What's giving you a rash this week?
The out-of-control arrogance in professional sports today? The latest in labor? The price of a lousy stadium hotdog?
An overpaid player? An underhanded agent? An owner who would sell the carpet from underneath his own mother's feet for the right amount of PSLs and luxury boxes?
Where can you get off your chest something boiling inside your belly?
Right here. Right now. Buckshots, a weekly dish-it-out-and-duck feature, is designed to give you, the subscriber, a chance to take your best shot at Ray Buck, national columnist for SportsLine USA.
Agree or disagree, let 'er rip. Sign your name -- if you dare -- and tell us a little about yourself: age, city, state, occupation/student. Just remember, Buck has the last word.
E-mail your comments to buckshots@sportsline.com
E-mails over cocktails, or are we having fun yet?
"Your column was 100 percent accurate. The NBA does not need self-centered, selfish crybabies."
BUCKSHOT: Nice thought, Clu. But if the NBA got rid of all the self-centered, selfish crybabies, most teams wouldn't be able to suit up five.
"Basically, (Jalen) Rose thought team play was not beneficial. Is it the kid? Or is it the coach at the high-school or college level that makes for such bad team play today?"
BUCKSHOT: It's all of the above, Bruce. But I want the pampered pro player to be held accountable for something in his lifetime, so let's put the onus on him. You're right-on. The New Breed has told the coach what to do -- and the fan where to go.
"And he has lost much of his appeal."
BUCKSHOT: And stands to lose $800,000. That's not entertainment; that's idiocy.
who has had too many
interviews turned down on him -- and probably a fistful by Albert Belle,"
writes Micah "The Imp" Imparato, a 23-year-old network
administrator from Cambridge, Mass.
"Consider Babe Ruth, a "bad boy" in the eyes of many, but who still crushed the ball. Consider Ty Cobb -- outspoken, troublesome, but again a great player. Consider Mickey Mantle, (whose) drinking led to his recent death.
"Consider Baseball -- a game. A game where each person has a chance to showcase their ability one-on-one. There is but one judge, and that is (in) black and white. Does the player succeed or fail on the field?
"Albert Belle did what no other player did since 1973, leading the majors in doubles and homers. He did what no other player has ever done, making the 50-50 club in home runs and doubles. His numbers continue to improve. His .357 batting average in the (1995) strike season was high ... (but) his reputation continues to snowball mainly because he is watched like a hawk.
"Bud Shaw is just another glory hound, coat-tailing on a great ballplayer (and) trying to look good nagging him through his career in the hopes that if or when Albert Belle does falter, he can be the first to step up and say, 'I told you so.'"
BUCKSHOT: I agree, Micah, a player should be judged totally by his accomplishments on the field, but that doesn't preclude the fact that Belle fails miserably as a human being. Also, there is nothing typical about Bud Shaw -- a solid reporter and a gifted writer whose career will flourish long after Belle has run out of friends.
"The reason that this column caught my eye is because I am a 5-foot-9 strong safety here at Richmond. The only way I can compete is by taking the same approach to the game as Bryan Cox.
"A good football player isn't always a good person ... screw the media!"
BUCKSHOT: Playing hard is admirable. Playing to tear somebody's head off is downright commendable. Spitting and acting like a moron is considerably less attractive.
"I just hope when whiner Cox plays in Soldier Field for the first time; that infamous fan with the pistol, caught on TV replays several years ago, doesn't show up and become insulted by Brian's lack of respect for Da Bears' legions of fans.
"Maybe Chicago management should bring back Butkus and Ditka to police the stands."
BUCKSHOT: You're right, Texkan. Bryan Cox has had the kind of career made for radio.
you were just a tad bit off
left-center. After all, you were interviewing Singh -- supposedly about Singh.
He certainly didn't want to talk about what a great golfer (Greg Norman), who
had just whipped him out of some real serious money, was. Would you?
"As for that rock in the bunker ... coming from Fiji, where there are miles and miles of sandy beaches, Singh, above all, should know that a rock is just a large grain of sand. He whined rightly about the interview; unrightly about the rock.
"Hey, one out of two isn't bad."
BUCKSHOT: Sometimes left-center is good. In politics, for example, it's good to stay as far away from Pat Buchanan as possible.
"THEY ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!"
BUCKSHOT:Try to keep up, Bob. The Cowboys are yesterday's news. We stopped picking on Bonehead Barry five weeks ago, which is the last time most of us thought about Arrogance's Team.
talent players so quickly?"
asks Chris Miller, a 24-year-old displaced 49ers fan now
living in San Diego. "Everyone says how good (Bobby) Beathard and (Alex) Spanos
are. But to me, they are idiots.
"I never understood putting your franchise in the hands of unproven rookies. Cincinnati did it (Ki-Jana Carter out for the season); Indianapolis did it (Marshall Faulk flopped in second year), and New England is doing it (Drew Bledsoe flopped after one good year).
"Be smart. Keep your proven veterans and groom your rookies until they are ready. Prime example: Frisco (J.J. Stokes). Chicago (Rashaan Salaam). Houston (Steve McNair). San Diego get a clue!"
BUCKSHOT: Beathard has a proven track record. But in this era of free-agency and salary-cap restraints, it's harder to be a genius. It takes, as you say, patience with young players -- plus a lot of luck.
BUCKSHOT: Check out "Celebrities" on our home page. See "Broadway Joe." Now look up "guaranteed victory" in the dictionary -- and thanks for the kind words.
Copyright © 1996 SportsLine USA, Inc. All rights reserved.