Moments ago Barry Bonds belted a full count fastball into the 4th row of the right centerfield stands to become baseball's all-time leading homerun hitter.  Homerun number 756 was greated by amazing positive fan reaction, and amazingly, a video salute to Barry by the one and only Henry Aaron. 

Hank showed his class, which had been questioned recently, toward a man who truly deserves any praise that he recieves.  Barry Bonds is one of the three greatest hitters of all-time, and the greatest player since Willie Mays himself. 

I've said often that Barry's unfair treatment by many fans and the media is the reason I started this blog over a year and a half ago.  It's only fitting that I say goodbye to the Fox community on the night that my guy becomes THE GUY on the MLB homerun list.  Hats off to you Barry!  You deserved nothing but accolades on this night.  Let me be the first on this blog site to congratulate you!

As the last few days and weeks have rolled by in the world of sports, I have made two observations.  The first is that some of the most amazing things have been happening.  Things that a true sports fan lives to see.  We've had fantastic finishes, great team and player stories, as well as historically significant individual efforts.  There has also been things that have dominated headlines that are nowhere near "newsworthy".  The crime in this is that many fans' attentions are being diverted to this garbage, and missing these wonderful events in sports. 

As a teacher, I always assume that when people behave inappropriately it's because they don't know what the appropriate action is.  Therefore you, the fan, will no longer need to miss the unmissable.  I, XEA76, will help you navigate your way through the trash and find the treasure.

Worthy:  Derek Fisher

This guy flies 2/3 of the way across the U.S. to pray for his potentially dying child, support the mother of his child, and be there when a man needs to be there most.  When he knows all is safe, he flies back to Utah, suits up, and inspires his team to a huge OT win. 

Not Worthy:  Racially biased NBA officiating

You have to ask what the agenda is of any organization that would even support such a study.  Anyone who actually saw the raw numbers knows that the illedged discrepency of calls of officials to players of another race were not statiscally significant.  Translated, this is why all polls have a "margin of error".  The statistics were not so skewed that there appeared to be a problem, but there was a SLIGHT descrepency.  If you really want to help the racism problem, don't make it the issue everytime people that don't look the same are in the same room.

Worthy:  Barry Bonds

I started this blog over a year ago because of this man.  Barry is a jerk.  Barry MAY be a cheater (probably).  Having said that, Barry is the greatest baseball player I've ever seen, BAR NONE!  Baseball fans live their whole lives wanting to see records broken.  He's already broken the big one.  Now he's going for the #2 record in all of baseball, the all-time HR mark.  Don't miss this because of a stupid grudge.  This is what you want to tell your kids about.  If you ignore him, you make him a mystery to the next generation. Educate yourself about him.  Teach the kids why he's so good.  Explain why cheating is bad.  However, do not miss one of the most amazing feats by one of the five greatest baseball players of all time.

Not Worthy:  Curt Schilling

Speaking his name in public is difficult to do.  This is a guy who gives the media the quotes they want, so he gets a pass on being an ####.  He is not a Hall of Fame player.  That's right, being an outspoken member of the 2004 Red Sox doesn't make you one.  Sorry Kevin Millar.  I'm not sure any person in sports is less socially significant while being oblivious to that fact at the same time.  He thinks he's important.  He speaks for political candidates.  He's a social commentator.  And frankly, all the Beanbrains want him to do is get people out.  That's right Curt.  If you make the country less dependent on oil and have an ERA over 5.00, then Boston will hate you.  I promise.

Worthy:  Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Jr. is leaving the company his father founded.  NASCAR's biggest star with it's biggest sponsor is officially a free agent (at the end of the year).  This event really has no other worthy comparison.  There is no other athlete more popular, in his prime, and about to be persued by about 15 Nextel Cup teams, the idea of starting his own team, or even other racing outfits like the IRL or Formula One.  Junior is the biggest free agent in the history of American sports. 

Not Worthy:  Car of Tomorrow

NASCAR made it.  NASCAR uses it now.  NASCAR wants it full time in 2008.  That settles it.  Shut up and drive it.

Worthy:  Tiger Woods

Tiger is on another dominating run.  He's winning almost every tournament he signs up for.  He's back to his dominating form with his 15th different swing.  He got to the point in 2000 when he decided to compare himself to himself, and not to the other players.  Now he's back to being so far ahead of the field it's almost laughable.

Not Worthy:  Mike Vick

He's the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf.  He's a punk who's popularity so far supercedes his accomplishments that it's obsurd.  He's a great athlete who can't play QB.  He's a spoiled brat who has robbed me of the 60 seconds of my life that it took to write this blurb.  I'm out!

Philosophers say that we live in the post-modern era.  Post-modernism is a belief that the only absolute truth that exists in the world is that there is no absolute truth.  Despite the glaring philosophical contradiction that Stevie Wonder could see, many people endorse this way of viewing the world.  "What you do is up to you, and what I do is none of your business" they say.  If this is your world-view, that's fine with me (hints of relativism are all over that statement), but its amazing at how relative we are with our morals in sports.

NASCAR found that Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, and Michael Waltrip all qualified with illegal cars on Sunday.   The punishment for the crimes of Kahne and Kenseth's teams were reported by the Charlotte Observer as suspensions for each team's crew chief.  It amazes me that NASCAR refuses to park cars and teams for races.  I'm not sure that these violations would warrant such a punishment, but the bottom line is that such a punishment isn't even an option.  Sure, they say it is, but Kasey Kahne would have to attack and kill Dale Earnhardt Jr. to ever be suspended from a race.  NASCAR has gotten neck-deep with these sponsors to the point that they run the show.  You will NEVER see a race without a Home Depot, Dupont, Lowe's, Budweiser, or Dodge sponsored car.  At least not because NASCAR made that decision.  That fact doesn't even consider the star power of the former champions and superstars that carry the corporate torch for the aforementioned companies.  It's amazing that so many fans turn the other cheek to rules violations in NASCAR.  The unspoken motto of most crew chiefs in the sport is, "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'".  Everyone seems to be fine with that, even when the large portion of the fan base resides in the "morally conservative" South of the U.S. 

Then, of course, there is baseball.  A sport in which anyone who has ever touched a bottle, vitamin, beer, or even baby, is under tremendous scrutiny and su####ion.  Why?  Are they both cheating?  Yes.  It amazes me that steriod use is considered the ultimate form of cheating in sports.  The steriod rule reminds me of what Jerry Seinfeld says about the helmet law.  He finds it humorous that we would have a law that functions to protect a brain that is functioning so poorly that it doesn't protect itself.  I agree.  When race cars are too fast, they put lives in danger of more than just their drivers.  When athletes juice, who are they really harming?  Your post-modern mind should now kick in and say, "They aren't hurting me, so what they are doing is fine."  However, it doesn't say that at all.  You want to be noble.  You want to be the helmet law.  You want to protect that athlete that is so starved for money and fame, that he/she will literally kill himself/herself to get it. 

I don't feel cheated by Barry Bonds.  I don't feel cheated by Kasey Kahne.  If Kasey Kahne's team deems it necessary to bend the rules to make him more competitive, then install rules that discourage that.  NASCAR does that.  If Barry Bonds wants to use a substance that, until recently, wasn't even banned by MLB and hurt himself, so be it.  He can be the Homerun King, while suffering through health problems and a lower quality of life.  That's his choice.  My question to you is.  If Barry is only hurting himself, and Kasey, Matt, and Michael are putting others at risk as well as not risking nearly as much from a personal, physical standpoint, who has committed the greater crime?  Barry will be tarnished physically, emotionally, and publically for the rest of his life.  Kahne and Kenseth won't even miss a race.  What gives? 

It seems that just about everyone complains about media bias.  Conservatives hate all of the major news media outlets because they are too liberal.  Liberals hate Fox News and talk radio because it is too conservative.  Moderates hate them both because both are too over-the-top for them.  Everyone agrees that there is media bias no matter what side of the political isle they are on.  However, why do the sports media get a pass?   Outrageous statements, foolish predictions, and pointless comparisons have become par for the course for the sports fan who is simply trying to keep up with the happenings in his/her favorite hobby.  The U.S. government knows that competition in our economy is good, and a company having a monopoly is bad for the consumer.  Knowing this, I wish someone, anyone, would step-up and challenge the “worldwide leader in sports”.  I’m so sick of that network I could scream.  However, what other choice do I have to keep up with the only hobby I’m truly passionate about, sports?  Every night, during that “news” program that they air at 6 p.m., I must watch a stupid top-ten list that I, nor anyone I've ever met, care anything about.  I have to listen to speculation about who had the best draft, who will pitch to Barry, and will Kobe score 60 points tonight.  I have to listen to Sean Salisbury talk about how foolish the Texans are to draft a defensive end over Reggie Bush.  Then, literally 45 seconds later, he is asked "what is the most important position on an NFL team other than QB", and he answers a pass-rushing defensive end.  Doesn’t anyone see how stupid these people are on this channel?  Sure they do, but what other choice do they have?  Earlier this week, the “worldwide leader” had a link to a story on their website that read, “Jeter is no Honus Wagner”.  Who cares?!?  Can we please just watch these guys play and not put them in a historical context?  Derek Jeter is in the prime of his career.  Why do we have to put him in the Hall of Fame already?  Let the man do his job.  Comparing players across generations is impossible.  Sure it’s fun to talk about with your friends, but I don’t want to read or hear about it when this program is supposed to be informing me.  If ESPN was a newspaper, the news would be on one page and rest would be a bunch of bloviating editorial garbage.  So please, someone, anyone, compete with these people.  Fox, CBS, NBC, or someone, give us an alternative.  We need it.  We want it.  If they can support five different channels, I’m sure you can support one. 

Barry Bonds is a jerk.  Barry has never cared much about the media, fans or his teammates.  I am convinced that at some point, Barry Bonds used performance enhancing drugs.  OK, I've admitted it.  The world knows it.  Can we please leave this man alone?!?

My whole contention about the "steroid controversy" in baseball is that it’s not about steroids at all.  IT'S ABOUT BARRY BONDS.  People hate Bonds.  They don't want this jerk to possibly be considered the greatest player or hitter of all-time.  They'd rather glorify the Gentleman Henry Aaron, or the legendary Babe Ruth, or the splendid Ted Williams.  "Anyone but Barry" is the baseball fan's cry.  So reporters that he has shunned have spend endless hours trying to dig up evidence to prove something that people are already so starved to believe the evidence is just a nice side note (the guys who wrote “Game of Shadows” are investigative reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle).  People in the cycling world will tell you that just as compelling and convincing a case can be made that Lance Armstrong is juicing.  Americans don't want that.  He's the American guy that went to France of all places and dominated their most hallowed event.  We like that over here.  Lance gives good interviews.  He dates celebrities.  He overcame an ailment that has or will touch all of our lives at some point.  He's a "hero".  We can't tarnish him.  So we say that all of the French media he has shunned over the years are just jealous and out to get him.  They are French after all!  But the San Francisco media, they are fine upstanding Americans who are just looking after the game we love.  You all mark my words.  Once Barry's career is over, you'll never hear the steroid controversy again.  At least, not anywhere near as loudly.  Notice that when present players test positive it’s just a blurb on the banner on ESPNews.  That's because people don't want Juan Rincon to test positive.  Who cares about him?  We want Barry Bonds to test positive.  That way we don't have to call him one of the 3 greatest hitters of all-time, which he is.  We don't have to call him one of three greatest players of all-time, which he is.  We don't have to call him the greatest player in baseball since Mays, which he is.  We just get to call him a cheater and pretend he never existed.