There have been so many noteworthy chumps in sports lately, that I had a hard time narrowing it down. We’ve got Notre Dame going 0-5, OJ Simpson in trouble with the law again, and Milton Bradley tearing his ACL in a fight with a baseball official. Yet these weren’t the most chump-worthy news items in the sports world. Let me share my top three with you.
Photo by Jadie de Lille
3. The Pittsburgh Panthers: Why, oh why would you run a four-yard draw play on 3rd Down with 9 yards to go? These are the abysmal decisions that made their defeat that much worse on Saturday at Scott Stadium. Not to take anything away from the Wahoos, but Pitt killed themselves on stupid penalties and idiotic play calling. Did anyone else catch the sideline scuffle between a member of the Pitt coaching staff and one of our Cavalier defensive coordinators? Not the smartest thing to do when your team lost by thirty points. It makes you look a little pathetic.
2. Tony Joiner: Picking up your girlfriend’s car after it got towed = good. Stealing their car out of an impound lot = not so good. Joiner, a safety for the defending national champion Florida Gators faces felony burglary charges after he pushed open the gate and attempted to drive his girlfriend’s car out of a local towing company’s impound lot. Joiner claimed that he made arrangements to pick up the car and pay the $76 fee, but there was no one there to help him when he arrived. Are you serious? When I go into a store or a restaurant and there is no one there to help me, I find someone. I don’t just eat my food or take their merchandise and leave. That’s like saying, “Hmm, there’s no price tag on this. It must be free!” Tony, you are a starting safety for the Florida Gators. If you keep up your stats, you might just make it to the NFL where a measly $76 dollar fine will seem like pocket change. Oh well, now you’re going to prison instead. Joiner was quoted as saying, “I am probably about to go to jail ‘cuz I did push the gate open.” It’s Jail. Hooray Jail!
1. The US Women’s National Soccer Team: First, Coach Greg Ryan made the decision to bench starting goalkeeper Hope Solo, who had not conceded a goal in 300 minutes and was riding on three shutouts, for 36 year old veteran Briana Scurry, who hadn’t played a full-90 in three months. After the loss to Brazil, Hope Solo made statements to the press criticizing Ryan’s decision, also saying that, “There is no doubt in my mind that I would have made those saves.” For the consolation game against Norway, the team did not allow Solo to eat with them or even attend the match, much less dress in uniform and sit on the sidelines. Who gets Chump of the Week for this massive blunder? Everyone. Coach Ryan is credited with one of the worst coaching decisions ever in international soccer. He used Scurry because she was effective against Brazil three years ago in the 2004 Olympics. Why would you risk messing up team chemistry with a cold goalkeeper? Hope Solo was absolutely right to criticize the coaching decision, but she had no right to throw Briana Scurry under the bus and demean her play. The rest of the team, including “leaders” Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach, decided to treat Solo like an ostracized leper instead of a teammate. They also didn’t support Solo when the decision to bench her was announced 48 hours prior to the match against Brazil. If the Brazilian women’s team goes by the nickname “The Samba Queens,” it is safe to say that the Americans have earned the moniker “The Drama Queens.” Come on ladies, let’s all grow up and play nice.
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