If you get an ultimatum from your boss, in pretty much any
situation, it’s not good. If you get an ultimatum from the Boss,
and the year is 2007, chances are you’ll be fine.
If you get an ultimatum from your boss, in pretty much any situation, it’s not good. If you get an ultimatum from the Boss, and the year is 2007, chances are you’ll be fine.
It’s not the 1970s anymore, and George Steinbrenner has lost much of his bite since the early years of his reign. I mean, how many “you’re gonna lose your job if you don’t do …” ultimatums have we gone through since 2000? And yet, Joe Torre is still managing the Yanks.
In case you’re wondering, we went through Ultimatum XXV just this past week, when Steinbrenner threatened Torre that he’d lose his job if he couldn’t advance to the ALCS against the Cleveland Indians.
Torre and the Yanks faltered, the Indians advanced to the ALCS, and Torre still has his job.
Last time I checked, you tend to lose some of your punch if you give ultimatums and don’t follow through. Even if Torre gets fired, waiting weeks after the fact to make sure canning Torre is a wise decision kind of makes Georgie Porgie sound a tad crazy.
I think Steinbrenner’s white cotton turtleneck is starting to cut the circulation off to his head.
Here are four other observations from the week that was:
n Marion Jones had to return her gold medals to the International Olympic Committee after she admitted to using steroids at the Sydney Games.
But now the question turns to one of Jones’ relay partners, Passion Richardson, who took home bronze from Sydney. Should she have to return her medal as well for Jones’ dealings?
I have a feeling Richardson is gonna go all Hope Solo on us, and start throwing the steroid-riddled track athlete under the bus. I can’t wait.
But what makes this story truly funny, as well as truly sad, is that among the five relay partners, three of them, Jones included, are currently serving doping bans.
With that said, I say the IOC lets Richardson keep the bronze. Can you imagine her at parties: No, we didn’t win gold. But here’s my third-place medal that was won with more than half the team likely on drugs. Impressive, huh? Now how ’bout that drink?
– Curses!
John Calipari, Bobby Knight and Rick Pitino, you’ve been warned.
It was reported by the Associated Press on Thursday that NCAA basketball is trying to clean up bench decorum, with penalties being handed out if coaches swear, taunt, or come onto the court without an officials permission to tend to an injured player.
In the words of Spaulding Smails, “Turds!”
I don’t necessarily condone swearing, but I do it. And judging from similar rules imposed by the NBA, these rules do not take into account natural human reaction for in-game events.
Some coaches are overly-passionate. We know this. And while I assuredly do not condone taunting, this could lead to a massive controversy down the road, say, in the Final Four, especially when officials will be rewarded – yes, rewarded – for their consistency in making the calls.
Can you imagine Duke getting a technical because Coach K put his pinky toe onto the court in the national championship?
“Double turds!”
– AC Milan goalkeeper Dida was suspended by the Champions League after faking an injury in a recent game against Celtic.
Don’t worry, Dida is all right.
A crazy soccer fan ran out onto the field, gave Dida what has been described by soccer analysts as “a little tickle” on the neck, and then ran off. Dida turns to chase the fan, takes about four steps, and falls to the ground.
The keeper is then taken off the field on a stretcher holding an ice pack on his eye. Check it out on YouTube. It is fantastic.
Dida, who was replaced in goal, later told doctors that “his head was spinning,” according to the AP.
Somehow, someway, I’ve gained so much more respect for Hope Solo.
– And finally, in the words of T.O., “Get ‘cha popcorn ready.”
Contact Andrew Matheson at [email protected].
