Why is MLS still being forced upon us. It's bad enough that Fox gives a TAB to soccer and an entire site dedicated to soccer, but give it a rest. The women beat England in the WWS semifinals and the main page major headlines have to do with Georgia beating Alabama, NFL, and Baseball, as it should be. There are those on this blogging site who continue to tell us to open our minds to soccer. Soccer is a great game, the world loves it, but America doesn't. That is not being close minded, we just have more to do here than watch hours of keep away with a ball to see one score. Other countries, especially third world countries, can not afford to have lush green fields to play a game that requires alot of equipment like football, but they can have a dirt pasture and a ball. Soccer is the world's most popular sport, but consider that many of the places where soccer is huge have nothing else to keep them occuppied. Mexico, Brazil, and most of Africa are truly poor countries where children are lucky to grow up with any sports equipment at all. Americans are more fortunate and more well rounded. I don't have to enjoy soccer nor do I have to embrace it. I am a "free" man living in a free country and I choose to watch the NFL, MLB, and the NBA.
Floyd Landis is not the first cyclist to use steroids, but he is the first to have his title stripped from him. For the record, his appeal doesn't stand a chance. Why have we heard so little about this by the ESPN analysts, and yet Bonds was crucified without one positive test? Landis is the "FIRST" to ever have his title stripped and Bonds is not the first or last to use steroids. No doubt a double standard exists based upon the whims of the media.
Barry Bonds will play again next year, but in the AL as a DH. I am excited to see that happen because he will most certainly get into the 3000 hit club and it will be interesting to see if he continues to lead the league in walks. People complain that he is not an everyday player, but as a DH, he can play ever day and he has tremendous value. His on base percentage and slugging percentage was up there with the best. Good luck Barry on your quest ofr 3000 hits and a sure fire HOF career.
Isiah Thomas: Fire the guy Dolan. It's embarassing.
NHL: Almost as bad as soccer. The season is underway and no one even knows about it. I had to check to see how many games have been played.
Norv Turner's Chargers are 1-2. It's too late to worry now, but LT is suddenly human and the vaunted Chargers' defense is suspect. And who says coaching doesn't matter?
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.
Someone asked me the other day where I had gone. I'm still here, but with the start up of school just a week away, I am putting in overtime to get our school ready. With last minute teacher hiring, training of new teachers, ordering of furniture, interviewing parents and children, and switching offices, it has been extremely busy these last two weeks. One of my history teachers was called out to Iraq this week as well so I had to take him out to lunch and say goodbye. With all that is going on, I plan on posting on the weekends. Whoever said that principals don't work in the summer has never been in education.
There has been alot of speculation about whether or not Barry Bonds will be rested now that he has broken the HR record. Many analysts and Bonds haters have said he will now sit out the rest of the season or be played sparingly, but that is not how I see it. In fact, Bonds has hit two more HR since his record breaking number 756 blast. He has three this week and shows no sign of slowing down. The truth is, the Giants pay Barry way to much money to have him sit, and his production is better than anyone else on the team. Barry will still take an occassional day off, but he will play the bulk of the rest of the season. I would expect that he will hit another 10-15 homers along the way.
As for next year, Barry will continue to play. I would expect him to finally join an AL team and DH for at least one more year. Barry knows his new record is not safe from A-Rod if he stops now, and he has endured too much to allow his record to be so easily surpassed. Also, he can still play. If he can hit 40 HR as a DH, there will be teams clamoring for his services. The fact is Barry can still hit the ball with the best of them. He is like the Enegizer Bunny: He keeps on going, and going, and going. Just think how much more productive he could be without having to play the field. As it is, he has 25 HR not playing every day, over 57 RBI, and batting over .280. Get used to it, we haven't seen the last of Barry Bonds.
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.
Edhardiman wrote an excellent post this morning basically trashing Schilling for his rants on Barry Bonds. I'm not sure why Schilling can't leave Barry alone, but me thinks he loves being in the spotlight. He can't pitch right now being on the DL, so his only way into the news is to say something controversial, at least it is controversial to me. I won't try to tear apart all the hypocrisy in what Curt said, but there is one point that I think no one has addressed that I shall try to set the record straight upon.
Schilling says that you or I would sue someone if they made false allegations against us. This is purely not true. Let me elaborate on the reasons why you would not do this, especially if you are in Barry's position.
If you are in already under investigation, the one thing you do not want to do is bring more attention to yourself by suing someone on the prosecution's witness list. That would look malicious and give the witness credibility. It would give Bell sympathy in the court of public opinion because Barry is already the bad guy.
What is there to gain? Some would argue that by suing someone for false and misleading information you can set the record straight. No one believes Bonds right now, so why would they believe him if he sued her and won?
Then there is the issue of monetary gain. Many lawsuits by celebrities against the "rag" magazines like Enquirer have huge punitive damages attached to discourage those editors. The celebrities know that these magazines have deep pockets, but in Barry's case, Kim Bell does not have anything he can go after. In the end, he would probably win a libel or slander suit against her but end up owing court costs with nothing to gain. His good name can not be restored by winning any lawsuit and certainly he will not win a huge award from her.
Barry is busy trying to break "THE RECORD" in baseball, and distractions like a lawsuit can take a backseat at this time.
Lastly, you only sue i fyou can win. In order to win, Barry would have to prove what Kimberly Bell said was untrue. That is being decided in his grand jury investigation right now. If they can't figure it out in the two years they have been balking over it, what makes anyone think a jury trial would proceed any faster.
In this life, when someone who doesn't matter talks bad about you the thing to do is to ignore them. That is what Barry is doing to Kim Bell. Giving people like Bell the time of day feeds their need for attention. Barry is wise to leave his ex-mistress alone. Sometimes taking no action is the best course of action there is. If we would all do as Schilling says and sue anyone for saying something untrue, then there would already be half a dozen lawsuits on this blog site. I read false accusations every day. Let's see Schilling sue everyone for saying his bloody sock was a fake. It won't happen because he knows he can't win against someone like you o rme. His comment that we would sue is just like many of his other statements, pure fiction.
Like Barry Bonds, my birthday is this week. Each year my family goes through this ritual complaining because they say that they don’t know what dad wants for his birthday. No matter how many times I tell them, “I like fishing rods, power tools, and camping equipment,” my wife insists that she has no clue about what I like. In fact, every year she waits until the last day before she goes out and buys me clothes or some other thing that I have to smile and pretend to like. I suppose I am like most dads and it really doesn’t matter what they get me because in the end I can always go out and buy my own rod, but if my wife would really just listen she could have bought the right gift weeks ago. That got me to thinking about what Barry really wants for his birthday. Here are just a few suggestions I would give to the important people in Barry’s life.
Kimberly Bell: An autographed copy of her Playboy. It’s not like Bell hasn’t already given Bonds enough trouble. After she broke up his first marriage, she continued to be his mistress throughout his second marriage, only to turn against him once she was spurned. In it she could say, “Thanks for the hooters, they really have come in handy lately!”
Gary Sheffield: Former friend and work out partner of Bonds should continue to say stupid things to the press in order to deflect any criticism Barry may get. Funny how Sheffield trained with Bonds and was also a Balco client, but steroid allegations with him just sort of waft away like a puff of smoke. Yet, I can’t help but feel sorry for Gary because he appears to be one of the most bitter athletes I have ever seen play the game. No one has ever treated him right. Not the Dodger, the Braves, the Yankkees, and in a year or two the Tigers. He never has anything good to say about anyone. Maybe the best gift Barry can receive from Gary is to just not say anything.
MLB Writers: Enough votes to get into the HOF. After all, the HOF has other known cheats in it. ####lord Perry immediately comes to mind. He routinely used Vaseline to throw his famous pitch and even bragged about it often, yet he is still in those hallowed halls.
Roger Clemens: He could test positive for steroids thereby further proving that pitchers take steroids just as much as hitters. It would also show the double standard when Clemens would immediately be ignored while Barry is still persecuted.
Hank Aaron: Aaron should try to be in attendance for the big game. He alone could go along way in helping people to accept the new record. After all, Aaron had some help when he started taking “greenies” in a down HR year.
Bud Selig: An admission to being at least partly culpable in the whole steroids debacle. It was on Selig’s watch that baseball players ballooned over night, but as long as they were hitting the long ball and brought fans back to the game, Bud turned a blind eye. Now he wants Barry to take all the blame. It would be such a nice present if Bud just accepted part of the blame. (Selig, pictured at right, doing his best imitation of Homer Simpson)
There you have it. Just a few of the gifts that would make Barry smile on his 43rd birthday. For me, turning 44, I would just enjoy that fishing rod and a chance to use it with my two boys.
The X Files remains one of my all-time favorite television series. In it, you had just enough of the truth to make you wonder if the story line could be true and then a total farse of paranormal activity. The story lines were always loosely based upon local legends or alien sightings. Just like the tales of homeruns that soared for 600 feet, the story lines in the X-Files grew with each episode. Eventually, as with all sitcoms, it ran its course and they made a movie based upon the series. Soon, there will be a second installment in the X Files movie, and this is my second installment of X Files about baseball players. The first was about none other than Hammerin Hank Aaron. Today, I shall tackle the greatest legend of all in Babe Ruth. Certainly, the facts in his heroics have grown bigger and bigger with each year that passes. Like the fish that got away, no one can verify just how big he was and no one can tarnish the legend that is Babe Ruth. This post is not an attempt to diminish his accomplishments, but merely an attempt to put the Bambino's records in proper perspective.
After the strike shortened season of 1994, fans quit watching the game. Many people speculated that MLB started using “hot” baseballs to increase the homerun totals so that spectators would return. After all, fans love to see the long ball. Of course the fans did return with the culmination of the homerun chase of Sosa and McGwire of 1997. There will always be a shadow of doubt about that season fueled not only by the equipment that was used, but also by the steroid scandal. But this is not the first time MLB may have helped a player accomplish astounding feats just to bring fans back to the ball park. (Maybe Mark was just juicing the ball with all that Milk he was drinking....certainly those arms don't look all that chiseld to me.)
Much like the strike shortened season of modern history, MLB needed to attract fans to return to the game after the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919. Who better than the player most revered in all of baseball, Herman “Babe” Ruth and what better way than with the long ball? Let's look at a few of the perks afforded to him to help him accomplish his monumental homerun career.
While stadiums generally are smaller today in the overall dimensions, they are not significantly smaller down the line in the power alleys. In fact, I would argue that Ruth was given a free pass for almost half of his homeruns because the RF line at Yankee Stadium was the shortest fence in all of MLB at 258 feet as well as the LF line which was also 258 feet. It wasn’t until 1928 that it was lengthened to 296 feet. Not only was it one of the shortest, but it was modeled after the Polo Grounds were RF was only 256 feet. Yankee Stadium’s RF was actually shortened to accommodate Ruth so he could hit more HR which would attract more fans. Talk about perks!
(This quote is from Andrew Clem's site and I have it linked. Also, you this diagram of Yankee stadium is the one from 1937. It was only 258 from 1922-27.)
Cleveland’s stadium, League Park, which was used from 1910 until 1946,had a RF line that was only 290 feet long. Compare that to their left field line of 375 and you can see how stadiums were configured to favor the left handed slugger. There is a wonderful site, Andrew Clem’s Baseball that has the dimensions in easy an easy to see format. It also has interactive maps which change as you scroll over years. It is very interesting to see the many different configurations of ballparks that were used prior to the standardization of the foul line.
(Cleveland's League Park used from 1910-1946.)
Lastly, some will argue that the Babe hit many monster homeruns over the center field fence. While it is true that he hit some towering blasts, he hit most of his home runs down the right field line and to right center. He was known as a tremendous pull hitter. Of course even if he went to the opposite field, it was also very short at Yankee Stadium. The fact is that very few home run greats ever hit exclusively to CF and Babe Ruth was no exception. He benefited greatly from the short lines in most of the outfields he played in and he was able to take advantage of the cavernous center fields by hitting inside the park homeruns.
(Fenway Park, I just threw this one in again to show the short RF porch.)
Today, many baseball purists will point out that Barry Bonds is hitting in much smaller ballparks than Ruth did. They will also try to say that Ruth’s homeruns were monstrous compared to Barry’s line drive shots. All of this, just to try and bolster his achievements and diminish Bonds’. To me they are overlooking some glaring differences in the era, especially the design of modern day stadiums as compared to the home run friendly alleys of the classic ball parks.
Back in the 1920’s authorities wanted to arrest Al Capone for his many crimes related to his organizational ties. In other words, he was the head of the Mafia. When the police could not make any charges stick, the Bureau of Prohibition led by Eliot Ness went after Capone and successfully arrested, charged, and convicted Capone on tax evasion charges. Today the federal authorities find themselves in a similar situation with Barry Bonds. Everyone knows he took steroids. No rational person would deny it, but no prosecutor will ever be able to convict him of anything related to steroids.
Just as law enforcement officers would rather go after a drug dealer than the petty drug abuser, so the feds in this case have already been successful at shutting down Balco. Convicting Bonds of steroid abuse has no value. Bonds will never be convicted for using steroids in years past just as George Bush who admitted to using cocaine or Bill Clinton who never inhaled but did smoke marijuana, will never be convicted. Those were past transgressions. Unless they find illegal drugs on him today he will never serve jail time for using drugs from 2001. People who insist Barry go to jail for steroid abuse will always be unhappy with the outcome of these proceedings. Will he be convicted of tax evasion? It is too hard to tell for sure. The only evidence I can see is the testimony of a spurned ex-lover, Kimberly Bell. She claims he bought her a house in Arizona using cash from the sale of memorabilia that Barry did not declare on his taxes. The records at closing should be able to shed light on how he paid for the home, but it’s not like Barry doesn’t have millions in the bank.
I'm not suggesting Barry Bonds' "crimes" are on the same level as Al Capone, but certainly the intensity of the hate that is funneled in his direction appears to me to be on the same plane as that of Eliot Ness towards his nemesis, Al Capone. Contempt for Barry is evidenced in the writings of sports media, purists of the game, and even in Bud Selig who can not make a decision on attending the record breaking game. This from a commissioner who turned a blind eye towards known offendors during the so-called "steroid" era.
So, today another “player” in the Balco Investigation is sentenced to jail, but not Barry Bonds. This slugger is still a free man who most likely will break Hank Aaron’s HR record by the end of this month. It’s time to drop the hate for Barry and just enjoy the show. We may never see someone hit this many HR’s again ever. A-Rod has a shot if he plays long enough and remains healthy. Then again, he has gotten bigger and bigger over the last few years. As he approaches the HR record, I bet steroid allegations may be on his horizon. He is having a monster year this year and HGH is still not being tested. If MLB started testing for HGH tomorrow, how many baseball players would suddenly go on the DL?
In San Francisco, the Hearst Corporation and the AP have filed a suit trying to get the names in the ongoing steroids investigation released. Federal prosecutors do not want to reveal the names that are on the Jason Grimsley affidavit and the Kirk Radmonski affidavit. MLB has also joined on the side of the feds in opposing the release of the names of steroid users. The reasons listed include “not wanting to unfairly link anyone to a crime that has yet to be proven”, and “it would also indict players in the court of public opinion.” Pause while I laugh out loud…okay, let me gather my senses. Here is the actual quote in the papers filed by the US Attorney’s office:
The US Attorney’s office went on to say that disclosure of said information would harm MLB investigation into alleged steroid use and would potentially render any information gleaned from Radmonski useless.
For those of you are not up to speed on the steroids investigation, Kirk Radmonski was the one time “clubbie” for the NY Mets. He is said to have supplied HGH, Greenies, and steroids to many MLB players. Supposedly, when his list of names becomes public knowledge some of the criticism of Barry Bonds will be diminished. There are several high profile names on that list. Before the Grimsley affidavit was redacted, Roger Clemens name surfaced in connection with the Arizona player. So what does all this mean?
Well it appears that MLB has a problem because revealing names would be unthinkable. Of course you would not want the court of public opinion to turn on anyone else besides Barry Bonds. And why should we know everyone else on steroids? We already have a poster child for bad behavior and his name is BARRY.
This is the worst mishandled investigation of all time. It is bogus and anyone with half a brain would understand that the leaked grand jury testimony in the Balco Investigation was done on purpose to try and save Hank Aaron’s record. Any attempt to discredit Roger Clemens and his 7 Cy Young Awards would be unthinkable, but cast aspersions on Bonds, have at it. Unlike Pontius Pilate, Bud Selig can not wash his hand of this whole crucifixition. He turned Bonds over to the masses and they are chanting for his demise while he protects everyone else. I fear someone has something on Bud and he doesn’t want it to come out.
For me it is not about protecting Bonds. He has plenty of money and he will hold the all time HR record very soon. This is about the hypocrisy in the sports world where one man is taking the blame for the entire industry. I am anti-steroids and in every write up I have done on Floyd Landis, I have condemned him. The difference is that the cycling world is not turning a blind eye to its other stars. They have gone after Lance Armstrong, Jan Ulrich, and many others. They want a clean sport even if it means attacking their stars. When MLB prints the names of the other offenders then and only then will I jump on the Bonds’ asterisk bandwagon. Don’t hold your breath though, because it appears they are not willing to disparage anyone other than Barry.
SoCalSportsFan
*I highly recommend clicking on the links I have provided to read this article. It is not on the front page of Fox*
You’ve heard of the “dog days” of summer, but most of you probably do not know where that term originated. The most plausible explanation is that these days were named after the Dog Star, Sirius, which rises and sets with the sun in the summer month of July. Usually, the “dog days”, are the hottest and sultriest days of the summer which fall in July and August. The ancients believed that the additional heat from Sirius made these days exceptionally hot. Well, in sports the “hottest” stories also involve a few dogs, but not the kind you would imagine.
Michael Vick: Once again his home in Virginia has been raided. This is not a good sign for the Falcon QB. No one is talking, but the old adage that no news is good news is most definitely not the case here. I am sure Vick and the Falcons would love for someone, anyone in law enforcement, to come out and say charges are not going to be filed. To the contrary, look for this case to drag out for months carrying into the NFL season. This will give Vick a great excuse when he does not perform for new head coach Bobby Petrino.
Barry Bonds: Summer time is heating up with Bonds only 4 HRs away from tying Hank Aaron and 5 short of surpassing the HR King. Certainly very few people are pulling for Barry to pass up Hammerin Hank, but with each HR the heat is certainly rising for Bud Selig. As the baseball commissioner, he alone should have to answer questions for his part in the MLB Steroid Scandal. Selig also has to decide if he is going to attend the games leading up the record breaking HR. If he doesn’t attend then it will appear he does not validate the new record, but if he chooses to attend then he is afraid he will offend his long time friend Hank Aaron. Selig needs to “man” up and go to the game. Unless he and George Mitchell are willing to publish there findings which will incriminate many more than Bonds, then they will have to acknowledge Barry as the HR King. Lucky for Barry there are some other big names on the list that MLB does not want released.
MLS:Houston Dynamos win their 8th straight and are in a tie for first now. Who cares? Is anyone watching MLS? I’m not. I know the world watches soccer or “football” as it is known everywhere else in the world, but do people in Europe follow D.C. United? Soccer fans in America keep up with Manchester United, but I highly doubt the Brits are giving a second thought to a game between the Houston Dynamos and FC Dallas. I only know the names because I looked them up. Seriously, will David Beckham playing in LA cause people in Germany or Spain to watch? For all I know MLS is a realty service.
All-Star Game: Does anyone really care about the result of the All-Star Game. Even the home field advantage thing by the winner is blown way out of proportion. In the last six World Series, the winner has been from the NL three times and the AL three times. So much for AL dominance; it is a myth. When the games are played, every team has a chance.
Someone asked me the other day where I had gone. I'm still here, but with the start up of school just a week away, I am putting in overtime to get our school ready. With last minute teacher hiring, training of new teachers, ordering of furniture, interviewing parents and children, and switching offices, it has been extremely busy these last two weeks. One of my history teachers was called out to Iraq this week as well so I had to take him out to lunch and say goodbye. With all that is going on, I plan on posting on the weekends. Whoever said that principals don't work in the summer has never been in education.
There has been alot of speculation about whether or not Barry Bonds will be rested now that he has broken the HR record. Many analysts and Bonds haters have said he will now sit out the rest of the season or be played sparingly, but that is not how I see it. In fact, Bonds has hit two more HR since his record breaking number 756 blast. He has three this week and shows no sign of slowing down. The truth is, the Giants pay Barry way to much money to have him sit, and his production is better than anyone else on the team. Barry will still take an occassional day off, but he will play the bulk of the rest of the season. I would expect that he will hit another 10-15 homers along the way.
As for next year, Barry will continue to play. I would expect him to finally join an AL team and DH for at least one more year. Barry knows his new record is not safe from A-Rod if he stops now, and he has endured too much to allow his record to be so easily surpassed. Also, he can still play. If he can hit 40 HR as a DH, there will be teams clamoring for his services. The fact is Barry can still hit the ball with the best of them. He is like the Enegizer Bunny: He keeps on going, and going, and going. Just think how much more productive he could be without having to play the field. As it is, he has 25 HR not playing every day, over 57 RBI, and batting over .280. Get used to it, we haven't seen the last of Barry Bonds.
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.)
Kimberly Bell: An autographed copy of her Playboy. It’s not like Bell hasn’t already given Bonds enough trouble. After she broke up his first marriage, she continued to be his mistress throughout his second marriage, only to turn against him once she was spurned. In it she could say, “Thanks for the hooters, they really have come in handy lately!” 
Gary Sheffield: Former friend and work out partner of Bonds should continue to say stupid things to the press in order to deflect any criticism Barry may get. Funny how Sheffield trained with Bonds and was also a Balco client, but steroid allegations with him just sort of waft away like a puff of smoke. Yet, I can’t help but feel sorry for Gary because he appears to be one of the most bitter athletes I have ever seen play the game. No one has ever treated him right. Not the Dodger, the Braves, the Yankkees, and in a year or two the Tigers. He never has anything good to say about anyone. Maybe the best gift Barry can receive from Gary is to just not say anything.
MLB Writers: Enough votes to get into the HOF. After all, the HOF has other known cheats in it. 
Bud Selig: An admission to being at least partly culpable in the whole steroids debacle. It was on Selig’s watch that baseball players ballooned over night, but as long as they were hitting the long ball and brought fans back to the game, Bud turned a blind eye. Now he wants Barry to take all the blame. It would be such a nice present if Bud just accepted part of the blame. (Selig, pictured at right, doing his best imitation of Homer Simpson)
The X Files remains one of my all-time favorite television series. In it, you had just enough of the truth to make you wonder if the story line could be true and then a total farse of paranormal activity. The story lines were always loosely based upon local legends or alien sightings. Just like the tales of homeruns that soared for 600 feet, the story lines in the X-Files grew with each episode. Eventually, as with all sitcoms, it ran its course and they made a movie based upon the series. Soon, there will be a second installment in the X Files movie, and this is my second installment of X Files about baseball players. The first was about none other than 
After the strike shortened season of 1994, fans quit watching the game. Many people speculated that MLB started using “hot” baseballs to increase the homerun totals so that spectators would return. After all, fans love to see the long ball. Of course the fans did return with the culmination of the homerun chase of Sosa and McGwire of 1997. There will always be a shadow of doubt about that season fueled not only by the equipment that was used, but also by the steroid scandal. But this is not the first time MLB may have helped a player accomplish astounding feats just to bring fans back to the ball park. (Maybe Mark was just juicing the ball with all that Milk he was drinking....certainly those arms don't look all that chiseld to me.)
Much like the strike shortened season of modern history, MLB needed to attract fans to return to the game after the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919. Who better than the player most revered in all of baseball, Herman “Babe” Ruth and what better way than with the long ball? Let's look at a few of the perks afforded to him to help him accomplish his monumental homerun career. 
Back in the 1920’s authorities wanted to arrest Al Capone for his many crimes related to his organizational ties. In other words, he was the head of the Mafia. When the police could not make any charges stick, the Bureau of Prohibition led by Eliot Ness went after Capone and successfully arrested, charged, and convicted Capone on tax evasion charges. Today the federal authorities find themselves in a similar situation with Barry Bonds. Everyone knows he took steroids. No rational person would deny it, but no prosecutor will ever be able to convict him of anything related to steroids. 
I'm not suggesting Barry Bonds' "crimes" are on the same level as Al Capone, but certainly the intensity of the hate that is funneled in his direction appears to me to be on the same plane as that of Eliot Ness towards his nemesis, Al Capone. Contempt for Barry is evidenced in the writings of sports media, purists of the game, and even in Bud Selig who can not make a decision on attending the record breaking game. This from a commissioner who turned a blind eye towards known offendors during the so-called "steroid" era. 
You’ve heard of the “dog days” of summer, but most of you probably do not know where that term originated. The most plausible explanation is that these days were named after the Dog Star, Sirius, which rises and sets with the sun in the summer month of July. Usually, the 
Michael Vick: Once again his home in Virginia has been raided. This is not a good sign for the Falcon QB. No one is talking, but the old adage that no news is good news is most definitely not the case here. I am sure Vick and the Falcons would love for someone, anyone in law enforcement, to come out and say charges are not going to be filed. To the contrary, look for this case to drag out for months carrying into the NFL season. This will give Vick a great excuse when he does not perform for new head coach Bobby Petrino.
Barry Bonds: Summer time is heating up with Bonds only 4 HRs away from tying Hank Aaron and 5 short of surpassing the HR King. Certainly very few people are pulling for Barry to pass up Hammerin Hank, but with each HR the heat is certainly rising for Bud Selig. As the baseball commissioner, he alone should have to answer questions for his part in the MLB Steroid Scandal. Selig also has to decide if he is going to attend the games leading up the record breaking HR. If he doesn’t attend then it will appear he does not validate the new record, but if he chooses to attend then he is afraid he will offend his long time friend Hank Aaron. Selig needs to “man” up and go to the game. Unless he and George Mitchell are willing to publish there findings which will incriminate many more than Bonds, then they will have to acknowledge Barry as the HR King. Lucky for Barry there are some other big names on the list that MLB does not want released.
MLS: 
All-Star Game: Does anyone really care about the result of the All-Star Game. Even the home field advantage thing by the winner is blown way out of proportion. In the last six World Series, the winner has been from the NL three times and the AL three times. So much for AL dominance; it is a myth. When the games are played, every team has a chance.
