Tim Thomas will be at Scottrade Center for a hockey game tonight, not a Tea Party rally. But lately the Bruins goaltender has made more headlines for sharing his political views than for stopping pucks.
The defending Stanley Cup champions have struggled amid this controversy. Although Boston's slump has more to do with key injuries and its flagging offense (four shutout losses in nine games) than goaltending, Thomas is still taking heat.
The fun started when he skipped the team’s White House visit, citing his philosophical differences with the folks on Capitol Hill. His explanation came via Facebook:
I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.
This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.
Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.
Later, this Free Citizen protested big government with this posting:
We're repeating History
“We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work. And I have just one interest, and if I am wrong ... somebody else can have my job. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises . . . I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started . . . And an enormous debt to boot.”
Henry Morgenthau, Jr.
The words are those of none other than Henry Morgenthau Jr. - close friend, lunch companion, loyal secretary of the Treasury to President Franklin D. Roosevelt - and key architect of FDR's New Deal.
Later he rallied behind Catholics while quoting Luthern pastor Martin Niemöller, the prominent anti-Nazi theologian.
This activity made Thomas a target for snarky media outlets like Deadspin, which couldn't find evidence that he has voted since 2004 in his native Michigan or in New England.
Undaunted, Thomas regularly posts historical quotes on Facebook to support his world view. But he has steadfastly refused to expound on these issues to media types during question-and-answer sessions.
"This is my job. Facebook is my personal life, that's why," Thomas told reporters. "If you guys don't understand the difference between an individual and what they do as a job, or an athlete and his personal life, then I think there's a problem."
Isn't he a public figure?
"I don't think when you become an athlete you sign away your right to be an individual and to have your own views, and to be able to post them on Facebook if you'd like,” Thomas insisted.
Yes, this is America. Sports organizations step on First Amendment rights when they curb the social media activity of employees. This is a hot topic in the industry.
But there is the distraction factor to consider. With the Bruins stalling out in the stretch run, the organization would like to keep its focus on winning instead of political discourse.
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while Phil Pressey tries to shake off Tuesday’s nightmare against Kansas State:
Will Kansas and Missouri fans enjoy their last chance to torment each other as Big 12 rivals?
Should poor Greg Oden give up his on NBA dream?
Is there a more helpful teammate than Carlos Beltran? How many other players would volunteer to pay for a fellow ballplayer's nose job?
If we lost pro football, how would we live without the commercials?
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Pat Forde, Yahoo! Sports: “The closing act of the Bruce Weber era has gone from bad to sad. Weber all but issued an in-season post-mortem on his Illini coaching tenure last week, then followed it with a never-mind statement in vain hopes of calming the waters. His team responded by being crushed at league doormat Nebraska on Saturday, turning a 24-16 lead into a 52-28 deficit.”
Ray Ratto, CBSSports.com: “Somewhere there may be a universe that explains why Greg Oden's skeletal structure hates him so. A foul and evil place where Oden has swindled widows or abandoned orphans or lied and cheated and been an all-around cad. I mean, at least if you believe karma is everywhere and never gets the wrong guy or skips around haphazardly. But on this plane of existence, Oden is just a guy whose bones have conspired against him just because they can. Otherwise, it's hard to imagine what he has done to merit such buzzard's luck. Oden just completed his third procedure to fix a microfracture, which was discovered as he was having surgery to clean out his left knee. He has now missed 3½ times as many seasons as he's played, and hasn't been in a game since October 2009 . . . If there is an unluckier man in the NBA, it is hard to imagine whom.”
DJ Gallo, ESPN.com: “Sports are the original reality shows. But reality TV has taken some viewers who might otherwise be glued to NFL coverage 24/7. It doesn't have to be that way. Put cameras in every coach's office when training camp roster cuts are announced -- or have the coach cut players at midfield in a packed stadium. Yeah, that's it. What's more entertaining -- seeing some weak, pathetic, past-his-prime celebrity booted from a fake job on 'The Apprentice,' or watching a fit, muscled, 22-year-old learning his lifelong dreams are over while 50,000 bloodthirsty fans egg him on to accost the person who just cut him? Forget airing this on a sports channel. ‘NFL DreamSmasher’ would easily dominate August ratings on network television.”
MEGAPHONE
“It's a sprint, it is a boat race. You have to get off to quick starts. Generally if you get down early, 2 or 3 down, those -- you rarely come back. It's hard to make up ground when you're playing 18 holes. It puts such a premium on getting off to a good start, and the guys that do generally win the matches.”
Tiger Woods, on the key to winning in match play.
