September 27, 2006
owens didn't do it
Considering that my normal day job is one in which I have regular contact with those who suffer from mental illness, I would like to think that I am somewhat qualified to have some experience in the area of attempted suicide and the typical depression that would precede it. In the case of Terrell Owens, there are several indications that he did not in fact have any real intention of killing himself last night.
In general men are much more statistically proficient at killing themselves than women. Usually when a man attempts suicide, he will use an extremely violent method of doing so - a gun, jumping from a great height, hanging, etc.. This is much more effective than the popular methods that women choose which tend to be more passive or quiet, such as medication overdose or self-inflicted wounds. Many more men die each year from suicide than women, and it is the methods they utilize that provides the simplest reason why. The use of prescription pills as a form of suicide is typically quite ineffective, especially when one does not mix the medication with other substances (i.e. alcohol). If Owens was truly attempting to kill himself, he wasn't taking the most efficient course of action in doing so.
Secondly, if Owens was making a concerted effort to commit the suicide, why would he allow for his publicist to be at his house that same night, especially while he was still conscious? It simply doesn't make sense for someone who is suicidal to be inviting friends over to his home on the night he plans to commit the act. Those who are depressed and at risk of suicide tend to have exact plans as to how they will kill themselves, and it certainly wouldn't make sense to have others present while doing so.
Third, why would any decent hospital allow for someone who is considered suicidal to be released so soon after an attempt on their own life? Most psychiatric procedure would call for a full evaluation of the patient's mental health and permission from one of the hospital's psychiatrists for the patient to be discharged. A suicidal patient does not have the same rights at a hospital as other patients when it comes to discharge - if you are considered to be a threat to yourself or others it is the responsibility of the hospital to ensure that you remain in the care of its medical staff until you can be cleared as a safety risk. If a psychiatrist were to determine that Owens was actually suicidal, my guess is that it would have taken much longer for him to be released from the medical center. No doctor in their right mind would allow himself to fall under the type of scrutiny that would ensue should a celebrity like Terrell Owens commit suicide after he was declared stable - the psychiatrist would be absolutely sure to evaluate him completely before discharge. As far as I'm concerned, Owens' mental health has been determined to be strong enough for him to return home.
Personally, I believe that when this story has run its course it will be determined that Terrell Owens simply had a bad reaction to whatever pain medication he happened to be on at the time. The only source of information stating that he attempted suicide is a single police report, during which time he could have been led to make an untrue statement while not in his normal state of mind. For all we know, the "supplements" that Owens had previously been taking were antihistamines, anti-anxiety medications, or even certain stimulants that could have unstable effects on his body when combined with a powerful pain medication, such as hydrocodone. People get sent to the hospital all the time after improperly mixing medications - Owens very easily could have made a mistake when taking his prescription painkiller. This is just another example of an overblown media story on an normally slow news day.
September 09, 2006
falling just short
If there really such a thing as a moral victory, this game would be the absolute definition of the term. The Orangemen were expected to lose to Iowa by a minimum of two and a half touchdowns, but instead they surprised everyone and put up a top notch fight, forcing a Top-15 football team into double OT (the half-time analysts for ABC were especially upset, as they felt the need to constantly rip one of the best football programs in the history of the sport, save one or two recent bad seasons - the viewers don't care if you think SU is terrible. Stop talking smack about the teams you're supposed to cover objectively, Craig James, and go makeout with Kirk Herbstreit). I'm sure Coach Robinson is far from pleased with the result of the contest, but I would also assume that he's going to find some solace in the big picture: Syracuse finally hung with one of the best, and they stuck with it right up to the end.
Unfortunately, I don't believe in moral victories. I especially don't believe in any kind of victory when your team's loss is determined by the fact that they failed in SEVEN CONSECUTIVE TRIES to move the football from their opponent's two yard line. Talk about getting the fans' (and players) hopes up for the biggest win in almost four years, only to fall apart in fantastically pathetic fashion, crushing their hearts even further. Looking back on what just transpired, I almost would've preferred that two and a half touchdown thrashing that we all expected. Almost.
Iowa gave Syracuse several chances to win this game, and despite the best game-long efforts of Perry, Taj, Terrell Lemon, and Captain Carney, among others - the team just couldn't push through the Hawkeye D-Line for those final two yards. As soon as the first end zone pass interference call was made, I was convinced the Cuse would tie it up easily. What team can't score from the two with four chances to do it, right? Once, then twice, then again, and again... and again... and again... and again, the Orange couldn't get past those suddenly untamed Big Ten giants standing between them and that game-tying touchdown. It's a shame, too, because it would have been the perfect turning point moment in the young career of Coach Robinson.
Nothing against Tony Fiammetta - I realize he had a couple productive carries against Wake Forest - but where the heck was Curtis Brinkley during those last seven plays? What was stopping the coach from pulling the trigger and sending the team's obvious first stringer off tackle and into the end zone? Was it the fact that Brinkley's only averaged 5.1 yards per carry thus far (only minimally better than Paul Chiara's 1.8 ypc) and that he'd been struggling his way to a team-high 69 yards all game long? Give the ball to your horse when it matters, regardless of what the scale says in the morning. Brinkley deserved to have his hands on the ball in that situation - if only ONCE out of seven tries - and the coaching staff failed to give it to him.
Syracuse played the best game I've seen them put forth in a long time, going back to last year's last-second loss to Virginia. The secondary carried the entire team for four quarters, and Perry was efficient when it mattered most. Taj Smith showed flashes of what Robinson and White's offense will be once it's moving at full speed, and Curtis Brinkley proved himself to be more than capable of being the #1 back until Delone Carter comes around. The sad part is that I'd be happier if Iowa had the ball last in the second overtime instead of first. That way the score would've been a manageable 19-16, the Cuse could be a little prouder, and we wouldn't have to ponder those final seven snaps for the next seven days. Instead we're stuck with the usual routine - the losing streak continues and the fans have to wait 'til next time.
Perhaps Coach Robinson will get that second win - the first real win, if you ask most fans - against the Redhawks of Miami. It's certainly possible, considering the show we witnessed today, but it won't be nearly as sweet as it would've been to beat those Hawkeyes. The streak has to end sometime, right?
September 07, 2006
it's official: the best ever!
If any of you have been listening to John Sterling call the Yankees lately, you would be well aware of the fact that Robinson Cano is about to jump into your Sunday newspaper, right at the top of the American League batting race. As of this morning, Robbie's batting .340 (133 for 391) and if he were to qualify for the race he'd be sittin' pretty behind Joe Mauer (.345) and The Captain (.344) in third place.
In order to qualify for the batting title race, the rules state that a player must have at least 3.1 plate appearances per game played by his team (rulebook info courtesy of Uncle Budski). Therefore, since the Yankee season lasts 162 games, Cano must have a minimum of 502 plate appearances before the playoffs begin. At this time, he's played in 99 of the Yankees' 138 games and made 408 plate appearances (4.12 PA per game). If Cano continues this pace, he will need to play in another 23 games to qualify for the batting title race. That means that Joe can only bench him once more over the remainder of the season in order for the kid to see his name in the record books under "Batting Leaders, 2006." This is definitely possible.
Aside from his own glory, Robinson is also playing for another piece of Baseball history - and perhaps a much larger one at that. Since the season of 1901, a shortstop or second baseman has won the AL or NL batting title 39 times. In those 39 AL and NL seasons, there has never been a double play combination in which both middle infielders on a team finished in the Top 5 of batting average for their league (let alone the entire majors). If Jeter (or Cano) manages to overtake Joe Mauer for that top spot and Cano qualifies in the category, it will be the first time in modern baseball history that a SS / 2B combination have been at the top of the league in hitting. Granted, Batting Average has always been overrated as an evaluator of production, but - as Uncle Bud says - it's still "one of the three glory stats."
Could we be witnessing history this year? I'm beginning to think that Yankee fans have been watching the best offensive middle infielder duo in the history of baseball this season, and not even known it. Maybe by next year they'll be competing with each other for the crown as they push the Yanks to a 12th straight division title. Hell, throw in Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi and I'd bet that the 2006 Yankee infield comes pretty close to the best total offensive production of all time.
For now, here's a (long) list of all the shortstops and second baseman who have won the batting crown, along with the averages of their double-play partners. Enjoy.
Shortstops who have won the title, and co-infielders on the other side:
Michael Young, 2005: .331 --- 2B Alfonso Soriano: .268 (Also combined for 60 HR. Wow.)
Nomar Garciaparra, 2000: .372 ---- 2B Jose Offerman: .255
Nomar Garciaparra, 1999: .357 ---- 2B Jose Offerman: .294
Alex Rodriguez, 1996: .358 ---- 2B Joey Cora: .291
Dick Groat, 1960: .325 ----- 2B Bill Mazeroski: .273
Lou Boudreau, 1944: .327 ---- 2B Ray Mack: .232
Luke Appling, 1943: .328 ---- 2B Don Kolloway: .216
Luke Appling, 1936: .388 ---- 2B Jackie Hayes: .312
Arky Vaughan, 1935: .385 ---- 2B Pep Young: .265
Honus Wagner, 1911: .334 ---- 2B Dots Miller: .268
Honus Wagner, 1903,1904, 1906-1909: .355, .349, .339, .350, .354, .339. ---- the best 2B during those titles was Claude Ritchey, 1903: .287.
Second Basemen who won the title, with their Shortstops:
Rod Carew, 1969, 1972-75: .332, .318, .350, .364, .359 ---- the top avg for his SS during those years was Leo Cardenas' .280 in '69. (Carew also won it in '77 and '78 as a 1B: .388 and .333.... this is the guy they like to compare Robbie to. Not quite yet, eh?)
Bobby Avila, 1954: .341 ---- SS George Strickland: .213
Jackie Robinson, 1949: .342 ---- SS Pee Wee Reese: .279
Snuffy Stirnweiss (awesome), 1945: .309 ---- SS Frankie Crosetti: .238
Charlie Gehringer, 1937: .371 ---- SS Billy Rogel: .276
Buddy Myer, 1935: .349 ---- SS Ossie Bluege: .262
Rogers Hornsby, 1928: .387 ---- SS Doc Farrell: .215
Rogers Hornsby, 1920-25: .370, .397, .401, .384, .424, .403 ---- the best SS in among those years was Specs Toporczer, 1922: .324
Larry Doyle, 1915: .320 ---- SS Art Fletcher .254
Nap Lajoie, 1910: .384 ---- SS Terry Turner: .230
Nap Lajoie, 1901-04: .426,
After finding and reviewing all these statistics, DP combo that comes closest to Jeter and Cano is that of Hornsby and Toporczer in 1922 - even then, when everyone was hitting .320, Hornsby's teammate could only manage .324. Robbie and The Captain are both going to hit .340 this season. Boom.
