Presidential Perspective on Rough Writing
Among the writings of Teddy Roosevelt, in the spotlight with the History Channel’s four-hour documentary, are a few words that should be read by every young (and old) sportswriter or political pundit in the land:
“It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out where the strong man stumbled, nor where the doer of deeds could have done them better. On the contrary, the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena -- whose vision is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up again and again; who knows the great devotions, the great enthusiasms; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement.
“However, if he fails, if he falls, at least he fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Trivia time: How many teams are undefeated in Super Bowls?
Jerks OK: Commenting on the character qualifications of Eddie Murray and others for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times writes, “If you eliminated all the jerks from the Hall, it would be as crowded as the ethics room at Enron.”
Dog’s life: When Harvey the Hound, the Calgary Flames’ 6-foot, 6-inch mascot with a foot-long red tongue, kept taunting Edmonton Oiler Coach Craig MacTavish in an NHL game, the coach ripped out Harvey’s tongue.
Harvey began mocking MacTavish during a timeout. When play resumed, the mascot moved behind the Oilers’ bench and continued harassing the coach. As he leaned over the glass to get closer, MacTavish grabbed the tongue, tore it out and threw it into the crowd.
MacTavish was one of the last NHL players to play without a helmet under the grandfathered helmet rule. Maybe it’s showing.
Looking back: Thirty years ago today, on Jan. 22, 1973, George Foreman knocked out previously unbeaten Joe Frazier in the second round to win the world heavyweight boxing title.
Bring money: The financially strapped Jordan Formula One team, without a main sponsor, has been testing drivers in Barcelona, Spain, for the upcoming season. However, how they drive may be a moot point. According to one spokesman, the team is considering which would bring in the most sponsorship money.
Trivia answer: Four, the San Francisco 49ers with five wins, the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears and New York Jets, with one each.
And finally: Lenny Krayzelburg, Olympic swimming gold medalist, told “Best Damn Sports Show Period” his idea of why foreign athletes get involved in drug use:
“It is a little bit different when you compare yourself to people not in the U.S., but with people all over the world. Olympians around the world are much bigger. They are heroes in their countries.
“Here, the Olympics will come around every four years. There, if they win an Olympic gold medal, they are national heroes for the rest of their lives. This is what, for a lot of these athletes, drives them to do something else, to cheat, to use steroids to achieve that hype and hopefully it will take care of them for the rest of their lives.”
-- Shav Glick