• The guy who allegedly injected him will not testify/admit that he injected him, or told Bonds what he was injecting him with
  
• His former girlfriend may testify that he knew what he was taking. Former prosecutors said that Bell could face credibility issues and be portrayed as a scorned lover with financial problems. There may be evidence that she asked for money to keep from going public with information
  
• His doctor has been subpoenaed, but it is unknown what he has to say
• Most physical evidence in this case is useless, since it doesn't matter whether he used or not. Only whether he knew what he was taking

• The guy who allegedly injected him admits that he injected him with both steroids and HGH
  
• Pettitte and Knoblauch admit that McNamee is telling the truth about everything concerning their use of HGH/steroids
  
• The feds have physical evidence that allegedly include syringes with the drugs and Clemens' DNA
  
• Andy Pettitte (one of Roger's closest friends) claims that Clemens admitted to him that he took HGH
• Clemens claims that Pettitte "misremembers" the HGH conversation and that they were really talking about his wife taking it. This conversation took place in 1999 or 2000 according to Pettitte. Debbie Clemens took the HGH in 2003. (Caught in a lie)
• Clemens claimed that he was unaware that he would appear in the Mitchell Report until it was released. Later, he admitted that he knew several days before it was released. McNamee had contacted his people to warn Roger. Roger's people recorded the conversation and played it for Clemens a few days before the report's release. (Caught in a lie)
• Clemens claimed to never be at the Canseco party. He was certain of it and testified as such. He may have tampered with a witness to support his claim. But now it is reported that there is photographic evidence (along with McNamee's testimony) that Clemens was indeed there. (Caught in a lie)
  

• Hall of Fame coach? Check.

• All-star Dwyane Wade? Check.

• Mediocre supporting cast? Check.

• The Diesel? Nope. At least not the Diesel we know and love.

The casting agency that was employed by "Dancing With the Stars" must not have done their research. If they had, this video would have disqualified Mark Cuban from casting (see below). Or maybe they saw the video after all, and thought they would cast him as a joke. Kinda like how "American Idol" gets such good ratings when they air the tryouts with the tone-deaf people.

Aside from the fact that his dancing ability is suspect (being kind), isn't there a better reason for him to not be on this show? This is a guy that loves camera time and loves to run his mouth. He seems to crave the spotlight that his players always have. This "stunt" may just alienate his players even more by taking the attention off of them and placing it squarely on his grizzly mug. If you don't recall, last year the Mavs players had to sit Cuban down and scold him like a 4 year-old for his court-side antics. His dancing gig will probably cause more cameras to be focused on him this season, and less cameras focused on Dirk's jump shots.

Of course, this stunt could be a source of some much needed levity in the locker room and let the team relax and play better this year. But the regular season isn't a problem for the Mavericks. Maybe Cuban should see if they can delay the show a few months until playoff time?

And my last comment...will Mark Cuban follow the pattern and lose in the first round? Someone let me know since I won't be watching.

It has begun.

The sports world is beginning to understand why San Francisco Giant fans have stood behind their man for so long. They are realizing why Barry Bonds is revered and loved, despite extreme scrutiny of his milestones. You may ask, why are sports fans empathizing now? I'll tell you. It's because they are seeing their own teams/players/idols in the same boat as Bonds, and they don't think it's a big deal.

• Case in point, Rick Ankiel. Rick came up to the big leagues, reinvented as a power hitter. How'd he do? Awesome. It seemed like he was hitting a home run every other at-bat. It was a great story. Then it came out that he used HGH. Ouch. This story didn't have a happy ending. However, in St Louis, he is still cheered and revered. Cardinal fans now can empathize with San Francisco Giants fans.

• Case in point, the New England Patriots. Super Bowl champs thrice. Dominant team nearly every year. Golden boy quarterback. Best coach in the NFL. Classy organization. And now...cheaters. These weren't just allegations of cheating, as we've seen with Roger Clemens. This was a situation where the organization has admitted to wrongdoing and accepted their punishment for the offense. And yet, Belichick is praised and loved after the fact. After seeing proof that their team cheated in order to gain a competitive advantage, excuses abound in the northeast:

            "Come on, how much does it really help them anyway?"

            "They are a great team without it!"

            Sound familiar? It's the Bonds defense. Pats fans, you now empathize.

• Case in point, Lance Armstrong. Evidence concerning his drug use is readily available to anyone willing to google it. Not just speculation here and there, but lots of evidence. But the American public chooses to put their fingers in their ears, close their eyes, and chant "La-la-la-la-la". This guy was/is an All-American hero. If a video was released on youtube showing Armstrong shooting up 10 years ago, people would not care. They would see past it and love the guy regardless, as they do now. America, you can now empathize with San Francisco Giants fans.

• Case in point, Shawne Merriman. Star linebacker for the San Diego Chargers. Famous for his "lights-out" celebration and busted for using the juice. Lost 4 games last year to suspension. Came back after the suspension and was still a fan favorite. He even got elected to the pro-bowl after being caught cheating. Charger fans, you empathize, don't you?
  

These were just a few examples of how America is learning to condone, ignore, or disregard cheating. There are many more, and will be many more in the future. The point I'm trying to make is that people will preach about ethics and morality until it is their player...or their team...or their idol that is guilty of cheating or accused of cheating. And at that time, everything will change and they will begin to rationalize why there is nothing wrong with it, or why it is not a big deal.

This is getting ridiculous. 

Week 1 of the NFL season will be wrapping up Monday night and we have already seen more injuries than I can count. During the Sunday night game we saw Brandon Jacobs and Osi Umenyiora go down. Eli Manning had to leave the game too. The Cowboys lost their nose tackle, maybe for the season. The Buffalo Bills lost several key defensive players today, and a tight end that may be paralyzed for life.

Mike Brown, Al Harris, Cadillac Williams, Orlando Pace, Chester Taylor, and Chad Pennington have all been hurt. I won't mention the rest of the star players that left their games hobbling, later returned, but will still show up on the injury reports next week. Is it just me or are the frequency and severity of injuries in the NFL gone through the roof? I understand that it is a rough sport and injuries are part of the game, but to what extent can we let that continue? At this rate, by week 8, we'll be watching games on Sunday and not recognizing half of the players on the field! It will seem like we are watching a game with replacement players during a strike season.

Can anything be done to curb the frequency and severity of injuries in the NFL or do we just need to continue to pray that our star players get back up after every tackle? Are players getting too fast and too strong? Are performance enhancing drugs making players more dangerous and possibly more fragile at the same time? It seems as though there is an injury timeout nearly every other play during an NFL game. Run a play...care for the wounded...run another play...care for the wounded...Are we playing football or fighting a war here?

 Absolutely ridiculous.

Everyone knows how David Stern takes care to choose his words very carefully. As a lawyer, he knows exactly how to say things to keep himself out of trouble, or how to convey his stance on issues without revealing too much.

If you watched the press-conference today or read a summary of his statements, you heard how he described the situation involving referee Tim Donaghy. Analyzing these statements carefully brought me to some conclusions as to how this investigation will be heading. Stern's take was that Donaghy is believed to have bet on games, perhaps ones that he himself officiated. And they also believe that he provided information to people about the games. That is what Stern said.

Think about that. "Provided information". I take this to mean that the ref knew beforehand whether he was going to call the games tightly or loosely, lots of fouls or fewer fouls, etc. If you are familiar with sports wagering and the fixing of games, you will know that it can be hard to help a particular team win without it looking too obvious. That is why when the fix is in, it is more common for the over/under lines to be bet. Both teams seem to be treated equally, but the game is just called in a different way. Sometimes you'll hear the announcers say, "Looks like they're letting 'em play tonight". That means you'll see tough defense, with lots of missed shots and few fouls called.

Taking this into account, I believe that we will come to find out that Donaghy tipped people off as to whether they should bet the over or the under on certain games. And then he called the games in a way that would either cause more points or less points to be scored. Maybe in a way this made it seem OK for him to do. Maybe it put his conscience at peace by thinking that he was just causing a high-scoring game, and not influencing who the winner would be. Who knows?

Maybe we all will, months down the road when we get to hear his testimony.

I need to vent. Please bear with me.

I've been passed up for several promotions at work over the last few years. The guy in the cubicle next to me got a huge one just 3 months ago. My performance has been great for a long time, but a few other employees have stood out a bit more than I have whenever a promotion becomes available. I recently found out why. Many of these guys I work with have been using different presciption drugs that help them perform better. Their productivity has been phenomenal and I just can't keep up. At first, I thought they were cheating to get ahead. I even asked HR about it. They told me that they have no official policy on these drugs and that they do not conduct any drug tests. Apparently, the company is thriving due to all the increased productivity and the powers that be are choosing to turn a blind eye while profits soar.

These drugs have become so popular, even the employees in entry level positions are using them. Apparently, kids fresh out of college are on the stuff in an attempt to compete for jobs. Our people want to keep their jobs very badly and will do whatever they can to hold off these youngsters that are trying to get their taste of the "big leagues". I can't be mad at them. They have families they need to provide for, and they aren't breaking any rules in our workplace.

I love my job. I want to be the best employee this industry has ever seen. Which is why I too have decided to start using these drugs. A friend of mine is a personal trainer and has access to some of the drugs that I've heard terrific things about. One of them is a balm that is supposed to help my knees heal from surgeries. If my knees are feeling better then I won't have to miss as much work as I have been.

I still feel a little bad about this, but it seems that it's the norm for our industry. Since it has been an accepted practice for several years now, I don't see how I'm doing anything wrong. I really hope people don't end up hating me over this decision.

Thanks for listening,

B. Bonds - '99

People complain that they want to be able to believe what they see is natural ability. They want a level playing field. They want records to be "real" and not manufactured by utilizing performance-enhancing drugs. If you think this way, it will be very difficult to enjoy any sporting event for the rest of your life. Why? Because the truth is, every game you watch probably has some degree of "taint" to it.

Athletes in every sport that you watch will be doing whatever it takes to be the best that they can be. Some will stay within the rules, but many will bend or break the rules in an effort to be great and make millions. Some of these people will get caught and be dealt with accordingly. But basically, the result of any sporting event that you watch will have some "taint" to it. Whether you are a fan of football, cycling, baseball, horse-racing, hockey, etc...participants are doing what they can to win.

People focus on the home-runs in baseball as a target for performance enhancing drug abuse, but the fact is, sporting events are affected far more often in far more subtle ways. A baseball player may gain the speed to beat out an infield single and later score a game-winning run. An offensive lineman may be able to block for a split second longer, enabling a touchdown run. Were these plays made possible by natural ability or by the next undetectable steroid? Or maybe by HGH, which still isn't tested for in baseball or football. With people so up in arms about past records being broken, how can they tolerate the MLB games that are going on tonight? We can't know for sure what is going on. Not now, not then.

NASCAR race teams cheat every single weekend, but it's OK because it's "part of the sport". All cars are the same, so the teams that are able to cheat the best improve their chances to win. NASCAR reminds me of the NFL. Cheating is just part of the sport. Hardly anyone cares if NFL players get caught doping, mostly because we all assume they are on something to begin with. What's a positive steroid test result in the NFL to us? Page 2. Speculation of steroid use in MLB? Page 1. Steroids are part of the NFL culture just as car-tweaking is to NASCAR. Bruce Bowen is a master craftsman of defensive basketball. Some believe he cheats. I liken him to an NFL linemen that holds as often as he can get away with it. Sometimes they get caught and are given a foul or a flag is thrown. Are all these things actually "cheating" or are they just generally accepted parts of the sports?

90's baseball had a similar culture where many were doping and noone (teams, players, management, MLB itself) cared. It was part of the game until records started to be broken and people like Canseco (bitter over his black-balling) began talking. But should the steroid era be treated the same as cheating in other sports has been? Allow it for as long as it was generally accepted?

Some people believe that the steroid era in MLB is over just because testing is in place. In a way it is, but there will always be another era waiting around the bend. The next designer drug will be here soon, if it isn't already. And eventually, maybe in 40 years or something, players may have bionic implants to help them perform better. How ironic would it be if, in the future, people argued that Barry's record is legit because he used actual muscle mass to hit his home-runs? "These darn cheaters and their nanite technology! Back when I was young, people actually earned their records!"

So how are you supposed to believe anything you are watching? You can't, really. Unless, of course, you watch a Pro-bowling event.  But my point is that we need to take sports at face value. Don't focus on whether what you are watching is real or not real. You will never get enjoyment that way. Let athletes entertain us. Don't over-analyze. Cheer on the players that you like. Boo the players that you don't like.

But above all, enjoy the game.

Here's my list:

1. Michael Vick is speaking out against the anti-dog fighting crowd. Someday they'll come around and fight dogs like everyone else.

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2. Pac-Man Jones is speaking out against laws in general. Who's got time to earn millions of dollars when there is anarchy waiting to be created?

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3. Kobe Bryant is rebelling against adulthood. Who needs it? Just act like a child every day and you'll never feel old.

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4. Jason Giambi is speaking up about doing certain things that you shouldn't do. Things that are bad and can't be named. You know..."that stuff".

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5. Michelle Wie is rebelling against sexism in golf. Women deserve to play on the same tour as men. Isn't it obvious with her domination of the women's tour that she deserves...errrrr...wait a sec...

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6. Sports media has taken a stand against any sport that is not football. Basketball and hockey? Borrrrriinnnnnnnnggggg. Baseball? Tainted with steroids! We can’t trust these stats! Football? Look at all these awesome sacks by Shawne Merriman! He’s got my pro-bowl vote!

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7. Anderson Varejao has dispelled the myth that athletes cannot be good actors too.

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8. J.R. Smith has rebelled against seat-belts and stop signs. Too soon?

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9. Vince Young has proven to the sports world that you don’t have to be “Smarter Than a 5th Grader” to make it as an NFL quarterback. When did football fans believe that NFL players were intelligent to begin with? When Houston passed on Young on draft day, he could be heard mumbling under his breath, “Wonderlic my balls”.

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10. Barbaro, the horse that won hearts all over the country, has ended the tradition of putting a horse down when it severely breaks it’s leg. Instead, the common practice will now be to keep the horse alive as long as possible, no matter how much pain it is in, and harvest as much sperm as you can before it dies. Here’s the equation:

     Fast Horse’s Sperm  >  Horse Ethics

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11. Speaking of Barbaro, Chad Johnson has proven that humans can beat horses in a foot-race. (That is, of course, if the human in question gets a wicked long head start). So while Ali was fighting the government during Vietnam, who was out there racing the quadrupeds? Who, I ask you!

Does Nike wish they had their coin back now?

I'm still trying to figure out what it is that we are supposed to be witnessing. Maybe some of the bloggers that have been all about this "Witness" campaign can fill me in.

I just can't figure out why Le'Brick is so special. Couldn't Jason Richardson do exactly the same thing as this dude?

Play like crappola, then score some points in mop-up time...

Witness.

Seriously, if you were drooling over this guy after the Detroit series, let me know why. Please do. And if anyone out there was watching the 3-D version of the game at the Quicken Arena, let me know how that was.