Let the Exploitation Begin

So I read today that pop princess Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, is “embarrassed” by her photo spread in Vanity Fair Magazine. Memo to Cyrus and her handlers: what did you expect? Vanity Fair is most certainly a magazine with an adult-focused audience. I know because I read it. It is not geared toward teenagers. Why do you think she was asked to pose in the magazine in the first place? To sell more magazines to horny men passing by the news stand! Look, she took the money so I don’t want to hear about how she feels betrayed and exploited. She has no business being in that magazine other than to show skin. If Miley, her father and all the rest didn’t have a clue about that then they all deserve to be exploited. Annie Leibovitz, who did the photo shoot, is a regular magazine contributor whose style of work is well known. The Cyrus clan knew what they were dealing with. If they didn’t think that these photos would be used to titillate then they really are a bunch of hillbillys. I mean, come on, do you think anyone really cares about the career track this girl is on? Unless you are under 15 I’d say no. Based on this fiasco it looks like she is on the way to Lindsay Lohan-land if she is not handled correctly. Before long we’ll start hearing reports about how Miley is partying it up, posing on the cover of Maxim and thinking about doing a nude spread in Playboy. That’s the system. That’s how it works. If you are a young girl with good looks you are at risk of being exploited by the American media machine. Sex sells. That’s been the message for many years so get over your shock. Like it or not that’s the deal Miley made with the devil when she took the money from Vanity Fair. That’s the adult lesson here. Don’t piss and moan at Vanity Fair for doing what they do. I’m not saying it’s right to exploit a 15-year-old but they do have a magazine to run and they’ve run it that way long before Miley Cyrus came along. Miley’s people can’t be naive enough to think that it could never happen to them, could they? After all, this is the real world- wake up! Miley’s handlers should have been smart enough to see this coming. The fact that they didn’t or are saying they didn’t is a joke and I find it hard to have sympathy for them. If they were so worried about the negative press, they should have considered the source and just said no.

The Real Opening Day

As a Red Sox fan, for me, baseball season doesn’t officially begin until Opening Day at Fenway Park. Today was that day. The Sox beat the struggling Detroit Tigers 5-0, but more importantly it was the first time we got to see the boys play in their home whites this season. After the ridiculously long and arduous road trip through Tokyo, L.A, Oakland and Toronto, all seemed right and it finally looked like baseball 2008 had arrived as the Sox received their World Series championship rings and unfurled the 2007 championship banner. Watching the ring ceremony, I was reminded of how special a place Fenway Park really is. Along with Wrigley Field in Chicago, it is a true cathedral for baseball. Going to either of these parks is not just about the watching the game. It is about the total experience when you visit. I’ve been to Wrigley once and that was great, but I go to Fenway at least three times per season and it never gets old. It’s hard to describe the Fenway experience but I guess the best way to say it is that it’s just a feeling you get as you walk up to it that shouts “summer” and “New England.” When I think of New England and summer I think Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, clam chowder, beaches, clambakes and the Red Sox. They define summer as much as anything else in the region. The Red Sox are unique in that they are the only major league team that has a religious multi-state based fan base that is within a two or three hour driving distance at most. From Bangor to Bridgeport, from Newport to New Haven, you can find devoted Red Sox fans all over the region. If you travel to Cape Cod or the Islands for vacation, one of the great things you experience as you visit the different bars and restaurants is that the Sox are always up on the TV and people are always paying attention to the game as they eat and drink. The boys are always a topic of conversation. It seems everyone in New England in the summertime has an opinion on the Red Sox. People love to talk about them. The team really provides New Englanders with an amazing common bond. They seem to draw strangers together for a common cause, because everyone has an opinion about the Sox. And so on this opening day as I watched the team receive their rings, my spirits were lifted as I was reminded that spring is here and summer is not very far behind. Watching the fans cheer loudly for Manny and Papi and Youk and Josh and Varitek and Paps and the others, thanking them for another special season in ‘07, was incredible to watch. Most fans love their teams but in Boston it’s somehow different. Many of the current players seem to understand this idea. They always seem to appreciate the knowledge and love put forth by the fans and that just adds to the sense of community around Yawkey Way. If you have not been to Fenway and are planning to go, make sure you get there early so you can take in all of the atmosphere around the park. Be sure to park in the Back Bay and walk through the different neighborhoods of Newbury St. and Commonwealth Ave. as you approach Fenway. Those streets define “Boston.” Make sure you hit the bars behind the Green Monster on Landsdowne St, take a walk around the park’s outside and watch all the different fans pass by, duck into the souvenir stores, check out the NESN pregame show live on Yawkey Way, check out the parking garage across Landsdowne with the $40 parking signs where many a home run ball has landed. See the smoke fly from the grills of the many sausage vendors on Landsdowne and breathe in that smell of grilled meat that is like no other during the summer. And make sure you buy one, too. You can’t get sausage like that anywhere else in the world. After the game, if the Sox win, you’ll find the mood of the fans is always so much better, lighter even. If they lose people are just quieter as the park empties out. I’ve never experienced that anywhere else and I’ve visited 11 other major league stadiums. It’s because people really do care. So, those are some of the reasons why there’s no place like Fenway. Some Red Sox fans complain that Fenway is a relic and should be blown up and relocated. Not me. I can’t understand that. Sure, I’d like the seats to be more comfortable but then, it wouldn’t be the Fenway the fans all know and love. It is the only place in the world I’ve ever been to where I still remember how I felt when I walked up to it when I was 8 years old and saw my first game vs. the Orioles. If they replace Fenway I’ll lose that and I think many Red Sox fans go through the same thing. It’s the same building and location so it’s easy to remember how powerful that feeling of your first game was. That’s why the place is so sacred and treasured by the fans who flock there each summer and why the experience is different than any other baseball experience. The park exudes a certain charm that would be lost if the stadium was relocated to the South Shore or elsewhere. I am very glad the current owners understand this. It just wouldn’t be the same because walking through Kenmore Square or taking the “T” in to the Fenway area just adds something special to the experience. If you’re a Sox fan you know what I’m talking about. If you aren’t, you ‘ll never understand. But that’s OK because not everyone can understand what being a Sox fan is like. If 2004 and 2007 have taught us anything it’s that the World Series victories we all prayed for as kids and adults were worth all the torment we went through for 86 years. The payoff has been unmatched. And that’s really what opening day is all about- appreciating the game and this team.

NCAA Final: Kansas vs. Memphis

For the first time since 2004, the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament will crown a new champion other than North Carolina or Florida. That’s because Memphis rolled over UCLA 78-63 and Kansas surprisingly pounded North Carolina 84-66 last night at the Final Four. The Tar Heels were out hustled and out muscled by the Jayhawks early in the game as they beat Carolina at their own speed game by racing out to a 40-12 lead midway through the first half. Carolina made a furious rally and cut the lead to as few as 4 in the second half before Kansas ended the game on a 17-5 run to close it out. As for Memphis, the Tigers showed why they have been one of the two best teams the entire year as they simply had too much size and firepower for a UCLA team that was making their third straight Final Four appearance. Memphis had too much depth for the Bruins, who sorely need another scorer to help them take the next step. The Tigers were able to run and play at their pace and didn’t allow UCLA to slow the game to a crawl as the Bruins did in their ugly 50-45 win over Memphis in the West Regional Final two years ago. This sets up a great championship game between the two winners. Coaches Bill Self of Kansas and John Calipari both deserve to have their teams here as they have done a great job all year long. This will be the first championship game appearance for each. As for the game, I like Memphis. Unlike UCLA, Kansas really has a lot of quality depth and good size on their front line as they showed in controlling Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough for a good chunk of the game. But Memphis’ front line is also very talented as they dominated UCLA freshman sensation Kevin Love and made him a minimal factor in their game. Memphis also has a great point guard in freshman Derrick Rose. He has the ability to control the tempo of games and dominate. He’s very strong for a guard and is not afraid to take it inside to the glass. I think two things will decide this game- Rose will be the difference maker and the fact that Kansas had to expend a lot of energy to hold off Carolina will be a factor. At points in their game, Kansas was simply holding on for dear life so I see them being a bit tired come Monday night as a result of the max effort they put out against the Tar Heels. It should be a great final with lots of up and down the court action. Memphis has certainly proved they can play with anybody in this tournament. There were doubters coming in but it’s nice to see the Tigers prove their worth. They are very good and take a backseat to no one in this Final Four. I think it will be a close game for about 30 minutes but in the end I see Memphis just being a bit fresher and pulling away to win 82-72.

Smelling Like A Rose

To follow up on an earlier blog I did (from Feb. 7) on former basketball coach Bobby Knight, I think it is appropriate to comment on the current state of the basketball program at Indiana since his departure. Knight was at Indiana for 30 years and ran a squeaky clean program. Not a peep was heard from the NCAA, he graduated almost all of his students on time, instilled discipline, and produced outstanding citizens who actually contributed to American society. Since he left, the Hoosiers have been to one Final Four, in 2002, losing in the final game to Maryland. Besides that, the program has been in disarray. Indiana fired the coach that replaced Knight, Mike Davis, a former assistant, because he didn’t win enough. Then, they were dumb enough to hire former Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson to “rescue” the program even after Sampson was reprimanded by the NCAA for making 577 illegal phone calls to potential recruits at Oklahoma. So what does Sampson end up doing? Continuing with the illegal phone calls upon arriving at Indiana in March of 2006 even after he was barred by the NCAA from recruiting off campus and from making any recruiting phone calls. I mean, is Sampson a brainiac or what? He was expressly told not to make illegal phone calls and he ignores the advice and fallout from the previous sanctions and ends up having to resign for the same reasons he got into trouble at Oklahoma. You just can’t make this stuff up. What does all this have to do with Knight? Well, for me, it just proves that as loud a mouth as he has, Knight is vindicated for the way he ran things at Indiana. When he was there, accountability was expected and his program’s image reflected that idea. Since he left, the inmates have been running the asylum. But, now, it looks like Indiana may have finally found the way back to respectability. It was announced today that Marquette coach Tom Crean has agreed to take over the coaching reigns at Indiana. This really looks like a great move. Crean has an impeccable reputation as a quality assistant under Tom Izzo and Ralph Willard and he has had a successful 8 year run as the head coach at Marquette, a Big East school, including a Final Four appearance in 2003. It looks like stability is about to return to the program for the first time since Knight was fired. I suppose somewhere The General is smiling about the whole situation, as well he should.