Monday, April 29, 2013

So Washington Wizards Center Jason Collins Becomes The First Active Pro Athlete To Come Out As Openly Gay; Why Should This Really Matter?

For weeks, it has been rumoured that a major active professional sports star would come out of the closet and publicly admit to being gay. On April 29th, 2013, ESPN reported that Jason Collins, who played center for the NBA's Washington Wizards in 2012-13 and is currently a free agent, is that player. Collins has played 12 seasons in the NBA, averaging 3.6 points per game.

The original source of the report is a story in Sports Illustrated entitled "Why NBA center Jason Collins is coming out now". Collins says he first sensed he was different around the age of 12, which is about the time most people enter puberty. He attempted to resist it; when he was younger I dated women, and even got engaged, thinking he could "marry" his way out of it. In his words, "I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue". He says he first started thinking about coming out during the 2011 NBA lockout, but what pushed him over the edge was when Joe Kennedy, his old roommate at Stanford and now a Massachusetts congressman, told him he had just marched in Boston's 2012 Gay Pride Parade. Although Collins is seldom jealous of others, he felt envious. While he was proud of Kennedy for participating, Collins was also angry that as a closeted gay man he felt he couldn't even cheer his straight friend on as a spectator. He wanted to do what he now considered the right thing and not hide anymore. He wanted to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding. And so on April 29th, he came out.

The New York Times notes that the NBA has long included programs for training and counseling on gay issues for its teams and players, and that the NBA, NHL and MLB are following suit.

Reaction: NBA Commissioner David Stern issued a statement, saying "As Adam Silver and I said to Jason, we have known the Collins family since Jason and Jarron joined the NBA in 2001 and they have been exemplary members of the NBA family. Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue." Tributes were also forthcoming from Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld and from Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. Politicos got involved; both the White House and former President Bill Clinton also issued supportive statements, as well as fellow NBA player Kobe Bryant. Human Rights Campaign said that Jason Collins has forever changed the face of sports, but vaingloriously compared it to Jackie Robinson breaking the race barrier in baseball. I'm not sure all blacks are pleased at their civil rights struggle being compared to gays. A series of Tweets from others is documented HERE.

On the other side of the fence, a couple of NFL players took issue with it. NFL receiver Mike Wallace initially Tweeted "I'm not bashing anybody don't have anything against anyone I just don't understand it, All these beautiful women in the world and guys wanna mess with other guys SMH", but then backpedaled and Tweeted "Never said anything was right or wrong I just said I don't understand!! Deeply sorry for anyone that I offended". Detroit Lions cornerback Alphonso Smith merely Tweeted "Ppl are so sensitive-I have the RIGHT to not give that behavior any applause;I love everyone-don't hate anyone; not praising it! Excuse me!" and "it's a shame I have to apologize for my TRUE feelings." There are also some critical discussion threads on the F2 Anonboard; one criticizing White House support, and another decrying the gay reaction against Mike Wallace's Tweets. One F2 poster wrote "There should be a gay statue of him on the mall. Maybe it could be jason trying to swallow the washington monument".

The Toronto Globe & Mail says this matters because until everyone feels ho-hum about these announcements, it still does. They note that there are still teens who’ve suffered bullying from being perceived as “different”. However, teens have been bullied for a wide variety of reasons over the years, not just sexuality. While I believe Jason Collins is being sincere and not trying to be an attention whore, I just don't see why this matters. I personally disapprove of homosexuality; I consider it an emotional disability. But I don't feel any different towards Jason Collins now that he's out. He's still a qualified professional basketball player, and yes, he's still a man. Overplaying the "gay card" could incur the risk of backlash against gays.

ESPN is running a series of unscientific polls to gauge general public reaction. In response to the question "How surprised are you that the NBA is the first major league with an openly gay athlete?", 45 percent say they're not surprised, while 39 percent say they're somewhat surprised, and only 16 percent say they're very surprised. What would really be surprising is if an NFL player would have been the first to come out, since the NFL has an even more macho image. And in response to the question "What does 34-year-old NBA free agent Jason Collins coming out as gay do to his chances of playing next season?", 58 percent say it would have no major effect, while 28 percent say it will hurt him and only 14 percent say it will help him.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Week Four Of The 2013 Season Not A Good One For The Los Angeles Angels As They Go 2-5 And Drop To 9-15 For The Season

The inspiring three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers by the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim on April 19-21 did not prove to be a precursor to success during Week Four of the 2013 MLB season. The Angels dropped two of three to the Texas Rangers in Anaheim, although two of the games were tightly contested, and then lost three of four to the Mariners in Seattle, although two of the losses were by one run. Against Texas, the Angels had hitting but the pitching was weak; against Seattle, the pitching came around but the bats died, particularly in the last two games.

The Rangers came to Anaheim on April 22-24. In the April 22nd opener, the Angels jumped out to a 6-3 lead after six innings, fueled by Josh Hamilton's 4-for-4 performance. However, the Rangers started pecking away at rookie relievers Mike Roth and Dane de la Rosa in the top of the seventh, knotting it up at 6-6 when Scott Downs bobbled Jeff Baker's high chopper in front of the plate, permitting Adrian Beltre to score the tying run. Then in the top of the ninth, Ernesto Frieri served up a 386-foot blast to A.J. Pierzynski with two out, giving the Rangers the lead and eventually the game, 7-6.

On April 23rd, the Angels once again took the early lead, 4-0 after five innings, and once again the Rangers came back to tie it up. In the top of the sixth, with one out and two on, Nelson Cruz blasted one 439 feet off Jason Vargas to make it 4-3. Then in the top of the eighth, with Scott Downs on the hill for the Angels, two on and nobody out, David Murphy grounded into a double play, but Adrian Beltre scored on the fielder's choice. Game now tied 4-4. An error by Andrew Romine prolonged the inning; without the error, the double play would have ended the inning. But this game would end up differently, with goose eggs being exchanged until the bottom of the 11th. With one out, Howie Kendrick smacked a Joe Ortiz pitch 402 feet into center field to end the game, 5-4 Angels.

The April 24th game turned out to be an unmitigated disaster -- for the Angels. Rookie Mike Roth was given his first start of the year, and for three innings, he matched zeroes with Rangers' ace Yu Darvish. Then came the top of the fourth. The first five Texas batters reached base against Roth. The onslaught continued after David Carpenter relieved Roth; with two out and the Rangers already leading 3-0, Lance Berkman stroked a two-run single to make it 5-0. Still not hopeless yet, though. After the Rangers scored again to make it 6-0, Nelson Cruz slammed a three-run homer to make it 9-0. Now it became hopeless. In the sixth, the Rangers added two more runs to make it 11-0. Finally in the eight, with Yu Darvish long gone, the Angels woke up at scored three runs, but it was merely an afterthought. Final score: Rangers 11, Angels 3. The one positive note in the game was three scoreless and hitless innings by Jerome Williams, long after the game had been effectively decided. The Angels are now 2-4 against Texas this year.

On to Seattle for a four-game series against the Mariners. The April 25th opener, played before only 13,000 paying fans, was all Seattle. The Mariners scored two in the third, two in the seventh, and two more in the eighth. The big blow was Carlos Peguero's 451-foot solo moon shot in the third, the third-longest home run in Safeco Field history. However, Kyle Seager, 3-for-4 with three RBIs, and Jason Bay, 2-for-4 with two RBIs, sealed the Angels' fate as their hitters were virtually helpless against three Mariners pitchers. Brandon Maurer pitched the first 6.1 innings and got the win, while Garrett Richards was fairly strong for the Angels early, eventually allowing five runs in 7.1 innings. No Angel got more than one hit.

On April 26th, the Angels decided to jump off the blocks early, building a 5-0 lead after three innings on the strength of two-run homers by Hank Conger and Mark Trumbo. Meanwhile, C.J. Wilson was smoking on the hill for the Angels, striking out nine batters in only 5.1 innings. But Wilson had thrown 110 pitches, and it showed in the bottom of the sixth when the Mariners struck for two more runs, adding to the run they scored in the bottom of the fourth. But a parade of four more Angels pitchers were able to slam the door, and after the Angels added another run in the top of the seventh, they won 6-3.

The game of April 27th featured a pitching duel between the Mariners' "King Felix" Hernandez and the Angels' Joe Blanton. Blanton pitched his best game of the season, but it ultimately didn't prove good enough. The Angels struck first with two runs in the top of the third, one coming on Chris Ianetta's solo shot, his third of the year. But the Mariners tied it in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer by Jesus Montero, then after Mike Roth relieved Blanton in the seventh, Roth allowed an RBI single to former Angel Kendrys Morales. The Mariners held, winning 3-2.

The final game on April 28th featured a pitching duel between former Mariner Jason Vargas and current Mariner Hisashi Iwakuma, and Vargas was anxious to get payback on his ex-mates. The teams exchanged goose eggs until the top of the sixth inning, when the Angels drew first blood after Andrew Romine scored on an error. But victory was not in the cards for Vargas on this day, although he had enough gas to throw a complete game. In the bottom of the seventh, Jason Bay launched a bases-empty home run for the Mariners to tie it up. Then in the bottom of the eighth, Michael Morse launched one of his own to put the Mariners in front, 2-1. The lead stood up and the Angels lost three of four in this series, sinking to fourth place and a 9-15 record. The Angels are now 1-3 against Seattle this year. Illustrating the Angels offensive futility in this final game was the fact that Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and Mark Trumbo combined to go 0-for-16 with six strikeouts.

What's coming up? A three-game trip to Oakland on April 29th, 30th, and May 1st. The A's eviscerated the Angels, outscoring them 28-11 during a three-game visit to Anaheim on April 9-11. However, the A's have fallen on hard times recently, dropping eight of nine games to fall from a season high of 12-4 to 13-12 before rallying to beat the Orioles in Oakland on April 28th. The A's are now 14-12, and could be vulnerable if the Angels can mesh their hitting and their pitching together. The Angels really need to win two out of three against Oakland to start some momentum. The upcoming week then closes out with a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles in Anaheim; the Birds are in the thick of the A.L. East chase with a 15-10 record. The Angels need to win three out of four against Baltimore.

Once again, the vultures are circling around Mike Scioscia. The latest ESPN Power Rankings posted on April 29th have the Angels at number 19, no change from the previous week. They write "The Angels lead the AL in batting average, but are near the top of the league in runners left on base. They'll get a boost this week with Erick Aybar expected to return to the lineup, but will it be enough to keep them in contention?"

Facts and Stats:

-- Current Standings
-- Latest Individual Hitting Stats
-- Latest Individual Pitching Stats