What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking: Phil Knight, Joe Paterno,
1
In the midst of a complex situation that has no winners, we give Nike founder Phil Knight tepid kudos for his remarks Thursday at a memorial service for Joe Paterno.
“This much is clear to me: If there is a villain in this tragedy, it lies in that investigation and not in Joe Paterno’s response,” Knight said, explaining that he looked at the coach as his personal hero.
Cheers to Knight for speaking his mind and defending a close friend. But Talking Points thinks it is short-sighted to completely absolve Paterno of the inaction that led to his firing just months before his death. We think it is short-sighted to address the investigation without mentioning the real victims.
While Paterno did many great things for Penn State, and while he apparently followed the letter of the law in reporting what he knew, the fact is that there were many kids who needed him to be a hero and do more to stop a child rapist.
2
Mariners manager Eric Wedge has revealed that he is considering moving Ichiro out of the leadoff spot in the lineup. Typically, this would lead to the question, “What took you so long?,” until you consider what Wedge has to work with.
Ichiro’s on-base percentage of .310 last year was decidedly un-leadoff-like, and Seattle’s leadoff hitters ranked 13th in the AL in runs, RBI, and OPS. But given the state of the Mariners’ offense — or lack thereof — leaving Ichiro in that spot and hoping for a bounce-back season probably is the best course of action.
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