It had nothing to do with the Red Sox finally starting to win, the Yankees refusing to lose, or the fact that the NFL is getting up and running for yet another long and glorious season.
There seemed to be a lot of apologies in sports this week.
Everywhere you turned, there was a player apologizing for getting caught drinking at spring training when he’s supposed to be recovering from alcoholism. There’s a former NFL stud quarterback apologizing once again for torturing his dogs as he hopes to appease a new and virile fan base that may not be all that willing to accept him. There’s a possibly disgraced Red Sox slugger refusing to apologize for refusing to apologize after reports surfaced that he used performance enhancers.
And then there’s Rick Pitino.
The Louisville coach, who led his troops to the Final Four last season, made some very unfortunate headlines this week after reports surfaced that he impregnated a woman in a restaurant bathroom and then paid for her abortion. The married father of five owned up to the "indiscretion" after the woman reportedly threatened to sell the story to the media.
Pitino beat her to the punch. At least that rules out blackmail, right?
On that note, Word Around Here brings you this week’s best (or most infamous) cases of apologia since Bill Clinton – and more.
"When you have a problem, if you tell the truth, the problem becomes part of your past. If you lie, it becomes part of your future…. I let [my family] down with my indiscretion six years ago. And I'm sorry for that, and I tell them that every day."
–Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, at a news conference at the university, addressing allegations that he impregnated a woman in a restaurant and then paid for an abortion
"I realized that, obviously, I'm not perfect in this ongoing struggle, battle, that is very real. A lot of people don't understand how real it is."
–Recovering alcoholic and Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, during a press conference, after photos surfaced of him consuming alcohol during spring training
"Like I always say, I come in one day, I'll go out another. When I get to be gone, I won't give a flying [expletive] about nobody, period. Nobody going to give a flying [expletive] about me. They've already done anyway. But I see where all the media and player situation here come from. That said, I thought it was different. It ain't, though. All people work about is making money, selling bad news, talking [expletive] about people. Trying to call attention. I don't agree with it."
–Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, on Boston.com, on the media’s lack of loyalty toward him
"For the life of me, I can't understand why I was involved in such pointless activity. Why did I risk so much at the pinnacle of my career? … There was a point in my life where I felt it was wrong and I knew it was wrong. To this day, I have to live with that shame and that embarrassment."
–Michael Vick during a news conference announcing his signing with the Philadelphia Eagles
“I’m not going to get tired to say it. Just thankful of all the people here and all my teammates. They’ve been making it a lot easier for me. It’s been easy for me to fit in with these guys. Who’s not going to fit in with these great teammates?’’
–Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez, in The Boston Globe, following his game-winning double against Texas on Friday night
"I don't want anyone at my locker, so beat it."
–Rangers closer Frank Francisco, in the Globe, after surrendering six runs to the Red Sox in the ninth inning of Friday’s game
"I have boxes and boxes of cards, letters, prayers, kindergarten schools letters, tweets, e-mails. In a way, at first, it worked against me because it felt like I was letting people down. But I was crying reading them. My wife was reading them — I couldn’t read them — while I was on the couch. She’d read them all to me. In a way, you feel like you’ve done something right for these people. And there’s no way I can get back to them."
–Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy, in the Globe, on his recovery from cancer
“I can see where guys like Hank Aaron and some of the old-timers have a beef with it. But as far as looking at Manny Ramirez like he's [serial killer] Ted Bundy, you're out of your mind. At the end of the day, you think anybody really [cares] whether Manny Ramirez's kidneys fail and he dies at 50?”
–Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, in USA Today, on the response to Manny Ramirez’s alleged steroid use
“In order to have a lead in a major championship, you can’t be playing poorly. All the times that I’ve been in this position, I’ve played well. And I’m playing well now. So it’s just a matter of continuing what I’ve been doing this week.’’
–Tiger Woods, in the Globe, on leading the PGA Championship
“There were some reports back home that I had died.”
–Boston College wide receiver Clarence Megwa, in the Globe, on the rumor mill running wild after he suffered a season-ending injury in 2008
“I thought I did everything I could to prove to them that I am loyal and a hard worker. And it didn’t work out. I put that on their heads.’’
–Former Celtic Leon Powe, in the Globe, on Boston’s decision not to re-sign him
"Is that a sign that they can sit me more?"
–Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell, on Boston.com, after he replaced Kevin Youkilis in a game and hit two home runs
“When you’re not comfortable, you’re searching. You’re trying to move your feet a little bit, you’re trying this, trying that. You’re trying to find the magical little tweak, because most of the time it’s nothing major. You’re trying to find that one little thing that keys it off for you. Sometimes you start using those too much as an excuse: I’m trying this or that, rather than just hitting the ball.’’
–Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay, in the Globe, explaining his recent resurgence in the box
“It looked like there was intent there. At some point, you have to protect yourself as a hitter. It’s something I’ve never done before and never thought of ever doing. But at some point, you, well, I lost my control there, and I let my emotions get the best of me. Two days in a row, and the way it was going, I had had enough of it. At some point, you have to protect yourself as a hitter and for your teammates. I just felt like I had to do what I had to do.”
–Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, on NESN, after getting hit and igniting a brawl with Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello
“If I was Youk, I don’t think I would have been too happy getting smoked two days in a row.”
–Lowell, in the Boston Herald, following Boston’s brawl with the Tigers
“We expect this of ourselves. I’ve been on teams that are happy and surprised to win. We expect to win every game.”
–Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, to Yahoo Sports, after leading New York to victory on Friday against Seattle
