In the last couple of week there has been alot of speculation about position movement of some our best known MLBers. Soriano and Jeter to the outfield. Nomar to first, etc.... That got me to thinkin, if I was playing pickup and all I had were outfielders, who would play the hot corner for me? And naturally that led to the question, if I only had infielders, who would be the best at tracking line shots into the gap?  Lets see if we agree.

Outfield-infield

1st Base- Barry Bonds. At age 41 doesnt have that 40/40 mobility he used to have, so this spot that doesnt require him to make to many diving stops and great deal of exertion is ideal. Plus a lefty, extra stretch on long throw from 3rd. They hid McGwire there for years. Backup-Torri Hunter- who better if the throw is high?

2nd Base-Andruw Jones. Great range moving to his right, sure fielder who doesnt dribble the ball getting it out of his glove. Perfect DP guy. Backup-Craig Biggio. I know it's a cheap one but who better?

3rd Base- This one was tough, I had 2 players in mind. I chose Griffey Jr,  lefty, great arm, moves well to left, good field presence, not that he's a better choice for this spot than the other guy, but because the other guy is a natural for the spot he's up for.Backup- Jim Edmonds. If a blooper is hit to shallow field, you know he's the guy.

SS Ichiro Suzuki- Cat quick, covers ground, could probably get to anything hit in the hole. Underrated fielder. Backup- Coco Crisp

Catcher- Vlad Guererro. Would you try to steal on that arm?  Also a potential 3rd baseman.

Infield-outfield

Soriano and Jeter are obvious choices, here are some of mine.

Left field-Adrian Beltre. Great glove, great arm, instincts good enough to judge line drives and popups. Backup-Chone Figgins

Center- Khailil Greene. Besides his speed going forward and solid glove, I love the fact of a white guy being named Khailil. His folks are the coolest. Backup-David Eckstein

Right Field- Derek Lee. Tall, long, good arm and range. Balls hit deep to right he can climb the fences to bring them back in. Backup-Nomar Garciaparra

Give me your line ups.

I have been continuously overwhelmed in the last year at how atheletes are treated. I don't say this in support or contempt, or maybe I say it in both. I have witnessed the vilification of hip-hop because some of the hip-hop generation act inappropriately. We have had to explain to our children and nephews and nieces why that man jumped up and started hitting the people in the stands, why that man is doing sit ups in the drive way and why are they taking pictures of him? Now, after years of extoling the virtures of our justice system, we are  forced to explain how it fails.

In the wake of the BALCO debacle in which a great number of our "role models" were torn asunder by information that they in fact cheated by using performance inhancing drugs, a time where the highest reaches of our government got involved in, not securing the safe return of our servicemen and women, not reversing an imploding economy, but ridding baseball of cheaters to preserve the rich history of the sport. Those action by congress and MLB had a ripple effect across the world of sports. You couldn't be great, strive to shatter records or even win convincingly with being accused of doping. Lance Armstrong felt it, so did the NFL. Track and Field which has always been the litmus test of drug testing has now taken it to before unheard of levels.

Tim Montgomery and Christie Gaines two very accomplished American sprinters, Montgomery being the current (now former) world record holder in the 100 meters, were suspended recently by the governing bodies of track and field ( IAAF)  for 2 years and are seeking a return of up to 1mil of prize money from Montgomery. This is a very fitting punishment for a crime and I applaud the IAAF for taking a stand against the wave of dishonesty that is prevalent in this particular sport. I would applaud if this wasn't completely and utterly wrong. Here's the kicker. THERE HAVE BEEN NO POSITIVE TESTS BY EITHER OF THEM. Yet they have been suspended from competiton, which is their livelyhood, stripped of PAST accomplishments and disgraced to the world, and never once convicted of a cheating. Victor Conte is and unsavory character, granted, but association with a person does not make you guilty. Does that homeboy of yours that smokes weed make you a smoker? Or your friend that steals office supplies? What does it say about the world when we can do this to anyone and condone it? Yes, the first letter in the IAAF is international, and may not be subject to the same due process as the US justice system, but if that is true then the chance of a truly exceptional athlete rising is dead. They would forever be dogged by speculation of cheating and if Montgomery and Gaines are punished without proof they are guilty, we have murdered the drive for excellence. The IAAF is using this to further an agenda, rather right or wrong the profile of the individuals involved will only heighten the attention to it. Exonnerated or not these 2 people are guilty. There is not one person in the public that wont look at them that way. So even if they win, they lose.

I have tried to teach those younger than me, that if you are honest and truly innocent, that if you are ever placed in a court to be judged ,that justice will prevail. In the most part thats true. Now I have to teach them about another court, one that you always lose in. The Court of Public Opinion.

Bear with me as I argue the facts from this statement. First of all I was destined to be a Cowboys fan. The birthmark on my backside is a "STAR", so I really had no say so in who I chose as my team. Ok back to the story (please stop thinking about my butt and listen).

Dallas is currently 8-5 and lead the wild card race. They could be 13-0 and have clinched throughout the playoffs, IF the had a Mike Vanderjact, Jason Elam, or an Adam Veniteri.

1st loss. To the hated Redskins. much is made of the two long td passes in the 4th quarter, and while that should have never happened it was Jose Cortes's miss of a 41yrder in the third quarter that would have put the Boys up buy 16 and rendered those passes irrelevant.

2.Seahawks- Once again a missed chip shot by Cortes in regulation forced the Dallas offense to try to drive for a game winning field gaol only to have Drew's pass picked and run back to set up Seattle's Reliable kicker Josh Brown to convert. Cortes was later cut.

3.Denver- On ThanksGiving day the Broncos were thankful for Bill Cundiff. After missing a 29 yrd gimmie that would have sealed the game instead of allowing gordito Ron Dayne to resurrect his career by having that huge run in OT that set up Reliable kicker Jason Elams game winner.

Ok so maybe they wouldnt be the Colts, but all their losses have be by a TD or less and they been in games with the NFL's best. With a few more seconds against the Raiders and a couple of breaks against the Giants, they would be undefeated.  Marinate on that for a few minutes.

While watching the Duke/Texas game this weekend I was literally dumbfounded ( before you say ,that is not that difficult to do) at the play of senior shooting guard JJ Redick. Off one screen, around another pick, he sliced, he diced, he even cut metal cans. Nine 3's and 41 points later he and his Duke team had dispatched the number two team in the nation ( by 31) and hushed critics that said they could be had. Even with a performance that great I couldnt help but see Redick, five years from now sitting next to coach K along side Collins, Wojo, and every other failed Duke guard. And why hasn't K gotten Trajan Langdon and Will Avery asst. jobs?  Was this the greatest performance by a player you knew was going to bust in the pros? Maybe, but there are others. Here are some that stand out.

1. Ed O'Bannon- His national championship performance was the stuff of legend. 30 points 16 rebounds in leading the Bruins over Arkansas should have translated into NBA gold, but his poor on the ball defense and lack of a mid range game just meant it was gold plating. Still taken in the lottery by the Nets (9th).

2. Cade McNown- 1997 Mcown threw for 297 yrds and five td's while completing 80% of his passes in a 66-10 rout of Houston. But McNowns weak arm and weaker attitude had him out of football in less time than it takes to go to Geico.com.

3. Shawn Respert- Everybody's All American.  Career average of 21.4 ppg, led the Spartans in scoring 3 years after redshirting. But after being drafted 8th by the Blazers and traded to Bucks his, "never met a shot I didn't like" game shot him out of the league in 6 seasons.

4. JJ Stokes- Wait, is that 3 UCLA players? Ok I am just going to say the whole PAC-10. They gave us Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, Miles Simon, Toby Bailey, does it ever end?!  Matt Leinart please dont read this blog.

Honorable mention: Adam Morrison

Let me know of some more great performances by players you knew were going to bust.

Now when I suggest this to people, I am greeted with a mixture of responses. They range from puzzled to utter amazement at how anyone outside Cleveland and Salt Lake City could hate His Airness. I mean even the Knicks fans love him. Trust me, I have not come to this conclusion easily so please indulge me as I seek to prove my case. So here are my reasons and indesputable proof that David Stern hates Michael Jordan.

1. The league has never recovered from any of MJ's retirements. Ratings for the NBA have been down since his final retirement in 2001. With last years Finals rating worse than episodes of "Joey".

2. You can't find the "next Michael Jordan" if the first one won't go away. Jordan's many  comebacks just remind the fans how underwhelming the current crop of wannabes are. MJ is like that hot chick that you dated in high school, the one that dumped you when she got bored, but came back because she knew you where going to be waiting. The one that made everbody look at you, and pay attention. The one that you would love to tell to beat it but she was just so sexy you had to take her back, wait, i'm not sure i'm still talking about the NBA. ( Mike averaged 20 ppg at 40 years old).

3. David Stern hasnt tried to get Mike back in the league since his departure from the Wizards. Usher and Nelly own part of NBA teams but not the greatest player ever? Nelly cant make good music and neither can make a good movie but they are supposed to help build a great basketball franchise, yeah right..... at least they'll have great halftime shows.

4. David Stern is getting back at the players today because of MJ. Upon Mike's arrival in the league he refused to wear the league approved speedo and opted for a longer short. This has reverbed for years and has resulted in players playing in gouchos and capris. Now Stern has to fine them in order to get them in shorts again.

5.Jordan's legacy is too much to live up to. Jordan was the total package; great teammate, didn't miss games, charismatic and obviously a great player. Because of this the current leagues annointed are struggling. Kobe, great player, doesnt miss games, charismatic, but he doesnt like for the ground to touch the ball. T Mac, great player, but looks like he needs No Doze during interviews and his back is bad from carrying two franchises. Vince Carter, great player, charismatic,but missed 20 games because his feelings were hurt. Lebron, great player, great teammate, but looks like he played catcher without a mask and his interviews are like watching gray paint dry.

These are my top 5 reasons.While i'm usally in the minority I can't be alone in noticing this, chime in with your reasons.