EGHS Sports Literature Weekly Articles

ReFLEXon of the Week of November Seventh

By: Alexa Gladstone

* O.J. Simpson is wearing the pink polka dot dunce cap. Props to Judge Jackie Glass, who did today in Nevada what college and professional football defenses were not able to do often. Stop O.J. Simpson. After enforcing such a varied series of coexisting and consecutive sentences that even many lawyers had difficulty deciphering, it has finally been deduced that the earliest Mr. Simpson could possible be released from jail would be after his 70th birthday. Unless, of course, he dies before then. Judge Glass, known for a no-nonsense approach, as well as for dishing out tough sentences, was strictly business on the day of the trial. She began the day by denying Simpson the privilege of wearing street clothes to the sentencing, and ended it by denying him bond pending an appeal. These two denials meant that 61 year old O.J. Simpson exited the courtroom in shackles and a blue jumpsuit, heading directly to prison. Do not pass 'GO', do not collect $200. Simpson has been convicted of 12 criminal charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery.

* Those wild and crazy New York Yankees have always done gluttony like no one else, and still, there have been few Yankees quite like these Yankees, who missed the playoffs and have a new ballpark to sell out and a recession to balance and a couple new Steinbrenners at the top.

They came to terms Friday afternoon with A.J. Burnett, a free-agent pitcher on a five-year contract for $82.5 million. New York added Burnett to a rotation that also includes holdovers Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain only two days after striking a $160 million, seven-year deal with CC Sabathia. Additionally, the Yankees are hoping to re-sign Andy Pettitte and have looked at Ben Sheets as an alternative.

Several well-known players were among those let go by teams in the hours before the midnight deadline to offer 2009 contracts to players on rosters. Many teams didn't want to go to salary arbitration with the players and were willing to risk them leaving as free agents.

"Economics forced us to make this decision," Astros general manager Ed Wade said of Wigginton. "If there is an opportunity for us to adjust our payroll later in the offseason, we'd like to see if there's an opportunity to bring him back."

* It’s a good thing the New York Yankees aren’t playing in Mumbai. The multitude of terrorist attacks has left 160 dead and many more injured. Another terrorist attack that targeted the Indian Parliament building on Dec. 13, 2001 claimed the life of 14 victims and very nearly brought the two nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan. Hardly a day goes by without an incident of suicide bombers killing innocent Pakistani civilians.

* ONCE UPON A TIME… The Big, The Bad and The Injured

"Goodness is the only investment that never fails." - Henry David Thoreau

Shooting himself in the thigh by accident just two weeks ago didn’t stop Giants receiver Plaxico Burress from attending a charity fundraiser for the homeless at a New York City nightclub Friday night. Burress showed up at Kevin Powell’s 8th Annual Holiday Party and Clothing Drive at the Madison nightclub on Friday with his wife, Tiffany, and son, Elijah.

As would be expected, he didn’t talk at all about the team suspending him and didn’t comment on the shooting which took place on Friday, November 29th at the Latin Quarter nightclub, the precursor to a criminal weapon charge. Burress pleaded not guilty to the weapons charge and will soon be back in court, as he was released from jail on $100,000 bail.

“This is a wonderful thing for us to come out and be able to help people and we can lend a helping hand." Burress was reported saying in a WNBC-TV trascript, "I have a child, I have a son, I couldn’t imagine him being in that situation, so that’s why I brought him also.”

Props to Burress for not only being charitable himself, but also displaying the importance of kindness to his child.

* Our prayers go out to the NFL… NOT! Finally, a silver lining to the economic slump: The NFL is hurting financially. Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the cuts in a memo to league employees. The NFL is eliminating about 150 of its 1,100 staff members in New York, NFL Films in New Jersey and television and internet production facilities in Los Angeles.

NEW YORK (AP)—The recession has hit the NFL. The league said Tuesday it is cutting more than 10 percent of its headquarters staff in response to the downturn in the nation's economy.

Personally, I cannot stand most (not all) professional sports. But the more a sport glorifies blatant machismo and stupidity, the more I dislike it. I recognize I'm in the stone-cold minority on this one, as football is among America's favorite sports. Fans need to recognize there are many of us out there who find the hero worship of macho, meat-headed, tobacco-spitting men while young women dance around them in short skirts, well, offensive. So, cut, NFL, and cut again, please.