Significant Week

There were plenty of newsworthy items in the world of sports last week that caught my eye. Some of which involved some old enemies, former football stars, and a present/future baseball prodigy. All of it prompts commentary from me, but I have been unable to do so......until NOW. Here's the rundown :

• Well lookey here! Turns out the good people at deadspin, as well as the rest of the media, have finally caught up with me in terms of figuring out that Chicago Sun-Times columnist/Firebrand Hack Joe Cowley is an absolute dickwad. You can read deadspin's log of Cowley's twitter self-destruction here, here, here, and here. As far as how I feel about these events? 1. It couldn't happen to a more deserving piece of crap. 2. Better late than never. Cowley's been asking for this for many years now, and as predicted by me (horn toot), he finally got himself in big trouble. Unfortunately however, Cowley hasn't suffered enough yet. I'm amazed that he hasn't been fired, or hasn't been forced to give some phony-baloney public apology. Sexual Harassment (tongue in cheek, satire, or otherwise), is a very serious form of discrimination, and no corporation worth a damn would tolerate it from one of their employees. Shutting Cowley's twitter account down and putting him on something called "Final Notice" (whatever that's supposed to mean), isn't enough. There needs to be atonement, and thus far, neither Cowley nor the Sun-Times have offered any.

• On a more melancholy note, former NFL Linebacker Junior Seau committed suicide last week. I'm pretty sure nobody needs an extensive reminder of what a fierce player and hard hitter Seau was during his career. What we are reminded of however, is Dave Duerson's suicide over a year ago. Seau, like Duerson, chose to shoot himself in the chest rather than the head. Unlike Duerson however, Seau didn't leave a suicide note requesting his brain to be studied. At press time, it hasn't been determined if Seau's brain will be studied. As for my guess as to why Junior did what he did? I'm placing heavy money on CTE-related depression/complications based on this admission from Seau not too long ago. The worst part (other than Seau's death) about this situation, is that there are too many people that have missed the point already. While fans and players lament Seau's death, they still are unable to make the connection that CTE-related lawsuits from former players, is the reason Roger Goodell is cracking down on player safety. The NFL has to appear that they are at the forefront on this crisis, and the New Orleans Saints are being made as the tangible example of what happens if you do not go along with the Player Safety Mantra. So please stop with this "Might as well be flag-football with these new rules" pissing and moaning. If you really feel that way, you have to be fine with guys like Seau, Duerson, and Andre Waters killing themselves after they're done playing football, if you have any interest in being consistent on this issue.

• Finally, the Bryce Harper Era has begun in Washington D.C. and it appears it was worth waiting for. While Harper has yet to hit a home run, after 33 Plate Appearances he is already featuring a .924 OPS and a wOBA of .391. For those of you not Saber Inclined, those are really good numbers. Beyond the numbers, Harper has already managed to bat 3rd in the order, unleash laser throws from the outfield, and managed to steal home during a pick off play to first base. The steal of home was only possible because Harper was plunked by Phillies pitcher Cole Hammels. Think about that for a minute, Harper only has 33 plate appearances, and he's already bothered established All-Star Pitchers like Cole Hammels to not only throw at him, but ADMIT HE THREW AT HIM, knowing damn well he'd be suspended for admitting it. That takes someone really annoyingly good for that to happen, and Harper appears to be both annoying and good. By the way, Harper's team the Washington Nationals aren't too bad either, as they currently sit in first place in the NL East. The only negative the Nationals have going for them is their goofy-ass GM Mike Rizzo who not only won't see Moneyball, but also feels to make thinly-veiled threats to Cole Hammels for daring to plunk his prized pupil in the back. It's not like he threw at his head Mike, and Cole Hammels will never be confused with Roger Clemens in terms of headhunting. Please stop the dramatics about who's an actual "old school tough guy" d-bag. Getting hit in the back with a pitch is a part of the game.