San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Advocating boycott if Russians involved
Sez Me …
There now are grounds for divorcing ourselves from playing on the same grounds with Russia.
No nation with a sense of humanity, no sports federation, league or team, should so much as do chess in the Kremlin’s parlor.
Until Moscow takes a massive colonic, one that can cleanse its bloated system of evil, lies, extortion, cheating, hacking, war crimes and narcissism, never again.
And FIFA and the IOC, of highly questionable character as it is, must step out of the gutter and join the parade.
Forget that Russian Olympic Committee sham created when Mother Russia was banned after getting its hand caught deep in the apothecary jar. As it was, the ROC, which supposedly is sanitary Russia, got busted in Beijing.
And Vladimir The Terrible II, running with political scissors and killing Ukrainian civilians and their children, was in China for the Olympics, which always are made out to be a bureaucratic cease fire (which it no longer is).
This, a few weeks before charging into Ukraine — which heroically chose an attempt to dam the Red Sea rather than take the fetal position.
Even Switzerland, its transmission in neutral since 1815, has put it in reverse and taken a side vs. the Russians.
Back in 1980, when my salad days were close to giving way to bran and prune juice, President Carter was about to announce a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics, when the great Red Smith wrote:
“It is unthinkable that we in the present circumstances can go play games with Ivan in Ivan’s yard.”
Months prior to Smith’s opinion on what then was the Soviet Union’s aggression into Afghanistan, Jack Murphy (who would pass away in September 1980) introduced me to Red, his great friend, during Super Bowl week in L.A. Smith was, and remains, one of my idols.
After Jack excused himself and went up to his hotel room, Red and I had a few cocktails, I listened to wonderful stories for a couple hours, and I was alone the following morning for breakfast in the cafe when Red spotted me and sat in my booth.
Jack, who would echo Red’s thoughts on a boycott in The San Diego Union, joined us a short time later.
It was great. Red and Jack talked as though they were writing columns to one another. I listened. I felt a bit like George Gobel, when he came on Johnny Carson, sat between Dean Martin and Bob Hope, and famously said: “Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?”
In any event, when Red and Jack wrote they were in favor of a boycott, I disagreed. After years of covering amateur sports (when they still involved amateurs) and a ton of track and field, I found it unfair to American athletes who worked so hard for their chance.
But, looking back, I was mistaken. We shouldn’t play with Ivan in anyone’s yard.
Politics and racial awareness began to seriously hit the Olympics during the 1968 Mexico City Games. Then came the tragedy of Munich in 1972. Twenty-nine countries boycotted Montreal in 1976. Moscow was next, and in 1984, Russia and Eastern Bloc countries (except Romania) scratched L.A.
This is not throwing a blanket over Russia’s civilians, who didn’t start this. Politicians, most of whom do not fight, are responsible.
It doesn’t matter when sport becomes blood. We no longer can walk up to the red door, ring the bell, and ask mom: “Can Russia come out to play?” …
And the winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize is: The Ukrainians. …
Taekwondo has stripped Putin of his black belt. But not the black hat. …
Free Brittney Griner .… Rob “Nero” Manfred: “The concerns of the fans are at the very top of our consideration list.” Get a ruler on Rob’s growing nose. All baseball’s commish needs is a fiddle and book of matches. …
No matter how lovely MLB’S chicken-playing owners and players try to wrap this package, it’s going to arrive damaged. And insurance won’t help. …
MLB wants to outlaw The Shift by 2023. It shouldn’t settle without throwing that trash into its ballooning dump. …
Opening day for the NFL and MLB regular seasons is Sept. 8.
Which favors the Padres over Fredo’s Judases. …
The last time the NFL canceled games due to labor pains was 1987. That’s about a third of a century, Rob. …
Why is it that, when an offensive lineman retires, nobody says he’ll come back? …
At their governor’s urging, taxpayers soon will pay for a new Bills stadium. Buffalo? Yes, Buffalo, N.Y., all you past and present Ham & Eggers. …
Among the top 10 players with the fastest/counterfeit Combine 40-yard dash times, one is a cinch for the Hall of Fame. His name is No’ah Chance. …
Wideout Tyquan Thornton thought he broke the Combine 40 record with a 4.21. Discrepancy? After further review, it was 4.28. His fastest 100-meter time is 10.50. So no, in either case. …
Combine Cause Celebre:
Kenny Pickett’s hand size measured a puny 8½ inches, which normally would be a concern — if the NFL were not moving on to Nerf footballs. …
I constantly am amazed how QBS manage to hold onto footballs when smashed by behemoths. Pickett fumbled 27 times at Pitt. And this ain’t the ACC. …
OK, I don’t believe a hand ½-inch shorter than Joe Burrow’s means jack. …
Ten Mountain West players were invited to the Combine. Six were Aztecs. Ten with San Diego roots attended. When I covered preps, we were lucky if five kids went Division I. …
The old USFL is suing Fox to block its name and brand on a planned USFL reboot. Tweets
Shawn Krest: “Give them $3 and move on.” …
Report: Sean Mcvay turned down $100 million from Amazon, saying: “I’m humbled, but not ready to move to South America.” …
Like very old movies? HBO has “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” …
The average ticket for Coach K’s final game in Cameron was crazy, $6,000-plus. I thought about it, but decided to wait for the movie. …
Aztecs football wasn’t an easy watch. Aztecs basketball isn’t Wooden’s Bruins, either. But, however unattractive, they win games through gruntwork. Beats the hell out of getting all decked out for the dance and left standing with the wallflowers. …
At 92, Dion Rich remains the master crasher. He smuggled himself into four Super Bowl parties, including the toughticket Taste of the NFL. …
From AP’S Josh Dubrow: During Rick Adelman’s eight years coaching the Sacramento Kings, the former San Diego Rockets guard finished with eight winning seasons. Every other coach? Zero. …
As expected, the NFL has found a cure for COVID, not only giving it up for Lent — but beyond. All protocols have been dropped. The League has removed enough trees to see the forest (whatever that means). …
Even better, it appears reporters will be allowed back in locker rooms, where once again players can find ingenious ways to hide from them. …
Novak Djokovic has split with his coach, Marian Vajda. That’s what Marian gets for being fully vaccinated. …
If you’re on Social Security, aren’t you self-employed?