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The Increasing Need for Anger Management in Pro Sports
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m., ET, ESPN)
The Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap (Friday, 10 p.m., ESPN Radio)
Mets pitcher Francisco Rodriguez, Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley, Lakers forward Ron Artest, Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib, and former Redskins running back Larry Johnson are among the growing number of professional athletes who have either chosen to go — or been ordered to go — to anger management counseling. Major League Baseball, the NFL and NBA all now have orientation programs to make rookies aware of potential issues, including anger. Why is there an increasing need for such programs? Bob Holtzman reports.
“I want to do good. I want to do the best that I can to win, to help my team. When that doesn’t happen, I go crazy.” — Carlos Zambrano
“Athletes are also trained, especially in the more physical sports, to be reactive and to kind of come in and not think through the consequences of what they’re doing. So, there’s this impulsive quality that’s fostered and really rewarded.” – Sarah Hickmann, New York Jets team psychologist and former NFL Director of Player Assistance Services
Jay Gibbons’ Long and Winding Road back to Major League Baseball
Outside the Lines (Sunday, 9 a.m. ESPN)
The Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap (Friday, 10 p.m., ESPN Radio)
The Baltimore Orioles released Jay Gibbons before Opening Day of the 2008 season after the outfielder’s name appeared in the 2007 Mitchell Report. Gibbons acknowledged he received HGH, testosterone and HCG, the female anti-fertility drug used essentially as a masking agent, and used the drugs sporadically for 18 months until 2005. When no team expressed interest in his attempts to return to the Majors, Gibbons offered to virtually play for free. The door to “The Show” finally opened when, he says, “A GM in Caracas (Winter League) called and said, ‘Look, you want to come out here, fly out with your own money and try out, I can’t stop you from doing that.’” Reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada chronicles Gibbons’ trek from exile to successful return with the Dodgers.
“I had four wrist surgeries in the matter of a year and a half and I just couldn’t get better. So I was looking for something to get better, and, you hear things in the locker room and outside the locker room. You hear things what could help.” – Jay Gibbons, on turning to PEDs
“If I don’t hit .230 in ’07, I have a job in ’08. I feel like the combination of everything — me playing bad, getting injured in 2007, combined with the controversy, the Mitchell Report — I think that perfect storm led to me being out of baseball.” – Gibbons
The Grass Isn’t Always Greener
College Gameday (Saturday, 9 a.m., ESPNU; 10 a.m. ESPN)
As Boise State’s football program gained recognition, so did its unique blue turf. Last week, Eastern Washington University followed suit and debuted red turf. Chris Connelly explores why these schools would want unusually colored playing surfaces, and how Eastern Washington is using its field to boost its program.
A New Orleans Hero, Four Years Later
NFL Countdown (Sunday, 11 a.m., ESPN)
Four years ago this week, the Saints re-opened the Superdome with a rousing victory in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The key play came when Saints special teamer Steve Gleason blocked a punt that resulted in their first touchdown. Chris Connelly finds out what has become of Gleason, and what ties he continues to have in the Gulf Coast region.
Champ Vazquez, Jr. – Like Father, Like Son
ESPN Deportes SportsCenter (Sunday, 11 p.m.)
ESPNDeportes.com (Reportajes Especiales piece)
On October 16, Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. will attempt to defend his WBO Super Batamweight title for the second time when he meets Ivan Hernandez. When Vazquez, Jr. (19-0-1, 16 KOs), son of a former world champion, won the vacant WBO super bantamweight title on February 27, he and his father became the third pair of father-sons to win world titles, the first to do it in the same division.
Titans Johnson Boldly Predicts He’ll Go Where No Man Has Gone Before
ESPN.com (posted today)
Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson interrupted the summer’s normal preseason rabble by boldly predicting that he’d run for 2,500 yards in 2010. No NFL running back has come close to that; and the record of 2,105 yards was set roughly nine months before Johnson was born in 1985. ESPN.com senior writer Elizabeth Merrill speaks with Johnson about his prediction, and asks teammates and friends where he gets the confidence to make such a prediction.
