TheWiseOldFart

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart                  The largest salary ever received by the man I consider the greatest pitcher in baseball history, Sandy Koufax, was $130,000 per year. The highest salary earned by the greatest hitter of all time, Hank Aaron, was $240,000 per year. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $1.35 million today. The most successful basketball player in history, Bill Russell, was rewarded with $125,000 per year: $1,164,000 today. Johnny Unitas, the greatest NFL player in history, was paid $250,000 in his final contract. The best players in professional sports receive as much as 50 million dollars each year. The average pay for a starting MLB player in 2024 is about $4.5 million in 2024. For NBA players, the average is $9,512,000 per year. NFL players make a minimum of $750,000 per year. The average veteran makes nearly two million dollars per year. PASSING COSTS TO THE FANS In 1970, the highest price of a ticket for NBA games was about six dollars. Today the “

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The Kansas City Chiefs lost two games in a row, not because they failed to play the game, but because two referees decided who would win. On December 3 rd , with little time left in the game, Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to a receiver inside the five-yard line. The pass was ruled incomplete, although the defender was obviously guilty of interference. The Chiefs lost. On December 10, playing the Buffalo Bills, once again there were seconds left when Mahomes completed a pass to Travis Kelce. Kelce threw a backwards pass to Toney who scored what would have made the game a tie. A referee made a call seldom enforced in the NFL, offsides by the offense. Before the ball was hiked, Toney’s foot was in the neutral zone. The Bills won. Mahomes and Coach Andy Reid complained vehemently and had the courage to challenge the competency of NFL officials. A Cowardly commissioner, Roger Goodell, supported his failed officials and Reid was fined $100,000, and Mahomes $50,000. I

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   If you watched the Sunday night game this week, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Green Bay Packers, you experienced the reason I claim that NFL officials are by far the worst in sports. With the clock running out, Chief’s QB, Patrick Mahomes, launched a pass which went to the two-yard line. His receiver was obviously physically assaulted by the Packers’ defender, but once again there was no call. This situation cost the Chiefs an important game, and previously cost the New Orleans Saints an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl, and prevented a victory in the Super Bowl for Colin Kaepernick’s San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens. Something must change. This is an unforgivable mistake which must receive adequate punishment for the worst in sports. Op-ed by James Turnage Find my nine novels on Amazon’s free Kindle app Follow all articles by TheWiseOldFart here: https://askreverendjm.blogspot.com/ Please pass the truth a

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   Over the last 10-15 years, NFL officials have decided the outcome of many games. Bad calls and no calls all too often decide the outcome of games critical to the success of teams and players in a single season. I offer you a few examples. In 2013, Super Bowl XLVII was a contest between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Near the end of the game, 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick moved his team in position to win the game. He threw a pass to a receiver standing in the end zone. A Raven defender clearly interfered with the receiver’s opportunity to catch the ball. However, although an official was just a few feet away, no call was made. The Ravens were given a victory. Not only did this failure prevent a Super Bowl win for San Francisco, it prevented Kaepernick from becoming a Super Bowl winning quarterback. A few years later, he was blackballed from the NFL. In January of 2019, the NFC Championship Game was between the Los Angeles Rams and the Ne

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I watched a lot of NFL football this weekend. I am positive that the league officials I watched refused to go to the NFL sponsored school and instead attended clown college. Overall they were inept and on occasion altered the outcome of a few games. I doubt that most football fans realize that there are no “professional” referees in the NFL. All of them have full-time jobs. Officiating is a “second job” for all of them. They are not trained or held accountable as are the officials in Major League Baseball or the NBA. I have seen playoff games and even Super Bowls lost or won because of the decision of officials who were not watching the same game I was. This is not just wrong, it’s criminal. Roger Goodell’s team cannot be criticized without receiving serious punishment. I began complaining about NFL officials after watching a New England Patriot’s game years ago. What I saw was very upsetting, and why I no longer make bets on NFL games, although I live in Nort

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   The bottom line: the New Orleans Saints lost because their Head Coach failed to run the ball three times and get his field goal kicker in position to win the game. The Minnesota Vikings lost because their coach did not have their Quarterback spike the ball. They would have had two plays to gain a victory. 53 players risk injury and giver their all to play this game, and to have an incompetent coach lose the game is unforgivable. Dennis Allen, head coach of the Saints, should be fired immediately. All he needed to win the game was a field goal. With less than two minutes left, he allowed his backup QB to pass the ball. If he would have run the ball up the middle, he would have used time and placed his kicker in a better position to gain the victory. Terrible decision. Kevin O’Connell, head coach of the Vikings, needed a touchdown to win. His refusal to save time for his quarterback guaranteed a loss. Both of these men should be fired on Monday mor

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I loved all three professional sports when I was young. I was a huge fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As rule changes, and even the lack of change became realities, I no longer had any interest in professional baseball or basketball, and in 2023 I am losing my interest in the NFL. First and last, as it is for everything else in America, the primary reason: money. All major professional sports have placed profits ahead of the games. No average working man can afford to attend any of the games on a regular basis. I will also discuss free agency, television profits, and salaries which are beyond ridiculous. America is a money cult, not a nation of people. If you are not rich, you can only dream about the American way of life promised in books and movies. The second reason which caused me to lose interest in other sports is free agency. The greed of athletes destroyed the “team concept” forever. The Monday Night

  Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart   I’m not sure about what I watched this weekend. The 2023 NFL season began last Thursday, and the 2022 champion Kansas City Chiefs appeared uninterested. Sunday, multiple teams appeared to have forgotten how to play the game, as upsets became normal. I know much of this is the result of free agency in the off season, but the label “professional” should mean something. I’ll begin by telling you that I turned off three games today, including the Sunday night game between the New York Giants and the overrated Dallas Cowboys. This was less interesting than a knitting contest. The other games were between the hapless Pittsburgh Steelers who were hosting the San Francisco 49ers. The Steelers were so courteous to their guests they surrendered any hope for a real game in the first quarter. The other “contest” involved the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns. I think the Bengals forgot that they were scheduled to play a game on Sunday. It was obvious the