STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1 – RAHM WINS U.S. OPEN – Earlier this week, golfer Jon Rahm was forced to withdraw from the final day from the Memorial Tournament despite having a six shot lead as he had tested positive for Covid. It cost him $1.6-million but his health and safety takes precedence. Miraculously, he recovered to win the US Open over the weekend. It’s the greatest comeback story since Freddie Freeman won the MVP award in the National League of Major League Baseball last season, just months after spiking a fever due to Covid.  Another contender would be Novak Djokovic winning the French Open earlier this month. You may recall it was Djokovic who organized a renegade tennis tour last year that led to super spreading of Covid, including himself coming down with the disease. We haven’t been honest about who’s most susceptible to negative health outcomes over the last year and a half and it’s too bad as it’s resulted in a lot of fear amongst people who shouldn’t have been scared. Larry Fitzgerald actually changed his will when he had Covid.

2 – KUCHEROV – Tampa forward Nikita Kucherov suffered an injury of unknown severity in game six of the Stanley Cup semi-finals against the Islanders. It was a vicious cross check to the back while he was along the boards and he never saw it coming. Should whomever have hit him be suspended? You tell me. I believe if Jake Evans doesn’t get hurt on Mark Scheifele’s hit, there is nary a whisper about it because it’s a play you see quite often during games. I feel the same way about the Kucherov hit. You see it all the time, but now that he’s hurt, shouldn’t someone be punished?

3 – MORE PITCHER INJURIES – Tampa ace Tyler Glasnow and Cleveland’s top hurler, Shane Bieber, are two of the latest examples of stud pitchers who find themselves on the injured list with shoulder/elbow/arm issues. Arizona’s Zac Gallen just came back from a month long bout of elbow soreness but he’s not out of the woods with his injury and so the examples continue to pile up as far as indicating baseball has a real issue when it comes to developing pitchers. The Minnesota Twins have five of their top ten pitching prospects currently on the sidelines. 

4 – JIMMY KEY – I recall watching Blue Jays Banter on television as a kid and living for the tips segment.  One that I’ll never forget involved Jimmy Key showing how he grips the baseball. He also cautioned kids and teenagers not to throw curveballs or sliders until their arms are more developed. I don’t know if this is still the case for kids (I suspect it is not) but I would also say you should be giving grown ups similar advice.  Maybe throw the nasty stuff that puts a lot of stress on the arm without also using maximum effort for every single pitch. There is a reason why pitchers could throw 250 innings a season for multiple years without injury. Let’s go back and examine why that may have been the case.

5 – CFL RETIREMENTS – I’ve seen some chatter about CFL players retiring and many fans and media simply shrugging and saying that’s what happens when athletes find other jobs that pay more, etc. I have a different perspective. These young men were living a dream and while it’s nice to make lots of money, some are quite content making what they do while playing a sport they love. That was ripped from them over a year ago and they were forced to adapt. Raise your hand if, prior to 2020, you had your own personal pandemic plan in place to easily pivot to a new career and be happy. I didn’t think so. It’s very sad to see these individuals move on prematurely and I just hope they all find happiness somewhere along the way.

6 – HUBBARD OLYMPICS – New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard is believed to be the first trans-gender athlete to qualify for the Olympics. Hubbard will represent her country in weightlifting at the age of 43 after failing to qualify for a single international men’s tournament between 1998-2012. In 2013 she transitioned and has qualified for 11 international women’s events, including these Japan Olympics.  

7 – TWO DIFFERENT ISSUES – It’s 2021 so I don’t think society has the ability to think of things this way but I feel like we should be able to have an open and honest discussion about transgender athletes playing at an elite level (such as the Olympics) and coming to an agreement on what’s best for everyone. To be clear, I have no issue with transgender athletes playing at the recreation level with whatever gender they feel most comfortable in. When you are talking about the Laurel Hubbards of the world, it represents a microscropic number of transgender athletes and it should not necessarily establish the benchmark for everyone. There are transgender people who want to fit in and the overwhelming majority of them could play in their sport of choosing in their selected gender of their choosing and it would not impact anyone. I know you right wingers may be surprised to hear this as my opinion but this is why I’m agnostic to political parties. It allows me to view issues from a much wider lens.

8 – CARL NASSIB – The defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders is the first known openly gay man to play in the NFL. There have been others who revealed their sexual preference after they retired and Michael Sam also ‘came out’ but never played a regular season game. Nassib is the first ‘active’ player. I long for a day when this isn’t news. In the past, I’ve been skeptical about why this should matter, but the reality is that there is some evidence that it does because former Arizona safety Kerry Rhodes had a tough time getting a roster spot seven years ago after rumours surfaced about him and he was a decent player at his position. The last I heard, Rhodes denies he’s gay but I feel like it really shouldn’t matter to fans. If players want to reveal these types of things to each other that’s their business but fans and media really need to stay out of the bedrooms of athletes. 

9 – HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS – My oldest daughter goes into grade twelve in September and she told me she is going to try out for everything possible even though she hasn’t played some of the sports that will be available to her. One of those sports is volleyball and what is very encouraging to me is that there is already a schedule with games lined up against other communities, starting in September. I truly believe we are nearing the end of the tunnel. We won’t ever be 2019 normal, but anything is better than what it has been for the last 18 months or so.

10 – SLOW DOWN – I know some of you loved seeing columns from me as much as twice a week and some of you also despised it. I have to say time was a major factor in that. Under Covid rules, I found myself on the couch frequently and writing came quite easily. For the last month or so I’ve been coaching youth softball and having a blast doing so as it feels almost normal and it’s great to see kids and their families getting an escape from Covid. It’s not even mentioned for the two or so hours we practice or play games. It’s done wonders for my own mental well being. Therefore, because I’ve been running like I used to pre-Covid I haven’t had as much time to watch sports on tv or even sit down and write. My apologies to those who like my posts and to those who don’t – lucky you for not having to consume as much of what I think.

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance writer/broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter at @Stack1975)