Two things have been bothering me lately.
It seems like no one notices or mentions the following:
Baseball – Many of the guys named in the Mitchell Report who took human growth hormones did so before it was a banned substance. It seems a bit unfair that guys are getting tarnished for trying to get an edge when MLB let them do so. I hate it when I get in trouble for doing something I didn’t know was wrong!
Football – Free agent acquisitions, coaching changes, drafts, and injuries all affect how an NFL team performs throughout the course of a season. Most of the time though, people overlook one of the BIGGEST factors: a team’s schedule. The NFL determines a team’s schedule based on their record from the prior year, and every team battles against their division opponents twice each. As a Seahawks fan, I have to admit it is great to be able to play every team in the very weak NFC West two times.
Notice how the Patriots seem to do better every other year. An easier schedule after a mediocre season plus playing the very weak AFC East only helped them toward a perfect season this year. I don’t take away from their accomplishments. Even with the NFL scheduling which generally ensures parity, they did beat every team (so far).
For the Dolphins to almost go winless shows how bad they really were. Tony Kornheiser joked that the winless 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers popped open their champagne bottles once the Dolphins beat the Ravens. 🙂
