Let's see, the Knicks fired a HOF coach in favor of a HOF player and exactly where has it gotten them.  They are currently 2-5.  At this rate they will win about 24 games this year and once again miss the playoffs.  This is the team that Isiah built.  He chose these guys, he brought in Steve Francis and kept Stephon Marbury.  He also unloaded Jalen Rose to the unsuspecting Suns, (a horrible move by Phoenix, but I digress), which is the last good player personnel move he will make.  I think Dolan will fire Isiah before the All-Star break, but then again, I would have fired him before lettting Larry Brown go.  Just a few questions that need to be answered though;

Who will Dolan hire?  From the current crop of coaches, I would probably hire Stu Van Gundy.  No one else is really available.

How long before the franchise will turn around?  At this rate, it will take at least 2 years if they are lucky enough to get the lottery pick at draft time.  There should be some real talent this year in the draft and they Knicks need to go with a solid big man in my opinion unless a real star emerges.

Will it possibly get worse before it gets better?  That all depends on how long Isiah stays.  If he is allowed this entire year, it will only get worse.  Be afraid, very afraid.  I somehow think Isiah must have something that he is black mailing Dolan with or surely he would have been fired long ago with the sexual misconduct of an employee on top of his mismanagement of the team.

SoCalSportsFan

      

I had to get up pretty early this morning, finishing a side job, and as I traveled in my car I heard that MLS was playing their championship game today.  Now I listen to the sports channel every day in my car, ESPN on most nights at home, and follow sports on the internet and up until that very moment I did not know that MLS was even in their playoffs let alone in a championship game.  What's more, I learn that this is the 11th such occasion.  Can anyone list the last 5 champions?  I know I can't.

It appears that the Houston Dynamo won against the New England Revolution, 4-3, in what else but a "shoot out."   The average attendance at a game is around 15,000, but how many people are watching? If someone who follows sports as much as I do did not know about this, then I am willing to bet it is just not that important to most Americans.  Soccer may be "all" that in Europe, but over in the USA it is still a high school sport that plays second fiddle to football, basketball, and baseball. 

There is always speculation that soccer is on the rise and that MLS will one day be up there with the NFL and/or MLB, but sadly this is not true.  People overseas basically have soccer, rugby, and cricket.  There is no competition by football or baseball.  Basketball is even more popular overseas than soccer is in the US.  Hopefully all you soccer fans aren't too upset with me, but as I sat and watched the NFL today I wasn't even tempted to turn to find MLS.  I would almost even watch the NHL as compared to MLS and that would mean that I would be totally bored.

SoCalSportsFan

I alluded to it in my posts two days ago and Jason Whitlock has the gumption to actually call out other sports writers by name.  I for one want to applaud Jason Whitlock for telling it like it is.  I found his article to be truthful, relevant, and the best to date on the Kenny Rogers story. 

Basically, Whitlock asserts that Mitch Albom, author of Tuesday's With Morrie, gave Rogers a free pass for cheating while crucifying Bonds.  I have to agree with him and go a step further and say that most sports writers also threw the spear in Bonds while still on the cross.  I know what you are thinking; Barry is not Jesus, but I would make the case that the "media" much like the crowds of Jesus day can be heard chanting, "Crucify him!" 

Let's hope his employers do not black ball him or try to fire him the way Steve Lyons was fired by Fox.  It takes a lot of courage to stand up to the main stream media, especially someone as revered as Mitch Albom.  I for one will read ever more of Jason Whitlock because of his audacity to stand up to the industry.  I have watched the Sports Reporter's on Sundays on ESPN for many years and I always find what most of them say is pure hogwash, but Whitlock is always a breath of fresh air.  Keep it up Jason.

SoCalSportsFan

Steroid problems are nothing new in athletic competitions.  They have been an issue in the Olympics going back to the days when the East Germans were sending half male women to compete against the rest of the world’s elite women athletes.  The countries behind the Iron Curtain experimented with all sorts of hormone cocktails to give their ladies an advantage. 

 

 

Today, MLB gets a bad rap, especially Barry Bonds (who has never tested positive), while the NFL gets virtually no attention at all.  Well this is all about to change with the suspension of Shawne Merriman.  Merriman was Defensive Rookie of the Year last year and he is a formidable opponent.  The Charger’s defense will not be the same with him gone over the next four games.  His suspension could very well cost them a date with the post season.  So how did Merriman get to the point in his career where he felt it was safe to use steroids?  How did he think he could possibly get away with it?

 

To start with, the NFL keeps a tight lip on its suspensions and the players who are suspended.  Any information we get is always a press leak from someone who supposedly knows and chances are they are right to a degree.  Once the suspension is in place, we will know for sure that he was guilty of using something or the NFLPA would never stand for it.  But the way the general public views NFL player’s using steroids is vastly different than its view on MLB.  If a player uses steroids in MLB, he is labeled as a cheater whereas if an NFL player uses steroids he is often revered as a “god” if he is a great player. 

 

 

Bill Romanowski used steroids for years as did Lyle Alzado.  Alzado died of cancer that may have been linked to his steroid abuse.  He became an outspoken critic of steroids in the NFL the year before he died.  Romanowski has always had “anger” issues and many have speculated that his rage may have been “roid” induced after the incident where he punched his own team mate at a practice.

 

Today the NFL has taken a tougher stance on steroid use and for that I am glad, but I still get the feeling that the average fan really could care less if  300 pound linemen are using steroid creams or injections of testosterone prior to a game.  Where is the outrage over Merriman?  It gets one headline in the main stream media?  I just read an article while doing research for this article on the 2004 Panthers.  Three players were caught filling prescriptions for testosterone prior to the Super Bowl. 

Let me say that before anyone comes down to hard on these guys, it was all perfectly legal and this is my conundrum.  How do you prosecute these guys for obtaining steroids legally to be used for an illegal purpose?  These steroids were legally obtained, doctor prescribed, but no doubt with the intent to give these linemen an advantage in the competition.  Thankfully the Patriots won, but who knows, maybe their linemen were on steroids too.  Who is to say that Barry Bonds own physician did not prescribe him a steroid cream?  This is potentially one reason his case has gone nowhere.  The doctor’s records have been subpoenaed, but no court case for using “illegal” steroids has happened to date.  Instead the FBI wants to pursue “tax evasion” or “perjury” charges but they are not pursuing illegal steroid use. 

So where does the steroid use end?  Are football players given more of a “license” to abuse these types of drugs than baseball players?  Young high school girls are now experimenting with steroids to make themselves look more lean and muscular.  I am not sure what the solution is, but one thing appears certain, steroids are here to stay.

 

 

 

SoCalSportsFan

Here I am writing another post that is not entirely sports related, but I will begin by reminding everyone that I did choose the Cardinals to win it all.  I posted a short post yesterday declaring it was the National League’s year.  Now on to two burning questions that I have for the liberals in this country:

 

Question Numero Uno: (Just a little Spanish Lingo for the Latin American readers)

 

 

Do you support the 2nd amendment, the right to bear arms?  Many liberals are opposed to assault weapons when that is exactly the purpose the founders of this country had in mind when they preserved this right in the constitution.  The right to bear arms was not so that they could go out and kill deer, but rather to protest against an abusive government and possibly go to war. 

 

 

Question Numero Dos:

 

 

Do you support the right to life?  When does an unborn child have rights?  If you get into an accident and kill a woman and her pregnant child you are tried on two counts for murder, but yet a woman can have her fetus aborted right up until the third trimester with no consequences.  If you kill sea turtle eggs on the beaches of Pensacola you can go to jail, but if you abort a baby you are just practicing your right to privacy. 

 

I am just curious to see how North, Brian, and Ultra will answer these questions, but I would love to hear from every blogger on these two points. 

SoCalSportsFan 

Okay, so I knew what their position would be from the start, but it just goes to show liberals are only concerned about the freedoms that apply to them. 

This post has nothing to do with sports, but I feel the need to somewhat respond to Ultra's rant on George Bush.  For me, I am just curious what all the hullabaloo is about.  So what if George Bush is a liar?  The fact is that everyone politician lies at some point and time.  For me personally, I don't put much stock in any president and haven't since Ronald Reagan.  The fact is that president's don't make laws; only Congress and the Senate can do that.  The president can stand on his bully pulpit and push Congress to enact laws, but it is up to them.  Then the Supreme Court will weigh in on whether or not it passes the "constitutional mustard" or not.

Speaking of Supreme Courts, isn't it ironic that everyone was worried about the two appointees of President Bush and how the court would somehow become a "right wing" fanatical entity.  This is the same Supreme Court who ruled against the President on the detainees.  The fact is that both of his appointees were good ones who swore to uphold the law and not an allegiance to a president.

As for a loss of privacy, anyone who thinks that the FBI or CIA or Ma Bell for that matter isn't already listening to what they want to is just plain naive.  Wire tapping is nothing new and as long as my conversations are legal on the phone, I am not worried about my civil liberties.  The last time I looked, the enemy was not our government, but those who attack our country and its innocent civilians.

SoCalSportsFan

Admittedly I have not written much lately.  There are many reasons why this has/is happening, but little on this website has motivated me to continue as a contributor beyond my own personal gratification of seeing my name on a post and seeing people respond in the comments section.  Yet when I see virtuely unknown people, many of whom must be Fox employees, making BOTD by simply writing many posts, I figured I must test what I am seeing.

The Hypothesis:

If you write 10 posts in a 24 hour time period and post them to numerous categories you will be BOTD.

Test:

To test my hypothesis I am going to write 10 posts in the next hour and post them in random categories.  Comments are not required by readers because I will mix in one or two rants and then simply the word "test" at the bottom.

Let's see what happens.  Who knows, maybe I will be BOTD by tomorrow.  It can not be simply comments or Ultra should have been BOTD yesterday.

SoCalSportsFan

As I read the reports on Roger Clemens and other alleged steroid users, I find the choice of words by individuals fascinating.  I also find the comments by fans and other athletes amusing at best.  Here are a few of the comments and facts in the latest news story on Clemens that I find to be a bit odd.

 

“In a search warrant affidavit signed by IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky,”

 

I find it very peculiar that an IRS agent is the one investigating steroid abuse.  This is the same IRS agent who is involved in the Bonds’ indictment.  Is Roger being pursued for Tax Evasion as well?  It seems if you want to get to the bottom of anything just go after a person's taxes.

 

Clemens said he has been tested "plenty of times" and passed every test.

 

 I have news for you Roger, Barry passed every test too!  The problem here is that no one is being tested for HGH.  The tests that Roger and Barry have passed have been for traditional anabolic steroids and not for human growth hormone.  This is the drug of choice for most MLB players because the agreement between the players’ union does not allow for blood tests. 

Gibbons has said he has passed every test administered by baseball.  

 

"We've had steroid testing, and I've taken all the tests," Brian Roberts told The (Baltimore) Sun.

 

  

Hey guys, of course you passed.  It’s called selective testing and by selective I mean the type of test MLB chooses to

 

"For the people involved it is very dangerous and malicious and reckless on the part of somebody ... to put something out there with somebody else's writing on it," Clemens added.

 

Clearly Roger thinks someone else is doctoring Grimsley’s affidavit.

 

Grimsley has complained to friends, the Times said, that federal agents attributed statements to him that he did not make.

 

Randy Hendricks, who represents Clemens and Pettitte, told The Associated Press he questions the conduct of the federal agents.

 

Apparently Grimsley and Hendricks agree that the federal agents are on a witch hunt and may have altered his statements.  If these agents can wrongly indict Clemens and Pettite, is it possible that they have been unfair with Bonds?  After all, it is the same lead investigator for both cases.  Could some of the “leaked” grand jury testimony have been falsified? 

In a search warrant affidavit signed by IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, the Times reported, he said Grimsley identified other players who had used drugs. Those names were blacked out when the document was released.

 

If those names were blacked out then I would assume it is a small pool of people that knew the actual names on the list.  It seems to me it would be easy to find who the mole is, but that is assuming they want to find the source.  Funny how Greg Anderson goes to jail for not giving up information and yet the Game of Shadows authors are still free even though the judge ruled them guilty.  This whole game of leaking information is growing very weary. 

Andy Pettitte said, "I've never used any drugs to enhance my performance in baseball. I don't know what else to say except to say it's embarrassing my name would be out there.”

Great line Andy!  Did you borrow that one from Rafael Palmeiro?  In your next briefing why not say that you have never used steroids but you have received vitamin B-12 shots from a team mate.

Well, I am sure we have not heard the last of these stinging allegations, but I for one am enjoying seeing someone else squirm besides Barry Bonds.  I also think it is high time that the conversation now turns to the records of some of these “juiced up” pitchers.  If we don’t acknowledge Barry as the new HR king then surely Roger does not deserve all of his Cy Young awards. 

 

Lastly, I think this just proves how great of a hitter Barry was/is considering he hit so many HR’s against juiced up pitchers.

 

SoCalSportsFan

 

*All quotes are from the Fox News Story that I linked in the first paragraph.*

I hate to say, I told you so, but today investigators are saying Jason Grimsley has alleged that Roger Clemens and several other prominent players used steroids.   Earlier this year when I wrote several posts on Roger Clemens using steroids, many said that there was no evidence that he used these banned substances.  People have no problem believing a man in his forties can pitch with the dominance Roger has possessed over the last three years but balk at Barry because he can still hit 30-40 HR a season.  Well maybe Roger performed so well because he was taking HGH as well.  Maybe Roger is good, but not that good without the juice.

Many people believe Barry should have an asterisk by his name in the record books while others think he should not hold any records.  They believe he should never darken the steps of Cooperstown.  So should Roger hand back all of those Cy Young’s?  Should his teams forfeit the wins in which he pitched?  Should the Yankees have one of their World Series titles stricken from the record?  Should Clemens be a sure fire first ballot hall of famer? 

Along with Clemens, Grimsley has identified Miguel Tejada.  This is the same Tejada who injected Raffy Palmeiro with “vitamin B-12”, or so that is what Palmeiro believed was being injected into his derriere.  Maybe Raffy was telling the truth and it was Tejada on the juice.  Andy Pettite is also named as an athlete who was taking steroids.  Maybe Jose Canseco was right when he said over half of MLB players are taking steroids! 

For me, it does not really matter.  I believe the only way to rectify the records is to put an asterisk by every record set in the nineties; pitchers as well as batters.   My contention has long been that those who condemn hitters give pitchers a free pass.  Well tonight we see that two very respected pitchers are being accused. 

For those who say it is just accusations, remember the words of Palmeiro who said, “I have never used steroids.”  Barry has been accused but never tested positive.  If you want to wait for a positive test on Clemens, then give Barry the same latitude.  I have laid out my arguments in prior posts.  Clemens weight gain, no loss of velocity on his fastball, and ability to pitch into his forties are all signs of potential steroid abuse.  You may not want to believe that Roger Clemens is guilty of steroid use, but there is an old saying in the south, “Where there is smoke; there is fire.”  Right now the Astros dugout is a raging inferno.

 

 SoCalSportsFan

 

 

 

 

Alas, I have been asleep at the wheel.  Busy finishing up the Fantasy Baseball season and preparing for Fantasy Football.  So busy that I have stopped posting on Fox.  Then today when I check out the main blog page, once again I see not one, but two Fox writers being shamelessly promoted by the network.  First, the BOTD is the Fox Football blog, and secondly they have Daryl Johnston's blog.  I don't know if either are official Fox Blogs, but they appear to be.  The authors never comment back to the bloggers who post comments.  That is a sure fire sign that the blog is a front for a network writer.  True bloggers always respond to their constituencies. 

Responding to those who take the time to read your posts is what makes blogging fun.  Even when you disagree with your respondants, conversing with them and trying to prove your point is half the fun.

I hope to return to the blogging world soon.  Until then, we have no one to blame but ourselves for turning this site over to the pros.

Socalsportsfan