Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp and the 2011 MVP

For me, the biggest deal with Ryan Braun being suspended for the rest of the season is how quickly he owned up to it compared to what happened last year. He found a loophole in the process and exploited it well. Now he couldn't outrun lightning striking near him twice.

I'm not shocked when somebody cheats anymore. I also don't assume everyone is cheating either. I'm at that weird in-between where I just watch the game, trust my eyes more than my ears and let the process play out. I'm not about to call somebody a total fraud without considering the totality of their career.

Yet as a Dodgers fan, I'm not about to say Braun's MVP should be given to Matt Kemp. Why? Because I already argued a few times in 2011 why Kemp should've won and that argument hasn't changed in two years. In a close race, Braun won because his team went to the postseason.

MLB wisely doesn't strip folks of winning awards (for the record - I'm fine with it in the Olympics to a point). Doing that would insult what our eyes saw and pretend it didn't exist. PED-enhanced numbers existed on MLB's watch and it wasn't until the game became a cartoon that they stepped in to clean it up.

That all said, I've believed for a while that Barry Bonds got cheated out of an MVP (1991) as did Pedro Martinez (1999) and Albert Belle (1995). I'd rather argue that Kemp deserved it in 2011 and should've won it on his own merit regardless of what Braun did.

Why I'm Letting Johnny Manziel Be: Because He's 20

I don't care much about the moral handwringing over Johnny Manziel, the current prince of Texas enjoying his football fame. The same way I didn't care about what my friends did when I was in college as long as they were having fun, living it up and not hurting anybody.

Manziel's 20 years old. I'm still not that far removed from college to know how 20 year old kids act. Heisman or not, he's still growing up in front of us and you can't place adult expectations on a college kid. Those who say the Heisman means you flip a switch and carry yourself with grace and professionalism obviously put too much faith in a statue.

Whatever happened at the Manning Academy was unfortunate. Hat tip to the folks at RumorsAndRants getting more info on this story and to Manziel's credit, he owned up to his mistakes. Part of growing up means you screw up, let people down and learn how to handle it/do better later.

But for me, I don't have a problem with Manziel being himself long as it doesn't involve letting others down when it counts (and I don't mean on the field). Why should he be held to a higher standard? Because he's a better football player than most? Just because you're a star doesn't mean you should be Mr. Perfect or Mr. "Wholesome All-American" and clinging to that myth says more about you than him.

A Moment of Respect for Mariano Rivera

I missed most of the All-Star Game due to Youth Group. It's something I've come to expect most of my life and the only times I actually watched most of the game was from 2007-2010 when I spent Tuesday nights at my newspaper proofreading stories and finishing up things before we went to press.

I happened to check Twitter after we wrapped up and I saw Rob Parker send this tweet.

What a moment! Nobody is on the field but Rivera. Warming up by himself. His team stayed in dugout and fans gave his a thunderous ovation.
— Rob Parker (@RobParkerLocal4) July 17, 2013

Soon as I got home, I watched the footage. "Enter Sandman" blaring loud and Mariano Rivera coming out to do his job like he's done every year. Except he was alone. No teammates. Just him on that mound and soaking up the praise of his last All-Star game from the fans, both teams and many viewers.

Athletes and Their Power (A Sports Take on Trayvon Martin)

Dont know what the appropriate punishment is but this sets an ugly precedence. Gotta feeling were gonna see more cases like this. #profiling
— Nazr Mohammed (@NazrMohammed) July 14, 2013

Amidst my many moods regarding George Zimmerman being acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, one thing did brighten my face. The slew of athletes who were outraged and disappointed at the verdict.

I save all of my non-sports thoughts at Virgo Gumbo so I'll direct you for my full thoughts on this latest miscarriage of justice. Here, I want to speak to the athletes who were like many of us over the weekend.

As angry as you are, you men and women have great power in your hands. Not just to be retweeted for any old reason but you have influence over your followers to do more than just promote yourselves, your craft or your league. Your reactions made national news and deservedly so.

One look at the Miami Heat posting a picture in their hoodies is a reminder that when you do something noteworthy, it will be celebrated. I know that folks like Rashard Mendenhall, Etan Thomas and a few others have carried the mantle of athlete-activists and folks like Donte Stallworth are thought-provoking as they are fun.

They say sports and politics don't mix. As Howard Bryant reminded us, they always do. They mix when the sport dictates what politics are acceptable. It's time for you to take the anger from the verdict and use it wisely for future causes you find acceptable to rally behind.

I hope everyone can see the BIGGER picture if this trial ... his story was heard, his voice was heard RIP Trayvon Benjamin Martin
— Da'Quan Bowers (@DaQuanBowers91) July 14, 2013

I'm not saying you need to be Muhammad Ali, Curt Flood, Spencer Haywood, Bill Russell or more from the 1960's and 70's who joined with movements that shook up this country. I only hope you realize that your voice has weight and when the time is right, you'll raise it again along with action and support.

If there is a sports positive from this is that I hope it inspires athletes professional and "amateur" to realize that no matter how good they are in sports, there's a world bigger than them and sometimes, they can feel free to speak up more often.

Peace Go With You, Metta

As expected, the Lakers waived Metta World Peace using their amnesty provision, ending his four-year tenure with the team. His impact is simple. Much as I didn't like losing Trevor Ariza in 2009, the Lakers don't win the 2010 NBA championship without MWP's contributions in the playoffs.

Many of us remember this. Game 7 of the 2010 Finals. I watched at my house with several of my close friends after failing to get a spot at Buffalo Wild Wings.  I remember talking to my man Keith about the game beforehand and he predicted that MWP would play huge to seal it. It was a vintage performance that I celebrated the following day.

Which led to this classic press conference that will live forever in NBA history. Not just for the comedy and pure joy, but the honesty - esp. when he acknowledged his Pacers days.

But I also remember this. His buzzer beater to beat the Suns in Game 5 in the 2010 Western Conference Finals. Right place, right time, basketball IQ to follow Kobe's shot, fight for the rebound and put it up.

I feel glad that we got to see Ron Artest mature in Los Angeles and grow into Metta World Peace, a funny character who was still fiery on the court. A fierce advocate for mental health awareness. A reminder to be yourself and be free. A winner of the NBA's Citizenship Award and a reminder that anybody can change if we allow ourselves to see them grow up instead of what they used to be.

It's been a fun four years. Metta may not be the dominant two-way threat he was 10 years ago but he's still a solid player. He'll be fondly remembered here like many other Lakers who won a title and endeared themselves to Los Angeles. I'll miss his antics, his passion, his fierce defense, those Metta moments that only he could do.

I'll leave it with words from the legendary Gil Scott Heron that inspired this title. Thank you, Metta World Peace.

Back From the Dead, the Dodgers Keep Rolling

A month ago, I was ready to consider this Dodgers season a wash. On the morning of June 3, they were nine games under .500. Between injuries and lackluster hitting, nothing was going right. By June 19, they were 29-40 after losing Game 1 of a doubleheader to the Yankees.

Fast forward to today. The team just finished a 14th inning game to sweep the Diamondbacks. They're 1.5 games out of first place. They're 45-45 and all a sudden they look like a different team and I'm watching games with more interest than just as a loyal fan.

Instead of worrying where the Dodgers offense comes from, I see timely hitting coming from AJ Ellis, Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and yes, Yasiel Puig. 

A lot of credit goes to Puig, your reigning National League rookie/player of the month. I've still yet to come up with a non-pitching rookie who's impacted the team like this right away and if he makes the All-Star team, I'll be happy. But I want to give props to Ramirez, who looks more and more like the player he was from 2008-2010.

What's Next for the Lakers (Apocalypse Now)

Now that Dwight Howard is gone and we've all dealt with the aftermath, I want to look deeper in what faces the Lakers in 2013-14.  In short, it's basically "Apocalypse Now". The result of two seasons that have left the this team without an identity and wondering what's going on.

Folks wondered when the Lakers' recent good stretch would end and the downfall has come. It's true they made the playoffs the last two years but we've known that the flaws of this team have been evident. The lack of perimeter defense, players getting older, an inconsistent bench...all of it showed at times and it really showed during the playoffs.

At this point, I and a few other Laker fans have accepted that this season is probably a lost one. Let's look at why.

The best five now? Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman, Steve Nash, Jodie Meeks and Jordan Hill. It looks good but consider that Nash will be 40 next February and Kaman, while still only 31, had a career-low in rebounds last year while struggling in Dallas. Nash's health was a problem last year so the hope is that he can play at least 60-70 games.

Gasol will probably be the team's best offensive weapon. At 33, he's still an effective power forward despite being misused as a jump shooter. I'm not worried about his game as much as I'm worried about Mike D'Antoni keeping him away from the post where he can do just as much damage. In the last year of his contract, Gasol needs to be able to show all he can to convince the Lakers to resign him if they so choose.

Meeks and Hill aren't bad but Meeks/Hill are role players. Hill also plays the same position as Gasol so chances are they won't start. So who will be the Lakers' small forward until Kobe Bryant comes back?

Analyzing the Dwightmare (D12, The Media and the Lakers)

So Dwight Howard is a Houston Rocket. Just as I expected in May. No real surprise so allow me to break down this whole thing a bit, starting with how this impacts D12. I'll quickly add that I hate calling this a Dwightmare so apologies for the title when really Dwight handled this quite well.

Howard goes to a team where he'll be loved and get what he wants. I don't have a problem with that. He earned the right to decide where he was going and what was a great fit. He earned the right to pick his future at his own pace and with careful thought. It's never easy to make a decision involving that much money and the prime of his career.

If the last three years have taught us anything, Howard's biggest issue is that he wants to be loved and being unaware of how it makes him look. He's a gifted player on the court but offensively, he's not as refined as he is defensively or as a rebounder.

Injured or not, he didn't adjust to a town where he wasn't coddled and had high expectations from Day One. It's not about rings, it's about embracing a mentality of toughness and going all out. I didn't see him as a true Laker because I didn't see that desire all the time.

I feel he wanted the love without the criticism. It's not easy playing with Kobe Bryant or surrounded by hungry veterans who don't have time to clown. Not to mention losing left a sour taste on things. That's why most of the vibe here is good riddance and good luck. Besides it wasn't as if Dwight gave folks a great glimpse of what he can do.

You Don't Know Me And You Never Did (On Aaron Hernandez and the Media Cliches)

I’ve been watching the coverage on Aaron Hernandez and his impending trial for murder for the past week. Haven’t had much to say but in light of the evidence, it appears Hernandez was involved deeply in the murder of Odin Lloyd and perhaps more.

Right on cue, I’ve seen some folks in the media turn it into inaccurate soapbox preaching. Many are blaming the Patriots for not doing due diligence on checking him out. Some are blaming the culture of violence and street cred. Some are saying the cliché of “we really don’t know these athletes.”

I’m trying to avoid being shocked when an athlete does something major and replace it with other emotions. Granted it's hard when murder is involved. I’m more sad that Hernandez threw away all that money and a promising career because he had to keep it real. I’m angry that he wasted an opportunity many would take advantage of.

All the handwringing and pointing the blame are nice but it doesn’t get to the point. So let me say something to for my media brethren as well as us sports fans in the words of that fine rapper Clifford Harris.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Fan Voting

MLB wraps up another year of fan voting for the All-Star Game on Thursday. I haven't even bothered to check the numbers closely, which is something I used to do for every sport back in the day. But it reminds me why the older I get, the more ambivalent I feel on fan voting.

It's great because it's the ultimate sign of fans being involved. But at what cost? Since we know that fans don't always get it right, it's just going to become a biased decision where guys who aren't deserving start because they happen to be on the right team.

It's great because the fans decide who they get to see in All-Star Games. But if the game is supposed to honor those who had great first halves, can we trust fans to get it right besides a popularity contest.

To be honest, I'm not one of those old school folks who think the All-Star Game should mean more than it does. I love the entertainment and relaxation of it (although the Home Run Derby is basically like the Slam Dunk Competition - a dog on Old Yeller status). It shouldn't be any more pressure than it needs to be.