Where do I begin? So much to talk about, and yet so little time to post. That is why I enjoy these weekly rants where I can vent all the frustrations for an entire week, or in my case the past month.
BCS: It looks like no one wants to be number two in the BCS. Certainly Kansas can control their destiny, but I think Missouri will beat them to win the Big 12 North, and then they will have to beat either Texas or Oklahoma to face LSU in the BCS final. Of course, that is assuming LSU wins the SEC Championship which is no easy task. They will have to face a Georgia team that is looking tougher with each passing game.
Kevin Garnett trade: Back when Danny Ainge pulled the trigger on Kevin Garnett, I was one of the few who said it was a brilliant move. People kept saying, "They can't win without a bench!" Well guess who is looking brilliant now? Yep, the Celtics are rolling and Minnesota is struggling. Jefferson is great, but without a supporting cast the Timberwolves are right where the Celts were last year, in last place. You need superstars in this league to win. The Celtics have three and are well on their way to winning the East.
Oden or Durant: Once again, it shows you why you don't sign a big man who only plays one injury ridden year of college. Big guys are prone to injuries, and Oden is no exception. When you are trying to make that number one pick, a big man is always the way to go, if he has proved himself in college. Big men like Shaquille Oneal played for three seasons and proved he could take the pounding. So did Patrick Ewing, Kareem, and Mourning, but not Oden. People made fun of Durant for not benching more than his weight, but Seattle is very happy Portland went big. Durant is strong enough to lift a basketball, shoot it in the air, and sink a 3 pointer when the game is on the line. That is strong enough for me.
Barry Bonds: Well it took the feds 4 years to bring an indictment, and I say it will take another 4 for anything to stick. Perjury is one of the hardest crimes to prosecute someone for. Not only do they have to prove you are lying, but they have to prove intent. Victor Conte has gone on record that Barry was not given steroids, as has his personal trainer Greg Anderson. Unless they have a smoking gun somewhere, and I don't mean that so called positive test, they will have to do a lot better. So far they have only had to try Barry in the court of public opinion, a place he will always lose, but in a real court where witnesses are cross examined it will be a different story. Let's see Kim Bell and a few others stand up and testify and we will see how they like being put on trial. Barry will never see any jail time nor will he be found guilty. The one thing this possibly accomplishes is keeping him from suiting it up next year.
It has been so long since I have had time to devote to Fox Sports that I almost feel like a stranger. I see new names on the blog site all the time. While I have some great ideas on topics I want to write about, my time is so limited because of my obligations at school that I just can not do it justice and spend the time with my family that I need. That doesn't mean I am not interested in what is going on in here; in fact, I have a few questions I would like answered if anyone has the time.
1. Who won the Miller Nascar writing competition?
2. Why does Fox have a whole tab dedicated to the NHL and yet not one headline about the start of the season?
3. Why does soccer even have a tab?
4. Why doesn't Marion Jones get the same kind of treatment Barry Bonds does?
5. Why would George fire Torre without a replacement in mind.? Reminds of one A.J. Smith firing a Marty for a Norv.
6. Why don't we see more of the Dallas Cowgirls?
7. Why did the Masters give ESPN two days of coverage for next year?
8. Why do we keep hearing about how great teams are with losses and not enough about teams that are undefeated?
I'll stop with 8 for now, but when I find time I will write some on some of those great topics I have in mind.
Marion Jones: Everyone who take steroids can find someone to blame, but ultimately the person who ingests, injects, or inhales is responsible. What ever happened to the old public service announcement, "Just say no to drugs." That PBA should apply to steroid use as well. Landis, Ankiel, Jones, are just the latest to admit or be caught using steroids, but su####ion abounds about many more. If they just learned to say NO, this wouldn't be a topic of discussion.
Duke LAX Boys: So now they are suing Nifong, the City, the lab, and anyone else they can to get restitution for their ruined lives. While I hate what happened to them, I am not a fan of lawsuits. The only silver lining is that if Nifong is any representation of the type of attorney that will defend the defendents, the Duke boys should win hands down.
Isiah Thomas: What can anyone say about Thomas? He is an ####. He makes terrible business decisions about players, salaries, coaches, and now his own employees. I don't think Anucha Brown Sanders deserves 11-12 million dollars for being called a "####", but did Thomas really think his flashy smile could sway a jury? If she can get that kind of money for being hit on, I wish a few teachers would hit on me and call me a pimp. Since when did being called a few names warrant so much money? This is just another example of how insane our legal system has become. I don't like Thomas, but the jury award is way out of line.
Tony Romo: Every year in Dancing With The Stars someone stays longer than they should, but eventually the best dancer wins. From Jerry Rice to Wayne Newton, those guys should have been voted off much earlier than they did or will, but the cream always rises to the top. I think Romo is the Wayne Newton of this year's Dancing With The Stars. He can't sustain his level of play for much longer, but he is fun to watch because he appears to love the game. I hope I am wrong on this one, but I keep seeing the image of Romo fumbling a snap during the playoffs, and wonder if he can handle the pressure of stardom.
MLB: Who says the NL isn't interesting? I think the Rockies vs the D'Backs is about as interesting as it gets. If I were the Red Sox or Indians, I would be worried about facing either of those teams. They are both very hot at just the right time. Of course Cleveland is looking like a city of destiny as well. First the Cavaliers make it to the finals, then the Browns win against the Bengals even after giving up 40+ points, and now the Indians are playing to win the AL Championship Series. This should be a great October.
To anyone following this case, this should not come as a big suprise, Isiah Thomas found guilty of sexual harassment. Don't get me wrong, I believe portions of what Thomas said about Ms. Sanders, but Isiah never denied that he tried to kiss this married woman and MSG even admitted that they had warned Isiah not to do it again. Is that sexual harassment? Probably not, but combine that with her firing and it all looks very su####ious. If Ms. Sanders was as incompetent as Mr. Dolan would have us believe, then why was she hired in the first place? Why was she given a $260,000+ salary. Incompetent people don't rise to positions like that. Oh wait, maybe they do at Madison Square Garden, after all they did hire Isiah Thomas. This is the same MSG that hired Larry Brown for a record contract and then fired him only one year in and had to buy out his contract for a reported 18 million.
The truth of the matter is that the longer Thomas stays at the helm of the New York Knicks, the longer it will take for a competent coach to rebuild this team. James Dolan is an even bigger #### than Isiah because he not only gave him another year to win but he gave him a contract extension a third of the way through the year. I still think Isiah has something on Dolan or else he would have been fired a long time ago. Whatever it is, it must be pretty juicey. Thomas has bad judgment when it comes to players in the draft, trading players, and obviously even whether or not a woman is attracted to him.
The only question now is how much is this going to cost the Knicks' management.
Having just driven back from LAX, I need to destress a bit so I think I will rant about a few of my favorite losers.
Norv Turner: Earlier this year I predicted the Chargers would be lucky to go 10-6. People reminded me that the Chargers were returning all the key pieces in last year's 14-2 squad. It was at that point that I reminded them the Chargers also replaced a great coach with Norv Turner. Whatever the reason, Norv is not a winner. Never has been; never will be. LT is off to a slow start and Rivers appears to be in a true "sophomore" slump. My prediction of 10 wins may have been a bit too optimistic.
Isiah Thomas: How does this guy still have a job? Not only has he made some horrendous deals for the Knicks, he is involved in a lawsuit for sexual harassment. Any other coach would have been long gone, but what does Dolan do? He gives Isiah a raise and a contract extension. It is the most bizarre employee/employer relationship I have ever seen.
MLS: When the biggest news in soccer in the US is that Beckham isn't playing then how sad is the state of affairs for MLS? The fact is that women's soccer in the US is more popular than MLS. That in and of itself should tell you where MLS falls in the pecking order. In the food chain of major sports in the U.S., MLS falls somewhere between the WNBA and PBA. Come to think of it, PBA is bigger.
Troy Glaus finally spoke to reporters today only to say that he had no comment on the current situation. His name has been linked along with Rick Ankiel's in the HGH buying scandal from an internet pharmacy in Florida. Glaus says he understands that reporters have a job to do, but hopes they will respect his position at this time. Maybe Troy is being confused with the ancient Grecian Hero. Certainly he was trying to look like him.
In other words, what Glaus is really saying is that he took HGH along with other steroids ordered from this pharmacy. The news report says he appears shaken. Once again, this can only mean he is upset because he is guilty. If he were innocent, he would come right out and say it isn't so. Unlike Barry Bonds, he is not under a sitting grand jury nor is he being prosecuted by a federal investigator. This whole story is the result of the feds attempting to shut down internet pharmacies which prescribe HGH and other steroids without as much as an office visit.
It is a quandry that all sports are in and as the truth unfolds we are going to see many more names surface. Roger Clemens, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and many more could all find themselves staring at allegations of using performance enhancers. What will MLB do then? My solution is to set up stringent testing now, lable this era with an asterisk, and move on. The players union and MLB will have to agree to blood testing so they can pick up HGH because it is not detectable yet in urine tests which is the only test that is being used in MLB. Cyclists have to submit to blood tests, so why not baseball players. Of course I think HGH is an even bigger problem in the NBA, but no one wants to admit it. How many high school kids are taking HGH right now to grow an extra couple of inches. It is the perfect time for them because their bone plates are still not fused and they can grow taller without the fear of acromegly, or caveman head syndrome as I like to call it.
Of MLB is not the only sport with steroid problems. One look at the NFL and WWE and one can realize that steroids have always been an issue. From Lyle Alzado to Chris Benoit, steroids will always be used where athletes are looking for an edge. Bodybuilders have been using them for decades and no one tried to clean up those sports. It was only a matter of time before they infiltrated every other league. One has to wonder if Bud Selig has been taking them as well. After all, it appears he has no balls to do anything about them. Maybe it's because his have shriveled up from taking all that Rogaine.
Troy Glaus can bemoan his situation all he wants, but one thing is for sure; when you come out with no comment you've said a mouthful.
Wow, it has been a very busy August. I can't remember a busier school opening, and this is why I have been absent of late. I may not be on here as much this semester, but I can always stay active in Fox Sports through my fantasy teams. One in which I always enjoy is the Fox Pro Football Pick'em. I created a league for us at Fox Sports. Join up and let's all match our wits each week and play for bragging rights.
Team ID: 53100
Password: Foxsports
On to my rants:
Michael Vick: He is guilty. He will serve time, and he will return to football. Someone will pick him up and I doubt Goodell will suspend him permanently from the NFL. I also believe he should be allowed back in one day, but if I were an owner I would not pick him up. Lucky for Vick, there is a God, or better yet an Al Davis.
Eric Gagne: Suddenly this move doesn't look so brilliant. The Red Sox do have a good closing staff without Gagne, but if the Yankees make it in as the Wild Card it's all over for Boston. A-Rod may get his ring this year.
NFL: Is anyone else ready for some football? Preseason is too long. I'm ready for the real action where the stars play. LT sits out in San Diego every year and I am ready to see how the Chargers will do this year. They have the talent to win the whole thing, but they have one little problem; it's called their head coach. Norv Turner has never won anything in his life, except the privilege of being a head football coach. That privilege should have been revoked after his horrible stints in Washington and Dallas, but alas the Chargers fire a guy who went 14-2 to hire Norv. The stars must have been aligned when Norv was born because no one inherits a team with such talent with a record like his. Good luck Norv!
Michelle Wie: Another season comes and goes and we here less and less about Wie. It's too bad she could have been really good.
Tiger Woods: Another major and another great season. I still do not think Woods will surpass Nicklaus in major wins, but has anyone ever played in fewer events each season and still wins 40% of those they enter? Fatherhood, marriage, and a new coach haven't slowed him down, so maybe he will pass Jack up. If he does, how far will he go?
Barry Bonds: Now that Aaron's record is in the rear view mirror, all the sports reporters have seemed to stop covering Barry. Meanwhile, he just keeps on hitting home runs. He may get to 770 this year, and if he does, I think he will play one more season to try and reach 800. Still no indictment in the foreseable future, so the only thing that can stop him is if he refuses to play. I sure hope he lands in a Yankees uniform next year and gets a ring before he retires.
Before the ink dried on the KG trade contract, sports fans and journalists began to question the merits of this goliath move by Boston and Minnesota. There is no question that in my mind that Boston overpaid for Kevin Garnett, but it brings up an age old question. It is the same question the Lakers have been faced with since the departure of Shaquille O’Neal and it is a question that every franchise will face at some time in their future. Should you build for the future by developing young players or should you try to win now by trading for high priced free agents?
Danny Ainge is being criticized for trading away Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, and two first round draft picks. No one really cares about his trade of Theo Ratliff or Sebastian Telfair, but overall this trade was brilliant. Ainge has been a terrible GM up to this point. Some of his draft picks and trades have been very questionable, but he had amassed some very good young talent. Al Jefferson is capable of a double double every night and is a wonderful talent along with Gerald Green. Ryan Gomes also added depth to the Celtics bench, but the simple fact is that Boston was not winning with these guys. By trading for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are guaranteed to win more games than they have in the past five years while they were developing all of that young talent. The name of the game is winning. If you lose as a coach or GM, then eventually you will be fired. The Celtics are now very relevant in the East and they will win more games.
The Timberwolves are now loaded with young talent, but will they win in the West? They have lost Kevin Garnett which was bound to happen after this year anyway, so Kevin McHale did a masterful job of swindling Danny Ainge into giving him essentially an entire team for one player. McHale now has enough pieces to trade for a Shawn Merriman or another free agent in the future. One would assume they will let Ratliff go and Telfair’s days are numbered. With two more draft picks the Timberwolves are in a great position for rebuilding, which is something they had to do once KG departed. The problem is that McHale wasn’t winning in the West with KG and the players he received from Boston were not winning in the East with Pierce. What makes anyone think that the T'Wolves will win with this Celtic team minus Pierce in the West? Still, for McHale it appears to be the best he could get for KG from anyone.
The first knock against the Celtic GM is that the players he acquired, Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, are aging while Jefferson, Gomes, and Green are all very young. Kobe and Iverson are also aging, but wouldn’t you trade for one of those guys if they were available. Mitch Kupchak took a lot of heat for not pursuing an aging Jason Kidd, but the fact is that superstars tend to stick around longer than young talent that never develops. Garnett, Allen, and Pierce are not that old and Ainge now has 5 years to develop more raw talent or trade for new players in the future.
The second problem some have with this trio is that their combined salary is around 60 million and that leaves very little room to work with under the cap. To me this is a moot point, because teams like New York and Dallas spend well over the salary cap. Their payrolls are the two largest at 89 and 83 million respectively. Spending more does not guarantee a playoff spot, (Just ask the biggest spender of all, Isiah Thomas, and let's see what it brought him), but for the Celtics if they open up the checkbook and bring in a few roll players this team should be very good.
So do you win now or win later? It all depends on your team and your situation. Boston needed to win now and it appears they will. Minnesota, because of the eventual loss of Garnett, needed to rebuild which means they will win later. Without the trade both GMs would be on the hot seat this year, but now both will get a temporary reprieve. Boston overpaid for KG which makes McHale look brilliant, a hard thing to do these days, and Ainge pulled off acquiring two superstars. The Celtics will win more games in the East than they did last year and they should make the playoffs where they will have a chance to advance. Winning will put fans in the seats, sell more merchandise, and cure all that ails this once proud franchise. I say it was a Win-Win for both teams.
SoCalSportsFan
*The Boston Red Sox did not win a World Series until they finally opened up their pocket books and started spending like the Yankees. It also appears they are well on their way to winning another title, but they had to spend 100 million on Dice-K to get there, and they are still spending like mad picking up Eric Gagne. Sometimes, spending does equal wins.*
Today, it was released that drug paraphernalia and cocaine was found in Rod Beck's home. Ultimately, it was cocaine that did in Ken Caminiti, the former Houstan Astros great, and not steroids. Drugs like cocaine and heroine are the downfall of many other athletes as well. Some are fortunate enough to survive these addictive drugs, but for many others their careers are cut short and sometimes their lives. It was rumored that Beck used cocaine daily, and at least this police report seems to substantiate this sordid detail.
Daryl Strawberry's career was ruined by this infamous white powder. Lawrence Taylor, Michael irvin, and many others wrestled with this addiction. We will never know just how much better either of those two men may have been if they were not in the grasp of cocaine. Irvin may have had several more seasons and an ESPN job if he could stay away from this drug, but he could not. Len Bias should have had a great NBA career with the Celtics and Roy Tarpley would be a millionaire if not for cocaine.
How many times do we hear about steroid abuse ruining a player's career, but in my opinion there are many other drugs which are more troublesome because of their addictive properties. Every time I hear of a young athlete who dies during spring training, football practice, or basketball pick up games, I immediately suspect drugs and/or alcohol abuse. My mind never wonders if it was caused by steroids, but maybe that is just me. Usually we find an athlete was taking drugs, drinking and operating a vehicle, or some combination of these deadly drugs. Steroids is the exception to the rule. Situations like Chris Benoit do not happen every day, but drunk athletes behind the wheel of a car is all too common. (For that matter, normal people struggle with these addictions as well, it just seems athletes and celebreties make the news more often.)
My hope is not to minimize steroid abuse, but to put it into proper perspective. Illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroine threaten more than a HR record. They actually threaten the lives of our young people.
I while back I was ready to axe the Danny Ainge experiment. Some of his trades made absolutely no sense to me, but today I think he may have saved his job. With the acquisition of Kevin Garnett, the new look Celtics are a force to be reckoned with. It is not a foregone conclusion that they will win the East, but they are now in the top three teams. With Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, they have all the firepower they need to contend for the top spot along with the Pistons, Heat, and Cavaliers. I believe the Magic are still not in contention with the Lewis signing, but they will be better than they were last year.
The key to the Celtics is for all three stars to remain healthy. KG has been remarkably healthy with Allen and Pierce each missing significant time over the last few years with injuries. Should all three play in every game, they will be in the thick of things come post season.
The Celtics mortgaged their future giving away Green, Gomes, and Jefferson, but they did manage to unload Theo Ratliff and Sebastion Telfair. That alone was worth the trade. Should Jefferson turn out to be a true star in the NBA, the Celtics still gained an existing Super Star in Kevin Garnett. It will be fun to watch to see if the Irish Green can regain some of the former glory of the Bird years.
To anyone following this case, this should not come as a big suprise, Isiah Thomas 
Troy Glaus finally 
Of MLB is not the only sport with steroid problems. One look at the NFL and WWE and one can realize that steroids have always been an issue. From Lyle Alzado to Chris Benoit, steroids will always be used where athletes are looking for an edge. Bodybuilders have been using them for decades and no one tried to clean up those sports. It was only a matter of time before they infiltrated every other league. One has to wonder if Bud Selig has been taking them as well. After all, it appears he has no balls to do anything about them. Maybe it's because his have shriveled up from taking all that Rogaine.
Danny Ainge is being criticized for trading away Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, and two first round draft picks. No one really cares about his trade of Theo Ratliff or Sebastian Telfair, but overall this trade was brilliant. Ainge has been a terrible GM up to this point. Some of his draft picks and trades have been very questionable, but he had amassed some very good young talent. Al Jefferson is capable of a double double every night and is a wonderful talent along with Gerald Green. Ryan Gomes also added depth to the Celtics bench, but the simple fact is that Boston was not winning with these guys. By trading for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics are guaranteed to win more games than they have in the past five years while they were developing all of that young talent. The name of the game is winning. If you lose as a coach or GM, then eventually you will be fired. The Celtics are now very relevant in the East and they will win more games.
The Timberwolves are now loaded with young talent, but will they win in the West? They have lost Kevin Garnett which was bound to happen after this year anyway, so Kevin McHale did a masterful job of swindling Danny Ainge into giving him essentially an entire team for one player. McHale now has enough pieces to trade for a Shawn Merriman or another free agent in the future. One would assume they will let Ratliff go and Telfair’s days are numbered. With two more draft picks the Timberwolves are in a great position for rebuilding, which is something they had to do once KG departed. The problem is that McHale wasn’t winning in the West with KG and the players he received from Boston were not winning in the East with Pierce. What makes anyone think that the T'Wolves will win with this Celtic team minus Pierce in the West? Still, for McHale it appears to be the best he could get for KG from anyone.
The first knock against the Celtic GM is that the players he acquired, Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, are aging while Jefferson, Gomes, and Green are all very young. Kobe and Iverson are also aging, but wouldn’t you trade for one of those guys if they were available. Mitch Kupchak took a lot of heat for not pursuing an aging Jason Kidd, but the fact is that superstars tend to stick around longer than young talent that never develops. Garnett, Allen, and Pierce are not that old and Ainge now has 5 years to develop more raw talent or trade for new players in the future. 
The second problem some have with this trio is that their combined salary is around 60 million and that leaves very little room to work with under the cap. To me this is a moot point, because teams like 
Today, it was released that 
Daryl Strawberry's career was ruined by this infamous white powder. Lawrence Taylor, Michael irvin, and many others wrestled with this addiction. We will never know just how much better either of those two men may have been if they were not in the grasp of cocaine. Irvin may have had several more seasons and an ESPN job if he could stay away from this drug, but he could not. Len Bias should have had a great NBA career with the Celtics and Roy Tarpley would be a millionaire if not for cocaine.
How many times do we hear about steroid abuse ruining a player's career, but in my opinion there are many other drugs which are more troublesome because of their addictive properties. Every time I hear of a young athlete who dies during spring training, football practice, or basketball pick up games, I immediately suspect drugs and/or alcohol abuse. My mind never wonders if it was caused by steroids, but maybe that is just me. Usually we find an athlete was taking drugs, drinking and operating a vehicle, or some combination of these deadly drugs. Steroids is the exception to the rule. Situations like Chris Benoit do not happen every day, but drunk athletes behind the wheel of a car is all too common. (For that matter, normal people struggle with these addictions as well, it just seems athletes and celebreties make the news more often.)
