head shows base their A block around the new HoF inductees and the snubs.

Lately, particularly in baseball with the steroid era guys eligible to enter, I feel like we’ve gotten away from does this player deserve to be in the HoF because of the numbers they put up and the impact they brought to the game; to instead, does this player deserve to be in because they were nice to the sports reporters and didn’t step on anyone’s toes.

Case in point, Barry Bonds, he should have been a first-ballot, no-brainer Hall of Famer but because he juiced and rubbed people the wrong way, he has to sweat it out. There’s no denying Bonds cheated and was a jerk during his MLB career, but the playing field was level during his era because he played in the Steroid Era.

Just look at his stats, pre-juicing or post-juicing, Bonds has incredible numbers throughout his 22-year career but one that is the most mind-blowing is during the 2004 season. Bonds had 373 official at-bats but reached base 376 times. He had 373 at-bats and reached base 376 times. In the history of baseball, he’s the only player to do that.

Yes, he cheated, yet, that shouldn’t keep him out of the HoF. The common go-to excuse for denying Bonds is that allowing him in ruins the sanctity of the game. This is a flawed argument because there are a lot of ‘80s players who used cocaine, while they were playing in actual games, (*cough* Tim Raines *cough*) and they’re still in the HoF.

For Bonds and players like him, there’s a real simple fix for all of this. All you need to say on the player’s plaque in Canton or Cooperstown is this guy cheated and reference the times he was busted. Look how easy that was, now we can move on to the important things like debating the merits of 2018 MLB and NFL HoF classes.

But, aside from the Bonds absence, it’s quite hard to pick apart either MLB or NFL 2018 inductees. Both classes are so incredibly solid.

I guess we’ll have to wait until next year’s HoF classes.