Did French Skier Deserve To Be Booted?

In the Olympics, it seems that word can harm you, and in the case of French alpine skier Mathieu Faivre, words can cost him dearly.

Many of you probably don't know who Mathieu Faivre is, but you might know him as the boyfriend of Mikaela Shiffrin, the American skier who has been generating buzz for the way she has performed so far in these Olympics. Faivre is also a skier with the French ski team for these Olympics, and came in seventh in Sunday's men's giant slalom race. This race featured four of the top seven finishers being French.

Faivre was asked about that after the race and rather than congratulating the team for winning a bronze medal, he said, "If you only knew what I think about the group collective...I'm here to race for myself only." Uh-oh. Not words you want to say, especially if you're part of a group dynamic, which he is.

It was obvious Faivre was not happy with finishing seventh in the race, saying he was "disgusted with the result...it was like a slap on the face." But this last quotes went too far, and now he'll be on a plane back to France and he will be replaced on the French team for Saturday's competition.

A French ski director called the remarks, "Not in the spirit of the team." They clearly were not, since this event was a team dynamic rather than an individual dynamic.

These comments, however, come on the heels of Mike Milbury's comments about Slava Voynov's domestic violence case just the other day. However, in this case, Milbury has yet to face punishment, if there ever will be, while Faivre is being sent packing for his comments about the individual factor in all of this.

Faivre has since apologized for his comments, but it wasn't enough to save him from the face of scorn, especially from the French ski team.

Look, the French team obviously is embarrassed by this and they feel like they had no choice but to send him home for those comments. I get that. The French team obviously takes into accounts PR matters when it comes to their players. The Olympics, especially this event, was about team first, individual second. Faivre needed to face the consequences of that, but I will say this: I don't think comments are a reason for somebody to get jetted from the Olympics. Yes, I can understand the ramifications behind it and yes I can understand that the French team feels they need to take a big punishment when it comes to their athletes' comments, but I feel like Faivre could've at least apologized to the team and be allowed to stay. I didn't think being forced out off the team was reason enough. It's very weird about France's system when it comes to free speech and all that. It's definitely not the U.S.'s version, which is more lenient than Frances. At the very least, though, he should've just apologized and stayed on the team. However, I do understand that France feels this punishment was just enough. I can't knock it because their free speech is much different from ours. In our case, we would've at least apologized and go about our business.

Faivre learned a valuable lesson here. In France, your comments can harm you and your teammates. Now, he'll have to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the competition. I feel bad for him, but in France, it's much different than in the United States. At least he can still root for Shiffrin.

Was Milbury's Comments About Voynov Out of Line?

Looks like a former LA King who's currently playing on the Olympic team for the Olympic Athletes from Russia is making some headlines, thanks in part to noted controversial analyst and former player Mike Tilbury.

Let's set this up. Before Slava Voynov went to the Olympics this year for that team, he was actually a member of the Los Angeles Kings before a 2014 arrest for domestic violence left him indefinitely suspended and then was released by the Kings. A judge had sentenced him to 90 days in jail, and based on what we know, it seemed he served it.

In the contest between Team USA and the Olympic Athletes from Russia, Milbury called the incident "unfortunate." This was while he was providing commentary for that game, alongside play-by-play guy Kenny Albert.

Now this may raise some eyebrows, considering Milbury's past comments, including one about Corey Perry that pissed me off. At the time, Corey Perry was having a great season and was leading the Ducks far into the playoffs. Milbury, at one point during that run, noted that somebody from another should hit Perry in the head, cause a concussion, and take him out of the game. I found it to be rather inexcusable and a complete blatant disregard for the current rules today. He has also gone after Capitals great Alex Ovechkin a couple times for acting like a baby, as well as other players, especially tough guys, for their current play in the times where hitting people in the head deems a suspension.

Now, for this particular one, it seemed Milbury just seemed to disregard the accusations, just based on his comments alone, but we know Slava Voynov pleaded guilty to this and was sentenced to jail, which means it's no laughing matter, and it's not something that we can just set aside as something unfortunate. This is a big deal.

Now my question in the title was: Was it out of line? Absolutely. Everything nowadays, especially with domestic violence and the #MeToo movement, is always out of line. You can't say this stuff while we're going through what we're going through. Yes, it may seem unfortunate, and yes, it did leave the LA Kings in the tough spot to release him following that, but the Kings had no choice. Now, Milbury did say that the Kings could've won more titles with him had he stayed on the Kings, but I wasn't so sure that would've happened, plus I didn't think the Kings took the long-term future with Voynov's latest accusations in mind. They had to do what they had to do, and yes it did leave a void.

Voynov is understandably getting heat himself for actually being in the Olympics after all this, though many of his Olympic athletes have defended him and said that he should be there, though many have said in these times, he shouldn't have taken the offer.

Unfortunately in all of this, what Milbury did was not necessary, despite the fact that he might have been telling the truth. Look, in the #MeToo movement that we're in, we can't call anything of this sort an 'unfortunate incident.' Everything of this sort is above that range now, and we have to make sure that getting through this period, we be more careful with our words and actions. Milbury may have tried to say the right thing, but we're not in the period where we're allowed to do it, no matter if it's truthful or not.

D-Wade Goes After Fox News Anchor

Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham tried to go after LeBron on Thursday and on Friday, it prompted two big stars, one in the NFL and one in the NBA to take aim at her.

On Twitter today, D-Wade posted, "They use to try and hide it.. now the president has given everyone the courage to live their truths."

D-Wade wasn't the only one backing up LeBron. Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long responded by posting a bunch of screenshots of entertainers who had been brought on by Fox News to discuss politics with the Fox News anchors.

Long also posted, "The point is, what's the prerequisite for who can talk politics? So, Fox News folks who agree with Laura...you okay with these segments?

They use to try and hide it.. now the president has given everyone the courage to live their truths. https://t.co/OwLSMHIG0m

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) February 16, 2018

Clearly, the Fox News folks will find their posts offensive and unacceptable, despite the fact that they actually speak truth to the matter. In terms of the LeBron side of things, all of this came into view because LeBron made an appearance on Uninterrupted and discussed a variety of topics, including Trump. He appeared in that video with Kevin Durant, the Warriors star.

LeBron said at the time about the times we live in, "The climate is hot...The No. 1 job in America, the appointed person is someone who doesn't understand the people. And really don't give a f--k about the people." He further went on to describe three jobs he looked up to. One of them was the President of the United States.

Ingraham further fueled this by saying that James (including Durant) should stick to sports, aka "stick to dribbling," which was why D-Wade and Chris Long took to Twitter to vent their grievances about Ingraham.

Let me say something about Laura Ingraham and I hope this gets under her skin: She doesn't know jack about anything on politics, nor does she know what free speech is and how it works. She's only on Fox News because they needed a new face on that program to further enflame their viewers to go after Democrats and people who tell the truth.

With that said, I'm glad D-Wade went after her and he is the bigger name in this story than Chris Long just because of the connection that both D-Wade and LeBron have. When LeBron says something important, it carries weight, more so than any other player in the NBA right now. When LeBron speaks, people listen and people understand, because LeBron has been through the tough times too as a child, growing up in Akron, Ohio. So yes, he understands the situation we live in today and what leaders need to do to be better people. Trump is not one of those, in my mind. Laura Ingraham can say whatever she wants to say, but it's the wrong thing to say, especially to a superstar of this magnitude. So yes, D-Wade took the right path and he understood that LeBron is an important person in today's world, not just the NBA itself.

The free speech is being victimized all the time by those, like the President and like Fox News, who feel that their way of thinking is a lot better than the Democratics' way and that's why they hate the free speech idea, especially the First Amendment, and Trump would like nothing more than to turn it into a dictatorship and get rid of it entirely and make everything about him. But LeBron speaks more than just Trump and is more important right now in these times than Trump is. I'm glad that D-Wade did what he did because Laura Ingraham just got absolutely crushed by his comments, and maybe next time she should think about what she says before she starts blurting them out. Her words do carry big consequences, and she just made enemies today of D-Wade and Chris Long.

End of Sebastian Janikowski's NFL Career?

It looks like the long-time marriage between the Raiders and Sebastian Janikowski is coming to an end, and it could be the break that could also mean the end of the kicker's career. So we think, anyway.

The Raiders informed Janikowski on Thursday that he will not be resigned for the 2018 season and thus will become a free agent.

Team owner Mark Davis said about Janikowski, "The Raider Nation salutes Sebastian Janikowski as the sun sets on his illustrious career with the Oakland Raiders...'Once a Raider, Always a Raider' has never been more true as his 18-year career makes him the longest-tenured player in Raiders history."

Janikowski spent an astounding 18-year career with the Raiders and he is the longest tenured Raider in their history. He was the 17th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Oh, by the way, Tom Brady was part of that same draft and has more rings than Janikowski.

This move was not surprising to me and to many others as well. Janikowski did spend most of the season on injured reserve, having dealt with a back issue. It now looks like his 27-year-old replacement Giorgio Tavecchio nailed 16 of 21 field goals this season and 33 of 34 extra points during his tenure in Oakland so far.

If indeed Janikowski doesn't retire, and he has said through his agent he doesn't want to, it's going to be hard to see him in another uniform, as will most Raider fans. Look, Janikowski understandably wants to play, and he wants to show that he still has some kick left in him. Thing is, he's 39 years old. That's pretty sneaky old for a kicker. Second thing is, he is coming back from a back injury. Back injuries, especially at that age, are usually the endgame for kickers, and it won't surprise me if it happens to Jano as well. Another team may take a shot at it and see what he can do, but I think it's time for him to realize that this is probably the end of the road for him and that he should be thinking about his future and what he wants to do with his life after football.

I feel bad for Raiders fans, especially my friend and colleague at Sports Al Dente Danny Rendon, for losing such a majestic player and a great Oakland Raider. We knew, however, it was probably going to be the end for him in the black and silver after this season. To that end I say, farewell Sebastian Janikowski and thanks for giving Raider Nation some of the best kicks ever. Good luck in your future endeavors, wherever that may be!

Can Donovan Mitchell Be An MVP Favorite?

Donovan Mitchell has been turning a lot of heads this season, thanks in part to his spectacular play with the Utah Jazz. With that, many have said he could turn out for Rookie of the Year. But there are many others, especially those associated with the Jazz, could very well see him as the MVP candidate, even with the large field that's currently in that race.

So why do I bring this up? Well, I was at the Jazz game against the Spurs on Monday night and during most of the fourth quarter, Donovan Mitchell went up, helping his team come back from a 13-point deficit to win a close game. During most of that quarter, shouts of 'MVP, MVP' rained down on Mitchell. That got me to thinking: Does he have a shot, even with this big field?

Now, look. Donovan Mitchell is a truly fantastic player and he deserves, probably more than Sixers player Ben Simmons, to win that award. Right now, Mitchell is averaging 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game this season. He's the leading score on a Utah team that needed that kind of firepower that Gordon Hayward ditched that team to join his old coach in Boston.

Mitchell also has a great big man in Rudy Gobert who can get him the ball and make wonders happen. In fact, his play this season has garnered him the support of many other players around the league, most notably DeMar DeRozan of the Raptors and even DeMarcus Cousins of the Pelicans, who is out for the season with an tear in his ACL.

Now, to go back to the original question: Is his support going to be enough to earn him possibly an underdog candidacy to be MVP? Perhaps, but it's highly doubtful that he's going to be MVP. First of all, he is indeed the MVP so far on that Jazz team that is still in it, despite being only ninth in the West and winning ten in a row. The West is a hard place to get into the playoff picture in, and he could very well lead them there. However, there are fourth other MVP candidates that are ahead of him in that race: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and even LeBron James, who are still making wonders despite their sluggish winter.

In my opinion, I don't think Donovan Mitchell will even get close to that. I actually don't think Kawhi will either because of his injuries. If I had to pick a candidate to win this, it would be James Harden because of the impact he has had this season both offensively and defensively and he's helping this Rockets team stay ahead of the pact in the tough Western Conference. Donovan Mitchell is not James Harden. He's on that level yet, but that doesn't mean he won't get there. He can, he has to work on his game, and he has to have that ability to win games for this team when they count on him. He's doing that this season, but not in the same way the other All-Stars are. They're still outside the playoff picture and right now, they're hanging out with all they got, and Mitchell has been a big part of that.

With that said, this season, he's the Jazz' MVP, but he's not the league's MVP and most likely won't be this season, not with the field that's in front of him. However, he's an exciting player and he's one of the biggest stars for the Jazz this season. Again, he'll probably get Rookie of the Year nods for his numbers, but it's rare to see a player win both Rookie of the Year and the MVP award, and I don't see Mitchell winning both this season, not with the way Harden has been playing in that category.

Mitchell will probably have to wait a little bit longer to potentially get those nods for MVP. However, he's doing what he can to keep this team in it, and he's a big part of the Jazz success this season. I'm looking forward to seeing him continue his great play this season and turning more heads in the league. Right now, he's earned a ROTY vote, but not an MVP vote. There's just too many names in the MVP field for him to get that nod.