Wooley's Weekly Winners 7-25-14
By Ryan Wooley
@WooleyMammoth85
Wow! What a busy sports week this was! There were so many winners that I could have picked this week, but I felt these three really stood out above the rest. The NFL could have made the list had they suspended Ravens running back Ray Rice more than just two games for striking his wife unconscious, but since they feel that violating the substance abuse policy is a worse crime than hitting a woman, I left them off.
What do you think of my three winners? Do you agree? If not, who would you have selected? Let me know by tweeting at me.
Dave Dombrowski
For all the love and praise Dave Dombrowski has received this season for the Ian Kinsler/Prince Fielder trade -- and the hate and vitriol sent his way from the Doug Fister deal -- "Double D" might have redeemed himself with his latest move to acquire closer Joakim Soria from the Rangers. The move sends a message to fans that they team is officially in a win-now mode and that they will not settle for anything less than a World Series title. It also puts the pressure on Joe Nathan to step up his game and if he does, the Tigers could potentially turn their biggest weakness into one of their biggest strengths.
Ohio State
It's hard to fathom what really went on with the Ohio State Marching Band and their "sexual culture" that was uncovered by a two month investigation, but kudos to the University for taking swift action. Yes, I was in the marching band while at Eastern Michigan University and even though none of that stuff ever went on, there were always traditions that were passed down from generation to generation and unsanctioned events that took place off campus -- but nothing like what happened at OSU. Just like in any sport, hazing, bullying or belittling someone for being a rookie or freshmen should never be tolerated and any instructor that turned a blind eye to a band member sharing their discomfort or unwillingness to take part in such event -- and getting penalized for it -- certainly deserved to lose their job.
ESPN
It's no secret that the "World Wide Leader" is exactly that when it comes to sports news. I mean be honest, of all the trusted news outlet out there, ESPN is probably at the top of the list. Well Chris Mortensen confirmed this week what we all thought would happen -- that the Lions front office is becoming less optimistic that a deal with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is going to get done and that he is going to either test free agency next year, or force the Lions to franchise tag him. I personally thought that the Lions were planning on shipping him out of town during the NFL draft to acquire another pick or possibly move up the board, so even though it's rare to see in the NFL it wouldn't shock me to see Detroit try to move him before the trading deadline. Hearing this news from Mortensen has only confirmed my belief.
