Dunlap: I'm Tired Of Some Things In Sports
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - I'm not in a bad mood. Promise, I'm not. But over the past week or so in the world of sports, it seems there are just some things I have grown oh-so tired of.
There's no reason for the timing of this, no rationale behind it, just a few things that, well, have been irking me …
1. The Patriots' Past Seems Forgotten About:
I was watching the NFL Network's coverage of the run-up to the Super Bowl. In truth, I love the NFL Network. It's on all the time in my house; sort of background music on this little TV I have tucked away underneath the cabinetry in my kitchen. Anyhow, they were going on and on and on some more about the greatness of Bill Belichick during his career.
They then did the same with Tom Brady. They showed all these numbers and graphs illustrating the Patriots' prominence over the last 20 years or so.
I don't know --- for me it should have an asterisk next to it. At least some of it should. To tell the full story is to remember they were embroiled in two major cheating scandals. I'm kinda tired of the people who just gloss over as much. Are the Pats clean this year? Probably. But people are derelict of duty if they tell the historical story of the Patriots and don't bring up the cheating.
2. Ben Retirement Talk:
I'm ready for a decision. We have all pretty much come to the conclusion he will be back. Now, it is my opinion there is some smoke to this and Roethlisberger is truly considering retirement, but at this point, I'm ready for an answer. Ben doesn't owe anyone but himself something (because the Steelers could cut him at any time). But with that said, I'm ready for a definitive decision so we can get past it one way or the other.
3. Signing Day:
Man, it has turned into such a spectacle. For some. In truth, I don't pay any attention to it. Anyhow, people slobber over 17-year-old kids, they tell them how great they are, they publicize it on national TV and keep pumping up their ego. Then when a kid acts entitled, they wonder. Yea, they wonder. You created the monster, you deal with it. That's how I look at it. Humility and unpretentiousness seems lost in society and there's no better example than what happens on football signing day.
4. Charles Barkley:
He used to be entertaining. Now everyone just puts him on blast. He crossed the line with the way he criticized LeBron James and I'm happy LBJ straightened him out. You can love or hate LeBron, but you cannot argue the impact he has had on the NBA and, more to the point, how he's always kept his nose clean. Barkley should be careful about who he throws stones at --- glass houses and all that stuff.
5. Regular-season hockey:
Show me the playoffs. I'm ready. Well, as soon as Conor Sheary gets healthy, I'm ready.
6. The Pitt basketball drama:
This has been about the worst start to a relationship that anyone could have imagined. There is no way Kevin Stallings thought it would go like this. It seems for about a month now he has been at serious odds with some of his players --- mainly the older guys. In full disclosure, I think Stallings is the absolute right man for the Pitt job right now and is dead right about some of the issues that plague Pitt.
It seems to me it's on the players to buy in and some of the seniors simply didn't. All that said, the drama needs to stop. It isn't healthy for anyone involved. I consider this year a lost cause at this point but expect --- if Stallings wants to be here long --- a better relationship with his players going into next season.
7. Shrimp Bayless:
Tired of him. So tired of him.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.