Pop the cork!!

Pro athletes make a lot of money... especially in football, baseball and basketball. The organizations they play for also make tons of money. I am be no means well-versed in economics, but I do understand market value in these sports and the players should earn fair market value. Your Mannings (Peyton), Bradys, James, Jeters of the world are going to earn more money then those guys on the end of the bench or who hold a clipboard. Even our headliners on the PGA Tour make ridiculous amounts of money... but they all still make waaaay too much!!!

It is often debated whether these enormous contracts and purses have diminished the drive to excel. Sure there are athletes who want to be the best, regardless... Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan come to mind. But let's be honest... a lot of these people are in it for the money. Yes, it is a job and I go to work to make money too. The difference is I have to strive for excellent in order to make money.

The point of this??? Over the weekend the Boston Red Sox clinched a spot in the playoffs. There was no doubt they would... afterall they are the defending world champions and have had one of the best records in baseball all season. So, they have been in that position before. At the conclusion of the game, the team rushed out onto the field and celebrated like they had won the World Championship. They hadn't... they only earned a spot in the playoffs. To be fair... I didn't actually see this take place, instead I caught it on Sportscenter. What I found interesting is how the "talking heads" slammed them for excessive celebration. What?? Are you kidding me?? These guys play 162 games over a 7 month period with the goal of making the playoffs. Instead of acting like spoiled brats they celebrated... hard!

In a time where us non-athletic or "less fortunate" ones consistently belittle and question the drive and heart of professional athletes, we actually see something we can all point to and say... these guys are genuinely elated. What a great thing for all these young kids to see. Heck, what a great ting for me to see!! I applaud them for taking their profession seriously; for being proud of their accomplishments. I wish we saw more of that in professional sports. The old cliche "Act like you have been there before..." Bologna!!! Act like you are having fun and enjoy it. Shame on the media. Maybe they need to take a page from the Red Sox.

Finally...

So... I finally decided to create my own sounding board. I hope to use this as a vehicle to express my opinions, thoughts, concerns or just whatever is on my mind.