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Tuesday, August 23, 2005
‘Noles rise up, NCAA retreats
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Let that be a lesson to you, NCAA. Don’t mess around with T.K. Wetherell!
You Florida State lovers don’t have to say “Semi-” Noles any more. You may say the whole word, and deflate those stuffed shirts at the NCAA. Surely they have more to do in Indianapolis than worry about tribal relations. (Hey, wait a minute. Notice the first six letters in its address? It spells out I-N-D-I-A-N. Enough to call a powwow about.)
About T.K. Wetherell, he’s the president of Florida State, but on his way up the ladder, he was a fine pass receiver as one of those Seminoles himself. When he got word that the NCAA had decided that college athletic teams should sever all references to Indians in postseason, T.K. broke out in a rash.
What he said was, You just try breaking up our good relations with the Seminole tribe and you’ve got a lawsuit on your hands, or words to that effect.
Not only that, but the Seminole tribe rose up in a wrath. Hey, some of our best friends are FSU Seminoles, the tribe said. We like the arrangement. Why don’t you go pick on Penn State, see if the Nittany Lions are happy with that connection.
The NCAA went quietly. In view of the “relationship Florida State has long enjoyed with the Seminole tribe of Florida,” it said, for openers. “The review committee noted the unique relationship between the school and the tribe as a significant factor.”
Barf! They wanted no part of T.K. Wetherell and his tribe in a Florida courtroom. You notice, they niftily passed over the words “hostile” and “abusive” this time. Surely, these eggheads have more to do than fret over the name some college teams choose to go by in postseason. And if it’s not “hostile” and “abusive” over the regular season, why is it when emphasis is on bowls and championships?
What one reader wrote was, “Trying to be politically correct, the NCAA stepped on its [censored].”
It’s not over yet. They’ve only scratched the surface. This review committee may be working overtime to clear up all the tribal warfare now at hand. How about the Illini, for heaven’s sake? That refers to tribes long since dead. Do they ban the whole state of Illinois? Hell, most of us didn’t even realize that Illinois related to Indians.
Let’s see what other warring violators the NCAA can step on. There’s the Utah Utes, the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, the Central Michigan Chippewas, and I’m sure I’ve let some slip through the cracks. Should the review committee insist that North Dakota become the Docile Sioux? No team wants to wear some pantywaist name. Florida State chose the Seminole name because the tribe never lost a battle.
Take Stanford, for instance, their Indians became the Cardinal, referring to we know not what. A bird? A pontiff? The Miami of Ohio Redskins became the Red Hawks. Did anyone ever consider that a hawk has pride, too?
It’s much ado about nothing, as you can plainly see, or I wouldn’t be spending my time writing this drivel. Carry on, you ‘Noles, like your namesakes, you’ve won another battle. (You’ll notice I didn’t say you’ve added another scalp to your belt. I didn’t dare. I was afraid I’d have to face the review committee.)
Permalink | Comments (14) | Categories: Furman Bisher, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
Will Heatley find new direction in Ottawa?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Two weeks ago, Dany Heatley phoned Don Waddell and told him he was changing agents again. Also, if it were at all possible, he would like to be traded.
As the Thrashers’ general manager, there are at least two scenarios you would never envision. One is a late night phone call informing you that two of your players were in a horrible car wreck, both are in intensive care and one is near death. The other is that the face of your franchise wants out - and you’ll seriously consider it.
The fact that one scenario preceded the other speaks volumes.
“Prior to the accident — no, I never thought something like this could happen,” Waddell said Tuesday. “But I guess with everything that has happened, it’s not a total surprise. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. But in the end, I had to do what’s best for the franchise.”
Trading Dany Heatley.
Best for the franchise.
How could those sentences possibly ever intersect?
Heatley wasn’t merely the Thrashers’ best hope for respectability, a player admired by everybody on the ice, behind the bench or in the executive suite. He was the league’s top rookie one year and the MVP of the All-Star Game the next.
In his rookie season, 35-year-old veterans found themselves looking up to a 20-year-old. In year two, Heatley scored 41 goals and looked like captain material. He was that rare mixture of skill, leadership and charm.
That was Heatley then.
This is Heatley now.
He appeared out of shape to observers at the recent Canadian Olympic camp and suddenly is no certainty for the 2006 Games, which once would have seemed ludicrous. He was unimpressive at the recent World Cup.
There have been questions about his knee, which was among the injuries he suffered in the 2003 car accident that killed his teammate, Dan Snyder. There have been questions about his vision since suffering a fractured left orbital bone when a puck hit him during a game in Bern, Switzerland, during the NHL lockout.
There are the injuries we can’t see. Rumors of depression and questionable off-ice activities followed him from Canada to Switzerland to Russia and back to Canada (site of the World Cup). During the lockout, friends and some in the Thrashers’ organization were stunned when he signed with a team in Switzerland, then came to Atlanta for the resolution of his court case, then immediately bolted town to sign with a different team in Russia rather than begin his court-ordered community service.
It was as if he couldn’t get out of Atlanta fast enough.
Heatley told Waddell he needed a “fresh start.” That need wasn’t in place following the accident but it must have increased during the lockout. Rumors circulated around draft time that Heatley wanted to be traded. But Waddell didn’t give them much thought. Rumors and the Canadian media go together like ponds and pond scum.
“I didn’t acknowledge the rumors because I never heard it from Dany,” Waddell said.
Until the phone call on Aug. 9. I’ve changed agents again. I want out.
Heatley is unsigned and this was not going to be an easy negotiation. Heatley stripped first agent, Stacey McAlpine, of negotiating power and replaced him with the respected Don Baizley. But Waddell and Baizley couldn’t agree on Heatley’s long-term value because of the uncertainty of the player’s health and mindset. They agreed a short-term deal was best.
Baizley went back to Heatley to report that. Then he was fired, too. Heatley is now on his third agent since playing his last NHL game. This looks like a kid with some issues.
Most Atlantans never have heard of Marian Hossa. They only figure he didn’t go to Auburn. They don’t know that he has averaged 35 goals and 72 points over the last five seasons. They only know he’s not Dany Heatley.
But this trade can’t be judged now. Nobody knows the direction in which Heatley is headed.
If mind and body heal and he evolves into the special player he was for two seasons, it won’t matter how good Marian Hossa is — because Heatley will be better.
If mind and body don’t heal, it will be a sad story for Heatley, but Waddell will look like a visionary.
Even if this was a trade he never expected to make.
Permalink | Comments (58) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Thrashers / NHL
Shaking out the Tuesday Countdown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
The Tuesday Countdown:
10: Walked up to Billy Knight last Friday after a press conference and congratulated him for navigating through BelkinGate. We shook hands. I said, “Thanks for shaking my hand. I realize you don’t do that every day.” He said, “I have no problems shaking hands with you. You never lied to me.”
9: This really shouldn’t be taken as an endorsement of either the Joe Johnson trade or even extreme confidence in Knight. But given that he blew up the roster, he does deserve a chance to build it as he sees fit. That’s what GMs do.
8: But I was still hoping the soap opera would linger a while. Wanted to see Steve Belkin walk into Philips Arena for next season’s home opener.
7: Jeff Fisher says Alex Gibbs teaches dirty blocking. Next week, Jeff Fisher is expected to announce that Lindbergh made it.
6: My childhood TV crush, Barbara Eden, turned 71. Somehow, I don’t think that butt’s making it through the top of the bottle any more.
5: Never shook hands with Lawrence Phillips. Good thing. He would’ve stolen my watch.
4: Phillips has been charged with suspicion of attempted murder (after allegedly running his car into three teenagers) and domestic abuse (for allegedly twice attacking his girlfriend, once choking her into unconsciousness). Really, I mean, give the kid a break. It was legal at Nebraska.
3: I defy you to name any high profile athlete who has had a more spectacular crash. OK. Mike Tyson. That was easy.
2: I’m trying to figure out why Randy Moss admitting he has — and possibly still is - inhaled the wacky tobbaccy is considered such a big deal. The fact he admits it probably makes him the most honest athlete in professional sports.
1: Now Barry Bonds says he’s getting healthy again. If he returns, I’ll be there to not shake his hand.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Quick Hit
