I recently graduated last week from University and College (I was in a joint program, it'll take way too long to explain, trust me), and have found myself with way too much time on my hands. As I've sat at home mulling over my future while dog sitting and job searching, and watching many of my friends take off backpacking and travelling the world, I've been daydreaming about what I would do if I had a endless amount of money and a summer to spend doing whatever I want. The answer that came to my mind is much different than many of my friends, but to any of you reading this, is something you've dreamed about doing as well. My dream...

to spend the summer travelling to every single Major League Ballpark in North America (with a few stops at NFL training camps thrown in for good measure).

In my mind, nothing beats drinking a cold beer, or margarita, in the stands at a baseball game, eating food that is horrible for you and horribly overpriced, getting sunburned while heckling the opposing team's pitcher, bonding with the people you've never met before who are seated around you, wearing your ball glove just in a case a ball is hit your way, watching parents teach their children the game of baseball, everything about watching a baseball game in person.

I've already made it to one ballpark this summer, Comerica Park to see the Tigers take on the Brewers; unfortunately it was the game after Justin Verlander threw his no-hitter. This means I only have 29 ballparks to go.

For good measure I would also visit Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Built in 1910 it's the oldest ballpark in America. I've already visited Labatt Memorial Park, built in 1877 and is believed to be the oldest continually operating baseball grounds in the world. It's located around the corner from my home in London, Ontario, Canada. Back in 2005, I sat on the walkway outside Labatt Park, eating Chinese food with my family, watching a London Majors Game while simulotanously enjoying April Wine play Rock the Park across the River. Good Times!

Since (in my mind anyway) I will have an unlimited amount of funds, and it's summer, I would also try to visit as many NFL Training Camps as possible. I've never been to one and I think it would be interesting to witness what goes on a one in person.

I would try to make it a productive trip, since I did take broadcasting I would definitely have to create a video podcast so my family could follow me as I travel, or write a book about the crazy adventures I'm sure would occur along the way.

In the end, it would probably be the best summer ever, and all I would really need is a rental car, tickets, a travelling companion as crazy as I am, and an endless supply of money. If only dreams did come true.

Happy Summer Everyone, and may you make it to as many baseball games as you can this summer!

p.s. I don't care what anyone says, "The Rogers Centre" will always be the Skydome to me!

Recently sports broadcasters and writers have been up in arms over the coverage that the new York Post has given to A-Rod, saying that it is changing, or will change, how sports and sports stars will be covered in the future. While all of these sports journalists say that they have never seen a professional athlete covered as if they were a celebrity, a-la Paris Hilton, they are really just kidding themselves.

Athletes have been scrutinized by mainstream media before, these sports journalists just didn't see the small steps that have lead to the mjaor coverage A-Rod is recieving now.

For example, when current Arizona Cardinals quarterback, Matt Leinart, was playing at college ball at USC, he underwent some serious scrutinity from Hollywood media. Mind you he did bring on a lot of it himeself by attending parties, hanging out with celebrities, and supposedly dating Paris Hilton, but what did he expect, he was in Hollywood and the press there loved him!

It's not just mainstream media, for some reason it's big sports news that Reggie Bush is dating Kim Kardashian, and whenever Ben Roethlisberger starts dating someone new, the Pittsburgh media is all over it.

Tom Brady has also attracted heavy mainstream media attention for his habit of dating movie stars and supermodels, but he wasn't ambushed by GQ to do a photospread, he volunteered for it.

Slowly over the years athletes have been treated more and more like celebrities, and with good reason; sports is big business in North America, and professional athletes are paid large sums of money to attract fans to games. You could compare A-Rod to Brad Pitt, both get paid large sums of money to attract bigger audiences. 

If fans want to know what A-Rod is doing in Canada (obviously going to a strip club because it is true what they say about strip clubs in Canada, just ask guy who was at SuperBowl XL in Detroit and headed across the border to Windsor), then the media will try their best to give it to them.

All I have to say is that professional sports journalists everywhere should have seen this coming from a mile away. So watch out professional athletes everywhere, you could be next!

Okay, it's offical, the 2006 Major League Baseball season is offically being renamed the year of the balk. Okay so mabye it's not actually offical but I've decided to name 2006 the year of the balk.

I may only be 22 years old, but I've been playing baseball or softball since I was 3 years old, and having been watching since before the Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series Chamionships, and until the 2006 baseball season I had never heard of a "balk". Sure the rule has been around since the invention of the game of baseball, but this is crazy.

Did the umpires get together in the offseason and decide to go through the Major League Baseball rulebook this offseason and pick out a rule that had been neglected (for 2006, the Balk) and say "hey, we never call balks anymore, lets crack down on it this year just to piss the pitchers and their managers off."

Or are today's pitchers just getting lazy and screwing up so umpires are forced to call a balk?

Whatever it is, before this year I had never heard of a balk, and now it's everywhere, it's letting teams win, and causing others to lose, never before has such an unknown rule caused managers such headaches, it's MADNESS, stop the INSANITY!!!

Whatever, I still love baseball and the 2006 season has really rekindled my love for the sport!

In my previous blog I talked about stupid athletes and how they have ruined it for the intelligent athletes because teams are soon going to create a list of activities that they are not allow to participate in while they are under contract. Here is my list of activities of that will probably be included on that list.  

1. Hanging out with Steve Irwin aka. The Crocodile Hunter - Hanging with Steve would be fun, but most likely it would end up with a competition of who can tackle the bigger crocodile, next thing you know you only have 2 fingers left on your right hand.
2. Snorkelling for Jellyfish - Just because Dory and Marlin made jumping on jellyfish look like a ball of fun in "Finding Nemo," doesn't mean that you should try it, those things hurt, and you're not in a "Friends" episode, Chandler is not going to be around to pee on it to take the pain away.
3. Stage Diving off a Wet Stage - Even if Jeff Hammond tells you it would be a great idea, don't listen to him (I never trust anyone who looks "fake-baked"), just look at what happened to Elliott Sadler on "Trackside Live" last month. Before you know it you made an ass of yourself on national television. Stage Diving is also not recommended at any Heavy Metal concert, especially if your name is Matt Leinart and everyone there knows you dated Paris Hilton.
4. Go up to Bat Against Randy Johnson After You Hit One of His Team-mates - He will throw a 90mph fastball, and it will not be across the plate, it will be at you, and he'll probably be aiming for your manhood. Don't believe my, just ask Eduardo Perez of the Cleveland Indians.
5. Rodeo Clown - Professional Athletes are always looking for a new rush to experience, and being a rodeo clown could be an option for pro athletes who come from Texas or Oklahoma. As appealing as wearing more makeup than a group of sorority girls and dressing up in fun coloured clothing may be, it's probably not a good idea to be chased by pissed-off bulls. Also in this category falls running with the bulls in Europe and becoming a part-time matador in Mexico.
6. Licking a Frozen Metal Pole in the Winter - Especially not a smart thing to do when you hang out with people who believe in the "if you pull hard enough, it will come apart" theory. I know it looks tempting, but if you've seen "A Christmas Story" or "Dumb and Dumber" you know the consequences.

That's just a few, feel free to add your own in the comments! Later!

My biggest concern of late has been Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident. Crashing while riding a motorcycle is bad enough, but by not wearing a helmet Ben may have changed the landscape of contract negotiations in all professional sports.

Most teams have provisions included in their contracts that allow the team to recoup money from the player if they are injured for any reason outside of playing, practice and training. But most of these contracts do not specifically mention any activities that are frowned upon, most of the time teams assume that players will use common sense and not do anything that could risk their career. But with the recent onslaught of "stupid athletes" you have to wonder if teams will start to include lists of prohibited activities in all new contracts.

I believe they will; my only question is just how many professional athletes are required to almost kill themselves doing something asinine before owners and general managers think it might be a good idea. I know that they trust the athletes to use their "better judgement" when making decisions when off the field, but there are obviously enough stupid athletes still out there ruining it for the others who play by the unwritten rules of "don't do anything stupid in the off season."

I know that hundreds of athletes have injured themselves in other activities outside of their respective sport, but when the youngest Super Bowl winning quarterback in history almost cracks open his head on asphalt like a coconut because he think he doesn't need to wear a helmet, people may finally start to take notice.