Five Seven Five Sports: 2012 in Haiku - Language of the Games

Sports attorney, author, poet and former Princeton University first baseman Andrew Hanson has authored a new book titled "Five Seven Five Sports : 2012 in Haiku - Language of the Games".  It's a remarkable read, with a collection of Hanson's haiku poetry chronicling sports during 2012.  Here are a few of my favorite poems from it:

* * *

January 30, 2012 

Cross-court pick, seal, roll,

So fundamentally sound,

Leading to lift-off:

The winged monster,

Half Blake Griffin, half griffin,

Soars like an eagle,

Meets Kendrick Perkins,

Toughest member of Thunder,

Arms and elbow up,

Blasts uncoachable,

Heavenly throw-down dunk from

Top of backboard square,

Sends Staples Center

Into murmurous frenzy,

Adds and-1 free throw.  

April 20, 2012 

Fenway Park's birthday:

Pure music to Boston's eyes - 

Rice to Yastrzemski;

Legends fill the field,

Catch first pitches, lead the toast,

And proclaim, "Play Ball!" - 

Red Sox and Yankees - 

100 years to the hour

Of Fenway's first day...

Big Papi measures

Sports' most famous barrier,

High above left field;

Thirty-seven feet

No match for his home run swat,

First ruled a double;

After players pause

Ump's spinning hand frees Ortiz,

And his trot resumes...

Green Monster absorbs 

Repko's catch and collision,

Passes test of time.

June 23, 2012 

Ten women playing - 

Professionals before fans - 

"IX" uniforms;

40 years later,

Title IX's daughters compete;

Lynx outscore the Sky.

July 2, 2012 

Baseball "Horse" contest - 

Degree of difficulty:

The Pittsburgh foul pole;

Jones yanks one down line,

Practically splitting target,

Hitting the high bar;

Next shot - higher arc;

Walker avoids a letter,

Tallies an "HR".

November 10, 2012 

Jarred by lineman's hip,

The ball and play float, at risk -

Johnny on the spot;

Manziel transitions,

His gaze returned to end zone,

Ball back in his hands;

Johnny Football-Swope,

A&M-arrival play -

Easy pitch and catch...

Slicing 'Bama's route,

Everett's wise 4th-quarter pick -

Go-ahead bid fails...

Set to receive punt,

'Bama enters neutral zone - 

Unbeaten no more.

 * * *

I strongly recommend picking up Five Seven Five Sports.  Makes a great gift, too.

Should College Athletes Be Paid?

This past April, Boston College hosted a debate between the University of Hartford's Allen Sack and myself titled "Should College Athletes Be Paid?"  This symposium was direct a follow-up to our participation in "Debate Club" where we submitted essays to US News outlining our opinions on this very issue.  Those essays, along with a few others, can be found here.

After a bit of work, I'm pleased to provide you with the entire video from that evening's presentation.

Wrongful Death and Vicarious Liability connecting to Aaron Hernandez

I have a new article for SI.com on potential liability for Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots and the NFL stemming from the murder case. 

Death, taxes, and Dwight Howard

Blog Emperor Paul Caron points out that although the Lakers offered Dwight Howard more money, the combination of Texas not having state income tax and California's top marginal tax rate of 13.3 % means he likely will take more money with the Houston deal.

Sports and patriotism

From ESPN's Howard Bryant. I'm not sure this is as new a phenomenon as he suggests or that sports used to be apolitical, but I agree that it has become more pervasive and, to some, obnoxious.  I particularly like the closing paragraph, where he points out the inconsistency (if not outright hypocrisy) of leagues and the media immersing games in compulsory politics, then criticizing players who speak out for their own causes and ideals, demanding that they "shut up and play."

Given Media Frenzy, Can Aaron Hernandez Receive a Fair Trial?

I have a new article for SI on the impact of the media coverage on Aaron Hernandez receiving a fair trial, as well as whether he might face multiple trials.

NCAA Sanctions against Oregon: Much Ado About Nothing

The sanctions handed down to Oregon this week are unlikely to have any practical impact. Oregon was accused of paying a recruiter, Willie Lyles, $25,000 to funnel a recruit to the school.  After failing to agree on a proper punishment through the NCAA’s summary disposition process, the prevailing sentiment was that the Committee on Infractions (COI) would punish the Ducks harshly, most likely with a bowl ban of at least one year.  That was not the case.  The school faces no bowl ban, which generally accompanies major sanctions (See, Ohio State, Penn State, USC, and countless others).  Other penalties were equally insignificant.  The reduction of one scholarship per year is unlikely to yield significant detrimental effects.  The reduction in official visits from 56 to 37, accompanied with other various recruiting restrictions, will make the task a bit more challenging for the coaching staff, but overall, will not impede a program of this magnitude.  The harshest sanction, the 18-month show cause penalty against former Head Coach Chip Kelly, also has no real impact since Kelly now coaches in the NFL, and is unlikely to return to college during that 18-month period. 

A number of explanations for the decision could be at play here.  One factor is that the NCAA’s recruiting regulations have undergone significant change in the last few years (See generally, NCAA Bylaw 13); it may simply be that the facts of this case were just not that nefarious based on emerging sentiment and rule changes.  Another ancillary consideration that the COI likely took into account is that the student-athlete in question never played for Oregon.  Perhaps the COI was actually reluctant to issue harsh sanctions due to the constant and biting criticism NCAA Enforcement has faced as a result of the Miami investigation, and other public relations missteps. 

One take way from this decision, however, is that the NCAA does not look favorably upon lying to investigators, and it will punish teams and individuals accordingly.  It appears that Oregon was frank with investigators, and admitted to paying Mr. Lyles the $25,000 fee.  Whereas, at USC and Ohio State, key administrators and coaches attempted to conceal key facts, resulting in much more draconian sanctions (Penn State is a different matter entirely).  Also, while there is no way to know for certain, it is interesting to theorize what would have happened if Kelly was still coaching at Oregon.  As it is, the team got off light, and he received the harshest sanction.  Would that have been reversed if he was still the sitting coach?  Perhaps.  Similarly, would the COI have issued a show cause penalty of significant length to an active head coach?  Its difficult to say.  It appears that Kelly’s penalty further serves as an example of the NCAA’s distaste for dishonesty:  Kelly received an 18-month show cause penalty for paying money to an unscrupulous recruiter, but was honest about it after the fact; Bruce Pearl, former Head Basketball Coach at Tennessee, hosted a barbeque for prospective-student athletes at his home, a seemingly harmless offense, yet he lied about the event and was issued a three-year show cause order.  Ultimately, there is no way to accurately predict how the COI will rule in these cases, but the best advice that can be given is that when the Association arrives on campus, the truth should not be concealed. 

Hat tip to Brian Konkel for his work on this piece.