Seems I haven't done this in quite a while.  I took a refresher course by visiting 38pitches.com to read my boy Curt Schilling's blog.  Apparently the media will only take the posts he writes that might ruffle a few feathers.  Otherwise they refuse to glorify the blogs that he writes in which are positive and uplifting.  No surprise.

But then you have the anti-Schilling, Gary Sheffield, whining about some Cleveland Indian that he's going to handle personally.  Hey Gary, you probably shouldn't charge the mound when you are a RUNNER.  I mean what kind of #### #### is that?  Take first base and shut up.  I won't ask you to stop being a #### because you have and always will be a ####.

Christ 2 paragraphs in and I still can't figure out this blog stuff...

Ok, maybe a change of sport will do the trick...

Congratulations on the Americans for winning the Ryder Cup.  Or should I say, congratulations to Nick Faldo for helping America win the Ryder Cup.  First off, Colin Montgomerie should be a lifetime member on Team Europe.  He plays until he dies or hits John Daly's belt size.  Second, you bring one of the best match-play players in the world, Darren Clarke.  I've always liked Faldo in the booth and as a player but what the hell were you thinking?  You had America by the nuts with Tiger out of the tournament and you let it slip away - along with some key players on the team.

Was golf not your sport?  Ok, I'll switch it up...

The NFL has gotten pretty interesting with all the injuries that have happened to key Quarterbacks and other position players.  After 3 weeks I can say that even though Dallas may be the front-runner as the best team in the NFL, they have some gigantic holes on both sides of the ball that need to be addressed.  And can someone teach Patrick Crayton how to catch the ball?  Open and close son.

New England may have gotten jacked up by Miami of all teams, but losing Tom Brady is obviously bigger than anyone thinks.  It goes to show how bad the New York Jets are.  Yes Brett Favre lovers, his new team sucks.  And Chad Pennington looks better than anyone expected.  Chad's a very good QB with a bad arm - but his arms looked better than it has in quite a while.

What the hell is wrong with you Indianapolis?  Can you please win a home game!  Wow!  And why hasn't Peyton talked about the "breakdown in protection", because there has been A LOT of that going on.

Hey does anyone watch hockey?  Well then I'll move on...

Get back to baseball for a moment, the Ned Yost firing was poor.  That move basically said, "WE ARE IN A PANIC!!!".  Really?  Isn't that the last thing the team should be thinking?  Yost got the team that far, and I doubt Dale Sveum was going to be the answer to all the problems with Milwaukee's pitching and clutch hitting.  Congrats.  They can go back to obscurity anytime.

And finally, J.P. Ricciardi of the Toronto Blue Jays made another bonehead move that was so bad that firing him tonight would be a day (let alone 3 years) too late.  The Blue Jays will now call Las Vegas their AAA home.  Yes, because when Toronto needs a pitcher they can just call Vegas and they will have a well-rested pitching in a snap.  Buffalo was there for the taking and Ricciardi must have said to everyone, "Naw, lets go with Vegas.  It's closer to Toronto plus I like to gamble".  Yes this is certainly a gamble that won't pay off when your team needs a pitcher pronto.  Horrible decision made by the worst GM in baseball.  Ed Wade is slightly better.  Slightly.  It's about as good as Charlie Weis's leg.

On that note, I will go back to watch the Monday Night Football game where the Jets have held down the San Diego offense to just 45 points thus far...

We've all been guilty of laziness.  ALL OF US!  At one time or another we've been lazy at something.  Putting off writing our tax returns, not vacuuming the kitchen, not taking care of pets...all of us. 

One of the most respected baseball writers, Ken Rosenthal, admitted to this in an article "celebrating" the 10-year anniversary of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa homerun chase.  Now Rosenthal did not come out to tell people he was lazy.  He said he "wrote what he knew" about andro, the supplement McGwire admitted to using.  A little research and a few phone calls would have given him and hundreds of writers the understanding of what Big Mac was using - or claims he was using that season.  But he and thousands of journalists will not go the extra mile to research.

That is why we sometimes cannot trust what we read in the news or watch on television.  Journalists will go half-assed - something I learned when I was a journalism student.  That is pretty sad considering that both Canada and the United States are about to head into an election and the average person may be learning nothing but half-truths or, much worse, lies.

I don't want to make this out like Rosenthal completely screwed up because he was only 1 of many, many more journalists who covered a story in which any negative press at that time could have had serious ramifications to the game of baseball.  Remember that time frame; the state of the game was just climbing out of the depths of hell that was the strike back in 1994-95.  It needed the home run chase badly and any headline linking these guys to drugs could have crippled the game for years.  So I bet that even if Rosenthal and his collegues had the opportunity to blow this steroid story 10 years ago people would have been all over them for it - even if it was the right thing to do.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

I admire Rosenthal for coming out and admitting his mistake because a ton of people would not have done so, like Keith Olbermann.

MVP

The AL MVP, in my opinion, is Kevin Youkilis.  Out of the box, yes.  But with Ortiz, Drew, Lowell and Casey out with injuries for a decent amount of time plus the Manny deal, it has been Youkilis who has been the constant force in that lineup (as has Dustin Pedroia to some extent as well).

No team in the Central has been able to beat East teams except Cleveland, who has no candidate.  Carlos Quentin was in it until his injury. 

The NL MVP should be Manny Ramirez, but I'd give it to Albert Pujols.  If not him it would be either Ryan Braun or David Wright.  Pujols is carrying that Cards team to at least stay in contention.  Although Lance Berkman has helped the Astros get back into the mix, the Cards have been there the entire year. 

The AL Cy Young has to go to Cliff Lee.  The only guy who'd have an shot at him is Roy Halladay and that's too long of a shot.  It's Lee's award to lose.  He has been the best pitcher all year.

At this time, the NL Cy Young winner is Tim Lincicum.  The award is not wrapped up for him just yet, but going 16-3 for a bad Giants team is pretty darn impressive.  He is also leading the league in ERA and strikeouts at this present time.

Manager of the year in the AL is Joe Madden.  Honorable mentions to Joe Madden and Cito Gaston for an incredible job.  In the NL it's Lou Pinella.  He's done the best job this year, hasn't he?  Although Joe Torre, Jerry Manuel, Cecil Cooper and Ned Yost would have something to say about that.

I'll leave rookie of the year out for the time being. 

Final note: Love him or hate him, Curt Schilling is still the best sound bite in baseball today.  Unless Tommy Lasorda decides to come out of retirement to coach the Washington Nationals Schill won't be touched.  He is better than Ozzie Guillen.  And this paragraph just kills some of you bloggers.  Oh well, not my problem.

Let the pennant races continue....

This question I have posed does seem a little extreme.  What reason would you have to be against some 9-year old kid pitching against 8-10-year old kids? 

Well, in New Haven Connecticut parents and their kids protested over a young boy named Jericho Scott.  Scott is/was a right-handed pitcher who threw about 40 mph and has been so good in the New Haven Youth Baseball League that opposing players and parents urged league officials to ban him from pitching.  To add to this story, Scott apparently has pinpoint control and has yet to hit any player in the league this season.

Back on point, are we kidding?  You ask the league to stop a great pitcher from pitching?  That would be like every country protesting that Michael Phelps shouldn't be allowed to swim because he's too good.  Not only is this league wrong for preventing Scott from pitching, they have violated his rights.  His parents paid for him to play in this league and he deserves the opportunity to pitch, hit, play the field and more importantly, play baseball.

For those people who opposed Scott from pitching in this league should not only be ashamed of themselves but they are what's wrong with sports.

This is far worse than showing up a player on the field or breaking an unwritten rule, these people have done what they could to break the spirit of a 9-year old boy who loves to pitch.  Are you proud of yourselves?  Have you accomplished something positive?  No, you have brought unnecessary attention to yourselves for all the wrong reasons.  This boy should have been given proper respect for his good play, and instead I have to read about how parents and a Youth Baseball League have ripped this kid's heart out.  Great work people!  Are you going to make the best hitter in the league swing with wood while the rest hit with aluminum bats?

Why don't we punish the kids who get straight A's in school because they are simply too smart in class.

Why don't we punish the salesperson who has 100 clients and makes $100, 000 from each of them because he's simply too good for his company.

In fact let's punish Tiger Woods when he gets back from injury because he should let other golfers win major championships.

This is one of the worst stories to hear when you have lived, breathed and sweat baseball for nearly 20 years.  These people should appreciate what Jericho Scott does on the mound and hope that he succeeds later on in life.  To take something away from him because of something he didn't do is one of the worst things you can do to a child.  Heinous actually. 

These are the same people who are allowed to have kids and teach them terrible life lessons like this story.  These are also the same people who formulate terrible opinions about sports and are allow to vote in presidential elections.  It is scary to think about how responsible parents like these are to a country, let alone their own family.  It also paints a terrible picture of how their kids will perceive this situation and feel this is right.  It isn't right.  It is wrong in the worst way.

Developmental league or not, Jericho Scott's love for pitching was taken away because he happened to develop faster than other kids.  Instead of the league being proud of that, they have taken a step backward as to say, "we don't want THAT kind of development".  That is a slap in the face to him, his family, his team and his coaches.  Shame on you.

Jericho's mother Nicole will meet with a lawyer, and that's the right play.  Don't allow shallow, self-centered and naive parents to allow control over your son.  And lots of people would have blown their top over this, myself included (probably), if I found out a league banned my son or daughter from pitching because they are too good.  What should also be pointed out is he turned down playing for the defending champions of the league who happens to be sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.  Does someone have an AXE to grind on this kid?  Or do they really want to repeat this year and banning Scott is the way to go.

This is a sad story for kids who participate in sports.  But I'm not sure what's worse; pushing for Scott to never pitch in the league or going to bed at night thinking what you did was right.

I hate that we had to learn about a dominant 9-year old pitcher this way.   Jericho Scott has earned and deserved better than this.

In 1997 I had just turned 15 years old, and like any kid with a passion for the game of baseball I thought I knew enough.  Not everything, just enough.  Like any walk of life you find out that when you get older you grow wiser and I found out I was just a kid with a lot of heart - but I didn't know enough.  Otherwise I would have given this baseball manager the benefit of the doubt when he was fired that very same year. 

11 years rolled by and not a single team lined up to hire a two-time World Series championship coach.  He wasn't first on anyone's list.  However, teams lined up to hire never-will-be's like Davey Lopez, Phil Garner, Gene Lamont or Don Baylor.  I could have put together a list of coaches who's records were better than the names mentioned above and they still would not have the resume this man had/has.  Aside from current coaches like Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa and Terry Francona, not one has as many or more championships as this man.  Not Lou Pinella, not Jim Leyland and not Bobby Cox.  In fact, this guy was this year's desperate hire to save the General Manager's job and it looks like he has done just that.

That man is Cito Gaston, the first - and only - black manager to win a World Series.  Not that race even matters in this case because winning a championship is a difficult task.  Ask Cox or Mike Hargrove.

Cito Gaston was not only a sentimental choice in Toronto but a man who's track record deserved more than just minor consideration for a Manager's job.  Granted, he was holding out for the right position and when you do that it cuts your possibilities down, but how does he get passed over?  How does Cleveland not hire him after Hargrove?  What about Seattle after Pinella left?  Boston after Jimy Williams?  The Dodgers after, well, anyone?  Marquee places where Gaston wouldn't be given a fair shake.  The closest he got was the White Sox who hired Ozzie Guillen, who won a World Series himself.  If that title was Cito's we'd be talking about a potential Hall of Fame manager along with about 10 shame-on-you articles from Fox and ESPN asking how he didn't get his shot sooner.     

His hiring was out of desperation from a General Manager who's held his position 2 years too long and knew the city of Toronto would love him for it.  J.P. Ricciardi has saved his job for another year, and if Toronto somehow (and I mean, SOMEHOW) makes the post-season in 2009, Ricciardi will keep his job for another 2 years and will continue to poorly assess talent and damage the farm system.

Take Adam Lind for example; Cito not only wanted him up with the big club, he promised he would play.  Lind has responded since going 1 for a million in his first stint this season.  This is a guy who's a 2-time minor league player of the year and the best prospect in the Blue Jays system for years.  While he was tearing up the leagues, J.P. refused to bring him up (the last time a guy under 23 has stuck with Toronto was Alex Gonzalez - well before the Riccardi regime.  Imagine how he would have held back A-Rod or Pujols if he had them).  He didn't feel Lind was ready, otherwise he would have said bye to Matt Stairs in the off-season and not sign Shannon Stewart after cutting the hard-nosed Reed Johnson due to being over-budget.  Cito wanted Lind, and he has been the MVP of the Blue Jays over the last 3 months. Not bad considering the GM wanted him to linger in the minors this season.  He hit .273 in the second half last season - he was ready this year and many people in Toronto knew it.

Not a bad call by Cito considering his one knock over a decade ago was how he handled the younger players.  Perhaps he could be guilty of loyalty to his veterans like Joe Carter, a Jays icon who only hit one of the biggest homerun in baseball history.  Cito was a players manager who was very loyal to his guys.  We've seen numerous managers do the same thing with little success.  But I bet those managers don't have fans purchasing their replica jersey the way Toronto has with Gaston.  Already I have see 4 Gaston jerseys being worn around town.  That is how much the city loves Cito.

Although he won't win the Manager of the year award, he has taken overrated talent (which means lack of talent) and has gotten the most out of it.  He's had his #2 and #3 pitchers out (Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan - Marcum has returned), his starting second baseman (Aaron Hill) and his star Centerfielder out (Vernon Wells - returned last week).  Yet the team now sits 1 game behind the New York Yankees, who have much more talent than Toronto.  The award should go to either Joe Maddon of Tampa or Mike Scoscia of L.A., but the job Cito has done with this team has been outstanding. 

It should be noted that neither 1992 or 1993 World Series was a lock for Toronto and nobody should look at those years and think any less of the job Cito did.  He won 4 division titles in 5 years and the two years they did not get to the World Series (1989 and 1991) they may not have been the most talented team in the old AL East.  Cito should be remembered at the manager who was ahead of his team, and got the job done when several other managers who've had a lot of talent could not close the deal.  It is a constant reminder that no sport, let alone baseball, should ever pass over a proven winner and 2-time champion the way teams in Major League Baseball passed over Cito Gaston - especially being replaced by a con artist in Tim Johnson.

And I apologize for wanting him out as Manager in the first place.  I guess 15 year olds don't know better. 

The easy part about the Beijing Olympics is that if you live on the east coast you know the games are exactly 12 hours ahead in time.  That means the television is on live coverage of the Olympics as we speak and it sure beats the hell out of watching reruns of Melrose Place.  Although seeing a young Heather Locklear is great, the Olympics are more fresh.

I'd like to congratulate Canada on their fine showing thus far.  If we really are America's dandruff then someone toss us some Zest fully clean (not sure if you guys know Pert Plus so I used Zest instead).

Now on with the blog...

- A rare hockey spot to start; in my city the hockey fans are amped up over the possibility of Brian Burke becoming the GM of the franchise.  Known as a genius, Burke truly is not.  He has simply taken credit for teams he never put together and has portrayed the arrogance of a legend before he could build himself as a legend.  Though he finds the time to rip other General Managers in the league he simply hasn't understood that he's not as big as he thinks he is.  Toronto Maple Leaf fans will find that out quickly and will want him shipped out of town.  I'll save you guys the trouble by telling you to hold out for hope that they don't overpay for the gravy-training GM who's bark is much bigger than his bite.

- Don't buy into the new headline involving Brett Favre; this is all head games.  He probably feels tired after the first few days of practice but don't buy into "arm fatigue".  Last year he was throwin 90+ MPH bullets to his receivers.  This is just a way for people to doubt him going into the season, only for him to emerge a hero.  There is no arm fatigue, just head games with the rest of the league.  He's back, his arm is back and this is classic Brett Favre setting himself up to be the feel-good hero for mankind.

- I haven't yet seen the US Olympics team's basketball highlights from their last game against Angola but if they can't blow them out by 40 and if Dwight Howard is jawing with any Angola player then there is a problem.  Any game against Angola should be a friendly ####-kicking.  Canada's lack of medals thinks that is poor.

- What Michael Phelps is doing is nothing short of remarkable and if you are a sports history buff you may want to take notice and start watching his incredible display in the pool.

- If people think the New York Yankees need to pack it in I have news for you: Tampa Bay is reeling.  Losing Carl Crawford for the rest of the season is a killer.  Add Evan Longoria into the mix and you have 2 of their 3 best players out of the lineup.  The spread may say 8.5 games but bigger leads have been blown this late in the season.  Then again, Detroit is only 9.5 games out and they seem to have packed it in.

- Dear St. Louis Rams: Steven Jackson is your best player.  SIGN HIM.

- With all the condoms being distributed among the athletes you can bet that all the athletes you have found hot on TV is getting some. 

I can't top that last point so why try?  Let's call it a night...

 

If you are a big fan of the Olympics and you can't wait to watch the events that unfold over the next 2 weeks I commend you.  It seems every time the Olympics come around I become less interested.  It takes a bunch of millionaire basketball players to make me pay attention to basketball.  Meanwhile, athletes who've had to sacrifice themselves over years of training for this very day, who don't have luxury cars or houses or jacuzzi's, don't draw as much interest.  That seems unfair but that is reality.

Let's walk around the leagues...

- FINALLY!  Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers have parted ways.  Here are a few thoughts about that whole situation:

*The Green Bay Packers may have moved on, promised Aaron Rodgers a starting role and felt like they had to eliminate what could have been a cancer on the team, but if they were a QB choke-job away from winning the Super Bowl and Favre is the better quarterback why get rid of him for very little in return?  How badly did they want him out of Green Bay?

*By the time Rodgers is ready to lead, IF he's ever ready to leave, will the rest of the team still play at the level they were at last year?  Doubt it.  They will lose defensive players , guys will get hurt, running backs will break down and every team is a big injury or two away from a disastrous season.  Green Bay needed to take their shot this season.

*There is more that meets the eye with that situation.  What it is we may never know.  I just don't see teams giving up a 4000 yard passer with a 2-1 TD to INT ratio very much.  We know Favre is selfish and will put himself above the team whenever he can, but was he also taking too much control over the offense?  Did McCarthy only want Favre to throw 30 times instead of 40 per game and that ticked Favre off?  We won't know, but it had to be bigger than just a couple of mind changes and a little jerking around in order for the Packers to get rid of their beloved quarterback.

- Did Kobe Bryant really say he'd play in Italy for $50 million dollars?  Before I go there, did Kobe grow up wanting to be an NBA superstar and win championships?  We assumed so.  I just wouldn't expect the one player that people talk about as a cold-blooded assassin who should have the ball with 5 seconds left on the clock.  All this tells me is Kobe will play for the money.  And all this does is validate the argument I have made for nearly 3 years that Bryant isn't MJ, isn't as clutch as you think and now I have a brand new one: a money-over-winning player.  I'm sorry, making 50 million in Italy does nothing for the guy or this "legacy" that he's built.  If he had a shread of killer-instinct that people say he has he would have said "Hell no.  I play to win NBA championships".  Sorry Kobe fans, your boy isn't what you thought he was - then again we could have told you that 5 years ago when he was in Colorado.

- 3 reasons why Tampa Bay could hold off Boston and New York in the American League East: Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Carlos Pena.  None of the 3 keys to their offense has had a good year.  Crawford hovers around .300 every year and is barely over .270.  They NEED him to heat up because when he is hitting and running the bases well he's one of the most lethal weapons around.  Upton, who's power numbers have dropped, is hitting just above .260 and is slumping.  He's a guy who should be hitting .280 and they need him to carry the team for a week or so with a power surge.  Pena is a .260 guy at best.  He's under .240 and they need him to also have a power surge and somehow lift that average.  The Rays have not hit all that well this year and if their pitchers hit the wall in September, which could happen, they will need the hitting to step up. 

- The Florida Marlins may have wanted to send rookie sensation Mike Stanton to Boston for Manny Ramirez.  He is proving that he can carry teams offensively AND the NL East is as vulnerable as ever.

- Someone should tell Prince Fielder to chill out.  He can't take his anger out on teammatesespecially since we aren't sure if he's upset with them, himself, his dad or the fact that he hasn't seen his #### since high school.

- The waves must be too great in San Diego for him to refuse a deal to Boston.  Either that or Boston just want as many outfielders as they possibly can and Giles would rather start than have a shot at a ring.  It's probably a tougher decision than we think; start for a bad team, ride the bench for a serious contender.  I'd probably take the ring.

- The PGA Championship is this weekend? 

- 20 years ago today: Wayne Gretzkey was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.  Has it been THAT long since the biggest trade in hockey history took place?

That will do for this morning...

As we prepare for another Major Championship tomorrow, let's look at what we have presently...

- Greg Norman leading a major tournament is almost unheard of at his age and at this time period.  He has managed to stay atop the leaderboard despite the playing conditions and the fact that he will not out-drive people in this tournament.  Not in this day in age.  But let's remember who we are dealing with; a guy who's had a knack for urinating a championship on a Sunday.  How many major titles SHOULD Norman have?  The answer is more than what he already has.  I don't expect him to hold up tomorrow, but this does not mean he won't win.  He could shoot 75 tomorrow and still win the title because there is no Tiger Woods to test his mettle.  Nonetheless, tomorrow's tourney will be interesting.

Speaking of Woods, he must think he can win this Major without arms or legs.

- Are the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers going to change their names to Golden State Clippers and Los Angeles Warriors?  Seems like these two teams are swapping players left, right and center.  What's the deal with that?  And how strong does Utah look with Denver getting weaker?

- Maybe Michelle Wie should have paid more attention in math class if she is making errors on her scorecard.  That is just brutal.

- The Tampa Bay Rays have gotten back on track thanks to the scheduling of the Toronto Blue Jays.  I should have bet on this series.  Stupid me...

- The Los Angeles Angels are handling the Boston Red Sox and now I've heard a couple people talk about whether or not they are the team to beat in the American League. 

Look, I like the Angels.  I will always remember them for being the FIRST team to bully the New York Yankees over the last 15 years.  Arizona may have beaten them in 2001, but the Angels bullied them in 2002.  The Yankees would beat down teams the way the Angels beat them down in the ALDS that year.  The Angels have had a knack for beating the Yankees consistently over the year.  The problem is, Boston has owned them in the playoffs.

So looking at a couple of victories in July is nice, but that does not say that much.  Let's factor David Ortiz since he has punished Los Angeles over the years.  The Angels may own New York, but the Red Sox own Los Angeles until we are proven otherwise.  I will say, however, that the Angels may be the best team to beat Boston in a best of 7 series.  Let's hope they avoid eachother in round 1.

- As of right now, I bet Green Bay is wondering if they should have let Brett Favre walk a couple years ago just so that Aaron Rodgers would be absolutely ready to take the 2008 Packers team to the promise land.  Maybe, maybe not.  But right now this team has received so much publicity over this that I would not be surprised if Green Bay lays an egg this year.  Favre has always craved attention and he's gotten that much.  But not all of this is his fault.  Although if he had stayed retired there would be no gun to the head of the Packers organization. 

- Whenever I watch Ken Rosenthal on Saturday Fox baseball games, I think of how much better he is over Keith Olbertool.  WAY better.  Sideline reporting can be pretty lame at times but Rosenthal's good.  The only memorable thing the previous #### bag ever had was when Chuck Knoblauch hit his mother with a throw.

I know I know, you guys are going to come in and talk about how great "The Big Show" was.  We'll see how bad it is when NBC tries to revive it for Sunday Night Football.  They will be nothing more than just half-wits and you can book that.

...Are you guys sure you don't want any hockey news?  Never mind.  Have a super Sunday.

When you are a franchise that finds out your starting quarterback is retiring - after nearly reaching the Super Bowl - you tend to be disappointed with the decision, but because you have a job to do you can't be stuck in the past and you have to look toward the future.

The Green Bay Packers were forced to do so when Brett Favre announced his retirement earlier this year. So when I see a headline like this:

Favre: I don't feel welcome in Green Bay

I don't feel bad for Brett. The organization believed the face of their franchise was through with football. Regardless of how selfish or classless Favre has been, Green Bay knew that losing Brett at that time was a liability. Why? Because they wanted to win a Super Bowl and they were so close this past season. Now they have to do it with basically a rookie quarterback. So be it. That is football. That is the way it goes. And now Favre says he wants to come back? The franchise was forced to move forward because YOU moved forward. Now you expect them to take a step back for you? What kind of self-service, me-first athlete are you?

You have put this organization in one hell of a rough spot simply because you've never truly cared for anyone except yourself. Go play for Minnesota or whomever, choke in the playoffs as you normally do on cue and keep padding the career stats so that you make Peyton Manning work harder to blow your records away. And maybe this year you can sincerely congratulate a running back who scores a touchdown that you felt should have been a pass.

- What did anyone expect from Alex Rodriguez? Did you expect him to be a faithful, loving husband? Did you expect him to show class on the ballfield? Did you expect him to come through in the clutch? Did you even expect him to participate in the home run derby? If you said yes to any of these then you should probably take a break from sports and take some time off for personal reasons. It would be out of A-Rod's nature to do the right thing. I bet a long time ago he was a nice kid, did right by everyone and was a tough kid. Then somewhere down the line things changed; he stopped showing guts, he continue to plow through women despite being married and his insecurities caught up to him ON the field as well as off it. The more homers he hits the less impressed we are with him. He just cruised past Yankee legend Mickey Mantle and I could care less about it. Seriously, whatever is making you play without a Richard isn't worth all of this Stray-Rod, so move forward.

- Within 3 years the Washington Wizards will live to regret the Gilbert Arenas signing. First, will he stay healthy. Second, will he ever touch the production he had 2 or 3 years ago before he had the injury? Last, who the hell thought he was worth 111 million for 6 at his very best? Is he even a top 5 guard in the NBA? No way. He isn't a Deron Williams or Chris Paul-type of player, but he's more like an Allen Iverson - and he isn't even Allen Iverson. He may not even be Baron Davis. What a horrible move by Washington. This is a move backward.

- Sticking with basketball, Phil Jackson must think he can coach the cancerous Ron Artest, otherwise there would be little interest. Considering that Phil did win a ring with Dennis Rodman (3 rings) and Isiah Rider, he may be the guy to keep him in line. However, Artest will be asked to do more than what Rodman and Rider were asked to do on the court. And if Kobe doesn't get in Artest's face because Ron is "his boy", then Kobe is softer than you all realize. MJ would never allow a teammate to skate on stupidity. Who knows where the Lakers would move?

- I haven't watched a single minute of Golf since the U.S. Open. In fact I've watched more LPGA than PGA since Tiger announced he was going to the 60-day DL. I have moved forward to next year.

- Over to the NHL...naw, I won't do that to you. Not today.

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