26 Magazine » Sports

Movement to retire 23

Awesome Rob — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:14:25 +0000

A couple of nights ago, the NBA got a little treat from one of its most prolific stars: LeBron James. On top of his exceptional play, as always, last season’s NBA MVP came out and said he will be changing his jersey number from 23 to 6 next season. His reasoning? Michael Jordan’s number should be retired by the NBA, from every team.

Usually, retiring numbers are something that is left to the individual team, and no sport body since Major League Baseball’s retiring of Jackie Robinson’s no. 42 has considered retiring a number across the board. It is a big step and the NBA has no previous history of even considering such a move, but since The King’s annoucement, the movement has picked up speed.

When one considers the reasons behind Jackie Robinson’s number retiring and Michael Jordan’s, there are a few key points to understand. Jackie Robinson played baseball in a very volatile time for civil rights in the United States, and being the first black MLB player, he was forced to walk a fine line and be the face of the black race in a white sport. His perseverance against the racial tension and sportsmanship laid the foundation for change in Major League Baseball, and his contribution to civil rights and sport was beyond what any other athlete at the time had ever accomplished. The MLB did the right thing in retiring his number out of respect for the adversity he faced while doing what he loved: playing baseball.

Michael Jordan never had to fight the racial tension and be a figurehead in the civil rights movement as Jackie Robinson was. In many ways, Jackie Robinson’s contribution to sport paved the way for athletes like Michael Jordan to take center stage in a major sport, competing under the lights and having the opportunity to achieve greatness. Jackie Robinson’s aid to the end of racial segregation in baseball was an instrumental part of American sports history, and Michael Jordan didn’t have anywhere near the same pressure to take a stand, and not only play, but play well.

James does have a point in his request to see no. 23 be retired. Living with the number 23 on his chest essentially has made his career into one where he tries to “Be Like Mike,” and try to say he is the next Jordan. The King can build his own legacy with a different number, reducing the number of direct comparison’s between the two. The game they play is similar: they both dominate the other team and have an uncanny ability for the sport. Jordan had a solid team built around him and he was the missing link that was needed for all the championships the Bulls won. James doesn’t have the same talent around him, but James also hasn’t been able to come up in the clutch as often as Jordan did with game winning shots and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat as regularly as Jordan.

And as long as LeBron lives by 23, he will forever be overshadowed by Jordan’s legacy.

World Series lives up to the hype

Awesome Rob — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:34:03 +0000

Leading into this year’s World Series, the story line was a beauty. The World Champions of 2008, the Phillies, were back in the mix and squaring off against the World Series trophy juggernaut, the New York Yankees. Both teams featured high powered offense and left handed pitchers that would make teams of yesteryear shake their heads in disbelief. High profile stars like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and CC Sabathia were set to do battle against Cole Hamels, Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee. The ingredients were all there to make a World Series classic.

After game one, things looked great for a competitive series of pitching domination.

Then game two rolled around, and three, and four, and suddenly the Yankee’s offense made the Phillies look very vulnerable. A-Rod, who was pretty much useless in the first few games of the series, came out huge in games three and four, especially in four, and with him clicking with the rest of the offense, the Yankees literally could do no wrong at the plate.

And it wasn’t even just at the plate where they had their success.

The series tone was set in the top of the 9th inning of game four. Top of the 9th inning and with the score tied and two outs set, it looked like the game was either going into extra innings or the Phillies would have the perfect opportunity to tie the series and shut down the Yankee offense. Then Johnny Damon stepped up to the plate and delivered one of the most amazing at bats in recent memory, going nine pitches and preventing the inning from ending. Finally, he connected and made it to first. Progress had been made. Then on the next pitch, Damon takes off to steal second, knowing that he had to make a move when it would be least expected. After snagging second, and seeing that there was no one covering third, Damon took off and outran the only person capable of tagging him out, completing a double steal on a single pitch.

Suddenly, the stadium wasn’t so rowdy.

With Damon’s clutch play, the next factor was A-Rod leading the Yankees on a strong hit and scoring Damon, while putting two runners in scoring position. Another hit solidified the Phillies 9th inning collapse, giving the Yankees a three-run lead going into the bottom of the 9th with Mariano Rivera playing cleanup, which is almost a 99.9 percent chance of perfection.

Sure enough, Rivera cleaned up three batters in eight pitches, giving the Yankees a 3-1 series lead.

In this post season, we have seen A-Rod beat his demons, Damon come back from mediocrity to have the best moment of baseball genius this year, and watch the Yankees come back to true form and nearly bury the defending World Champions in their own stadium

The Phillies won game five, saving themselves from defeat at home, sending the series back to the Bronx where the Yankees have been extremely successful all year and in this post season. Whether or not they can close out the Phillies is still up in the air, but if Pedro Martinez plays like he did game two, Andy Pettitte is walking away with the win, and the Yankees with their first World Series since 2000.

Yankees on the verge of returning to the World Series

Awesome Rob — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:53:30 +0000

With the Yankees leading 3-1 in the ALCS over the Los Angeles Angels, it appears that next Wednesday, we can expect to see Game 1 of the World Series in the new Yankee Stadium. Solid pitching by CC Sabathia has been the story of this Yankee post season as well as the dominating performance by one Alex Rodriguez, and both were present when the Yankees dominated Game 4 of the ALCS in a 10-1 victory. In a series that was filled with close games and extra innings, it seems that the Yankee blowout may have been the final blow to knock down the suddenly error-prone Angels.

Many people can’t remember the last time the Yankees made it to the World Series, or even when they last won it. Joe Torre was the skipper then, and he’s since been running a Los Angeles Dodgers team that is sharing the fate of their cross town brothers by trailing the Phillies 3-1 in the NLCS. While the Phillies are the defending World Series champions, one can’t help but wonder if they will have what it takes to stop the money machine bankrolled by the Steinbrenners. The massive payroll and off season acquisitions of some future Hall of Fame players, on top of their already substantial talent, may prove far too great this year to overcome. For a few years, it appeared that even with the Yankees payroll, there was a parody of talent across the teams that offered some chance for other teams to dethrone the Bronx bombers, especially when the Yankees were knocked out of the first round two years ago and failed to reach the playoffs last season.

So much for that thought.

Alex Rodriguez is the big story of the moment. After his failure to produce in the post season that has been his handicap, even with all of his talent, this season has been his breakout year. He admitted to steroid use to start the year and spent several weeks rehabbing after hip labrum surgery. Then he came back, and started racking up the RBIs and home runs without missing a beat.

The Yankees wouldn’t be where they are now without Alex Rodriguez.

After signing the biggest contracts in the history of baseball, the monkey finally got bored and hopped off A-Rod’s back. He has gone six games in a row with an RBI and is adding to his impressive home run tally with a strong showing in October.

Johnny Damon, never one to shy away from the spotlight, decided he had to step up and after struggling this post season, added to the blowout win in game 4. The Yankees might just about be ready to play at their peak potential to start off the World Series, assuming they don’t have an unlikely breakdown of epic proportions and drop three games in a row to the Angels.

The Phillies, even if they down the Dodgers, may find themselves trying to ice skate up hill in a blizzard if the Yankees come in and play as good as they have been.

Alex Rodriguez earns his pay

Awesome Rob — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:05:50 +0000

It’s October, which to many Americans means it’s time to sit down and enjoy one of America’s best forms of entertainment: the Major League Baseball playoffs.

Every year the season starts with speculation on how much money the Yankees will spend to assemble a team that consists of nothing but Hall of Fame players of the future, and how much they will succeed. The last decade has been rather rough for the Yankees after their last World Series victory in 2000. They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs every year, and some years with great disappointment such as when they lead the Red Sox 3-0 in the series before losing the next four games and becoming the first team to accomplish the unwanted feat. Last year, even with a payroll that eclipsed every other team in by more than an NFL salary cap, the Yankees failed to reach the post season.

Then there’s the storied history of Alex Rodriguez failing in the clutch. A-Rod is the most talented player in baseball to have never won a World Series, and even more talented than most who have. He signed the largest two MLB contracts ever and is by far the richest player in baseball on salary alone. His season started off with a steroid scandal and a book that attacked his character. Every season, A-Rod has been cast in the negative light about his private life or his failure to play up to his pay grade after the regular season. This year all the skeletons came out of the closet, and then A-Rod went dark with hip surgery and the whirlwind of potential controversy on his steroid admission had nowhere to direct its media-fueled frenzy.

The rest of the season has been about A-Rod beating his demons, and then A-Rod leading the Yankees into the post season.

A-Rod, even with his injury recovery at the start of the season, racked up 100 RBIs and his first at bat of the season was a home run. The rest of the season followed suit as the Yankees went from struggling to dominating with the addition of the best player in baseball back to the Yankee roster.

But even with his success in the season, many wondered if this would be yet another year of disappointment for the Yankees. Those questions were put to rest with the ALCS, when A-Rod dismantled the Minnesota Twins and lead the Yankees to a sweep. Then, game 2 of the ALDS against the Angels came around, bottom of the 11th inning, the Angels were leading the Yankees 3-2. A-Rod had two strikes, and it seemed as if the Yankees best hitter, who had gone 0-4 so far in the game, would once again fail under pressure. Then one loud thunder crack in the light rain sent the ball over the wall, tying the game and keeping the Yankees in it.

And the Yankees eventually won. Without A-Rod’s heroics, the game that burned through both team’s bullpens would have ended in the Angels favor. Now the Yankees are poised to take another big step toward their goal of winning another World Series, and with A-Rod finally performing as expected, they seem well on their way to accomplishing the goal.

Southeastern Conference kings

Awesome Rob — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:01:29 +0000

Florida Gators vs. Alabama Crimson Tide. The No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the college football polls a week before the BCS computers start calculating ranks. One is the team that won the last BCS National Championship. The other is the team that would have won the BCS National Championship if it had not lost to the former. Who would have imagined the following season would shape up as it has, leaving both teams with paths leading back to a year ago and a repeat of the game that many say was the real national championship battle.

The Crimson Tide has rolled through the season so far, crushing teams left and right and looking like the most dominant team in football. Nick Saban, the most hated man in Louisiana after he bailed on LSU, went to Miami to coach the Dolphins before coming back to college football and taking a position coaching the evil enemies of the Cajun, is leading an Alabama team to a strong season and a collision course in the Southeastern Conference Championship against Florida.

The Florida Gators have crushed their cakewalk teams and struggled through a few others in their so far undefeated season, but riding their overwhelming No. 1 status from last year, they have maintained the top seed.

Many critics say the Crimson Tide is playing better football than the Gators, but when it boils down to it, both teams are winning every game against stiff competition. Urban Meyer has done what he’s always done and found a way to win and put himself and his team in the position they want to be to write their own future.

The teams have held their positions stronger than any other team that has held a top five ranking, and has continued the dominance of the SEC in conference strength. While the SEC lost two teams from the top 25 and the Big 12 now has more teams ranked, all of college football has seen that outside of the top three this season, the rankings seem to consist of teams drawn out of a hat. Texas is the only non SEC team that has been consistent enough in their play to earn their rank, and that may change next week with their biggest game of the season in the Red River Rivalry vs Oklahoma.

The Gators have played a much more climactic schedule in terms of story than the Crimson Tide has. Lane Kiffin provided many headlines and was on the receiving end of a stiff punch to the kisser in his failed prophecy of a victory in the Swamp this year, and even took shots at the Gators after the loss. Sadly for Lane Kiffin and the volunteers, a sick, underwhelming Gator performance was enough to beat a Tennessee team with nothing to lose. Then came the Tebow concussion and the two weeks of speculation on whether he’d play or not against LSU in a game that has decided the national champion for the last three seasons. Then Tebow came back, played a conservative version of wrecking ball and beat LSU by 10.

Alabama on the other hand has done a great job of negating everything the opposing team tries to throw at it while running them over with strong offensive performances. It is tough to say which team is necessarily better, because every week in college football is a completely different story in preparation and match ups, but we will see who represents the SEC in the BCS Championship game and whether it will be the Gators or the Crimson Tide hoisting the BCS Crystal Football in the end.

Tebow’s tough take down

Awesome Rob — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:33:23 +0000

The Gators lucked out in this latest edition of college football’s rank obliterating game day. Anyone who has watched the Florida Gators take the field and play the last three years has seen plenty of big hits that the Gators have landed as well as received. Tim Tebow, the football Jesus who walks on water, was no stranger to the pounding abuse of the game, dishing out much of the punishment himself as a quarterback who runs like a fullback. But in a game where Tebow was sacked hard, a moment of pure fear struck the Gator Nation as Tim Tebow didn’t get up.

Tebow laid there after his hit and stayed there. Teammates were seen trying to check his responsiveness to no avail. Even the Kentucky Wildcat fans were quiet in the moment where the player that had such character that other teams seem to speak more highly of him than their own was laying unconscious on the grass. It took several minutes for Tim Tebow to stand up, assisted, and walk to the sidelines before he was carted off the field and taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Tebow even had a successful game and put up impressive numbers before the injury, but none of that seemed to matter as the image of him being taken away was displayed for the world to see.

We may have all seen Tebow rocked as Florida rolled to victory over the Wildcats on Saturday, but in a season where all but the top 3 teams in the nation have not mattered, nor earned their rankings, many wonder if Florida will join the list of teams who have fallen from grace. Alabama is looking impressive as always, but their team has never had problems till the end of the season where they soften up. Texas has looked like a mere specter of the high flying team of last year. Even with 1, 2 and 3 all playing off their game, the disparity between the top three and the rest of the field is tremendous.

But is Florida still that much ahead of the rest of the pack without the charismatic leader that is Tim Tebow? Last year, Tebow declared that the Gators would not rest or take any play off after the upset to Ole Miss. His was a speech played over and over throughout the media as Florida abused teams for the rest of the season and put to rest a very good Alabama team to steal a spot in the BCS National Championship game, where they then destroyed the hyped up Oklahoma team for the title.

Expectations for Florida was for an easy repeat this year, with a patsy schedule and 99% of the starters coming back. But as the season has gotten underway, the lack of Percy Harvin has been noted and the receiving core has looked much weaker. The defense still looks near impenetrable, largely due to the starters all coming back. If the Florida offense can get running on all cylinders, and Tebow at the helm, Florida may start looking like the team they were supposed to be and fulfill the goal of a third national title in 4 years.

After all, defenses win championships.

Plaxico’s case brings belief back into the Justice system

Awesome Rob — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:41:02 +0000

This week the sports legal world was greeted with Plaxico Burress’s long awaited sentencing for the Most Comical Use of a Gun to Get Arrested at the annual “/Facepalm” awards. Most people who pay attention to sport know that the story went something like this:

Plaxico shoots himself.
Plaxico claims innocence.
Plaxico tries to convince people his idiocy is a victimless crime.
Plaxico fails.
Plaxico agrees to plea.
Plaxico sentenced to serve two years in prison.

Some have said it is too harsh a sentence for a gun charge where no one was hurt, except for the gun wielder himself. Even though he did not have the gun registered in the strictest gun control state in the country. That he allowed his concealed weapons permit to lapse, and yet still found it necessary to carry the weapon in that state and not in a holster just adds to the boiling pot of stupid moves that athletes have committed in the last two years.

Plaxico now is in the company of Michael Vick, Pacman Jones, pretty much the entire Cincinnati Bengals roster and the several other NFL players who have had recent relationships with law enforcement. These are all athletes that have screwed the pooch and have either ruined their careers or done some severe harm that will at the least set them back several years.

What’s more is that Giants fans have all cried foul at the fact Burress was sentenced to two years for not hurting anyone.

Last I checked, doing something stupid like carrying a weapon and having it accidentally discharge due to negligence has a pretty high potential for catastrophic damage. He discharged a weapon in public and didn’t have registration nor a permit to carry.

If this was any other black man walking into a club that didn’t have a bunch of white people behind him who wanted to watch him perform for the team, either no one would have cared or those same white people would be overwhelmingly in favor of throwing the book at the fool.

The prosecutor in this case did right by making sure the superstar status did not get Burress off easy and that he was prosecuted and served. The message that was sent is clear: New York doesn’t care who you are. Everyone is to follow the rules or suffer the consequences. In a country where dog fighting gets a stiffer punishment than DUI manslaughter, New York is holding its ground on an issue that has constantly been in New York politics for years.

Superstar status should not get anyone off the hook or a lesser sentence. O.J. Simpson’s case did a great job of proving that point. Instead of him fading into obscurity, he wrote a book about how he “would have done it” after he was found not guilty. Then he went and got himself put in jail anyway in a scuffle about his memorabilia. The point of the justice system is to rehabilitate those who made bad judgments or restrain those that have wronged society so severely that they cannot be allowed in the general populous.

Cutting a deal to get someone higher up on the food chain or letting someone off the hook because of the fear of repercussions is not how the justice system was intended to work. It makes the system easy to manipulate and impossible to try anyone by the same standards.

The legal system shouldn’t be a game.

Punch heard ’round the NCAA

Awesome Rob — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 04:03:19 +0000

Today’s headlines may read “Boise State beats Oregon,” for the ugly display of what football isn’t supposed to look like among those with BCS implications. It was perhaps the most horrifically played game I’ve watched in years, with the sheer number of dumb penalties and the third and fourth quarter turnover race, this game ranked up there in sheer inconsistency and ugliness.

Sadly enough, the game could have either been a blowout by Boise State if they capitalized on their laundry list of mistakes, or it could have been Oregon singing songs of joy at destroying the BCS hopes of Boise State in the first week of play.

Instead, both teams looked terrible and suddenly the rest of Boise State’s first-thought cupcake schedule looks a bit more interesting, especially if the team finds itself coughing up the ball in crucial situations repeatedly. Oregon gave the brand new Pac-10 commissioner a headache to deal with on his first week in his new job, and did nothing to help the Pac-10’s image of being “the league USC plays in.”

The game was a flop and pretty boring to watch. LeGarrette Blount was quoted as saying that Oregon owed an ass whooping to Boise State for the upset they pulled last year, only to have that turn into a sucker punch in tact. Not that it mattered a whole lot after the game, when Blount did deliver an ass whooping, only to Boise State lineman Byron Hout, who was tapped jawing at Blount after the game (probably about the pregame quote) only to receive the retaliatory haymaker to the jaw and getting knocked senseless in the span of two seconds.

If football falls through, maybe LeGarrette Blount could train for the UFC.

Then the fireballs began to fly, with people screaming murder at a punch and labeling Blount as a thug. In all honesty, even with the punch being a cheap shot, Hout deserved every pound-per-square-inch of force that was thrown behind that. Emotions run high, and to get teammates into the right state of mind to play a violent game, violent things are usually said. The media caused a lot of the problem by simply taking a pregame motivational bit and using it as cannon fodder for the announcers to run with during the game and debate on constantly.

Now the media and college officials are calling for Oregon to suspend or kick LeGarrette Blount off the team. I think that’s a load of crap. Yes, he made a bad judgment call, but kicking the kid off the team for retaliating? If you watch the film, he was angry, but under control as he was leaving the field until Byron Hout grabbed his shoulder pad and taunted him. In a game with emotions running that high, Hout was asking for trouble, and he got it in spades (and looked like a damn fool to millions of people watching the replay).

If Blount sought someone out to fight after the game, then I would agree that he deserves the stiffest of punishments, but when someone steps on your toes, you push back. I can respect Blount for not letting someone walk over him, but it would have been better if he chose a different way in which to do it.

Should Blount be suspended? Probably. Removed from the team? No. Players are put under incredible pressure on the national stage to perform in these testosterone loaded battles in front of thousands. If Blount is to be suspended, the same should be thrown at Hout, because without Hout’s instigation, this matter would never have happened.

City of Brotherly Love to love Michael Vick..?

Brittany — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:52:07 +0000

It’s all over the news, MySpace and Facebook status updates and has been tweeted via all the latest tweets thanks to Twitter. Michael Vick is signed as the new quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not even 24 hours ago it was rumored Vick might join up with the Buffalo Bills. I think it’s safe to say we can discount Mr. Adam Schefter of ESPN for that one. Poor call, dude.

And Vick’s deal is nothing to laugh at. According to Philly.com, Vick has been signed for a one-year, $1.6 million deal with a team option for a second year at $5.2 million. None of that money is guaranteed, however. That way, the Eagles don’t have to worry about any financial risk if Vicky doesn’t make the cut.

But going back to what’s on everyone’s mind, besides the fact that Vick is essentially back in the game, although he’s officially out of the dog house, ahem, big house, he still has a few things left to do before the American justice system is through with him.

According to the Chicago Times, and as a probationary obligation, Vick has to speak to “at-risk inner-city kids” about animal cruelty. Specifically, that a person can go to jail if he or she partakes, lose a career in professional football (along with millions of dollars in contracts) and see a major reputation stain that won’t likely fade completely…ever.

“We spoke with dozens of young people, and Michael shared his story, expressed remorse for his actions, urged the community to stand up to dog fighting, and asked them to help with the campaign,” Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society, said.

Other terms of Vick’s probation include that he secure a job — apparently he’s got something arranged for construction, as reported by A Pakistan News — and remain under house arrest unless he’s packing a metal lunchbox and yellow hard hat.

The question remains whether Vick will be welcomed and accepted as a member of the Eagles, and even as a member of the NFL to fans worldwide. Is he forgiven/can he be forgiven? Does the man deserve a second chance?

Also reported by Philly.com, Vick said in an interview after signing with the Eagles, “I think everybody deserves a second chance. We all have issues, we all deal with certain things and we all have our own set of inequities. I think as long as you are willing to come back and do it the right way and do the right things and that you’re committed, then I think you deserve it. But you only get one shot at a second chance, and I am conscious of that.”

All right. So Vick’s had his fair share of trouble for the past year or so for his doggy faux paws, excuse me, pas. But it truly feels like America is ready for his return to the football field. Yes, Vick made some serious mistakes, mistakes PETA will likely never forgive him for, but it’s about the fans, not the animal friends, and it seems Vick is ready for redemption.

Go Eagles!

NHL cheap skater cannot go unnoticed

andrea — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:55:52 +0000

Ah, there’s nothing like watching a good hockey game to see men beating each other. Sure it’s violent, it’s hockey! That’s why we love it. Then, for some reason, we are shocked when we see hockey players in real life being violent.

What do you expect? It’s hard to separate work from play.

It’s especially hard for our dear friend Patrick Kane.

Kane, a 20-year-old forward who plays for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks had a slight altercation with his cab driver on Sunday. By slight, I mean that he punched the guy in the face, grabbed his throat and broke his glasses.

All in a day’s work.

Kane was top draft in 2007 and was voted best rookie in 2008. Today, it’s difficult to think of him as nothing but impatient and cheap.

The short story is this: Kane and his cousin were taking a cab around Kane’s hometown of Buffalo, New York. His total came to $13.80 so he gave the driver $15. When the driver couldn’t provide the exact change, Kane let him know who was boss by taking his money back and attacking the cabbie.

Don’t think he’s getting away with it just because he’s had plenty of practice. Kane and his cousin, James Kane, have been charged with second degree robbery, criminal mischief and theft of services.

Not that this will taint his career.

Blackhawk’s spokesman Brandon Faber told FOX Sports, “He is a big part of our organization and a team leader and we stand behind him.”

No punishments have been determined as of yet. I mean, it’s not like he was running an underground dog fighting ring, right? It could be worse. He just broke the guy’s glasses and gave him some cuts and bruises.

Maybe the cabbie should consider himself lucky that such an incredible player would practice channeling his aggression for hockey season… Or maybe not.

Apparently, athletes get a free card to do whatever they want. I don’t understand it.

This youngin’ should be shown that his actions are unacceptable even if it has a negative effect on the Blackhawks’ standings.

At 20, it could be easy to argue that he’s still young and that his aggression could just stem from that. Still, if nothing is done to prevent him from doing something like that again, then he has no reason to stop.

I’m not just talking about legally either. Many people don’t even care about the law, and when athletes aren’t punished in their line of work then why would they care?

As this story continues to unfold, I can only hope that Kane can learn from his immature actions and refrain from a repeat offense. For such a good player, and at such a young age, he shouldn’t even be messing around with ruining his career.

Yet, on the other hand, he is young and he’s a guy. Find me one 20-year-old guy that doesn’t have at least a small amount of aggression.

What do you think: Has Kane overstepped his boundaries and needs to face the punishment from the league and from the law? Or has Kane just made a simple, everyday mistake and could use a break?