I haven't posted anything but comments on other posts for awhile because I've been very busy with hockey season and new responsibilities at work. Also, there hasn't been much going on that I felt like writing about. But lately tings are getting heated in a few areas and I can't hold my tongue any longer. Those of you who have been enjoying my absence will probably wonder why I had to come back. Those of you who have missed me...well...at least you can give a guy his delusions. Anyway... ...Clemens vs. McNamee and the need for Congress to be involved. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Doesn't our government have more important things to do? Isn't there anything they can do about gas prices, health care costs, social security, the budget or troop movement in Iraq? Well, obviously, they have either done all they can do, or all they are going to do, about those issues so they now need a new issue to work on until after the election. Frankly, I couldn't care less what Roger Clemens had injected into his hind quarters, why he had it injected, who injected it, if his wife did it, with or without his consent or if all of his kid's names start with a K. Really! Has this become so huge that it needs government attention? Why do we really care if Clemens did HGH or steroids or lidocaine or B-12 or shot saline solution into his rump. Because we feel like we, as baseball fans, are being cheated? Who is being cheated? Baseball fans or students who don't have the necessary tools and teachers to help them get a decent education because money is mis-spent in education. Or pulled from education for other things. Who is being cheated? Baseball fans or the elderly whose health care costs are so high that any kind of retirement income they worked all their lives for is taken from them so they can live out their lives living in assisted living centers or nursing homes with inadequate health care and services that don't supply them with what they rightfully earned during their lives. Well, of course it is the baseball fan. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? I couldn't care less if Roger Clemens is guity or innocent as long as any family members I have fighting in a war most of the nation doesn't believe in are home safe and sound. I would rather see the elected officials that I put in office work on something meaningful and helpful to this country. Worrying about what Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds or Chuck Knoblauch (Chuck Knoblauch for cryin' out loud???) had shot into their bodies or who shot it. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Speaking of the strong work our politicians are doing! Thank you Senator Arlen Spector ( if I spelled it wrong...so what?) for making sure you get all over the Commissioner of the NFL for destroying taping evidence of New England Patriot's coach Bill Belichik...after he fined him and the team. AE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? The Commissioner caught the team and the coach and disciplined them. Why is this still an issue? Move on and do what you should be doing. My guess is the glorious senator at one time or another lost money because of this practice by Belichik. In the meantime your little investigation is costing money. Whose money? Well, Mr. Senator, I'm once again going to guess that it is me and my fellow countrymen who are footing the bill for this wasted, a$$inine investigation. I can't sell my house for what it is worth right now Mr.Senator because the economic situation in this country is not conducive to buying a house...or selling one. Why might that be? I'm sure I will be told it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that our elected officials are spending way too much of thier creative resources on HGH/Steroids and cheating in major sports leagues. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Back to baseball for a second. Bud Selig and George Mitchell got together and did their own investigation about performance enhancing drug usage in their sport which is MLB. When they conspired to do this they included Selig's predecessor, Faye Vincent, in order to get his support. Vincent is on record as saying he supported the investigation under certain conditions. One of those conditions was that the need for an investigation was to determine how wide spread the use of performance enhancing drugs were in MLB but, it was not to identify those who had used them. I wonder how Faye Vincent feels today about the state of his sport which is MLB. Pressured by the infamous Court of Public Opinion and virtually every sportswriter (I'll try not to waiver and remind you of what I think of them) in the free world names started flying out of this investigation at a record pace. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? In my humble opinion, Selig didn't need to take any pressure from anyone because it was his intention all along to make sure that the names of the players involved was public knowledge. His legacy to his sport will always be that he ruled the game during the steroid era. Coming on the heels of contraction, embezzlement, cancelled season, no World Series and a tie in an All-Star game one would think things couldn't get much worse for Bud. Knowing that the two guys who revitalized your sport for the public by swatting record numbers of HR's, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, may have been using performance enhancing drugs wasn't much of a concern. Until Barry Bonds starting getting close to the coveted all time HR crown the performance enhancing drug usage was only whispered about in the private recesses of conference rooms across MLB. When it broke and it was Bonds then Selig had a fawn to blame. Bonds is not well liked and apparently doesn't like too many people anyway. Bonds became Selig's crutch to limp into the steroid age on. He is using the Mitchell Report and the player's who weren't supposed to be identified to scream through it under the radar. Problem is that his ego won't let him keep quiet. He now claims, again, that MLB can police itself. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Obviously it can't. See, United States Congress. I will always wonder if Bud had stayed within the guidelines Faye Vincent suggested if this would have been handled effectively and quietly. Now you have players who, right or wrong, are compelled to lie to protect their legacy in their sport. Now you have slime balls creeping out of the woodwork who, while knowing they were wrong, still supplied and injected performance enhancing drugs into professional athletes. Now you have a situation where MLB and the MLBPA bicker and argue about who is at fault and cannot come together on a cohesive plan to monitor and eliminate the use of performance enhancing drugs in this sport which is MLB. You have a Commisssioner whose legacy won't be record revenues, expansion and great new stadiums to play in but will be that he ruled the sport in arguably it's darkest days. I often think Bud is alright with that. Bloggers are a strange breed, aren't they? We have on our site here a contributing writer to Fox Sports who kind of built a major following by being a woman and writing, rather knowingly, about college football. Often times we agree with what she writes and there are times when we don't agree with what she writes. She is a huge and very passionate fan of the USC Trojans. I, on the other hand, am a huge and passionate fan of the Oklahoma Sooners. She, we, have written things that we do agree on and that we don't agree on in the context of our passions for these teams. She likes to stir the pot now and then and she will get me going when she lets Sooner coach Bob Stoops have it for one thing or another. She recently wrote a post about Bob's brother Mike the head coach at Arizona. I responded as I generally do and asked he if she would perhaps be able to rip Papa Stoops (meaning Bob and Mike's dad) to which she responded as she generally does. Making her point and moving on. As usual I was willing to let it go and did. A few days later I went back to that post and couldn't believe the personal assaults on her character and suggestions that she remove certain things from her mouth. The majority of these were from proclaimed Sooner fans. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Most of the Sooner fans I know carry themselves with class and have some kind of evident dignity. Some of these people did nothing but give the rest of us a bad name. It's a freakin' blog people! While you may feel it is a venue to express your opinions and feelings that is fine. When you feel it appropriate to assault someone's character and suggest she take certain parts of anatomy from her mouth you look ridiculous and ignorant. No wonder people llike kellyscott (not trying to offend you kellyscott just making a point) can't get past OU-UO game a couple of seasons ago. People like the ignorant OU fans that make comments here give him ample reason to carry on. Blog here all you wish...just have a little class and act like you didn't come from the gutter or the back room aat some sleazy stripper joint. Oh, and Lisa, while I respect you as well...comments about the Sooners or the Stoops boys, particulary Bob, will generate a response from gcoach. No matter how you spin it. AWAYS! Viking head coach Brad Childress just reassured every Viking fan that rookie phenom Adrian Peterson can still get better. Thanks, Brad! ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Of course he can still get better. He was a rookie. Hey, Brad, why don't you worry about your QB situation and leave the RB's to Eric Bienemy, the guy you hired to do that job. And after making that fantastic comment make sure you keep him surrounded by big, fast linemen who will help him get better. Hey, Brad, would you get upset if Peterson told the media not to be too hard on you because, "Coach Childress can still get better." Coach your football team and quit talking to the media. So far you have told us that all the player's can get better. Is it all on them or can their coach get better as well? Just curious. Richard Zednik almost lost his life in a National League Hockey game last week when he was accidently cut in the throat, through his carotid artery (not completely or doctors said it would most probably have been fatal), by a skate. Fortunately, after surgery it sounds like he will survive. A report last night was that he is awake and alert. This is fantastic news. Where am I going with this? Right after the incident the calls for new rules on equipment went way over the top. Based on this incident people all over the place are talking about new neck wear to protect player's throats. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? This game of hockey, the great game of hockey, has been played on skates for longer than any of us has been around to watch it. It is fast and wreckless and that is the pull for many who play it. It is physical and demands great skill. Other reasons why people play it. Injuries like this are rare in the grand scheme of the game. While frightening it is again...rare! Why do we feel the need to change the world and re-invent the wheel whenever we see an injury like this? And it isn't even that we change the wheel...we demand that it be changed. Why don't we just let those that feel threatened make accommodations to protecting their throats. I have to wear a helmet now when I coach kids in our youth program because some guy got a wild hair up his a$$ and pitched to USA Hockey that 6 coaches in some outlandish period of time had either been seriously injured or killed during practice of their youth teams. We're talking lke 20 years or so...across North America. While hockey may not be the most prominant sport in North America that is still a significant number of youth programs and hockey playing communities. No mention of the skill level of the 6 coaches in question. Like were they parents with no experience or skilled skaters. See what I mean. There was no real support for his argument. Now, I wear a helmet when I play because the level at which I play is conducive to protecting my dome. In practice...not so much. So, having skated for roughly 45 of my 50 years...why should I wear, or be forced to wear, a helmet while I coach? When playing I understand the need. In coaching I find it uncomfortable and confining. Why can't I just sign a waiver stating that I understand the risks of skating without a helmet and will hold no one responsible for any injury, or death, that I may suffer because I don't want to wear a helmet when I coach. Could it be that we don't trust anyone anymore? Could it be that some people need to feel like they are the great creators of change and couldn't care less about what they are a changing. Could it be that their way has just got to be better than the way it has always been...even if they aren't always right? Change isn't always a good thing just like it isn't always a bad thing. I don't have all the answers but I think I know who does...especially for things like this. Just let me call my congressman...they'll get to the bottom of it all. And that's the bottom line... BOOMER SOONER!!!

Nooch and I had a brief conversation yesterday the gist of which was that the "experts" have already determined in many instances who will play in conference championship games...who will win conferences...who will play in the National Championship games...and in some cases...who will win the National Championship. I don't really care who plays in the National Chamionship game so long as they are playing Oklahoma. Am I taking on the roll of an "expert" and picking OU to play in the National Championship game. Not on your life...my life...the lives of any family members...or even on the lives of people I don't know. It isn't because I wouldn't dare to pick OU to play in the National Championship game. It is because I am realistic and take things into consideration that the "experts"...apparently...do not!!! We get to witness on television or read in the paper the "experts" views on who will wind up where. Whatever! What continually astounds me is the lack of common sense things these "experts" don't take into account when making these bold claims. We hear about SOS (strength of schedule) for those who haven't bothered keeping up with NCAA FB or colege football this year. We hear about conference strength and we hear about BCS computers and coaches polls and this poll and that but, we rarely hear about things like rivalry games and road games and toughest venues to play in or any of the intangible things that don't seem to get any thought process from the "experts." I'm sick and tired of hearing about all of the standard crap. If I were playing one of the "top" teams in the country I would only need to open the paper or turn on ESPN to get all the motivation I would need to beat a"top" team. In this year of upsets...maybe that is all these coaches have done...open the paper or turn on the tube. "Guy's! Look at the lack of respect you are getting from the college football "experts" (done with two hands up and two fingers on each hand moving up and down)!!! Use that for your motivation!" The bad things about letting the "experts" determine things before they are played out is this. When a bunch of "experts" picks your team to finsih so high...get to the conference championship game (if your conference has one), get to the National Championship game..etc., etc., etc. and your team doesn't make it...too bad so sad! Watch how fast you tumble out of the picture...especially if you haven't been in that picture before. If one the other hand you are picked to lose...and you win...all hail the conquering heroes...until the shoe is on the other foot. What am I getting at? Here we go. I am so sick and tired of the "experts" annointing OU the Big 12 South Champions...with 2 games to play...that I can't stand it. I'm so sick and tired of the "experts" annointing Oregon the PAC 10 Champions...with 3 games to play...that I can't stand it. I'm so sick and tired of the "experts" annointing LSU the SEC Champions and in many cases the National Champions...with 2 games to play...that I can't stand it. The only conference championship that hasn't been annointed yet is the Big 12 North. The "experts" are at least using "if" when they talk about this one. Missouri and Kansas play on Nov. 24th and that may decide the Big North...if something else doesn't happen by then. And in this year of the upset...well...you never know. And that is why I am getting tired of the "experts" and their annointings. LSU has yet to play Mississippi and Arkansas. Yet...those two teams can't possibly stand in the way of LSU's march to a National Championship. No UPSET possibilities there??? Kansas plays Iowa State this weekend and then Missouri. While we don't expect trouble this weekend for Kansas the Cyclones are much improved and have played pretty well the seond half of the year. I'd turn on the tube and purchase a ton of newspapers for my team. Missouri gets Kansas State tihs weekend. Yea, we all know the lowly Cornhuskers blew Kansas Stae away but the Wildcats have played some inspired ball this season at times. Do we expect issues...naw! Let's just go straight to the 24th. Again...more ESPN and the black and wide and occasionally color of the local written press. Oregon plays Arizona on Thursday night. No problems here right? Well...typical Mike Stoops team needs the entire first half of the season to get ready to play ball the second half of the season. On an odd night on the road. Upsets do happen when schedules change. But...we shouldn't consider ay of that and Oregon rolls. That's just dandy. Because they follow that up on the road with UCLA. The same UCLA that started in the top 10 or 15 (depending on what "expert" you follow) this year. Well...they aren't that good now. Consistently...maybe...but at home...with another teams season to crush. Naw...no problem...Ducks cruise! And to top that off they follow UCLA with Oegon State...in-state rivalry game. And we all know that NOTHING out of the expected ever happens in those games. What the hell am I thinking? There is nothing standing in Oregon's way. Silly me. OU goes to Lubbock, Texas this weekend to play Texas Tech. Tech blows! Well...except for the high powered offense and a QB named Graham Harrell. This kid throws for 500 yards a game against solid secondaries. The verdict is still out on OU's secondary. Not to mention that Tech plays OU hard in Lubbock and some of OU's stumbles have come...in Lubbock...against...Texas Tech. Not this year. OU rolls...so say the "experts." Then the Sooners travel back to Norman to play the Oklahoma State Cowboys. This would fall under the "in-state rivalry" game (see Oregon-Oregon State) but this poses no problems for the Sooners and they will be the Big 12 South Champion heading to San Antonio to play with Kansas or Missouri. But the Cowboys have become famous for knocking OU from the ranks. Never mind...still not an issue. Thank the "experts" for that. There is a lot of football to play and the "experts" who are already annointing champions are not giving any of the opponents of these teams and freakin' credit. They don't consider things that come into play when we are talking UPSETS in the year of the UPSETS. The "experts" can ramble on all they want but PLEASE use some kind of intelligence and give these other teams some kind of credit. But they won't and don't and that makes no sense to me. And it could continue to make no sense to me and I wouldn't freakin' care...so long as the ramifications of the upset weren't so harsh. I mean...we all know upsets will happen. Hell, that's why we play 'em on the field. But you have teams that go into hostile environments to play in-state rivalry games and if the lose...the fall is catastrophic. Why? Because the "experts" give no consideration to intangibles that have bearings on the outcomes of some of these games. There is absolutely no way OU should EVER lose to Colorado. On paper I might agree. On the road in a different atmosphere with a HISTORY of these kinds of things happening...I don't think it is realistic to assume that the Buffaloes should NEVER beat OU. This happens all over the country between the "top" teams and the...not so top teams. Especially this year when upsetting top teams is so...for lack of a better phrase...common place! Personally...Texas Tech worries me this weekend and I probably won't get any satisfaction out of the next two weeks unless OU actually does end up in the Big 12 Championship game. If I were an Oregon fan I would be concerned with all three of our remaining games. I know Nooch has some concerns. If I were Kansas and Missouri I would take heed to thisseasons history and not take this weeks opponents lightly...in any way. Same for LSU who...in my humble opinion...has been winning "lucky" lately and...well...sometimes the luck runs out. I don't really care if these "experts" continue to ramble on and on about who will be here and there based on who SHOULD be here and there. I base my opinions on being as realistic as I can possibly be...and that's why I could NEVER be a college football "expert." And that's the bottom line... GO SOONERS!!!

Has anyone ever read the AP posts here or the Fox updates and then read the comments section at the end of them? The running blogs somewhat like we have here. I do but I never comment on them because the comments range from the benign to the incredibly ignorant...by the majority of the commentors. Whereas here we only seem to have a few of those that go to the other side of the moon when commenting. As is my usual pattern I got up yesterday morning and pulled up the OU-Baylor gametrax and read the follow-up article and then some of the comments that followed. I'm not going to give them any form of recognition here but if you ever want to look them up...well...feel free, but there was a conversation between two people (as is generally required unless you are kellyscott talking about last years OU-Oregon game...whoops....just messin' with ya ks) regarding OU's defensive effort against Baylor. One commentor said that Brent Venables can't handle the pressure of his job and that OU's secondary better figure things out before their trip to Lubbock, TX this weekend for their game against Texas Tech. The other person commented that this person was not a true fan of OU for saying what they said. I strongly disagree with that line of reasoning. As for me...I call 'em as I see 'em...and...it doesn't make me any less a fan than the proverbial "butt-kissing my team can do no wrong" fan. I call 'em as I see 'em and I agree that the Sooner secondary...well...actually the entire defense...better get it together before they play another game...ANOTHER GAME...or all the help they have gotten to get back into the BCS NCG picture will be wasted. Baylor's QB threw up 280 yards against the Sooner secondary on Saturday night and 2 TD's. Brandon Whitaker, Baylor's RB from OU, carried the ball 15 times for 149 yards and a TD. Hey there boys...that's almost 10 yards a pop!!! Here are some comments from Sooner coach Bob Stoops and some of the players after the game. "Defensively, we had some breakdowns and gave up a lot of yards. I'm glad I do not have to see us give up that many yards every week. IT HASN'T BEEN US, and we'll see some things we can do better. The obvious one was the one before the half. We busted coverage. We were supposed to be playing four deep and one of our safeties didn't communicate well and was playing in the flats. IT HADN'T HAPPENED BEFORE, and we can't let it happen again. A couple of the runs early we just didn't recognize the blocking schemes and they busted a couple. Bylor did a nice job of executing, give them credit. In the end, we came up with enough stops and turnovers and took advantage of opportunities when we were given them." - Head Coach Bob Stoops "We broke down in some areas where someone has the Quarterback on the option and ran past him. That happens, and there were some areas where we could have been better." - Head Coach Bob Stoops "It was ugly. We gave up a lot of stuff that we shouldn't have, busting coverages and missing tackles, things like that. These are things WE HAVEN'T BEEN DOING ALL YEAR." - OU CB Reggie Smith "Getting interceptions have definately changed the momentum of the game and helped the offense. But, overall, we have to play better as a defense. As the defense, we want to come out and slow them down. But I don't think we did a good job of that today. It was a bend, don't break defense. We need to just get better, and be better on our pass coverage." - OU LB Curtis Lofton OK!!! So what is wrong with an OU fan sharing their opinion about a defense that didn't play up to it's capabilities on Saturday? Not a damn thing. I'll take it farher than that because I call 'em as I see 'em. See all the words in BOLD above regarding comments to the effect that WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT BEFORE? Well...yes you have. Can you say Tulsa? Can you say Colorado? Can you say Missouri? I can and the big plays against have been way too numerous...ALL YEAR LONG!!! Over committing in the secondary...jumping coverages on corner routes...have been common for this OU defense this year. And with all of that said they still sit at #3 in the AP and #4 in the BCS. Why? Surely with a defense that porous they shouldn't be there, gcoach. So why are they there? Because defensively they have made huge plays when they need them and the offense has so many options that even Kevin Wilson's conservative play calling can't slow them down. Need examples...Lofton's fumble recovery against Missouri. D.J. Wolfe's endzone interception against Iowa State. Get the point? I've said all along that the offense was very, very good. But the major strength of this team coming into this season was supposed to be the secondary. The questions...QB...defensive ends...and the linebackers. Defense!!! This team has MAAAD talent on both sides of the ball. So what is it that makes the defense a bend but don't break defense? I'm thinking attitude. I think they are very young and they think they will befine every night...even after they have been proven wrong. For this much physical talent talent it has to be the mental side. Can it be fixed? Sometimes it doesn't look like it is broken. Inconsistent is more the pattern. But, yes, it can be fixed. How, gcoach, tell us how? Simple. Walk the walk don't just talk the talk. For Saturday pay heed to one of your own. "This game gave us a wake-up call; we definately have to work on some things and make some adjustments on pass coverage. We need to get in the film room and learn from this game. We need to asess our weakneses and get ready for a good passing game from Tech." - OU LB Curtis Lofton We heard a lot of this after the Colorado game out of the Sooners and they won a couple of big games against Texas and Missouri and then WENT TO Ames, IA and had to have a big 4th quarter to win there...looking horrible in doing so. Don't talk the talk unless you FULLY INTEND to walk the walk! Oh...and in their defense...Auston English has to be able to play and contribute. He is having a monster year and has made one of the questions on defense...the DE question...much less of a concern. A stress fracture held him ut of the Baylor game...but WE Sooner fans better hope he is available on Saturday night. "Auston is such a great player and it makes them have to send two guys, leaving someone open. Not having Auston out there hurts a little bit." OU LB Curtis Lofton I think it hurts alot. Another reason the Sooners sit at #3 or #4 is the offense. While Auston English has helped answer the DE concerns and Curtis Lofton has donethe same with the LB question...nobody has had a better answer to the questions than Sam Bradford at QB. He hit the 300 yard mark for the first time on Saturday and his efficiency was outstanding. He went 20 for 25 for 353 yards and 3 TD's along with an int. This kid is the real deal. Fortunately for the Sooners his worst game was against Iowa State and the Sooners survived that. DeMarco Murray had another big game touching the ball 18 times and scored 4 touchdowns...one on a 91 yard kickoff return that didn't start out so well. But it ended great. Manuel Johnson entered the picture as another receiver for OU that showed potential big game stuff catching 4 passes for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns. Malcolm Kelly added a TD catch and the receiving corps is showing that the Sooners don'y need to play the pitch and catch between Bradford and Juquin Iglesiais they have done in the past. All in all this is still a very, very good football team with a world of very young talent on both sides of the ball. Stepping it up defensively is going to be huge at the end of the year. Aside from a big game in Lubbock this weekend they follow up with Oklahoma State in Norman. This means they need to show they can play big on the road (which they really haven't done yet) and control their in-state rivals in the last game of the regular season. Virtually everyone I read or talk to has OU in the Big 12 Championship game in San Antonio. Keep the offense rolling...and shore up the inconsistent play from the defense and I think they will be there as well. However...this OU FAN is realistic as well. Too cocky and lackadaisical on the defensive side and it won't happen. Beware of Lubbock. Even though we didn't get the correct call and lost there a couple of years ago...this is a pretty good team with a very potent offense. I love the Sooners and I call 'em as I see 'em. And that's the bottom line.... Go Sooners!!! BOOMER SOONER!!!

I'm trying really hard here to keep it clean but I'm finding it a bit difficult. What is happening in the world of MLB? They just have to keep finding ways to keep in the limelight when...in all actuality...they need to pull back from the front page. Gimme' a freakin' break here!

Steroids schmeroids. George Mitchell talked to several active players about performance enhancing drugs. Most notably...at least from what I know now...Jason Giambi. But according to the players union he spoke to quite a few others. OK...fine! MLB has said that when the report is completed they will release it...names included...of those who cooperated and those who are believed to have used performance enhancing drugs...STEROIDS!!! This goes completely the other way of former commissioner Faye Vincent...who was sought out by Bud Selig for his advice on an investigation...in stating the purpose of an investigation. Vincent stated on more than one occasion that the purpose of an investigation was to determine the number of players involved with the usage of performance enhancing drugs...NOT in publicly naming who they were. So Selig and Mitchell take it upon themselves to name names. Selig couldn't possibly do anything else to tarnish his legacy as a self important hypocrite...could he? Stay tuned...he ain't done yet. Gimme a freakin' break here.

And now...in the face of a tragedy wherein a minor league base coach was killed when struck by a foul ball...MLB General Managers have determined that all base coaches will wear helmets during games this upcoming season. I will grant you that the young mans death was indeed a tragedy but aren't we going just a wee bit too far here. Two years ago...based on the research presented to USA Hockey by the Minnkota District Coach-in-Chief...this organizational body passed a rule making it mandatory for every coach involved in youth hockey at every level to have to wear a helmet when involved in on ice activities. Six cases where a coach died in a short span of time was the research cited and given to the organization. Not one word about the thousands of practices or games that have occured in that time span wherein NO COACH or anyone died in relationship to what happened on the ice. Based on the evidence he provided a youth coach doesn't even get a choice in the matter. Much as it sounds like MLB base coaches don't. Gimme a freakin' break here.

I completely understand the effort to protect the peope involved and the fans from having to ever have to see that kind of tragedy. But there are other people involved here. Like the ones who are being forced to wear this ear. Here me out.

I have coached for a very long time a variety of different sports...most notably hockey and soccer. I have never worn a helmet when coaching at the high school level or the youth level (until I was forced to last year) because I am comfortable without one when I am coaching(I wear one when I play). It also makes it easier to communicate with my players without it. They can see what I am saying as well as hear it when I don't have  helmet on. I have had my nose broken at least a half a dozen times on the ice and I took a deflected puck over my left eye that opened me up to the bone and required 18 stitches to close during a game I was coaching. It is all a part of the game. It's been that way since before I ever started to play it or coach it. Am I kind of old school then? Oh, hell yea!!! And while I can still appreciate the effort these people are making...I want my choice. I would gladly sign a waiver (the NHL used to require players who didn't wear helmets to sign them) absolving the organization I work for...the team I coach...and any building/rink I am in of any responsibility in the event that I were a victim of some horrible tragedy while I was coaching. Just let me have the choice and don't cram the new rules down my throat without letting me voice my opinion...which is basically what happened in USA Hockey. Gimme a freakin' break here.

Basically...quit telling me what I have to do to make the game more respectable to the fans or the participants when it comes to my safety. There are so many other issues with both of these games that it really seems like a stick and cover effort to get our attention off of the other things that are really hurting the game. Like the leadership in MLB and the hypocrisy we see daily from Bud and the boys and from selecting elite Mite aged teams and putting them in traveling programs where they don't practice but twice and then they play 35 games a year. Or people hounding high school aged players to leave high school and go to Juniors so you can get a big career out of hockey. Forego the high school experience and everything that is important to social development and education in those years. Oh, yea...well you can go to school later if you want.  There are so many other issues out there that forcing coaches to wear helmets...when the lack of wearing them HAS NEVER been an issue before...in all of the years these games have been played...seems a bit of a dodge the real deal effort. At least let us have a voice and a choice. Or is sports going the way of real world politics when the people are so often neglected by those we vote into office. Gimme a freakin' break here!!!

Yea! Gimme a freakin' break here! Quit forcing new rules down our throats...deal with the real...issues at hand!

***Ahhhh...another rant concluded*** I feel better already!

Well here we go again. Some things are just so unbelievable to me that I have to scream out...ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Lately the symbolism of an asterisk is enough to make me want to barf and it definately makes me want to scream out...ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME??? We all know where I stand on Barry Bonds. If you don't remember I'll update you. Great freakin' baseball player. I couldn't care less if he is a model citizen or a horrible teammate. That would be for those WHO KNOW HIM to deal with. We all know that he became MLB's All-time HR hitter this summer and we know the RUMORS surrounding him and his relationship with performance enhancing chemicals. The Court of Public Opinion has pre-determined his guilt and that was supported by...in case some of you missed it...a promotion by some wealthy guy who bought the record breaking HR ball to have people vote on the condition of the ball before he presented it to the HOF. According to the clown the votes came in and it has to have an asterisk on it. The asterisk has to be there because of the rumors about his previously mentioned relationship with said performance enhancing chemicals. Hank Aaron was clean...Bonds was not...so let's place an asterisk on the record setting HR ball to prove to future generations that Barry Bonds cheated. Now everyone is happy. Don Shula coached the only undefeated team in NFL history...the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Jim Kiick, Larry Csonka, Bob Greise, Earl Morral, Paul Warfield and the No-Name defense won every game they played in the 1972 season. This group of players has publicly rooted against any team that has ever even threatened that record...and I can appreciate that. But...records are meant to be broken. They are the driving force behind every player or team good enough to get close to tying or breaking them. If you want to be the best...you've got to beat the best. And now the New England Patriots are posing a very real threat to tht record. And this team's leader is upset about it. So what? The Patriots coach got caight red-handed video taping the opposing teams sideline during a game...presumably stealing anything he could get to help the Patriots out. The NFL nailed him. Good for them. He was wrong and the punishment has been handed down. But now...one of the most respected head coaches in NFL history isn't satisfied and he has insisted (later backing off a bit) that an asterisk be placed next to the Patriots record...if indeed...they break that record. Let's get it in place now...just in case. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Well...I want to be happy so I'm going to place an asterisk on things I don't like so I can be happy. The asterisk is becoming sacred to all who have issues with change...of any kind....in any way...at least in the sports world. Whatever!!! Let's start using it for everything and we can become the asterisk generation. Special Education is here to stay and the costs associated with it are astronomical. Let's place an asterisk next to the No Child Left Behind Laws and any subsequent legislation that comes along in this venue to remind us of a time when a lot of Special Needs Children weren't around...because parents and educators didn't put up with NO DISCIPLINE practices in the home or in public schools. I work in Special Education and have seen those that the services are necessary for...and those who take advantage of a system that doesn't police itself very well. Let's put an asterisk on every document that O.J. Simpson's latest trial generates to remind us that...at least in the Court of Public Opinion (see Barry Bonds) Simpson should be...at the very least...in prison already for killing his wife and a friend of hers. Because if he was where he should be then he wouldn't have been hanging out with some shady characters looking for some career memorabilia that he shouldn't have the right to anyway according to the Civil Suit won by Ron Goldman's (aforementioned friend of deceased wife) family. That asterisk ought to take care of everything. If Hillary Clinton becomes our next President I want an asterisk placed on the records of the past 25 years of U.S. Presidents to show what 2 families had enough power to do to the United States. Bush and Clinton...wow! The law was changed after FDR held office for so many terms and term limits were established. We need to have a law forbidding people from the same family from occupying the Oval Office...or any political office...within a 25 year period...at least. Oh...wait a minute...I already have an asterisk there...we're good. The price of gas is going crazy now and the oil industry is using a new approach. Instead of openly ripping us off by raising the price of gas at the pumps and home fuels astronomically and then claimng 10 billion in quarterly profits blaming it all on breaks in supply lines, etc., etc. They are telling us now that this latest "crisis" is due to worldwide demand and the growth of smaller nations. It's true...I read it in the paper today. Makes more sense to me than a break in supply lines. I say we put an asterisk on the last 2 years of gas gouging and demand refunds from not only the oil companies but all of our politicians who work so hard to ignore their contituencies. That ought to handle that. Speaking of reading things in the paper or hearing news reports. We need to place an asterisk next to anything a sports reporter reports because you can never be quite sure what spin they are putting on it. And of course we need to remember that there is a spin on everything. The asterisk will help to remind us that we don't need to consider sports reporters "experts" on anything. Let's put an asterisk next to ANYTHING Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Brittney Spears (and Kevin Federline) to remind us that we are still inundated with spoiled brats and the ignorant paparazzi that report on every childish endeavor. OK...according to ShooterB there are parts of Paris that we shouldn't get next to but...well...you get my drift. Remember the Duke scandal? We need to put an asterisk beside the records of all involved to remind us that they real victims were acquitted...the real criminal was the DA and the woman who falsely accused those guys of raping her at a party. Ooops...wait a second. That would constitute a legitimate use of an asterisk. ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME? Let's NOT use an asterisk for mundane and ignorant desires or wants. Who cares if things don't work out quite the way we think they should? It's called dealing with adversity. Adversity comes in many shapes, forms, sizes, issues and patterns. Deal with it and move on. The almighty desire to use an asterisk to denote the opposing view of some sports event is comical...if not a bit absurd. Actually...for those who can't get past the need to use an asterisk in this manner...consider sticking your asterisk up your asterisk. And move on! I only used that line because it sounded good. Frankly I don't care if anyone gets past the use of an asterisk or not so don't take it personally. Report me if you will. Then maybe FoxSports would realize that I do have a bio up and don't need to write another one. Wait...another use for an asterisk. ***this rant is over***