Welcome to Starting 5 – a weekly column by Operation Sports!
Each week, Senior Game Editor Clay Shaver and Managing Editor Shawn Drotar will tackle the world of sports and sports gaming in a rapid-fire discussion.

Is there a question on your mind? Find out below how to submit your question for next week’s column!

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Starting 5 – Five hot-button topics in the world of Sports and Sports Gaming

1) NBA officiating has come under a lot of fire this season, culminating in a disciplinary suspension and subsequent protest by NBA referees. While some would argue that steps have been taken recently to make officiating easier (a third referee in the NBA, a second one in the NHL, and instant replay in the NFL), referees seem to be taking more heat now than ever. Why?

Clay: Because professional sports are full of whiny babies that want to blame everything else in the world except take accountability for the fact that they may or may not have screwed up?

I’m sorry, but you can’t have it both ways. In the NFL they hold…no flag. In the NBA they travel…no call. In the NHL they hook and grab…no penalty. In baseball, the strike zone has shrunk to the size of the ball…painting the corners is a lost art. Today’s athlete expects the refs to see everything that they want them to see. You can’t have it both ways. It balances out in the end. That’s why God created the “make up call.”

If I have any beef with the officials these days, it’s that I think some of them play to the crowds too much. In the NBA, the officials sometimes make themselves a factor in the game by “T-ing” people up too fast or giving certain players more slack when it comes to behavior. Major League Baseball’s umpires do things like take off their mask and get in players’ faces when they want to argue balls and strikes. That’s not what you’re there for. Referees take a lot of abuse, but they shouldn’t try to show up players to make them look foolish…players can do this just fine on their own.

Shawn: I think television has made a world of difference here. It’s more obvious when they make a mistake, and everyone in the stands and on television instantly knows it. However, Clay’s right when it comes to the players’ responsibilities as well. Referees are human, and despite their reputations, they’re correct 99% of the time. That’s remarkable given the speed of these sports, and everything officials must see all at once.

2) You have a choice. If you could only have the video game version or its real-life counterpart which would you choose? (Example: Either the sport of Football does not exist or Football video games do not exist – choose one.) Let’s do the four majors: Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey.

Clay: This one makes my head hurt. As much as it pains me to say it, I would have to give up the video game version of all of them. It’s my love of the sport that makes me a sports gaming fanatic. Personally, I don’t understand how an adult male cannot be a sports fan, but that’s a question for another time. I love sports on so many levels. Without them there is no sports gaming. Outside of God, family, and health, I didn’t think there were many things that I would sacrifice my games for, but this one is a no-brainer.

Shawn: You’re right, of course. Besides, if it wasn’t for the real sports, how would we get to participate in the scintillating debates over sock colors, headbands, tattoos and the January 15 roster cut-off date for “MVP Baseball 2004”?

3) While 0 for 3 in PGA tournaments this season, Tiger Woods once again showed off his match play skills while capturing back-to-back Accenture World Match Play Championships and taking home a $1.2 million dollar paycheck. What makes Tiger that dominant?

Clay: The short answer: Tiger is Tiger. The aura of Tiger Woods beats a lot of people before they even step on the course against him. He has dominated match play at every level. He intimidates. He dominates. He plays his game and blows people away.

That said, that comes from practice, great conditioning, stunning technique, freakish power for his sport, and a competitive instinct that is fatter than his wallet. Tiger Woods wasn’t born the best golfer in the world. You’re not blessed with a perfect swing like a Michael Jordan is blessed with leaping ability or Marion Jones is blessed with speed. Tiger has outworked every other golfer in the world since he was a young child. The numbers don’t lie. We are blessed to be watching the greatest golfer ever before he even reaches his prime. Truly amazing!

Shawn: Consistency. Tiger shakes off a bad hole or bad round better than anyone else on the Tour. His confidence never wavers, and that can make all the difference in a sport that literally separates the great players from the averages one by mere inches. His talent is only exceeded by his competitive fire, and he’s single-handedly made golf “must-see TV” for the first time since Palmer and Nicklaus were in their primes.

4) EA Sports’ MVP Baseball 2004 will be the first baseball title to hit store shelves when it releases next Tuesday (3/9/04). What are your plans for the game?

Clay: Play the bejesus out of it!

I’m a full-on Franchise junkie. I ran Franchises long before games had Franchise modes. I will make it my personal duty (after all of the proper roster adjustments, of course) to personally guide my beloved Detroit Tigers back into baseball’s upper echelon. Cellar dwellers no more! Not to mention that, as a baseball junkie, the prospect of playable minor leagues just has me blown away. Not only will I be guiding the Motor City Kitties to the “Promised Land”, but grooming the Erie Seawolves and Toledo Mudhens along the way. Play ball!

Shawn: My first thought? I’ll play the game – just for myself this time! Even all the upcoming “game killer” threads won’t bother me anymore, because everyone can finally decide for themselves if this is the game that it looks to be.

5) The Cincinnati Bengals have announced that last year’s #1 draft pick Carson Palmer will be their starting quarterback this season instead of “NFL Comeback Player of the Year” Jon Kitna. Is this a good move - and why is it being made in March?

Clay: As a longtime Lions’ fan, I ‘ve lived through many quarterback controversies. Peete & Ware, Peete & Kramer, Kramer & Kreig, Mitchell & Batch, Harrington & anyone not Harrington. Over half of the teams in the NFL go through cycles of QB battles. Just this year we saw them in San Francisco, St. Louis, San Diego, Chicago, and more. When the Bengals made Carson Palmer the #1 draft pick, they made the right decision in sitting him down in year one to watch and learn the NFL behind Jon Kitna. However, for all that they did right; Marvin Lewis is making a mistake in naming Palmer the quarterback this early.

John Kitna made the Bengals into a playoff contender last year. He has earned and deserves the opportunity to go into camp with the ability to compete for the starting job. As it sits now, if Palmer comes in and flops, you have a disgruntled Kitna on the sidelines thinking “Oh…NOW you want me!” Or, if Palmer loses the starting job to Kitna after being named the starter, what does that do to Carson’s confidence? Wouldn’t they be better off each with a 50/50 chance of winning the spot? Everyone knows that the money and effort is invested in Palmer’s success, but with the parity in the NFL, the Bengals could compete this year. Don’t blow it, Marvin! You’re too good of a coach for that!

Shawn: Actually, I think it’s a surprising move, but not as odd as it may look on the surface. Lewis is showing confidence in the player the Bengals have chosen to build their franchise around. Everyone in the NFL knew it would happen eventually, so why not now – when Kitna’s value has never been higher? Kitna can now be traded to a quarterback-hungry team for even more help. Palmer has been a bit underrated in my opinion. He played in a pro-style offense under USC coach Pete Carroll, and has prototypical size and arm strength. I think he’ll match Kitna’s 2003 numbers at the very least, and so there’s no reason not to get Palmer and the Bengals in the proper mindset as soon as possible.

6th Man – A little help off the bench

6) In honor of last weekend’s Academy Awards, it’s only fitting that we squeeze in a movie question. “Starting 5” has already tackled the question of “Greatest Sports Movie”, so let’s say “Greatest Sports Movie Moment of All Time”?

Clay: There are so many to choose from here. When Rudy runs out onto the field in “Rudy”. When Hobbs puts one off the light tower in “The Natural”. Or you could pick from a field of great moments from great films like “Raging Bull”, “The Longest Yard”, or “Field of Dreams”. However, I made my choice based on the emotional reaction that I got the first time I saw this moment and the reaction I still have today when I see it. The movie: “Rocky IV”. The moment: When Rocky Balboa, after being pummeled by Ivan Drago in the early rounds, unleashes a viscous left hook that busts open the eye of the big Russian. I have never seen a theater full of people; literally, all jump to their feet in unison before. The theater I was in, back in the day, did that! Still to this day, you can almost always turn to “TNT” or “TBS” and catch a “Rocky” movie. That moment still gets me charged up! I’m a sucker for it.

Shawn: I’m a sucker for one of a completely different type. When Ray Kinsella’s father takes off his catcher’s mask, and Kevin Costner’s character recognizes his old man for the first time in “Field of Dreams”, well – that is sports for me. That’s what it’s all about. I’ve never seen a film of any genre that can conjure such emotional power in a single moment. Pure magic.

24 Second Clock – Get one more off in 24 words or less

Clay: It takes five positive drug tests for a Major League Baseball Player to be subject to discipline from the MLB. “The Great American Pastime”?