Trying to make amends like your hand’s still clean
But we both know that your hand’s not clean

And someday
Your hands will be too red to hide the blame
You’ll realize you had it coming
Pretend you’re spotless
But I don’t wash away
And now you’re stained

Welcome to my world and now yours, courtesy of Linkin Park’s Stained from their 2024 album From Zero.

That’s a word I’ve used to describe this summer of discontent and malfeasance. Another would be tainted. Same difference.

This is my spot to discuss the Columbus sports scene but I will often take a broader view of happenings outside our fair city and in this case I’m troubled by two affairs: the Zach Werenski fiasco and shenanigans at the World Cup.

Both left stains on reputations that may linger and won’t be eradicated by power washes. For Zach, it’s uncharted territory because he’s been nothing but a good ambassador for the city and the Blue Jackets.

As for FIFA, the governing body of soccer (or football), scandal and corruption go hand-in-hand.

I’ll explain both scenarios in a moment.

As I start with my column appearing here the second Wednesday of the month (Yes, I know this is the third Wednesday but I blame the Fourth of July weekend for throwing my internal calendar off  but I will be return with more pithy commentary on Aug. 12 – unless there’s a holiday I don’t know about in between in which case all bets are off). I’ve vowed not to dwell only on the negative because there are so many good things to write about in and around Columbus but I can’t get stained out of head.

By now, most everyone knows the background with Zach and the ever-changing drama which played out late in June: Did he tell the Blue Jackets he was not going to sign an extension  a year from now? Did he ask for a trade? Was he upset with coach Rick Bowness’ scathing review of the team after the season finale? After six straight seasons without playoffs, is he gone after this season unless that changes?

Let’s be clear, as our friend Mike Arace of The Disrespected Media pointed out, Werenski has earned the right after 10 seasons to seek employment elsewhere as much as the fans should not feel guilty about being pissed that another star could be saying goodbye, Columbus.

The heat came to a head on June 30 when reportedly a trade with the Dallas Stars was nixed by Zach. The next day the CBJ and Zach released a joint statement that could have been headlined, “Nothing to see here.”

This whole situation has been a bloody mess with miscommunication between parties, misinformation leaked and seemingly a lack of clearly stated goals by each side.

Still, it feels like the clock is ticking on Zach’s Blue Jackets’ tenure. For sure, this is the most important season in team history and even a run in the postseason might not be enough to sway him to stay beyond his $9.5 million annual contract expiring after the 2027-28 season, likely forcing a move by next July 1 when an extension can be offered.

How will the fans react to Z when he steps on the Nationwide Arena ice ? A lot will depend on what he says the first time he finally speaks to the media.

In simplest terms, I view players as either part of the problem or part of the solution. Zach has always been a reliable solution but whether he likes it or not, his status is wavering. CBJ fans have been through this before with discontented employees playing out their contracts.

He’s not there yet but if the season goes sideways he’ll feel the wrath.

The same with Kirill Marchenko, who unlike Zach,  hasn’t earned the right to make demands to the front office. It came out on the first night of the NHL Draft that his agent, Dan Milstein, told the team the talented but underachieving forward would likely not extend his contract that expires on July 1, 2027, thus becoming a restricted free agent.

Marchenko is a fan favorite and led the team in goals the past two seasons (31 and 27) but he’s capable of being a consistent 40-goal scorer.  

General manager Don Waddell wisely said Marchenko isn’t going anywhere this season and he’ll try to resign him, so we’ll see if Marchenko is part of the problem or part of the solution but he too has been stained.

Bad Look

Speaking of the Marchenko saga, it was Kevin Weekes on ESPN  who broke the news just before the Blue Jackets used their first-round pick on Oscar Hemming.

As a journalist, I applaud him for getting the scoop on everyone. From a human standpoint, the way he handled it was distasteful. He didn’t need to drop the bombshell when he did and ruin the night for Hemming. The kid worked his ass off to be the No. 14 pick but nobody was interested in him.

If Weekes is as good at working sources as I think he is, nobody else had the Marchenko info and he could have waited until a more appropriate time after the Hemming pick. Use common sense, man.

Red, White and Blue It

Full disclosure. I covered – remotely – the World Cup for Field Level Media and have been the lead writer recapping the U.S. men and women matches for more than a  half-dozen years so I have a vested interest.

But in the time leading up to the World Cup I was soured by FIFA’s incessant greed, i.e. ticket prices, and gouging of the host cities. I wasn’t planning on going all-in.

But credit the players and fans for making nearly every match must-see. It has been a spectacular tournament despite the increasing influence of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) and the irritating inconsistencies in officiating.

For example, apparently no one, including on-field officials or VAR, other than the Norwegian players standing directly below, saw a Norway goal kick hit off a camera wire and fall straight down. Instead of play being stopped, it continued, leading to England’s tying goal. Afterward, FIFA issued a statement saying a chip in the ball never registered a ping from hitting the wire.

Sure. Gotcha. There hasn’t been a trajectory change like that ball since JFK’s magic bullet.

Despite the many foibles, viewership in the U.S. has been amazing and interest among the media and casual or non-believing soccer fans has been gratifying to see.

A majority of that can be credited to the U.S. run to the round of 16. Their first two convincing group stage wins over Paraguay and Australia captivated the country and spurred uber-hype that “we” could win the World Cup. The players were likeable and marketable and other nations’ fans were interested in how far this soccer neophyte country could go.

Then came the red card. When leading scorer Folarin Balogun was tossed from the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina for a hard challenge the U.S. in the ensuing days went from sainted to tainted.

First,  the red-card call was awful. It was a yellow at worst. Secondly, the fact FIFA has no appeal process is criminal. Almost all leagues worldwide from England’s Premier League to Major League Soccer have committees to reconsider red cards if requested by the aggrieved club.

Yet, the U.S. Soccer Federation rightly tried to find an avenue to get Balogun’s suspension for the match against Belgium overturned.

What was unacceptable was the intervention by the Trump administration which ultimately led to the red card being suspended for a year (a suspension of a suspension. That’s a novelty). The cohabitating of FIFA and the administration is disgraceful and stained all the good vibes associated with the U.S. men.

And I don’t want to hear the B.S. that a wrong (red card) was righted. The lifting of the suspension was unprecedented in modern times and made the U.S villains, especially Balogun, who handled the situation with amazing class.

The favored U.S. was roundly thrashed 4-1 by Belgium and the world rejoiced. I watched commentators from England, Australia and  elsewhere gleefully relish the result.

If you think FIFA’s controversial decision the day before the match did not affect the outcome then you’re an idiot. Belgium was certainly inspired and happily taunted the U.S. post-match. The U.S. was flat from the start and could not have played a worst match, arguably the poorest performance of any team at the tournament, at a worst moment.

Oh well, wait ’til four years.

Shut Up

In the post-mortem of the U.S loss, there’s been a lot of talk about the failure of the men to compete globally. Their lone appearance in the quarterfinals in the modern era was 2002 so the program has seemed to be regressed.

A major talking point has been the pay-to-play that filters the “best” players money can buy into elite programs and academies. People like FOX commentator Alexi Lalas think it’s the American way to make a profit off these young athletes even if the system is flawed and development questioned.

Well, pal, it ain’t working. It’s hard to believe in the 32 years since he played in the World Cup that the U.S. hasn’t produced anyone close to Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal or Erling Haaland. It’s ridiculous.

CBUSsports.com is all about area sports with an emphasis on high schools and I can damn well guarantee there’s a kid in the Columbus City League right now who is as good as anyone in the Crew Academy but he’ll never get a look, never get a shot.

My better half is a referee who was called on a Friday morning to officiate a girls soccer match at West High School that night. She had a busy work schedule and wasn’t thrilled about driving through crosstown traffic at rush hour but she accepted it.

Why? Because if she didn’t do it, no one else could or would and the game would have been canceled. She didn’t want to see that happen. Afterward, she remarked how girls from both teams thanked her for showing up. I’m sure they had games canceled before and since.

The lesson is that there’s future stars in our backyard if only given a fair chance.

Book It

• I’ve spent the better part of 16 months collaborating with retired former CBJ TV broadcaster Jeff Rimer on the story of his life and I’m proud to say it will be published soon. A launch party has been set for Sept. 15 at Nationwide Arena with more details to come.

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This: Unforgettable Calls in the Booth and Unexpected Turns in Life will be available for presale shortly.

It’s been an amazing journey for me writing about a man I would describe as being in the right places at the right times. The guy is a name dropper as most of you know. I mean, the cover has photos of him with Pete Rose and Muhammad Ali for starters.

And one final plug, Chill Factor, which I co-wrote with David Paitson, is still out there for your enjoyment. I know new CBJ goalie Pheonix Copley is a fan.

In Closing

• Thank goodness the Crew’s Max Arfsten got into the World Cup. Heading into the Belgium match he was the lone U.S. field player not to see action. Finally, at the beginning of stoppage time he was on the line preparing to go in but for some reason the referee refused to wave him on.

Play continued and I’m screaming at the TV for someone on the American team to commit a foul, yell at the ref to draw a yellow card or feign an injury (like that’s never happened before) to get a stop in play. Fortunately, there was a break and Max made his debut.

It was only for a couple of minutes and Belgium scored their last goal during that time but forever it will read, “Max Arfsten, who played in the 2026 World Cup.”

• Also, kudos to Crew defender Steven Moriera and ex-Crew forward Cucho Hernandez. Moreira was part of the Cape Verde team that captured the hearts of the soccer world and almost knocked off Argentina in a tilt between David and Goliath.

Hernandez had the misfortune to have his penalty kick saved in Colombia’s 4-3 shootout loss to Switzerland in the round of 16 but he did have an assist in the tourney opening win over Uzbekistan.

The Crew resume MLS play with home matches against New York City FC on May 22 and FC Cincinnati on May 25.

• The Clippers begin the post All-Star break with a three-game homestand this Friday through Sunday vs the Indianapolis Indians.

Until next time, when I unveil my favorite non-traditional sports to watch.

Like to send a comment, column ideas or free tickets to sporting events? Send a message to: cmerz@cbussports.com