In case you haven’t been paying much attention to the news lately, a few people have a problem with the 2008 Summer Olympics and its symbol -- the Olympic Torch.

On March 25, the torch began its relay to Beijing from the birthplace of the Olympics: Athens, Greece. Immediately, the relay was met by protesters calling for a boycott of the Olympics because of China’s human-rights record—mainly in Tibet and its support of the government in Darfur as genocide has stricken the region.

I enjoy the Summer Olympics. First off, being a big sports fan, it's rewarding when sports are on TV 24/7 (as they will be this summer because of the time change). It's also fun to see athletes compete in events that require extreme skill, speed, or other things that I don't have. As a fan of the Olympics and its tradition, I haven't enjoyed seeing the torch be the target of protesters. But, as a fan of human rights and someone who particularly doesn't enjoy genocide, I cannot comprehend why the Olympics were ever put in Beijing.

The protests have not stopped and Olympic organizers have scrambled to save the torch from being extinguished. Routes have been changed or kept secret and some places have canceled portions of the relay. Runners who received the tremendous honor of holding the torch have dropped out due to concerns regarding their safety.

The protests and chaos surrounding the flame exploded in London and Paris. In London, the torch was, for a second, stolen by a protester. In Paris, protesters scaled the Eiffel Tower in protest of the games being held in Beijing.

Little changed as the torch made its first and only stop in North America: San Francisco.

On the eve of the torch arriving in San Fran, protesters made their points by climbing the Golden Gate Bridge. The relay route was then altered the next day. Amidst protest, secrecy by the Mayor, and fear for the safety of the runners, it wasn’t easy for people in the area to get a glimpse at the flame. All of the bizarre events of the day even inspired ESPN.com to make a game that, while it may trivialize free speech, is quite addicting. The torch traveled to Argentina after its crazy day in the States, and is now in India.

Who in their right mind decided that China would be a suitable country to host the Summer Olympics? Why would the International Olympic Committee (IOC) let such a controversial site host such a monumental and international event? Thanks to wonderful internet archives, I found that In 2001, the IOC chose Beijing over Toronto as the host by a vote of 56-34. And, guess what, lots of people had a problem with China receiving the bid.

Almost seven years since the decision, attitudes about China hosting the Olympics haven’t improved. Tensions have gotten most hostile in regards to China’s relationship with Darfur. Tibetan human rights was a huge issue in 2001, and clearly hasn’t been resolved. What made anyone on the IOC think that China was going to fix their problems? Suddenly, because they are receiving this gift of the Olympics, a gold mine for its economy, will China fix their human rights record and stop supporting Darfur?

Absolutely not.

If anyone on the IOC made this decision as a way to help China, they were sorely wrong. If anyone thinks that being in the international spotlight will erase the reasons people hate China, they are wrong. Looking back and seeing the same issues surrounding China’s human rights record when the decision was made in 2001 makes me wonder what it takes to be on the IOC. Maybe the next Olympic Games should be in Iran.

A lot of protesters are asking for countries to boycott the Games. That is the wrong request from the protesters and something I cannot agree with. Competitors from the 1980 boycott still are angry over losing what, for many, was their only chance to compete in the games. There are other ways to deal with a country’s political faults other than keeping athletes who have been training their entire lives from accomplishing their dreams. If President Bush wants to boycott the Opening Ceremonies, fine, but boycotting the entire games is sending the wrong message.

The protesters have reason for speaking their mind as China does not deserve to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. But attempting to extinguish the torch is the wrong way to go about it. Go hold up posters and grab media attention during the torch relay, but do not interfere with a time-honored tradition of carrying the torch from Athens, Greece to the host of the Games. We all have to suffer from the idiotic decision by the IOC in 2001 that looks worse and worse as the days go on. But it is not right to try and take opportunities -- whether it be carrying the torch or competing for a gold medal -- away from the athletes.

Best Player: Really? Is this necessary? I’ll just throw out some numbers here: 10 seed beats a 7 seed, 2 seed, 3 seed, then almost topples a 1 seed led by one guy. He scored 40, 33, 35, and 25 points respectively. Stephen Curry single-handedly gave his team the proverbial Cinderella slipper while giving every college basketball fan someone to root for. He also gave Gus Johnson reason to scream, something we had been impatiently waiting for.

Worst Coach: Coach K. Sure, Duke was probably considered the weakest 2 seed, but c’mon Coach K—you have the most tournament wins! You beat North Carolina, granted, without Ty Lawson, during the season. You had one of the best freshmen in the country in Kyle Singler, a great point guard in Greg Paulus, and a senior leader in DeMarcus Nelson. Guess that just wasn’t enough as your team almost lost to BELMONT, and then they forgot how to make a basket in the 2nd half en route to an early exit at the hands of West Virginia.

Best Freshman: This season and tournament have been dominated by freshmen. Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, OJ Mayo, Eric Gordon, and Jarryd Bayless will all be first round NBA draft picks, if not lottery selections. But the best freshman in the tournament whose stock is rising is Derrick Rose. Going into the championship game, Rose is averaging above 21 points a game in the tournament. He had 25 points, 9 rebounds, and was 11-12 from the charity stripe (Ok John Calipari, you told us so).

Worst use of 7’2 frame: Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert. Hibbert had 6 points and 5 fouls in the Hoyas’ second round upset loss to Davidson. Just for some perspective, the Wildcats’ tallest player stands 6’9, but most of the game Hibbert was guarded by a 6’8 forward, yet he only managed 6 points before fouling out. Can anyone say draft stock just went down?

Best Game: Marquette vs. Stanford, round 2. I know there were some great first round finishes and upsets, but this was the best game considering the teams involved. Stanford won 82-81 in overtime on this Brook Lopez shot. Marquette, despite a monstrous height advantage, got 30 points from Jerel McNeal and had a couple chances to put the game away, but the Disney-loving Lopez twins were too much.

Worst luck: Gonna have to go with Gus Johnson. Gus has become a cult icon over the past few years thanks to calls like this in the NCAA Tournament. CBS did the smart thing by putting Gus on the call through the second weekend, and he even had games such as Pittsburgh/Michigan St. and Notre Dame/Washington St. that people thought would be Gus Johnson-scream-inducing games. Instead, here are the margins of victory in every game Gus called: 11, 19, 18, 31, 11, 20, 17, and 15. Luckily, his tournament ended with a 2 point victory for Kansas over Davidson, but wouldn’t you have just loved to have Gus Johnson on the call for those first round upsets in Tampa?

Best player you’ve never heard of: Western Kentucky point guard Tyrone Brazleton. The senior guard from Chicago looked like the fastest guy in the entire tournament. He dropped 33 in the Hilltoppers’ upset win over Drake. He had 15 points and 5 assists in the 2nd round win over San Diego, and then concluded his tourney with a 31 point output against the 1 seeded UCLA Bruins.

Worst idea: The bright minds in Detroit at Ford Field decided to put the basketball court at the 50 yard-line to increase ticket revenue and attempt to fit 72,000 in the dome. They did this to prove to the NCAA they are going to be a worthy host to the Final Four in 2009. However, this was a horrible idea for the game of college basketball. Trust me, I was there. I’ve never seen a weirder atmosphere at a basketball game. Because the dome is so big, there wasn’t a crowd effect. Everyone was pretty far from the elevated court that had ushers around it to keep players from falling off if they went for a loose ball. I sat in the risers that were built to, again, increase attendance. I ended up pretty close to the court by moving down 25 rows, but the view was still very strange. Even when Stephen Curry put Davidson on his back in the first game and everyone that wasn’t from Wisconsin was cheering, it didn’t seem loud. I’m glad the NCAA and Ford Field raked in the dough, but the pageantry that makes college basketball what it is was completely lost in the dome.

Best Shot: There are two winners here, one actually happened, one was just in practice. Senior Ty Rogers, who only averaged 6.4 points on the year, sent Western Kentucky into the second round and gave us our first ‘shining moment’ with this shot.

Kevin Love, in practice for the Final 4, showed his ridiculous range. While this wasn’t in a game, it’s worth putting in this category for obvious reasons.

The inevitable happened last night.  We were all waiting for it, but once I heard he hit it, I didn't know how to react. 

I've never liked Barry Bonds. Not necessarily because of the steroids, just because he is not a likable athlete.  His attitude among the media is poor and he doesn't have nearly the charisma of athletes like Shaq, Derek Jeter, and Tom Brady.  So I was cheering against him to get the record because of that dislike and a respect for Hank Aaron--not because he probably cheated.

Let's get the steroids out of the way: Whether or not he took steroids--which he probably did, performance-enhancing steroids cannot a) enhance the batting stance, form, and motion or b) enhance the timing of hitting the ball.  Aside from Ken Griffey Jr, no one in baseball has a sweeter swing than Bonds.  Steroids did not give him that swing.  His timing is nearly impeccable.  Steroids did not affect his timing. 

No player in the time I've watched baseball has single-handedly changed the way the game is played--specifically in coaching strategy, more than Bonds.  The amount of times Barry Bonds has been walked intentionally or pitched around is absurd.  He forces teams to strategize their game plans specifically around him. 

I don't like Barry Bonds, don't get me wrong.  But these are attributes a baseball fan cannot deny.  Despite the steroids, no one can doubt that Bonds isn't one of the greatest players of all-time. 

What 756 truly did for me last night, however, was solidify Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth's spots in baseball history--mainly Ruth's.  Bonds hit his 756 home runs in an era when Brady Anderson hit 50 home runs.  Since the strike, this has been the long-ball (or juiced ball or juiced players however you look at it) era.  The ballparks are smaller, the pitchers are worse, and the players are stronger and have faster swings. Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs, which had stood for almost 40 years, has been broken a few times since the race of '98.  Hank Aaron hit 755 home runs without ever hitting 50 in a season.  He didn't have the one season of 73 to spike his count, he was consistent.  He also hit 755 in an era that home runs began being more prevalent with Frank Robinson and Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, but it wasn't as common as it is in the 21st century.  And Bonds may complain about the media problems and being booed out of stadiums, but he will never know what it was like for Aaron, a player in the deep south, to break a white man's record in the 1970's.

The most impressive thing to think about from 756 last night is Babe Ruth's 714.  That should be considered more of a record than 756.  The record before Ruth was 138 home runs.  He resurrected baseball from the dead-ball era and the 1919 Black Sox Scandal.  Ruth put baseball on the map, not to mention the 714 home runs.  He should be known as the greatest baseball player ever.  Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a season last over 30 years and his record of 714 lasted until 1974.  He was a well-known heavy drinker and heavy eater.  Ruth didn't have personal trainers left and right.  Ruth didn't watch film over and over again of hitters to impersonate or pitchers to prepare for.  Ruth didn't have legal supplements to enhance his strength and growth.  He hit his home runs in much larger ball parks at a time that the ball could not have been 'juiced.'  While Ruth may not have had to face the media blitz that has plauged Bonds since he hit 73 home runs in a season, Ruth did have the game of baseball--our National Pasttime, on his back. 

756 is over.  It's been hit, and Bonds will make a new record.  That number will last about 10 years until Alex Rodriguez hits his 800th home run.  Then 10 years after that someone else will break A-Rod's record.  This is a different time than when Aaron hit 715.  While I don't like Bonds, I've learned to get over that he is the home run king, knowing in my lifetime there could be 3, 4, 5, who knows how many more home run kings.  What it did tell me, though, is that I wish I could have seen Babe Ruth play.  Just hit one home run.  He is the true king of baseball and, with all the technology there is today, no one will ever rival him.   

Most of us sports fans received the recent ESPN 100, the 100 most important sports-related stories of the year as decided by ESPN. The number 1 story was Vince Young and Texas beating USC last year for the National Championship. I couldn't tell you, based on their qualifications, what should have been the number 1 sports story of the year, but I can tell you it shouldn't have been Vince Young.

This got me thinking, though, what really were the top 5 sports stories of the year? And, what makes a sports story important enough to receive a title like that. Well, here are my qualifications. Since it is the holiday season, a top 5 sports story must be a feel-good story. Here is why: The feel good stories about sports are stories that transcend sports. They are stories that non-sports fans can read or hear about and appreciate. They are the stories that make sports fans proud to be so passionate about sports because things like these stories happen. They are the stories that make us smile and cry. They are the stories that are the escapes sports fans have from the problems in the world, but also escapes from the stories that should not reflect what sports are about. They are the stories that are more imporatant to the world of sports than steroids, doping, cheating, head-butting, brawling, hazing, rape, and other stories ESPN felt was worthy of being on their list. Those stories are important, they need to be covered, but they aren't the stories that should be remembered.

5. Joey Cheek donates medal winnings to charity.

The real story of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino wasn't Bode Miller's choke or Lindsey Jacobellis' showboating that cost her a gold medal, it was the role model Joey Cheek was for all athletes. Cheek won the gold and silver medals in speed skating in the Olympics, and instead of making news for sexual assualt or drunk driving, Cheek made the news for doing something unheard of in the world of American sports. He donated his winnings, all his winnings, to charities involving getting athletics into areas that are impoverished. His donation sparked other organizations to donate to this good cause. Cheek also used his celebrity to ignite more awareness over the genocides in Darfur. ESPN had this story #54, behind the other Olympic stories I mentioned. Not only was it the greatest story from the Olympics, it was the 5th best sports story of the year. Thank you, Joey Cheek, for being a role model for how athletes should truly take advantage of their celebrity.

4. Tiger Woods wins PGA Player of the Year amidst passing of father Earl Woods.

I give ESPN credit for this one, as Tiger's year was also ranked 4th in their list. But it wasn't really given justice. Tiger, arguably the greatest golfer ever, learend from his father Earl Woods. We all know the stories and have seen the videos of Earl mentoring Tiger at a young age and can understand the influence Earl had on Tiger's life. To play through that loss is something that most of us can't comprehend. The ability of Tiger to play through those emotions, and not only that, but win 2 majors, 6 straight tour wins, and PGA Player of the Year, is what makes him and him alone transcend golf and is a story worth standing among the top stories of the year.

3. New Orleans Saints' success as Superdome reopened

Again, ESPN receives some credit, as this was ranked #19. After the most detramental weather-induced disaster this country has ever seen, it was hard for anyone to think about sports. But it was also hard to ignore the holes ripped into the Superdome. With New Orleans still looking like a 3rd world country and thousands of families still displaced from their homes, Drew Brees and the new-look New Orleans Saints did their best to give people hope and show that sports can be important during trying times. The Saints blew out the Falcons at the reopening of the Superdome among many emotional New Orleans residents and fans. Not only that, but the Saints will make the playoffs and possibly get a bye. They are the #1 story of the NFL from the past year because the importance the Saints season has had on millions of New Orleansers lives and it receives the 3rd best sports story of the year.

2. Cinderella Story

So maybe the only problem I had with ESPN's 100 was their top 3 and placements of other stories, because they almost got this one right again, placing it 9th while, to my feel-good-about-sports standards, it is 2nd. I've made it clear in past blogs that college sports are better than pro sports, and it's due in part to the Cinderella stories. Yes, it was exciting to see the Dolphins upset the Bears (not for me, but other sports fans), but no one rushed the field, no one ripped up brackets, no one was standing chanting all game like college fans. Cinderella stories live in the college ranks. From Northwestern St.'s buzzer beater over #3-seeded Iowa, Wake Forest's first January bowl game in 60 years, Rutgers' undefeated start, Bradley and Wichita St.'s runs in the tournament, and most of all George Mason's run to the final 4, this was the year of the Cinderella. The glass slippers fit all these teams as they gave non-sports fans a reason to care about college events. You can't tell a non-sports fan: Here, watch this Heat vs. Clippers game, if the Clippers win, it will be an upset. No, you tell them about George Mason, the mid-major from the Colonial Athletic Association that some people didn't believe deserved to be in the tournament and then they beat Michigan St., North Carolina, and an overtime victory over Connecticut. That game was what sports are about. On paper, UConn should have blown George Mason out of the building, but in college sports you can't look at what's on paper. You can never tell what will happen when a team like George Mason receives the motivation as the underdog and gives a team like UConn a run for their money. While many College Basketball enthusiasts had to rip up their brackets due to the Colonials, everyone loved the story of Geroge Mason as them and the other Cinderellas earn the 2nd best sports story of the year.

1. Jason McElwain's 20 points in 3 and a half minutes

Jason Who? #1 sports story of the year? Are you kidding me?

When I came up with my theme for this list, the first story I could pinpoint on my list was this one. There was and is no doubt in my mind Jason's story is the #1 sports story of the year.

Just for those of you that live under a rock: Jason McElwain was the autistic manager of the Greek Athena High baketball team. When their game had gotten out of hand on senior night, Coach Jim Johnson decided to give McElwain a chance. Jason hit 6 3-pointers in 3 and a half minutes. The fans rushed the court as his team hoisted Jason out of the gym as he became a hero for people all over the country. He was on talk shows and news shows and even met with President Bush. You cannot watch video clips of Jason without feeling shivers and coming on the brink of tears. Here, give it a try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzX6YjydLyk&mode=re
lated&search=

Watching every fan, cheerleader, teammate, and supporter of Jason's team go crazy after every shot makes you realize what makes sports special. It's the once-in-a-lifetime stories like Jason. The stories that you need to see to believe. The stories that make you cry and wonder how anyone can say to you "Sports aren't everything." Try telling that to Jason. Having to grow up different than everyone else, not being to have the same oppurtunities as other students, but then becoming a National hero and an icon in his town and cheered on by everyone in the gym is what sports did for Jason. This is without a doubt the #1 sports story of the year. You can't show this story or video to any non-sports fan and not get an emotinal reaction from them. The story of Jason is what sports is all about. It's not about Zidane's headbutt, Floyd Landis' doping, or Barry Bonds' steroids. Sports are about that kid that never got a chance to play, and then hit 6 three pointers and brought sports fans and people everyone to tears.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year

I am one of the biggest college football fans you'll ever meet. I was truly embarrassed the other day watching the debacle that occurred during the Miami vs. Florida International game. I'm not going to explain what happened becuause it's been pretty well-documented in the news recently. The only thing more embarrassing than the brawl was the punishments handed down. So, if I was in charge, and considering I find myself more just/sane than whoever did hand down the punishments, here's what I would do:

1) The game never happened. Strike it from the record. Miami doesn't get a win, FIU doesn't get a loss.

2) Every player that participated in the brawl should be suspended for the year. I know about the passion of college football and the rivalries and sometimes kids can get too emotional, but you always have a choice in life and those 31 players made the wrong choice. They can spend the season thinking about it. While this is harsh for those who didn't participate, last I checked college football was a team sport.

3) Miami should not get a bowl game, even if they qualify. How can the NCAA reward the Hurricanes with a boatload of money and fame at a bowl game after what happened last Saturday?

4) Larry Coker should be fired. He has turned Miami football's pre-requisites for playing from being a hard worker or solid player to being a felon and a thug. I think it is now a requirement for all Miami football players to have been to jail at least once before playing. The program is a joke for some of the actions by the players in Coker's time and Saturday was the nail in the coffin.

5) Those players who stomped and/or removed their helmets to strike a player should never be allowed to play college football again. Their scholarships should be revoked and they'll have to try and weasel their way into the NFL. Never again should they touch a college football field. If I went out on the street and did something to someone that could be life threatening, I think my punishment would be a little worse than just missing a few Saturdays.

I hope as a fan I never see something like that again, and even more-so I hope that the commissioners of the ACC and the NCAA get their heads out of their butts and try actually giving a punishment that fits the crime instead of coddling these criminals.

I woke up yesterday morning and turned on ESPN expecting to hear about the AL wild card race, the NL wild card race, training camp news, or essentially anything but what I did hear. My daily dose of sports began with the news of Maurice Clarett, the former star running back from Ohio St. who had to be taken down by mase by cops and had 4 guns in his car.

(Quick tangent: I've never liked Clarett. I thought he was a fluke for the buckeyes. Hell, my beloved Wildcats shut him down with their defense. He was a one year wonder who would never pan out, ok back to my qualms)

So, of course, we have to see the timeline of Clarett's troubles, interviews with those who knew him, his mugshot., and pictures of the guns. I'm still young, my brain hasn't fully developed yet, but I'm pretty confident that is not sports.

But that's what sports news is about these days--a good 10 minutes dedicated to what I like to call the 'sports blotter.' We get frequent visits from the Bengals, Trail Blazers, Daryl Strawberry, etc. It begs the question: What true sports fan out there is looking forward to learning about a player who assaulted his wife? Does our society need to be reassured professional athletes have feet of clay? But we love the sports blotter and ESPN knows it because we're always up to date. Whether it's Oklahoma's quarterback receiving extra money or the Miami players suspended for the FSU game--Americans love the sports blotter.

And it's not only jail-risking activities that grab our attention. My generation has been introduced to the era of steroids. No other generation has had to wonder when their favorite athlete makes an accomplishment if he/she cheated or not. Barry Bonds is the most frequent visitor to the 'sports blotter.' The sight of Mark McGwire and Rafeal Palmeiro in court defending themselves is more famous than them hitting home runs. Next year the sports blotter will be busy covering the hall of fame votes and if Mark McGwire gets in.

(Quick tangent- if I was voting, I'd only vote for Gwynn and Ripken, not because I don't think McGwire should get in, but just to show what types of players the hall of fame deserves and I don't want great players like them to have their ceremony overshadowed by a steroid controversy)

Only in the steroid era would the most inspiring story in the sports in 2006 be scarred due to allegations of cheating. Yup, my boy Floyd Landis. I read every article I could about him, woke up to watch cycling for the first time in my life, told everyone his great story. Now I hear his amazing ride really was one-of-a-kind, not because of the accomplishment but becuase of his testosterone. Now, thanks to the sports blotter, even casual sports fans are experts on testosterone levels and what they mean. Only in this era could I be crushed about an inspiring athlete due to doping.

The biggest problem with the sports blotter is that it's not going away anytime soon. Has there been a decline in athletes' crimes recently? Probably not. There's been a huge increase in steroid-related blotter stories, which has increased the blotter exponentially. As technology imprvoes, more ways are going to be found to mask performance-enhancing drugs--of which more and more will be created.

I don't think that the popularity of sports has in anyway decreased due to the threats on its integrity, but it does make you wonder who can we trust . Who can our heroes really be? I grew up on Michael Jordan. He was my sports hero, but even he had his faults, and thanks to the sports blotter, they were well publicized, from gambling to marital issues. But as I watch young kids growing up with Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, I wonder about my kids--will any athletes be clean by then? This damage to the sanctity and morals of sports keeps me looking for those feel-good stories, but when Floyd's test came up positive, I was given a harsh reminder at what sports have become in the 21st century.

I will still continue to look for those great stories in sports, and they are still there. But as long as the Sports Blotter is still intact, digging for the tear-jerking, non-cheating, stories will be more difficult.

As I go to bed tonight with a wonderful White Sox winner, I wonder what I'll hear more about in the morning: The Sox and the wild card chase, or LenDale White brawling at Titans practice--the most recent addition to the Sports Blotter.

Honestly, can it get much worse for the lovable losers?

Yesterday, the Cubs got shutout by a pitcher who WAS OUT OF BASEBALL for three years and before he left the game he wasn't even a pitcher, he was a SHORSTOP.  So, essentially, the Cubs were shutout by a shortstop.  Of course blowing another one of Sean Marshall's good starts--one of the only bright spots for the team this year.

How can one player make that big of a difference as Derrek Lee?  The Cubs won 7 games in the month of May, worst in the NL.  Everybody but Ernie Banks has hit 3rd for the Cubs since Lee went down.  They have to put 4 foot tall Todd Walker at first because Jim Hendry found it unnecessary to get a first baseman.  Our best hitter before Lee went down, Michael Barrett, couldn't hit anything in May except for AJ Pierzynski, and now he timed his comeback perfectly with an ensuing suspension.  Aramis Ramirez is hitting .240 with 10 home runs.  Juan Pierre, the multi-million dollar leadoff man gets on base about just as much as Greg Maddux does.  Neifi Perez is hitting a whopping .192 and to solve our problems, Jim Hendry picked up Tony Womack, who was in the minors for a month of the season.

Prior and Wood still lead the league in simulated innings pitched and Zambrano is the most inconsistent pitcher in baseball.  Even calm and collected Greg Maddux can't keep his cool.  Ryan Dempster, the only reliable pitcher during the slump, blew his fair share of saves.  Right now the only bright spots I can see are: Jacque Jones, Ronny Cedeno, Matt Murton, and the middle relief.  But us Cub fans have been spoiled in the past 8 years.  They made the playoffs twice and almost made the World Series.  Every year since 2003 expectations have been sky-high and we forget how bad the Cubs have been and are supposed to be.  Sometimes we have to remember that it's not that odd to say 'Wait 'till next year' in June with the Cubbies.

So, what should they do?  Well trading Mark Prior won't do anything.  Look at Corey Patterson since he left the Cubs, he leads the AL in stolen bases.  I'd rather Prior turn out to be a decent 2 or 3 starter for the Cubs for his whole career than be a Cy Young winner for another team because I'm sick of the Cubs giving up talent.  We can trade Wood, but what the Cubs need is offense, and lots of it.  In 2003 when the pennant race was in full gear, the Cubs went out and got Randall Simon and Aramis Ramirez--and we weren't even in panic mode.  I think it's safe to say the Cubs were in panic mode for a while and all they got was Tony Womack.  Now we're in 'win one game a week' mode. 

Let's not spoil ourselves as Cub fans and remember that they're supposed to be awful.  Yes, we should be optimistic, but I'd rather prepare for failure and hope for a surprise than be disappointed. 

Hey, how can the Cubs complain though?  There's still 40,000 at Wrigley everyday.

Those who know college sports know that Northwestern University is not known for their supremacy in athletics.  They're more known for debate and their academics and their periodic upsets in football.  But during spring season, Northwestern stands out, especially among big ten teams.  Softball is the #4 seed in the upcoming tournament, Girls' Lacrosse are the defending champs and also the #4 seed.  Women's tennis has advanced to the quarterfinals.  Baseball is leading the big ten and boys' golf just won the big ten championship.

But unless you were a Northwestern fan or a die-hard college sports fan, the first thing you'd synonymize with Northwestern athletics these days are the hazing scandals involving men's swimming and girls' soccer.  Now, I'm in no means condoning anything my future classmates partook in, however, it's sad that the first time Northwestern gets serious press for sports it's for something like that.  Especially during a time of great success for Northwestern spring athletics, all the media wants to talk about is hazing.  Hazing is a reality that the media and society have to accept.  No, it's not pretty, but every sport at every college does some sort of hazing.  And nothing was violent in Northwestern's hazings.  Once again, I'm not condoning the actions, but we in the media need to pick and choose wisely what to discuss.  Yes, people want to hear about the hazing, it's a big controversy.  But wouldn't it be nice to discuss how a school not known for its athletics is performing at such a high level this season?  If the hazing scandal opened people's eyes to how Northwestern is faring this season in athletics, great, but I don't think it will.  We need to prioritize better on what is important and decipher importance with what people want to see.   

Why is the foul pole called the foul pole if it’s in fair territory?

How can Barry Bonds’ head be twice the size it was 10 years ago because of his ‘arthritic cream’ and not because of steroids?

Why is US Cellular Field sometimes still half empty even after the White Sox won the World Series?

Why, if the Bears had the 2^nd best defense in the league last year, would they spend all but two of their draft picks on defensive players?

Why do you have to like either the Cubs or Sox and not be a both-fan?

How come it seems like the only hockey team in Chicago is the Wolves?

Why would the Bears draft a player whose name is Danieal (pronounced Danielle)?

Why do Cub fans waste more energy cheering against the White Sox than they do cheering against the Cardinals?

Why do people want Pete Rose (who admitted to wrong doing) in the Hall of Fame and not Shoeless Joe Jackson (who was found not guilty by a jury)?

How can people not consider Secretariat an athlete?

Why, if the Cubs have so much money, can’t they ever hold on to star players? (See Rafael Palmeiro, Greg Maddux, Lou Brock)

Why, as of the time I’m writing this column, have the Cubs yet to find a player who can hit with Derrek Lee injured?

Why can’t they check in girls’ lacrosse?

Why, even after the Sox won the World Series, did Sports Authority have only Cubs merchandise?

How come everyone blames Steve Bartman for the NLCS demise when he had nothing to do with losing game 7?  Or the error by Alex Gonzales, for that matter.

Why can’t you turn on SportsCenter without seeing an update on the Duke Lacrosse scandal?  Or Barry Bonds’ home run count?

Why is there a commercial after the touchdown and also after the kickoff?

A couple months ago I wrote about the top 5 sports days in a given year.  I even listed a few more that just missed my top 5.  However, after this weekend, I'd like to apologize for a big omission.  Some comments were posted regarding my omission of the NFL draft and, now, I agree, the NFL Draft weekend should seriously be considered as one of the most exciting sports weekends of the year.  I should have made a log of my time watching the draft, but since I didn't, I'll try and just write all my random thoughts throughout the draft.

I'll begin with Friday night, I was at a friend's house when my cell phone rang.  "The Texans signed Mario Williams!" yelled my friend Charlie.  I knew Williams was a possibility, but I figured it'd be impossible to pass up Reggie Bush.  I firmly believe Bush was not only the best player in the draft but will be the best player in the NFL.  What is great, however, about the draft is guys like Mario Williams--who only die hard college fans have heard of pre-draft, dominate the headlines.

I yelled at my TV as each team in the top 10 passed over Matt Leinart.  I really didn't understand it.  So one guy said he doesn't have an 'NFL arm.'  I'd take Leinart over Cutler any day, and I'm glad the Cardinals did.  Yes, Leinart had a great supporting cast, but he also played in more pressure-packed games and situations than any player in the draft.

Then as the 1st round came to an end, the fun for us Chicago Bears fans began.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Bears, let me give you some 1st round picks of theirs: Cade McNown, Curtis Enis, David Terrell, Anthony Thomas (1 year wonder), Michael Haynes, Mark Columbo.  I think they speak for themselves to show why I was a little nervous with the 26th pick looming.  I was hoping for tight end Mercedes Lewis, because the Bears have a terrible offense and with a short=passing offense style, they could use a solid tight end.  But, I guess to avoid making another first round bust, the Bears traded their pick.  Ok, they make good picks in the later rounds, so they'll just get some steals, right? Like Nate Vasher in the 4th round or Alex Brown in the 4th round.  Well, my friend and I were speechless as we saw "Danieale Manning/ Abeliene Christian" flash across the ESPN bottomline.  Who the hell is Danieale MAnning was my first reaction.  Clearly ESPN didn't know either becuase they didn't even say anything about him.  Ok, fine, so I guess we want a returner.  So with the 57th pick I'm all excited again because LEonard Pope, tight end out of Georgia, is miraculously still available.  Cmon, the Bears can't screw this up.  It's clear they need a tight end.  He's still available, they're sure to take him.  But, once again, only the Bears.  Only the Bears would take Devin Hester, who don't get me wrong--I'm a big fan, but they could have taken him instead of Manning then taken Pope with the 57th.  And the mind games Jerry Angelo plays with his fans continues.  The 3rd round continues and we watch as teams are still passing over Leonard Pope and my friends and I get excited that he'll be available.  Cardinals on the clock with the 72nd pick, we're next.  Well, the Cardinals don't want another offensive player, right? Well, wrong again. 

So it took until day 2 for the Bears to finally take an offensive player--a fullback from Oklahoma.  Looks like we really do want to make our Defense our Offense.  The Bears will be the only team in the league that will punt on 3rd down if they feel they could pin the other team far back enough. 

Day 2 is fun for me becuase I'm a die-hard Northwestern fan so I'm waiting for their seniors to get drafted.  Luckily, 3 (Barry Cofield, Zach Strief, and Tim McGarigle) were drafted on day 2.  However, my favorite college player of all time, Brett Basanez, who I think was one of the top 15 quarterbacks in this draft class, wasn't drafted.  Who knows, maybe he'll be the next Jake Delhomme.

Well, I'll just have to wait until next draft to see how the Bears make all their fans crazy next year.

Until then, i'll be hoping for many 3-0 victories.

I've been to my fair share of sporting events from Blackhawks games to DePaul games to the NCAA tournament, but nothing compares to a baseball game at Wrigley, especially Opening Day.

I was lucky enough to get a ticket from a good friend for Opening Day and it wasn't even a question about missing school--my parents didn't get why I even asked for permission.  When I woke up that day and saw it was cloudy and windy and barely 40 degrees, I wasn't phased--maybe you didn't read, this was Opening Day at Wrigley.  So I obviously have to take the L to the game and the excitment is building.  Outside Wrigley is covered with Cub fans and those selling anti-Cardinal and anti-White Sox shirts.  But the best part was walking up the steps to my seats.  After 5 months of no baseball, to get to walk up those steps and see the ivy and the scoreboard and the hundreds of already-drunk Cub fans, it felt like it was 70 degrees and sunny--that's how happy I was.  

 So luckily for me it was a splendid opening day for the Cubs, they seemed like a new team, and played eerily similar to the way the White Sox played last year...if only the starters stay healthy.

if you're a sports fan, you need to see a Cub game at Wrigley.  I once went to a game on Rosh Hashanah.  I happened to be the bat boy that day and it happened to be their doubleheader sweep of the Pirates that led to their Diviision championship.  It was one of the greatest days of my life and people asked my parents why they let me go on a JEwish holiday, but being at Wrigley that day, I think that was religion enough for me. 

Forgive me fellow Chicago baseball fans, for, by your standards, I have committed the ultimate sin. I am a both-fan. I cheer for the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs.

I’ve received my fair-share of flack throughout my life for liking both teams. People have said I’m not a true baseball fan, it’s impossible to like both teams, and I don’t deserve to live in Chicago and be a both-fan. I can’t wear Cubs gear to school because my Sox-fan friends would get mad, and visa-versa. I can’t discuss how a team did because so many people who like the Cubs or Sox discredit what I say just because I like both teams. So I’d like to take this opportunity to explain myself, and make other both-fans (I know you’re out there) feel comfortable. Here are some FAQs I’ve received over the years for being a both-fan:

1.) How did you become a both-fan? Well, you can blame my Dad for that one, because if my Mom had it her way I’d solely like the Cubs. My Dad grew up in Omaha where there are no professional baseball teams, so when he moved to Chicago he took advantage that we had two and decided to cheer for both. He passed that both-fan gene on to me. My Mom and her whole family are die-hard Cub fans, not to mention her brother who won’t even consider me a Cub fan since I like the White Sox as well

2.) Which team do you like more? My answer is very unpopular and political, but it’s true that I like the two teams equally. I consider myself a 100% die-hard Cub fan and 100% die-hard Sox fan. Some consider me to be a fair-weather fan for liking both teams, but that’s not true. I don’t base who I cheer for on who’s doing better. I cheer for the Cubs as much as I do the Sox, and I never cheer for either team to lose. Depending on the situation, however, I may pay attention to one team more than the other.

3.) Who do you cheer for when they play each other? I don’t cheer. I rarely watch the Cubs vs. Sox interleague games, and when I do, I do so as if I’m watching the Toronto Blue Jays play the Tampa Bay Devil Rays—a game that means little to me. I hope that it’s a well-played game and in the end that the two teams split the 6-game series. Truthfully, I hate interleague play solely because I don’t enjoy watching the Sox-Cubs games. Now, my partisan answers may anger some, but they’re stated with the utmost honesty.

4.) How can you think it is okay to be a both-fan? I can do so because while the Cubs and Sox play in the same city, and they’re two entirely different teams. They only play each other 6 times a year, and until interleague play began they never played each other. I don’t consider two teams not in the same division that play each other that rarely a rivalry. As a Cub fan, I hate the Cardinals and Astros. As a Sox fan, I hate the Twins and Indians. All Cubs and Sox fan should be able to do the same. It’s ridiculous when Cub fans pay more attention to the White Sox’s record than the Cardinals record. Those ‘Cub’ fans are not true fans. True fans cheer for their team(s) at all time and cheer against their true division-rivals. Not only am I a true fan, but I consider myself the biggest baseball fan there is. Because of that, I choose to root on two teams all year. How lucky are we in Chicago that we have two teams to cheer for everyday. Also, the sports journalist inside of me lets me be a both-fan since Chicago sports writers have to be unbiased. And lastly, I was born in Chicago, have always lived in Chicago, so I consider it my birth-right to cheer on both teams. It is difficult cheering for two teams famous for their World Series futility, but every win is that much more exciting. So I hope that this explanation will help other both-fans realize they aren’t committing a sin and are just enjoying the national pastime a little bit more than the next so-called baseball fan. I still haven’t answered the most frequently-asked question of a both-fan. I’ve never had a legit answer to this question, so I will do my best to conclude this column with an answer.

5.) If the White Sox played the Cubs in the World Series, who would you cheer for?

Well, in the words of baseball great Yogi Berra: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

I'm going to just use Tuesday night and Wednesday night as references for this blog, because that's really all I need.

 I've been a die-hard college basketball fan my whole life, going to DePaul games since I was 5 and filling out brackets since I learned how to spell.  Besides the fact that there's nothing like March Madness, what I love about college basketball is the passion of the kids and the paegentry involved.

Take Tuesday night, Duke vs. North Carolina.  Is there a bigger rivarly in sports? Maybe a few, but this game every year is so fun to watch, no matter how good or bad one of the teams is.  Even though Duke is ranked much higher than UNC it was a phenominal game with a great finish.  Do you get the thrill of watching JJ Redick drain threes from California by watching the NBA? Or the excitment of this heated rivalry.  Obviously with an 82 game schedule you're not going to get the big rivalry games in the NBA but thats why college basketball is better and more fun to watch.

Now last night, I got to watch my future school Northwestern upset the 1st place team in the big ten, Iowa.  Talk about fun to watch--a Princeton offense and pressing defense that culminates in a huge upset and fans running on the court?  Not to mention South Carolina's spirited upset over Florida last night.  The upsets are what make college basketball special and miles ahead of the NBA.  You don't have to hear players complain about salaries, or watch one player from each team take every play one-on-one and shoot 30% from the field, or watch teams fail to play defense in college basketball.  I'm happy the Detroit Pistons are doing so well because they play team basketball and great defense, but that's only one team.  What makes college basketball great is this Saturday I'm going to the DePaul vs. Villanova game.  DePaul is obviously a huge underdog but with enough student support and if they play their A game they can get the upset and maybe I'll get to rush the court.  You don't get that joy from watching the NBA I don't think, you don't get to see North Dakota St.'s kids jump up in excitement after beating Wisconsin or teams like Creighton and Southern Illinois upsetting teams in the tourney. 

The gameplay is better, the atmosphere is amazing, and college basketball will continue to reign over the NBA.

My final list for sporting 'events' or 'days.'  Enjoy.

5.) NHL Skills Competition- Now, we haven't seen this in 2 years and we won't see it this year because of the Olympics, but anyone who's seen it during the NHL all-star game can agree it is quite a spectacle.  It's not like the home run derby or slam dunk contest in terms of hype, which is why it finds itself in the underrated category.  Whats unique about the NHL skills competition is that there are things you really need to be talented to do at any level.  You can always lower a hoop and do dunks or hit homers over close fences, but can you really take out those targets in the goals or skate faster than the other NHL players?  This doesn't mean i like it more than the slam dunk contest or home run derby, it's just underrated.

4.) Arena Football Championship- If I did a list of most underrated sports, Arena Football would be near the top.  It's fast-paced, and high scoring, and gets little hype.  It's starting to gain more popularity with its owners (Elway, Bon Jovi) and having games on NBC, but it's still overlooked and therefore underrated. The championship is guaranteed to be high-scoring and reflect the rest of the season.  A game is never over until the clock hits zero in this sport becuase teams can score so quickly on the small field.  Not to mention the boards along the sides to add exciting hits and the crowd noise throughout the game.  Oh yea, and if a ball goes into the stands, you can keep it!

3.) World Cup- In America, at least.  Soccer is obviously the most popular sport in the world but gets little hype in America and for good reason- we rarely have a good team, not to mention soccer is a boring sport.  However, if the USA team is good this year I suggest watching the World Cup and I think it is very underrated in terms of sporting events.  Knowing the game really means something since it's your country is against the world and the amount of amazing players on the field adds to the intensity.   Now I think soccer is very boring, but during the US's amazing 2002 run I woke up at 6am to watch the game against Germany and I was at the edge of my seat.  Will I watch the MLS? Of course not.  But if the USA makes another run this year I'll be watching.

2.) Winter Olympics- Does anyone really know that the Opening Ceremonies are Friday night? These Olympics have gotten little to no coverage and that's sad.  I did an Olympic report for my school paper and realized how little I know about each sport and the athletes involved.  Talk about sports that iinclude unique talents--snowboarding, speed skating, these aren't your 'run around the track' or basketball that you can watch or do any day, this is a once every 4 years that these sports get the spotlight.  The sports are exciting, different, and the US is pretty good, but this event is very underrated.

1.) A common theme in my blogs is my love for college sports, and my #1 underrated sporting event are those small conference tournaments at the end of the year.  You know, when teams like Bucknell or Florida Atlantic are playing for conference championships in conferences you didn';t even know existed.  I think those games are more fun to watch than the Big East or ACC tournaments.  In these conferences, the teams all play for one thing-the one NCAA berth given to their conference.  (I highly recommend reading The Last Amateurs by John Feinstein about the Patriot League and life in small D-1 conferences).  The spirit and passion shown in these games is inspiring and who doesn't love to see that little school you've ner heard of get the oppurtunity to make the big dance--even if it is as a 16 seed, it is still exciting.

Continuing my theme of days/events in sports that are highly-touted, I'd like to talk about some that I feel are overrated.  Once again, this list is biased based on my own personal preference of sport, so it's very much open for debate.

5.) Daytona 500-  While I know some about racing and follow it in terms of seeing who wins each race on Sportscenter, it is a very boring 'sport,' if you can call it a sports, which helps land the Daytona 500 at #5.  It marks the start of the neverending racing season where the winner of it doesn't usually even count to factor into the race for the cup at the end.  The Indy 500, for racing fans, I feel is much more historic and exciting to watch. 

4.) The NFL Preseason- Come on guys, like it really matters? The Colts went 0-4 this NFL Preseason.  I know that football is king of the sporting world these days and it gets football fans all fired up for the upcoming season but it is highly overrated.  The games are poorly played, starters play only a half, and if you're watching you're probably too busy worrying about your favorite player getting hurt.  THe NFL preseason is stupid, should be shorter, and doesn't have anticipation aspect that baseball spring training does (it also gets about 10 times more hype than spring training).

3.) NBA All-Star Game- I love the dunk contest, the 3 point contest, but what's the point in playing the game?  It ends up being something like 140-135 and the NBA is a sloppy game to watch as it is so when you put 10 ball hogs on the court together it's even worse.  It is very over-hyped and the game means nothing and i think it has lost a lot of its valour in the years since MJ.

2.) Super Bowl Sunday- I know I had this on my previous list of best days because it is a fun 'sports' day, however, it's also very overrated.  I'ts one day and one game, granted it is the championship game but there's no other sports to watch that day.  You also have the chance of it being a bad game and there's nothing to look forward to except for commercials.  And if you have 0 loyalty to the two teams (like i'm sure a lot do this year, Steelers vs. Seahawks? come on) it's probably not so fun to watch.  We have to wait 2 weeks to watch the Super Bowl, go through the media day coverage and the 6 hour pre game shows and millions of predictions for one game that means little unless you're a big fan or if it is a good game.

1.) The Pro Bowl- Ok, I guess it's kind of obvious that I'm not the biggest NFL fan from my list, but I enjoy football a lot I just think the NFL takes advantage of their standing as the highest-rated sport by over-hyping ever single event, including the Pro Bowl--the most pointless, stupid sporting event of the year.  I watch sports everyday, I'll watch bowling, tennis, even ping pong (a very underrated sport to watch on tv) and I'm proud to say I have never watched the Pro Bowl.  sure, I've turned it on once in a while but who cares? The season's over, ,many players don't even want to play so they don't get hurt, they don't play hard so it's usually a boring game, but NFL primetime is there and all week is leading up to the big game in Hawaii.  IT is completely overrated and shouldn't even be played in the first place.

Next up: underrated sports events.