Deflategate flattens Super Bowl headlines
Super Bowl XLIX occurs this Sunday at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Last year at this time, the talk was about two excellent teams going head- to- head, with Peyton Manning and his high-powered offense versus Richard Sherman and the “Legion of Boom.” But now instead of talking about a team trying to defend its Super Bowl title and the Brady/Bilichick legacy, the talk is about a team trying to win at all costs, even cheating.
In the AFC Championship game, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots steamrolled the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7. One could even say they flattened them. After the game, and in the following days, the NFL determined the New England Patriots used game balls that were about two pounds underinflated.
The NFL rule states the minimum psi of a game ball must be 13 pounds per square inch (psi), while the Patriots used footballs weighing 11 psi. Whether the tampering was done under the advice of quarterback Tom Brady or coach Bill Bilichick has not been determined. A decision will be announced after the Super Bowl.
A petition on change.org stating the Baltimore Ravens play the Colts in an AFC championship game replay has reached 40,000 signatures. This actually occurring is highly unlikely. The Patriots are predicted to receive a hefty fine and lose a few draft picks for their part in the Deflategate. This is not the first time New England has been cited for wrongdoing. In 2007, the Patriots were caught stealing signals from the New York Jets and received a $250,000 fine and lost their 2008 first round draft pick.
This allegation is no different than any other sport controversy, like steroids in baseball. It raises one question: How far should a team go to win?
Four time Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon retires
At the age of 43, and after 22 seasons with NASCAR, legend Jeff Gordon retired. Gordon has 92 career cup wins which places him third all-time and first in the modern era (1972- present). In 2009, he became the first cup driver to reach $100 million in earnings. He also has started first in a race in 22 consecutive seasons, a NASCAR record.
Along with these feats, he is highly respected in the racing community. ESPN analyst Terry Blount ranks Gordon as 10th in his 25 best drivers of all time, while Fox Sports ranks him as the fifth best driver of all time.
Chicago Cubs icon Ernie Banks dies
Today in sports, it is hard to buy your favorite player’s jersey without worrying about him being traded away or signing with another team and leaving his fans heartbroken (yes, I’m talking about you Lebron). But if you were a fan of the Chicago Cubs in the 1950s and 1960s, this fear never came true if you were buying a jersey with the number 14 on it.
“Mr. Cub,” Ernie Banks, has died at the age of 83 of a heart attack, according to the Banks’ family attorney. Well respected by his peers and always smiling, Banks played 2,528 games with the Cubs from 1953-1971.
It takes a lot of effort to find a still photo of Banks not smiling. Only two other infielders, steroid users Alex Rodriguez and Mark McGwire, have had more than his five seasons of hitting over 40 home runs. A man of tremendous athletic ability, he had 20/13 vision and strong wrists.
His Hall of Fame career, however, is tainted by his team’s losing. His 2,528 career games without reaching a postseason remains an MLB record. Despite his team’s losing ways, he easily made the Hall of Fame in 1977.
In 1969, then Cubs teammate Mark Kram told Sports Illustrated what would happen when Banks leaves the Earth
“When Ernie dies and the undertaker is finished with him, he’ll rise up and say ‘nice job buddy’,” Kram said.