I'm not going to cry about why i'm leaving, or even give much of a reason why, beyond not having much time or energy to devote to it, and maybe the biggest reason, fox having so many tech issues.

on that note, i'd like to ask fox to at least allow me to look at my archived posts, so i can print off some of them.  i suppose i could search by category, but i already tried that, and after 23 pages of "CSIN" (which, by the way, is short for "Cuziffer Sports Inter Network"), i found 3 of the posts i wanted.  i know there are more, but i simply dont have the time or patience to search by category, not to mention some of the categories i used to use when i first started are no longer around, either because i decided not to use them anymore, or you decided they were somehow offensive.

i know this is probably too much to ask, but i thought i'd throw it out there anyway.

oh, and 1 more thing...i know you're busy and all, making sure nobody uses any non-PC words, but do you think you could rid the site of all those annoying people who keep advertising their "dating" websites?  yeah, i know, why should i care if i'm leaving, right?  well, there are alot of other people on this site who are fed up with them too.  if you had a clue, you'd realize these clowns are chasing away the people who made/make this site enjoyable.  are you seeing the connection here yet?

meh, nevermind.  just please fix it so i can get to my archives, and i'll leave you busy, overworked, underpaid people alone.

thanks!

NCAA Nat'l Champs

I picked Memphis.  At least they got to the title game.  Came in 138,746th (or something like that) in the foxsports.com bracket challenge.  Pretty bad for having 43 picks right, especially since I don't spend every waking moment breaking down game film of North Central Kentucky State Tech to see if they're good for an upset.

Congrats to Kansas.

NFL Draft

Less than a month away, and still no clue who the #1 is, or should be.  Part of this is because Miami has roughly 48 roster spots that could use immediate improvement.

I really dislike Bill Parcells, but if he can pull off a rebuild of this team, I'll have no choice but to give him credit (it will still hurt tremendously, but I'll do it).

New Minimum Age for NBA Draft

I like it.  I was all for a 2 year wait (at least) after high school all along. 

The big debate all along seems to be that, since these "kids" are 18, and thus "adults" by legal definition, it is their right to earn a living in the NBA.  No, it's not.  As a few have already mentioned (Lisa for example), businesses and business owners each have their own personal rules regarding their hiring practices.  If the NBA (THE employer and parent business owner) and the team owners are in favor of a longer wait before "hiring" these youngsters, more power to them.

As for the mess with these kids going to college for a brief amount of time, when they obviously have little to no interest in getting an education...Well, I say if they don't want to "waste" their precious youth playing for nothing (which is another debate, since they all get scholarships...for an education...to play ball), then they can go play in Europe.

One rebuttal to this stance is that the kids won't get the exposure by NBA scouts and will get drafted lower than they should when they become eligible.

What I'd like to know is....Are you serious?  Yao Ming was drafted #1 overall several years back, and he played in China.  Yi (whatever his last name is, or how you spell it) was drafted 6th just last year, and the team that took him (thanks Herb, by the way...sarcastically) seen almost nothing of him prior to selecting him.

Trust me, if these kids go to Europe out of high school with the hype current kids are getting, teams will remember to send a scout over to watch them.  Teams are already sending scouts over to find the next great Euro-born player anyway.  I think they'll be ok, and they'll make a little money to support their families in the process.

NBA MVP

We're back to debating that Kevin Garnett should get it.  Maybe he's worthy, maybe not.  I really don't know as I rarely watch the NBA anymore.  What I don't understand is, why is he more worthy than Chris Paul (I sure am arguing in favor of him alot, aren't I?)?

Garnett plays on the best team in the league, hands down.  That's all fine and dandy, but he's also playing with 2 other NBA superstars in Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.  Who is Chris Paul playing with again?  Oh yeah, career underachiever Tyson Chandler and David West (who I really like by the way).

Paul is putting up ridiculous numbers.  But when he plays poorly, the Hornets tend to lose.  Garnett has missed a few games (from what I remember anyway) and the C's seemed to do just fine while he was out.

Garnett is easily the MVP of that team, and the Eastern Conference.  Heck, just his ability to motivate Allen and Pierce into workout fiends gets him this award.  But of the entire league?

My vote is still with Paul.  (Sorry Kobe and Lebron lovers....really, I am)

More Predictions

The NCAA tourney is barely over....Kansas is far from done celebrating, and North Carolina, UCLA and Memphis are far from done being disappointed in coming up short.  Yet somehow, early early early predictions on next season's top 25 are coming out like quarters from a change machine.

I guarantee you half the teams anybody (and that means "experts" and schmendrick bloggers alike) puts on their lists won't finish within 5 spots of where you have them now.  at least half a dozen won't even be in the top 25, and 3 won't make the field of 65 (or however many it is by next season).

Are sportswriters this sport-specific that they can only write about ONE sport now?  And if so, is there absolutely nothing else to write about already...just 2 days after the tourney ended?

But since this is what sportswriters do anymore (make stupid, early predictions, speculate, create news that isn't there, etc...), let me throw in a few early NCAA basketball predictions for next year.  Mine might be more accurate.

Duke will fall early (*too early, according to the experts) in the tourney.

Bill Self will get back to the Sweet 16....as coach of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Billy Packer, Ricky Vitale, and Jay Bilas will continue to annoy everyone within earshot.

Brent Musberger still won't be able to pronounce Wisconsin correctly.

Erin Andrews will still look hot, but be absolutely useless in trying to give me any useful basketball information.

Somebody who has no business at all even being in the tournament will make the Sweet 16.

The debate will rage on regarding expanding the field to 257 (we'll still need a play-in game no doubt).

Bo Ryan's team will over-achieve.

The Big Ten will be down...again (even though 1 "expert" has both Michigan State and Purdue in his top ten...but what do you expect?  MSU still has Izzy McIzzo, and Purdue was the feel good story of the year with all their freshmen).

Kelvin Sampson will get another job he doesn't deserve.

Eddie Sutton's favorite former player, Doug Gotlieb, will quit ESPN to devote his life to defending Sutton's alcoholism and subsequent bad decision making.

questions

what if the nba, nfl and mlb all awarded points to teams based on number of minutes led, or how many times they led after a quarter ended (sort of like racing does w/laps led, and hockey does with...w/e the heck they do)?

where is the next great duke product, j.j. redick?

or how about the latest next great duke product, josh mcroberts?

are they hiding with waldo?

why does it seem like every nfl team traded 1 of their best defensive linemen (DT especially) this offseason?

does it surprise ANYONE that the raiders traded for deangelo hall, and then gave him the keys to the franchise with a mega-contract?

does it surprise anyone that they also signed javon walker to a 6 year, $55 million deal, after coming off 2 MORE knee surgeries and missing 8 games last season?

what are the odds, after losing randal gya and asante samuel, that troy brown will be starting at CB for the pats next year?

the mlb season is about to begin....which team is going to be their version of the patriots, whom all their "fans" believe is destined to win the world series, only to a) bomb in the regular season, b) tank in the 1st round of the playoffs, or c) steam roll their way to the WS, only to get beat by a sub-par (or shall we just say NL...?) team?

does your bracket look as bad as mine?

where are the florida fans?  wait, i'm guessing they're rebuilding, along with the program.

hey, did jeff green, former g-town standout, go pro?  i swear he did, but i cant say i've heard a word about him.

does anyone think michael beasly, k-state freshman phenom, will return for his sophomore season?

predictions

next season, there will be a new nba team, consisting of patrick ewing, dikembe motumbo, alonzo mourning, roy hibbert....and earl boykins.

to solve their QB dillema, the bears will coax jim mcmahon out of retirement.

milwaukee bucks owner herb kohl will convince his new GM (larry harris couldnt wait to get out, as kohl wouldnt let him do....his JOB) to draft some lithuanian project, because he sees a boat load of money from merchandise sales.

heather mills will be forced to ride in the luggage compartment, as the $48.6 mil she got from paul mccartney just isnt enough to live on.

the ncaa tournament will expand from 64...err, i mean 65....to 96, giving the top 32 teams a 1st round bye, and the 97th team will whine incessently about how they should have gotten in.

the nba will scrap its current playoff format, and allow every team into the postseason, in an effort to extend the season as long as the nhl does.  1st round series will last 3 games, and teams will be re-seeded after each round.

tiger woods will begin playing tournaments blindfolded, and still win.  honestly, i'm questioning whether this guy is really that good, or if everyone else just believes if they're ahead after 3 rounds, they win.

barry bonds will sign a minor league contract w/the pirates, and even though both knees are shot, will be allowed to bat sitting in a wheel chair, still manage to hit the ball out of the park, and run over at least 1 opposing infielder and an umpire on his way around the bases.

john kruk, even with the pirates 23 games back on may 15th, will predict they take over 1st place by the 1st of june.

duke will lose early in the ncaa tourney  (oops...they already did).

the cubs will win the world series (ok, seriously, i have to stop this now).

Brett Favre

Ok, so he finally retired!  I really thought I'd be happy this day has finally come, but deep down I guess I knew it would only lead to 7 years of fans and media falling all over themselves worshiping him.

I really didn't think he would retire after coming so close to the super bowl last year, but it's starting to look like he basically told management "get me Randy Moss or I don't want to play anymore."

This rumor has Packer fans wanting to kill Ted Thompson, calling him selfish and claiming he's been trying to force Favre into retirement since he got the GM job.

I don't get it.  Why is it ok for Favre to be selfish and make demands on who the TEAM should sign for HIS benefit, but it's not ok for the GENERAL MANAGER to decide who or what is best for the team?

Nobody appreciates what Favre did in his time here more than I do.  The difference between myself and so many others, is that I also recognize and admit his mistakes.

I don't defend him for ill-advised passes into double coverage by saying he "feels like he needs to win on his own because he doesn't have enough talent around him."

I don't defend him for throwing a lob pass on a 15 yard out route when it gets intercepted and eventually leads to the game-winning score for the opponent.

And I certainly will NOT defend him for being selfish and telling management who they need to sign to make him want to return for his 8th annual pre-retirement tour.

Clemens, Bonds, etc.

So, politicians are now trying to talk the FBI out of investigating Clemens because they have more important things to worry about.

I couldn't agree more.  But, before you go accusing me of being racist (since I wrote several bits about what a pig Bonds was/is), here's my solution:

Throw them both out of baseball for good, make them both ineligible for the Hall Of Fame, and then and only then drop any investigations currently underway, or planned for the future (regarding the steroids, etc.  obviously, if one of them goes postal and whacks somebody, they're fair game).

You're darn tootin' the FBI has more important things to worry about.  Like, how about they work on the illegal immigration, the drug trafficking, or gang activity?

I don't believe for a second they don't have the manpower or time to get something done on these issues.  I just believe there's too much red tape.

Oh, and as far as Clemens, Bonds, or anyone else lying under oath....We know they did, as have a million other criminals (and some who weren't...until, of course, they lied under oath).  Instead of investigating anything beyond the lying under oath, why not just set a minimum fine of say....30% of their previous year's income (for anyone who lies under oath, not just rich baseball players).  Maybe that would deter people from fibbing in court.

Back to Favre....

There are some happy people in the world of football these days.  Vikings, Bears and Lions fans are all celebrating like crazy.  Somehow, the Viking and Bear fans believe their respective team is now in the driver's seat to win the NFC North this coming season just because Favre has decided to call it a career.

Why?  Well, isn't it obvious?  Green Bay now has an unproven QB stepping in, while the Bears have.....Rex Grossman, and the Vikings have....Tarvaris Jackson.

How fans of either of these teams can brag up those 2 guys is beyond me.  The Bears reached the super bowl last year in spite of Grossman, and the only reason Jackson has "led" the Vikings to any victories last year was some dude they call "All Day".

Best of luck Bears and Vikings and Lions.  We may have an unproven QB, but the Bears and Vikings have QB's who have only proven they can't get the job done.  While in Detroit, the only thing that has been proven is that Matt Millen is a complete ####.

I think I'll take my chances with the unproven Aaron Rodgers, and a GM who is not afraid to keep his checkbook in his pocket during the free agent frenzy, and instead build a team through the draft (I think it's worked out pretty well so far, don't you?).

Wisconsin Badgers:  Big Ten Champs!

The men's basketball team clinched at least a share of the regular season crown last night.  Not too shabby for a team almost everyone thought would finish in the middle of the pack this year after losing Alando Tucker and Kammron Taylor (approx. 33 PPG off last year's squad).

No superstars.  No prime time players.  No diaper dandies.  Just a solid bunch of kids who know how to play hard, play smart, and play together.  And it doesn't hurt to have a coach who knows how to get the most out of his team.

Kelvin Sampson

How sad is it that you can't even fire someone for breaking the rules, not just of his direct employer, but also of the governing body that polices said employer?

I'm far from feeling sorry for Indiana University.  They should have seen this coming.  Sampson didn't make 1 or 2 bad judgement calls (pun intended) while at Oklahoma.  He made over 500 if I remember correctly.

What on Earth made the PTB's at Indiana think he'd straighten out is beyond me.

However, they couldn't just fire him, they had to buy him out so he would agree not to file a lawsuit for wrongful termination.  $750,000 AFTER breaking NCAA recruiting violations not for the 2nd time, but after being given a 2nd chance at a well-respected University (which is saying something considering who coached their BB team for so many years before he and Mike Davis got there).

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what I can do at my place of employment where I can get a sweet termination/severence package like that.  Considering I make about $35-40K a year, I'd even settle for $7,500.

The Big NBA Trades (kinda, sorta...re-visited)

Shaq has played 2 games (that I know of) as a member of the Phoenix Suns.  He has looked somewhat respectable, but nothing like the Shaq we all used to know.

Jason Kidd has played 2 games with the Dallas Mavericks.  He looked awful in his first game going up against Chris Paul, then put up 15 assists (and 2 points) against....Memphis.

One writer here on Foxsports.com believes it's too early to conclude much about Shaq, while another one is handing out praise to Kidd like he invented the wheel, sliced bread, AND came up with the theory of relativity.

Let me make this perfectly clear.  It's too early to make a solid determination on either of them.

What I find hilarious though, is the fact that Chris Paul put up 30+ and 14 dimes in Kidd's first game w/Dallas, but that doesn't even seem to matter.  Yet, when Kidd dishes out 15 assists against the mighty Grizzlies, we are to believe this trade is already paying major dividends?

Sorry, but I'm not buying it.  Not yet.

NFL Draft

Matt Ryan is a stud.

Wait, maybe he's not.

Glenn Dorsey is the no-brainer top overall pick.

Wait, maybe he's not.

The Dolphins are definitely going to trade out of the #1 pick.

Wait, maybe they're not.

I like glancing at the mock drafts as much as anyone, but in a lot of ways it's quite useless at least until some of the free agents have landed with new teams.

The only guarantee with the draft is that half the teams will take someone other than who all the experts expect them to pick, at which point said experts will give you 37 reasons why a) those teams picked the wrong guy, and b) they really knew all along that was going to happen, all because 1 team in the top 12 picks messed up beyond belief and "reached" for a mid-2nd round talent.

Roger Clemens "Misremembered"

I admit, I'm not really following the story real close.  I just don't have it in me to care anymore.

For starters, he's retired (if not by choice, then because of the scandal).  Second, I know enough already to draw my own opinion on the subject.

Here's what I think about this party he supposedly went to at Jose (I never played with anyone who didn't juice) Canseco's house (or wherever it was).

He said he wasn't there.  Now, there's video evidence that he was?  (Not that I find it creepy or anything, but how do they always come up with video evidence to dis-prove stuff like this?)

Anyway, my point is.....this alleged party appearance was....(counting back in time) approximately 9 years ago.

I'm not saying he's lying or anything, but if you attended a party 9 years ago, would you automatically remember it?  I guess what I'm saying is, if there was ever a situation where you could forget (or, misremember) something, this might be it.  Of course, I'm assuming that Mr. Clemens attended more than a few parties back in the day.  If this was the only party he attended since 1988, then he probably should have recalled being there.

_______________

That's my 2 cents worth.