Just add opinions and serve...

The death of Tulsa Drillers first base coach Mike Coolbaugh has passed with few remarks from the blogging community. These days blogs, sporting or political, are about heroes and villains. Coolbaugh was neither, just a nice guy and family man doing something he loved and dying in a freak accident.

What can you write? Only the hope, and a realistic one it is, that his last hours were full of sights and sounds that brought him happiness. The chatter in the clubhouse, the joy of taking the field, the enthusiasm of the fans, and the satisfaction of watching players he worked with getting better at a game he loved. Coolbaugh was liked and respected on the field and off. As was said in Hamlet, "He made a good end."

Heard some call-in listener comments on Tim Donaghy, followed by the host condemning the NBA referee. A few minutes later the afternoon crew was yucking it up over the 5 picks one of them had made in the daily beat the spread contest. Gambling runs deep in sports culture, maybe deeper than most of us realize.  Odds the FBI just happened to find the one official in all of the NBA involved in fixing games, and no players were involved, is a the very definition of a long shot.

Why is it not a suprise the same city that brought us Haight Ashbury, The Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane doesn't seem concerned by Barry Bonds possible involvement with performance enhancing drugs.?  Is Barry guilty? Go ask Alice.

Watching ESPN's "The Bronx Is Burning" you're struck by the personalities. Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Mickey Rivers. Today's Yankees are an impressive collection of hired guns, but something is missing. The 2007 Bronx Bombers have no soul. Joe Torre is a good manager, but the old Yankees would have eaten him for breakfast. I miss those days.

Cowboy fans are getting excited about this year's team, based in large part on the depth. True, there are alot of good backups in Big D, but a fair number of them are talented young guys who haven't played up to their ability. How does that get a team to Glendale?

It's late July and I'm five points out in my roto league. Starting pitching is driving me nuts this year. I'm on the verge of cutting Jason Marquis for mental health reasons. I bench him he wins, I play him he tanks. I wait to see two good starts in a row then bring him back. He tanks again. I sit him again and he becomes Cy Young. I'm starting to take this personally.

I'm wondering if the Vick thing sit down isn't going to blow up in the face of the NFL. What happens if the prosecution can't make the case? The witnesses are not likely to be members of the Upright Citizens League and it's even possible that one or two are lying to protect themselves. And what if the FBI and prosecutors are only interested in Vick as a means to an end to get at bigger fish? What if they flip Vick and then give him a pass on the charges against him? In short, what do you do with a Vick who is guilty morally and not guilty legally? We may find out.

Is Jim Rome the Dick Clark of our generation? Rome is 43 but looks, sounds, acts, and dresses like one of his 22 year old listeners. Today's e-mail. "Jim Rome. You're in. We've already booked the guests for 2014. Signed, New Year's Rockin' Eve."

And finally, David Stern.