The Elephants Are Back In The Room--This Time As A Herd

I know I haver said it before. The elephant is in the room. This week that line is so true.

It isn’t easy to recognize someone’s flaws. Especially when we think that they are super human and beyond imperfection.

Such is the case with Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka. Or Serena Williams. Or a handful of hockey goalies and other athletes who threw up before every game, no matter its importance.

Athletes are our heroes. We exalt them beyond mere mortality, elevating them to god-like proportions. We do the same for TV and move stars, politicians and musicians. 

Because we revel in the mystique we apply to these individuals. People crave their successes and, like a crash on a NASCAR track, await the stark failures. 

We must always remember that they are human and at any time can fail, as we all do, in some capacity, whether in our jobs, marriages or a myriad of other ways. 

Perhaps some of the deification blame goes to the media. It started with the print media and now, in this day of 24/7 sports saturation, the myths of immortality and the anointing of G.O.A.T. status takes our demand for perfection to an even greater and more unrealistic place. 

Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci. Remember those names? Perfect 10’s. The first ones to achieve those scores. Which set a standard that was incredible and for far too many, unreachable. 

Bela Karolyi. The Hungarian-Romanian-American gymnastics coach who looked and sounded mean and demanding. Which he was. That was the expectation in the sport and he was the top dog with his charges. 

But I have seen the mental stress of gymnastics first hand, with a daughter who competed in club gymnastics in New Jersey. There were coaches who wanted her and others similarly situated, to go to the next level and made young girls repeatedly break down and cry over their inability to master a vault or bars move. 

Young girls idolized the Korbuts and Comenicis and Shannon Millers. With no idea of the mental torture that they endured at the elite tiers of the sport. 

Believe me, gymnastics is not standing alone with the abuse and unrealistic demands. Tennis is full of that too—I have seen that with my son when he competed in U.S.T.A events. 

So it is no surprise that young women like Biles and Osaka have their difficulties when saddled with so much stress and emphasis on becoming and remaining the best. There is huge money also involved, which adds to the high levels of anxiety every athlete has. 

Sure, there are many who make it and thrive on the pressure. Most of them are in team sports. Even if you are the QB like a Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes, there are 10 others on offense and the remainder on defense and social teams to offset mistakes. 

I fully understand what is going on with Biles this Olympiad. The build up and expectations were immense. She performed like no other had, with death-defying acrobatics which very few, if any, could attempt let alone master. 

Let that sink in—death-defying acrobatics. When she stated she suffered from the “twisties,” that was an acknowledgment of the fear associated with the routines she was attempting.  A small mistake at any time could throw off her timing and lead to serious injury, paralysis or, yes, death. 

I don’t say this lightly. I have seen my daughter suffer the ravages of injuries to her lower limbs and hands and arms. 

Gymnastics is an unforgiving sport. The higher the performer goes, the faster she accelerates; it is pure physics. Which means that the impact and toll on the human body become so much greater. 

Thus, the combination of the danger inherent in gymnastics at the Olympics and the concomitant pressure of being the greatest ever can debilitate a person. Which it did with Simone Biles. She is human. She has been through much more than one can comprehend, including the horrific acts of Larry Nasser, which the U.S.G.A. swept under the rug for so long. 

All of this adds up. And there comes a time when even the mentally toughest can no longer handle the demons of their past along with the onslaught of the present. 

Do not demonize Biles, Osaka, Serena or anyone who shows emotion while not making it back to the summit in their individual sport. If they are calling a time out, there is good reason for it. 

Plus I will offer Exhibit B. Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. A child prodigy since age 4 and  appearing on the nationally-syndicated show starring Michael Douglas, he resorted to drugs and alcohol, failed miserably in his marriage and was a shell of himself with injuries. He will never reach the pinnacle that was expected of him—that he would surpass Jack Nicklaus as the greatest golfer ever. We didn’t give second thought to the pressure and demons he had and still is beset with.

We should embrace these athletes for being human and coping with so much pressure. Just because they are rewarded richly with endorsement contracts and prize money does not stop them from being who they really are—often a jumbled and damaged child in an adult world. 

I was tangentially reading about Biles. Now I know more. The shock and disbelief in her not going for Olympic gold is fully understandable. 

I root for her not to come back and be the best in her sport again. I root for her to achieve some sort of normalcy with her life and be in a happy place for what she has endured.

The MLB trading deadline has concluded. The Yankees, who were atrocious in Boston, where they blew three leads that led to ugly losses, still are only 3 games away from the second A.L. Wild Card slot. With a defective team which needed an injection of some fresh blood to change the dynamics of losing.

GM Brian Cashman went out and made a few trades. First, he picked up RHP Clay Holmes from Pittsburgh. Next, relievers Luis Cessa and Justin Wilson were shipped off to Cincinnati and the Yankees will receive a player to be named later. 

This was the precursor to bigger activity. Without losing a prospect in the top 8 of all Yankees minor leaguers, New York managed to first pluck All Star Joey Gallo along with lefty reliever Joely Rodriguez, then grabbed 1B Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs. Finally, the Angels left-handed starting pitcher Andrew Heaney is now a Yankee. 

The haul is enormous and gives the Yankees lineup more left-handed power. Gallo is a Gold Glove outfielder and it appears that Aaron Judge will move to centerfield as a result. Rizzo will offer stability with his good bat and glove. 

Moreover, the pitching got better with three new relievers who bring some great statistics to the Yankees. Heaney will be the fifth starter in the rotation, shedding the opener spot that isn’t really working. 

Don’t forget that starting pitcher Luis Severino is progressing nicely and could be an important component down the stretch. Ditto Corey Kluber, whose rehab is coming along nicely so far. 

This will give Chad Green, who has been a detriment lately, a chance to be used more appropriately in the right situations and give that tired arm more time to recover. Starters Justin Montgomery and Jameson Taillon have shown much improvement recently. And of course Gerrit Cole is still Gerrit Cole; discount the stinker Thursday versus Tampa Bay as he is 1-6 lifetime against the Rays. 

The expectation is that this lineup will now produce runs, allowing the fairly solid pitching to thrive even more in the last 60 games. Closer Aroldis Chapman seems over his woes and is back to form—for now. 

New York is entering a fairly easy portion of its schedule, with games against the Marlins, Orioles and Royals—all losing teams—and Seattle which is above .500 now but made some very curious moves with trades. This is the chance to make up ground in the chase for either the Division lead or the Wild Card. Or the moves GM Cashman made will be for naught and will estrange him from the fan base. 

The Yankees were far from the only team to make significant moves this week. The Dodgers acquired Max Scherzer and All-Star SS Trea Turner from the Nationals. LAD is much stronger and will make a real push to head off the Padres and the NL West leaders, the San Francisco Giants.

Those Giants traded for former M.V.P. Kris Bryant—a bold move making them stronger too. San Diego added pitching and All Star 2B Adam Frazier. It is going to be some race out West.

The Mets procured Javier Baez from the Cubs. He will play 2B. The Mets are now stronger than ever and a logical favorite to win the NL East. Philadelphia and Atlanta also made moves. This make the two New York teams special—even if the Yankees are in a hole and chasing others. 

Milwaukee also became stronger with some trades for pitching and infielders. All of a sudden things are pretty good in Wisconsin—the Bucks are the NBA Champs, the Brewers have the look of a title contender and Aaron Rodgers is back in Green Bay with a team that has Super Bowl aspirations. 

Seemingly all of the teams pursuing the post-season have made trades to strengthen their rosters. Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, San Diego, Seattle and Toronto did not stand pat at the July 31st deadline. 

The Cubs got rid of so many good players. Craig Kimbrell went to the White Sox, giving the Sox two elite closers. Baez, Rizzo, Jon Lester are now gone. Big names and champions who the Cubs faithful will never forget. Still, the team wasn’t winning and the need for an overhaul was emergent.  

Ditto in Washington, where they have dealt or let leave Anthony Rendon, Bryce Harper, Scherzer, Turner and other integral cogs. Yet the trade with the Dodgers netted some good prospects who will reach the big club sooner than later. Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg will still be the top pitchers and Juan Soto is the star of the team. The future is brighter than you think, Washingtonians. 

Oh, and Texas and Oklahoma declined to renew media rights in the Big 12, which would permit them to leave in 2025 without penalty. Then the two schools applied to the SEC for membership and their applications were approved. Now the fun begins, to see how the dominoes fall and how soon the two schools can get to the SEC, or for that matter, if the Big 12 will survive. 

Lastly, the NBA Draft was concluded Thursday night. A three hour yawn fest. 

What wasn’t boring was the trade that the Lakers made with the Washington Wizards. Lebron James and Anthony Davis are going to have top point guard and triple-double specialist Russell Westbrook on the team. The Lakers traded a couple of pretty good players including Kyle Kuzma. LAL is in a win now mode, as Lebron is getting much older—even in NBA years. Washington will be more of a force in the East with Bradley Beal and the new players augmenting a fairly good roster. 

With all that transpired this week, I leave you with this thought. There is no doubt that the elephants are back in the room—this time as a herd.