Tuesday, June 07, 2005
A Critique of Bayless' 6/6/05 Column
Here at TSD, we take it upon ourselves to highlight mediocrity and absurdity in sportswriting. Much to my own surprise, we haven't yet touched on any of ESPN.com's Skip "My Columns Please - They Are Trash" Bayless' work. That is until now. No more free rides, as it is time to take Bayless to the wood chipper.
The article in question is Bayless June 6th piece, "Flash, Diesel Gotta Have Heart" (found here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/050606&num=0). Much like on television when he appears on ESPN 2's Cold Pizza, he shows truly a lack of basic understanding of sports issues, especially in this article when he talks about Dwyane Wade. I think his only involvement in a sport must have been a couple of years of tap dancing in grade school followed by a few years of high school cheerleading. Why do I make such a conclusion? Here is why...
"Wade should have played, if only to inspire his teammates. Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would have played, and if Wade is becoming a Hall of Fame player, he should have played, too. Yet Wade, nicknamed "Flash" by Shaq, came off more like a Flash in the pan."
I didn't know having a serious strain of the rib cage area, which would severely hinder any movement at all on the basketball court, renders someone as a flash in the pan. That is brilliant! Because he was advised not to suit up and would have been a detriment on the court because of his lack of movement, that means that he should be criticized to the point where his heart and his achievements should be called into question. Seriously, is this not one of the dumbest arguments you could make in a situation like this?
"Apparently, Wade was shut down by a strained rib muscle. According to the Heat, the team's medical staff advised Wade before the game he could make the injury worse if he tried to play. But who knows for sure?"
Ummm... How about Dwyane Wade and the Heat, jackass? They are the ones who are close to the situation (and dealing with its repercussions). And you? Oh that is right. You are a 3rd class columnist on ESPN.com who has no insight into this situation, no inside sources, nothing. Yet you have the audacity to suggest that we are being lied to by the organization. For what reason!? What is being gained by sitting Wade? How are you holding a job as a columnist? I am wondering if you have naked pictures of the head of ESPN in compromising positions with some donkeys, because there is no way you should be doing this for a living.
"The stunner Saturday night was that Wade came out early and shot around and tested his ability to accelerate and cut. No doubt any rib-area injury can produce pain so searing that it's difficult to take a breath. Yet from the brief video I saw, Wade wasn't completely incapacitated."
I see why Bayless has such a hard time being an effective writer - his true calling is in the athletic health field. He should be an NBA trainer! He saw video, and Wade wasn't completely incapacitated. He should be playing then no questions asked! Case closed!
"So if, in fact, a team doctor advised him not to play, Wade should have overruled him. He has achieved that much stature already. But perhaps he isn't yet wise enough to see the flaws in the save-it-for-7 logic."
That's right, overrule a medical professional. Because you are a good athlete, you are suddenly allowed to dismiss any cautions about your health. It will only potentially hurt your personal health, the future of the team, and quite possibly the league if you ignore warnings and do further damage. This is a great point, Skip. Why don't you ask Grant Hill to back you up here. Remember him? He was the guy that ignored precautions from doctors about his ankle back in the 2000 playoffs while he was still with Detroit. And good thing he did too. It only cost him 4 years of his career, caused a near death experience, rendered him a shell of his former self, and ruined a franchise (Orlando). So yeah, good call on overruling doctors Skip. That is a great idea.
His rants about Shaq are questionable, but lack the disgusting absurdity that permeates his take on Wade's injury. So I will spare him for the rest of the article. My being in Hawaii has given me a much more laid back approach to life the last few weeks, so he should not expect me to be so nice next time around. TSD has officially added Skip Bayless to our $hit list, so watch out.
The article in question is Bayless June 6th piece, "Flash, Diesel Gotta Have Heart" (found here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=bayless/050606&num=0). Much like on television when he appears on ESPN 2's Cold Pizza, he shows truly a lack of basic understanding of sports issues, especially in this article when he talks about Dwyane Wade. I think his only involvement in a sport must have been a couple of years of tap dancing in grade school followed by a few years of high school cheerleading. Why do I make such a conclusion? Here is why...
"Wade should have played, if only to inspire his teammates. Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would have played, and if Wade is becoming a Hall of Fame player, he should have played, too. Yet Wade, nicknamed "Flash" by Shaq, came off more like a Flash in the pan."
I didn't know having a serious strain of the rib cage area, which would severely hinder any movement at all on the basketball court, renders someone as a flash in the pan. That is brilliant! Because he was advised not to suit up and would have been a detriment on the court because of his lack of movement, that means that he should be criticized to the point where his heart and his achievements should be called into question. Seriously, is this not one of the dumbest arguments you could make in a situation like this?
"Apparently, Wade was shut down by a strained rib muscle. According to the Heat, the team's medical staff advised Wade before the game he could make the injury worse if he tried to play. But who knows for sure?"
Ummm... How about Dwyane Wade and the Heat, jackass? They are the ones who are close to the situation (and dealing with its repercussions). And you? Oh that is right. You are a 3rd class columnist on ESPN.com who has no insight into this situation, no inside sources, nothing. Yet you have the audacity to suggest that we are being lied to by the organization. For what reason!? What is being gained by sitting Wade? How are you holding a job as a columnist? I am wondering if you have naked pictures of the head of ESPN in compromising positions with some donkeys, because there is no way you should be doing this for a living.
"The stunner Saturday night was that Wade came out early and shot around and tested his ability to accelerate and cut. No doubt any rib-area injury can produce pain so searing that it's difficult to take a breath. Yet from the brief video I saw, Wade wasn't completely incapacitated."
I see why Bayless has such a hard time being an effective writer - his true calling is in the athletic health field. He should be an NBA trainer! He saw video, and Wade wasn't completely incapacitated. He should be playing then no questions asked! Case closed!
"So if, in fact, a team doctor advised him not to play, Wade should have overruled him. He has achieved that much stature already. But perhaps he isn't yet wise enough to see the flaws in the save-it-for-7 logic."
That's right, overrule a medical professional. Because you are a good athlete, you are suddenly allowed to dismiss any cautions about your health. It will only potentially hurt your personal health, the future of the team, and quite possibly the league if you ignore warnings and do further damage. This is a great point, Skip. Why don't you ask Grant Hill to back you up here. Remember him? He was the guy that ignored precautions from doctors about his ankle back in the 2000 playoffs while he was still with Detroit. And good thing he did too. It only cost him 4 years of his career, caused a near death experience, rendered him a shell of his former self, and ruined a franchise (Orlando). So yeah, good call on overruling doctors Skip. That is a great idea.
His rants about Shaq are questionable, but lack the disgusting absurdity that permeates his take on Wade's injury. So I will spare him for the rest of the article. My being in Hawaii has given me a much more laid back approach to life the last few weeks, so he should not expect me to be so nice next time around. TSD has officially added Skip Bayless to our $hit list, so watch out.
