sports pop culture

Where are they now? Thad Castle BMS

/ Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment
No matter what he does, Thad Castle leaves a mark

No matter what he does, Thad Castle leaves his own mark of Football

Thad Castle is a lightning rod, period. Whether it’s on or off the field, no football player has brought more attention and controversy to the game of football. Beginning with his glory days at Blue Mountain State, where he was the premier defensive player in college football, Castle has provided both jaw dropping playmaking ability and controversy. For a four-year period he was one of, if not the most dominating defensive force that college football has ever seen. However, despite his greatness, Castle is known more for his off the field shenanigans then his actual football play. Whether it’s complaining to NCAA officials that defensive players don’t win the Heisman trophy, a drug scandal on a boat that resulted in a one game suspension, threatening opposing players, and of course his arrest for a house party. Oh, not to mention he did his best Brett Favre impression and sent pictures of a certain body part to female BMS students.

After his senior year the question was where would he be selected in the NFL Draft? Would a team overlook the rampant off the field issues and draft Castle on his pure talent alone? When it was announced that Castle would be the cover athlete for NCAA Football 2012, it sparked a firestorm. Thousands of emails and letters were sent to EA Sports demanding that Castle be removed from the cover for being a terrible representation of the college athlete. When EA Sports announced that they would release a second copy with Mark Ingram on the cover Castle responded: “I knew it! These people just don’t get how great I am!” Surprisingly, the Castle cover became the highest selling copy of an EA video game to that point. After the cover controversy, Castle would be drafted by the New York Jets.  However, Castle thought it was criminal because he was a first round talent and that team’s had made the biggest of their lives. Hey went to Twitter say “Tebow’s a first round pick and I’m not? What is this a conspiracy? #WTH”. While Castle was furious about not being selected in the first round, and even threatened to not attend training camp at all, Rex Ryan was excited to have Castle on the team. Ryan: “He’s a ferocious and aggressive football player. Did we know about the off the field issues? Of course, but we know this kid loves to play football and that he can be a playmaker on our defense. I love  his swagger and know that he’ll bring the attitude to our defense”. Castle would make an instant impact with the Jets by knocking out Mark Sanchez in training camp for the season. At first this seemed like a bad thing, until people realized that this was a blessing in disguise since Mark Sanchez couldn’t play quarterback. In his rookie season Castle would have 145 tackles, 15 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions. Leading the number 1 defense in football, Castle propelled the Jets to a 17-7 victory in the Super Bowl where he was the MVP with a defensive touchdown and 15 tackles.

But once again, Castle’s biggest opponent wasn’t an offense, but his own success. Following the Super Bowl, Castle was arrested for possession of drugs and was found naked in his hotel room holding the Lombardi trophy. When asked about this behavior, NFL star Rob Gronkowski told Sports Illustrated : “jeez and I thought I liked to party. Castle makes me look like Tim Tebow!” After a tumultuous sophomore year in the league, which included two suspensions for the drug use in the off-season and for biting Tom Brady’s leg, Roger Goodell went on the war path stating that if Castle did not change his ways, he would be out of the NFL. Of course, this is Thad Castle we are talking about. That night he tweeted “Goodell is just jealous because he wishes he was a football star and not some loser wannabe #ThadRules”. We all know what happened next. Thad got suspended, Goodell got his way, and Castle went to twitter to infamously tweet: “FU NFL”. Despite the suspension, Castle still was still in the mainstream. He tried to become an action star in his own movie, Road Rage. The movie was a disaster from Castle’s terrible “acting”, and was critically panned by critics. But was this really a surprise? Really? Thad plus acting is not an equation that ends well. It didn’t help with all of the negative publicity about Castle getting into fights on the set and constantly pranking the director. At least he made millions off of his “Guck Foodell” t-shirts.

When he returned to the grid iron, he would once again help to lead the Jets to a second Super Bowl victory. However, after he flipped off Goodell when he took the Lombardi Trophy and told him to “suck it”, Goodell snapped. On the Super Bowl podium in front of the world he told Castle that he was done in the NFL.

Today, Castle is 29 years old and playing in the Canadian Football league. There he is trying to jumpstart his NFL and acting careers, both so far unsuccessfully. Currently he is in a heated battle in court trying to fight his NFL suspension to be reinstated. Castle’s main defense that while his actions, while idiotic, weren’t criminal. While he continues to fight the NFL ban and try to find a director gullible enough to give him an acting role, Castle has continues to play in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders. There, he has led them to two consecutive championships and has won the defensive player of the year twice. While his antics have continued north of the border, one anonymous GM told me that Castle will never be banned from the CFL. “Are you kidding me? Of course they wouldn’t suspend him. He’s the main attraction for the CFL right now and has brought countless revenue and media attention to this league. Now the CFL is a headliner because of Thad Castle. Now were in the same conversation with the NFL! He’s too big in the CFL and could get away with anything”.

While Goodell has made it known that he is trying to clean up the NFL, he might consider the Castle suspension because of the media magnet he’s become. Hey negative attention is better than no attention at all am I right? Whatever happens to Thad in the future two things are for certain. He is one of the best football players in the game today, and that he will be a media lightning rod. Heck just look at his twitter. Why else does he have over 15 million followers.  Hey it’s Thad’s world, and all we can do is just sit back and wait to see what he is going to do next.

What could haven been? Barry Sanders

/ Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment
Many wonder what records Sanders could have shattered

Many wonder what records Sanders could have shattered

Why? If you could define Barry Sanders with one word it wouldn’t be spectacular, breathtaking, or greatest. The word most people associate with the hall of fame running back is why. In 1999 Barry Sanders walked away from the game of football. Even to this day we can’t solve the mystery of why the best player in the NFL retired in the prime of his career? Why would he retire  within striking distance of Walter Payton’s all time rushing record? His retirement became one of the greatest conspiracy theories in sports. Did he retire to not pass Payton’s record? Was he sick of losing in Detroit and had a fallout with management? Nobody knows. Maybe we can’t stop talking about Barry Sanders because we always wonder what could have been? What if he hadn’t retired? What more could he have accomplished? Football fans, especially those in Detroit, can only dream if Barry Sanders continued playing. It wasn’t a matter of if, but when Sanders would become the all-time rusher. Sorry Emmit Smith, if Barry hadn’t called it quits you would never have been the NFL’s all-time rushing leader. Lions fans wonder if Barry Sanders had kept playing could they have made

What did he fans miss the most? Sanders incredible runs

What did he fans miss the most? Sanders incredible runs

a quicker return trip to the playoffs and prevent the franchise from its downward spiral of the next decade. However, I think what we all missed were those breathtaking runs. Words cannot fully capture the beauty of a Sanders run. The blue of number 20 darting and cutting between defenders and afterward you kept asking, how did he do that? When you watched him break off an incredible run that just made you say wow, and you knew you were witnessing the best back in football. That’s what I wish I could have seen. Sanders was just before my time and just watching his highlights cannot do any of his runs justice. If Sanders had continued how many yards and touchdowns could he have had? Would he have been the reason for the Lions making a turnaround and finally making the Super Bowl? We can only just imagine. For most greats you can see that someone could eventually come along and be just as good if not better. Not Barry Sanders. I can’t see anyone coming along and being better than Barry. Sure Adrian Peterson is a great physical back, but Barry’s runs were one of a kind. That’s why I think fans have a hard  time accepting his retirement. Do I give Sanders a lot of credit for retiring, of course. It takes guts to retire at your peak and knowing that people will be critical. People just wanted to see more of those big runs and plays that none else could manifest. While he may have gotten heat for retiring, Sanders still is highly respected and loved by fans. Don’t believe me? Just pick up Madden 25 when it comes out. Who did the people want? Two words, Barry Sanders.

Where are they now? Gordon Bombay: The Minnesota Miracle Man

/ Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment
From community service to legendary coach

From community service to legendary coach

In any relationship there is give and take. When it comes to Gordon Bombay and the game of hockey, it’s been a rocky but satisfying relationship. It’s had heartbreak; The death of his father, being pushed to far as a kid by a ruthless coach, and blowing out his knee missing out on his opportunity to play in the NHL. However, for all the blows that hockey has dealt, it’s the positives that Bombay is known for. Taking the worst team in Minnesota to the state championship, and having the U.S.A. junior team to pull off the major upset against the best team in the world, Iceland. After the Junior Good Will victory, Bombay shocked the hockey world when he accepted the American ambassador role for the Good Will games. “I felt that I could’ve helped more kids in need in that position. The Ducks had grown up and I knew that I needed to let them soar on their own. Was it hard? It was the most difficult decision in my life but in the end I knew I would always be there for the Ducks whenever they needed me”. After helping hundreds of kids, the games would come to a close in 1998 and Bombay would be out of a job. What to do? The Ducks were all grown up and had gone their separate ways. While in L.A. Bombay was one of the driving forces

As a coach Bombay helped establish 2 NHL franchises including the Mighty Ducks

As a coach Bombay helped establish 2 NHL franchises including the Mighty Ducks

behind Anaheim getting a pro hockey franchise. When they looked a namesake, they looked no further than Bombay’s team for inspiration and adopted the banner Bombay helped to create. Although, it’s no coincidence, after all Bombay was always great at persuasion from his lawyer days. After establishing a franchise in L.A., Bombay used his abundant free time to help bring back a franchise back to Minnesota. After the North Stars departed after the 1993 season, Minneapolis was without a pro franchise. Bombay would be one of the men who lobbied to get an NHL franchise back, and in 2000 the dream was realized. Since their inception Bombay has remained in the Wild front office and is in charge of the player development. When asked if he would ever return to behind the bench again, Bombay smiles and stays with a chuckle, “I’m retired”. However, I follow the Minnesota miracle man after he leaves the Wild facility. When he stop his black Lincoln on the edge of a sea of glass ice, he puts on a pair of skates and grabs his stick from the backseat. Then I look out through the frozen mist and see the Ducks, like apparitions gliding through the winter evening. The stop when they see their former protege and burst out in a joyous roar. Then I see the group that enthralled a nation, resume what they’ve been doing for years, flying across the truth. Then I remember those famous words that Bombay once said and know that it is really true. Ducks will always fly together!

Where are they now? Ricky “The Wild Thing” Vaughn

/ Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment
The "Wild Thing" tattooed his unique legacy on the classic game

The “Wild Thing” tattooed his unique legacy on the classic game

Like a cowboy in the wild west, when Rick Vaughn stared you down through those spectacles it made even the toughest man quiver in their boots. Is it because he can hurl an object at your head at a hundred miles per hour? Or that he could he beat you to a pulp in the blink of an eye? The answer is yes to both. When Ricky Vaughn broke into the Majors in 1989 he was raw power. A fastball that sat at a 100 MPH was his weapon of choice, the problem is he had no idea where it was going. With control problems garnering him the infamous nickname “The Wild Thing”, it wasn’t until Vaughn was given a pair of horn spectacles that he truly became one of the game’s elite.  Armed with a fastball he called “the terminator” he helped to bring respect back to the Indians organization. After one of the best seasons as a rookie pitcher, Vaughn struggled in 1990 when he tried to “reinvent himself” by trying to improve on his secondary pitches and cleaning up his “bad boy attitude” It was a roller coaster season that led to Vaughn being demoted to the bullpen after a drop in velocity and sub par secondary pitches. However, in the Playoffs Vaughn found his velocity and attitude to once again become a force in the World Series. However, Jim Taylor decided to keep Vaughn in the bullpen, a decision he openly admits was a mistake, as the Indians would lose game seven while Vaughn, now the closer, never got into the game. The next two seasons Vaughn would win 20 and 21 games and helped the Indians to two more World Series appearances. But After the third consecutive World Series loss, Vaughn’s career would take a sharp down turn. On the way to the 1993 Spring Training, Vaughn crashed his Harley while doing a 120 MPH on the freeway. The accident caused severe head trauma and tore his rotator cuff. After rehabbing for a year and a half it looked like Vaughn would be able to join the Indians late in the 94 season, but the baseball strike that season brought that dream to an end. The late 90’s were not kind to Vaughn as he missed more time off the field with altercations, injuries, and

After years of turmoil Vaughn has found peace, for now

After years of turmoil Vaughn has found peace, for now

suspensions. These included bar fights off the field, failing drug tests, and suspended by the Indians for inappropriate “staff” relationships. After the 1999 season the Indians refused to resign Vaughn citing the off the field issues and a severe drop in velocity. With no other teams offering him a contract, Vaughn did what every washed up ball players does, head to the broadcast booth. This turned into a disaster when his constant swearing lead to a disagreement with Joe Buck. Vaughn would punch him live on TV in the face for “not shutting up” according to Vaughn. The Wild Thing has remained true to his namesake in the first decade of the twentieth century. With three different arrests including one for driving his Harley across the field during an Indians game, wearing only his sunglasses and a pair of underwear. After a second stint in rehab it looked like Vaughn was on the right track. But just as mysteriously as he arrived in the big leagues, he vanished. No one knows where Vaughn is these days, but he maintains a twitter account with over five million followers. It seems that Vaughn has been traveling around the country on his Harley occasionally posting a bizarre tweet or picture, just like last week when he posted a picture of himself giving a McDonald’s employee a wedgie. The reason? Apparently he wouldn’t give Vaughn a free meal for being a “celebrity”. Wherever he is one thing is for sure, he will always be the bad boy of baseball. “Wild Thing” you made baseball interesting.

How Superman became Kryptonite

/ Rich Sports Talk / Leave a comment
From packing a punch to punch line

From packing a punch to punch line

For the third time in three years Dwight Howard finds himself with a new team. It’s been a roller coaster career for the 27-year-old NBA star. From being the baby face star in Orlando, going to L.A. to make a west coast dream team, to becoming the diva of the NBA. For the past three years Howard’s antics and comments have made him go from the superhero of basketball, to the Lex Luthor of Houston. Outside of The Big Three in Miami, Howard is probably the most hated player in the NBA. How did this happen? When you force your way out of the franchise that drafted you by mocking the head coach and fan base that will tend to put you on people’s bad side. Then Dwight Howard went to LA to become a Laker phenom, which lasted only a year. Once again Dwight complained about the coaches, not being the focal point of a team with Kobe Bryant, and once again ridiculed yet another fan base. Is Dwight trying to be a villain? I think he’s trying too hard not to be a role model. Now the Howard road show will be heading to Houston. They say everything’s bigger in Texas, so naturally it might be the only place that can handle the NBA’s largest ego. While Houston has the talent to now become an NBA title contender, they need Howard to finally realize his full potential. There is no question that he is one of the greatest physically specimens in the game right now whose bursting at the seam with raw talent. However, for all of his physical gifts, Howard has never become the dominant player he should be. When at the top of their games big men like Shaq, Ewing, and Duncan couldn’t be stopped and took over the game. Howard is still a soft player who despite his physical prowess isn’t a bully in the paint. Maybe the third time will be the charm and Howard will become the force NBA scouts always dreamed about. If Houston wants a title, that is the Dwight Howard they need. The only drawback is that Howard brings more baggage then the Kardashian sisters going on vacation. The question is how long will Dwight Howard behave or be committed? Will this experiment only last a year and will he alienate himself from this fan base? When thing is for certain. Dwight Howard will always provide a show whether it’s on or off the court. Whether he’s throwing down a monster dunk, or participating in the Dwight Howard reality show on E, it’s going to be entertaining in Houston. Can someone pass the popcorn?