We got a raw deal this weekend, sports fans. While moms were getting pampered on Mother's Day with chocolates, flowers, and backrub IOU's from their husbands, we were punked with one of the worst sports weekends I can remember.
Of course, leave it to a guy with the nickname "Sugar" to start it off on Saturday night, when Manny Pacquiao put Shane Mosley on the mat with a third-round knockdown. After that, "Sugar" looked like "Saccharin," a substitute that doesn't taste quite the same. He refused to go toe-to-toe with Manny, and settled for a 12-round decision instead of going for the win. No heart.
On Mother's Day, the Lakers had the Mother of all breakdowns. The two-time defending NBA champs, facing an embarrassing sweep in the second round of the playoffs, made like Mosley and refused to engage the Dallas Mavericks. Twenty 3-pointers and several cheap fouls later, the Lakers returned to Tinseltown without even drawing their pistols in Dallas (Hey, it's Texas! Everyone's packing heat there!). No heart.
Oh, and let's not forget the Sharks taking in Game 4 and 5 of the Stanley Cup conference semifinals. San Jose takes a 3-0 series lead on the Detroit Red Wings, one win away from putting them away. Then Detroit guts out an overtime win on Friday to force a Game 5. Okay, no problem. You're still up 3 games to 1. So what happens on Sunday? They allow three – 3! – third period goals and now they're looking at a Game 6. I'll guarantee you this: if the Sharks lose Game 6, they lose the series. Why? No heart.
Class, are you noticing a theme here? Remember Vince Lombardi's legendary quote: "Winning's not everything. It's the only thing." Look, I get it. Losing is more acceptable now. Maybe because there are no losers anymore. Everyone's a winner. In my son's Pony League game last week, not a single batter was out. Everyone gets a hit, and everyone scores. Every once in a while, I get a phone call or an email, complaining that I shouldn't be showing strikeouts because I was spotlighting those people's failures.
Losing builds character. Character makes you strong. Strength gives you heart. We could all stand to lose every once in a while. I'm not saying you should enjoy losing… but how are you going to know how to handle losing if you've never had to do it? "Sugar" Shane, Dany Heatley, and Andrew Bynum would all be wise to seek out their mommies and ask them about heart. Because they could all use some right about now.
