Why I can no longer support the NFL

I wish I could sit here and seriously right that I retired from being a NFL fan because of some moral outrage. Outrage over how the league botched the Ray Rice situation, outrage over the racist name of that franchise in our nation's capital the somehow plays its games in Maryland, outrage over the millions of dollars in corporate welfare given to team owners to build football palaces at the expense of taxpayers.

I wish that were true, but the straw that broke the camel's back for me is the two fold problem the NFL has, and continually fails to address, with its overly complicated rulebook and the terrible job its officials do on the field of play. I am one of those extremely selfish human animals...and yesterday it was those two problems that conspired to screw the team I have supported for my entire football life.

I have never seen a call so egregious, so beyond what we expect from a game of football, and so unfair go unaddressed in my entire history of playing, watching, and working in football. I have never seen a call so wrong, so obviously in error that changed the entire momentum of a game. Let's be clear here the Detroit Lions did not play a complete game in Dallas yesterday...they did however play well enough to beat the Cowboys...and they likely would have...till the referees made an error so huge they themselves could not explain it.

With that being said, I do not place the entirety of the blame on the on the field officials. It is very hard to get every call right or see everything that happens on the field...this is a NFL wide problem and the league itself puts these men in a ridiculously bad position. The rule book is overly complicated...and I could write 1,000 words on that alone...but the league takes guys who have worked with crews for the entire season...up to 20 games in some cases...and then breaks those crews up and mix matched crews for what are the most important games of the year.

I would argue that the wild card round is the most important round since a lot of the teams playing in this round are not post season experienced....and like the Lions have not grown enough to be able to overcome a flawed call...a penalty picked up that would have extended a drive...the proof of that is the very next play in the Detroit Versus Dallas Game...where the Lions lost their poise.

It is not the easiest thing in the world to be a fan of the Detroit Lions...and every season since I started rooting for this team in 1988 has ended the exact same way (in bitter disappointment)...I am pretty lucky I have seen every one of my hometown's teams win a championship save the Lions and I would trade all of them (beyond the 1984 Detroit Tigers World Series and the 1997 Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup) for the chance to see my Lions play...not even win...in the Super Bowl.

The Referees of the NFL making bone head calls and arbitrary rulings on the field is not a new problem...the failure of the league to use replay to fix those errors is not a new problem. It seems almost every week some official makes a call that helps determine a game on the field of play...that makes the NFL not a sport...but a lamer version of the WWE...And that is why I can no longer support, spend money on, or help promote the NFL.

In a lot of ways I owe that credit for this decision to Roger Goodell...sure he makes a lot of money for his owners and that is his highest priority...but when you cannot take a stand on any one issue you wind up standing for nothing. In the words of Thorin Oakenshiled, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." Goodell only cares about the hoarded gold...and that makes his NFL the Comcast of the sporting world and I already rid myself of that menace earlier this year and now I will rid myself of this one.

Much like Comcast, Roger Goodell needs to learn that I as a sports fan (and even as a sports) writer have options. I can supports the Arena League, I can become a fan of the Canadian League (not to mention the three other pro sports leagues and NASCAR)...I can watch all of these both on TV and via my computer...I have an alternative...is it as good? No, not nearly...but it is football and it will satisfy my football addiction.

Let me be clear here. I bleed Honolulu blue and silver. My home is full of Lions mementos collected over a lifetime of support of my team...if there was a way to continue my support of the team I love without a cut going to Goodell's evil empire I would take that option in a heartbeat...Since there is not I will step away from the NFL until at the very minimum it fixes the problems with its on the field officials and the overly complicated rule book.

Should Jhonny Perlata make the Detroit Tigers post season roster?

Do we want to win a World Series ring, or take some kind of moral stand? In an ideal world we would be free to pursue both. Winning a World Series title and doing it the right way, but we live in a very complex world and winning the right way is not always within a fan bases means. To be far Jhonny Peralta stepped outside of the rules, he paid the price for that in terms of a 50 game suspension, and now is free to rejoin the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers will activate him and he will play in the final series of the year in Miami but that is likely more about due diligence to see if Peralta can handle left field at the MLB level should that need arise in the post season.

That leaves us with the question should Peralta make the post season roster for this club?

This kind of situation happened last year with the San Francisco Giants. Melky Cabrera served a 50 game suspension for PED use and was eligible to return to the team for the NLCS. The Giants took the high moral road and kept him off the roster for the remaining playoff run. He did not play verse the tigers in the World Series but he did receive a World Series ring for his contributions on the field to the Giants 2012 success.

A lot of hardcore baseball fans, and old schoolers would like to see the Tigers leave Peralta on the sidelines and rally around his loss to win a title. A lot of us do not subscribe to the win at all costs mentality. Given the situation the team is in I think there are some who do and 2013 might be time to take the biggest swing at it. The Tigers are certainly all in to win a title sooner rather than later and if Peralta can help get the team to that ultimate goal, and since he has served his sentence, it is hard to argue against using him in the post season.

As for the final three games of the 2013 season the Tigers have to see what Peralta looks like in left field. He has already lost his spot as the starting short stop to Jose Iglesias and having him in Miami could give Jim Leyland the opportunity to sit Miguel Cabera cause these games mean nothing. The have the division in hand and they are playing the Miami Marlins who are a pitiful excuse for a double a team.

If need be Peralta could play short and Ramon Santiago could play third. Or Iglesias could get some works at short and we can see what Peralta can do in left or at third if they sit Miggy. However with three right handers scheduled to go for the marlins it seems unlikely Peralta will get the start over Andy Dirks in left. It seems like we will only see Peralta as a late inning replacement.

How well he does out there will go a long way towards determining if he plays in the opening round of the playoffs.

With all of that in mind Tigers fans I ask you...Should Peralta have a spot on the post season roster?

Related Links:

• Detroit Tigers news and notes
• Detroit sports history examiner 

Did NASCAR go far enough in its penalties for Michael Waltrip Racing?

NASCAR is one of those sports where the saying, if you re not cheating, you are not trying, is the most true. Car owners, crew chiefs, and drivers alike are always looking for an edge. They are always looking for a way to get more speed, to get one more point, to get one more position, or to win one more race. Often that leads teams to being outside the rules set down by the sanctioning body. We saw a scenario take place last Saturday day night in the Richmond race where members of one organization plotted to undermine the integrity of the sporting event. That is is plain and simple.

There is no way to undo the damage this has caused and one has to feel for driver Jeff Gordon who was utterly and completely robbed of a chance to run for another title. MWR ruined the integrity of the Richmond race and to a large extent the validity of the 10 race playoff to come.

Not once but twice members of this organization conspired to affect the results of the race. NASCAR is a sport where teammates will let one another lead a lap here and there to get a few extra points. There was a situation at Michigan International Speedway in the late 1990's were Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton almost came to a complete stop coming around to take the caution flag to allow his teammate Mark Martin back onto the lead lap. Martin would go on to win that race, but all of these shenanigans pales in comparison to what the members of MWR did Saturday night. It is one thing to call a driver down pit road to give his teammate a few extra spots and the needed points to make the playoffs, it is quite another to spin a car out on the race track to accomplish the same.

No matter what Clint Bowyer says now, it is very clear from the video that that is exactly what he did. That is dangerous, it puts other drivers and fans at risk, and a loss of points, and a fine is nowhere near adequate punishment for these actions that were clearly detrimental to the sport of auto racing.

Let us not forget this is not the first time MWR has been found to be outside the rules. Several years ago at Daytona members of this organization were involved in a major scandal at the Daytona 500. While NASCAR is hesitant to dole out penalties that can affect a teams sponsors it seems the minimum punishment for this serious infraction would have been to sit Bowyer's team for the final ten races of 2013. Maybe then with sponsor outrage teams, owners, and crew chiefs would finally get the message that doing stuff likes this hurts the sport as a whole.

Longtime MWR sponsor Napa Auto Parts says it will review its partnership with MWR, one can only hope that they take a moral stand and move their NASCAR support to a team less willing to gamble with the reputation of their sport.

zIt is outrageous that after gamlbin with the intergrity of the entire sports Bowyer is still eign allwoed to run for the championship. What happens if he wins the chase? What hppens if NASCAR crowns a seemingly tainted unfit champion?

NASCAR did the right thing and bounced martin Trues Jr, the main benefactor of the shenanigans, from the chase. However a just punishment would have been to sit all three MWR racing cars and let more deserving folks, AKA Gordon, run for the championship.