So it is a rain delay for game two of the Yankees vs. Tigers post season battle.  But have no fear ESPN is here... to... praise the great Derek Jeter.  That is right every second of rain delay gives us one more second to praise the great Jeter.  Seriously name one bad thing about Derek Jeter?  ONE?  And no looking eerily like Lance Bass doesn't count.

EERY.  The only other think not to like about Jeter was his friendship with A-Rod, but now that they are teammates he hates Pay-Rod as much as the rest of us.  I guess you could say Jeter is evil because he is a product of the Evil Empire known as the Yankees, but the fact that he wasn't just purchased for a couple hundred million at a local Phillies/A's garage sale is refreshing enough to not hate him for being a Yankee.  He is a Yankee not a disloyal Mariner turned Yankee. 

I hate the Yankees but have realized that Jeter has worn down my hatred.  He has just been too consistent, too good, and too much not too nice and not too a-holeish at the same time.  He is a genuine superstar.  Not a wannabe loved by everybody or need the attention guy.  He gets his attention the old fashion way.  By coming up huge in big time moments. 

 It makes you wonder if he is a fairy tail.       Is Jeter just a figment of our imaginations?  Do we think he is clutcher than he really is?  Do we just see the crazy flip toss along the firstbase line to Jorge Posada and the diving catch into the crowd so many times that his clutchness is burned in to our mind?

Is he really just a good player living off a few huge moments? 

Well the awnser is no.  He really is THIS clutch.  Whatever it is that made Jordan, Ali, and Pele great...  well Jeter has that something.  Sure his is surrounded by the best money can buy but he remains the best of the best.  He is the best player on the best team in baseball.  He has World Series rings laying around his kitchen.  And last night he added another game to his legendary status.  His Jeterness went 5 for 5.  Only the 6th ever to get 5 hits in a playoff game and only the 2nd ever to get 5 hits in only 5 at bats.  If that is not enough he went ahead and made the 5th hit a home run to go with a couple doubles and a few runs.  Speaking of runs.... 84.  That is the most postseason runs by any baseball player ever, it is also how many postseason runs Jeter has.  Speaking of hits... 147.  That is also the most hits in the postseason by any player and once again the same number that Jeter has.  This Jeter guy also has a knack for hitting a homer at a rate per at bat that is half of what it is in the regular season.  Love him or hate him Derek Jeter is this good.  Only rain can mostly stop Derek Jeter.... mostly.

If there is one thing I learned this week it is that TO needs TO to help TO!!!  His publicist has "25 million reasons" to be his friend and to save his life, but it is obvious that Kim Etheridge only cares about Kim Etheridge. 

Is Bill Parcells going to rescue Terrell Owens when he is in need of help?  No sir! Not if he is sleeping or it would interupt practice.  Does Mr. Parcells honestly believe that all of the nation knew TO spent the night in the hospital, but he did not have a clue until 10 minutes the next morning before practice.  PUH-LEASE!  Then he treats what the world thinks is an attempted suicide as just another TO incident.  Now maybe it was just another TO incident but at that time it seemed like a life threatening event.  Something a good coach would know about, care about, have info on, and that he would have, should have helped the player.  But that jerk Parcells didn't even talk to TO.  He has been pouting and treating TO like he is not even a human since the day he arrived in Dallas. He more than likely drove the guy to the point of pill popping insanity and then shows no remorse after "that player" is getting his stomach pump.

Now back to the publicist.  SHE called 911.  SHE said he attempted to take his life. SHE said she was trying to take pills out of his mouth.  Then SHE blames the media for blowing everything out of the proportion.  SHE makes TO think that everyone is out to get him.  SHE should have taken the blame. A good friend and publicist would have apologized for overreacting. SHE should have said "I panicked, I am sorry I thought it was attempted suicide, my mistake I just was so worried."  Something like that would have actually made sense and cleared up the issue.  Instead she blames the media and denies everything she said before and says "I forgot."

These are the people that are supposed to save TO.  These are two people that are supposed to be his friends.  And what if Terrell Owens DID attempt to take his life.  Then he needs some serious help. 

And not help from people who just want him to score touchdowns or can only think of 25 million reasons to be his friend.

Its too loud.  The fans are too loud.  Quiet Mr. Manning can't think.  HMMM?  Now the new commishy wants to look into putting speakers into all the offensive players helmets and have a microphoned quarterback.  PUH-LEAZE!!!!!!  This is the wimpiest thing I ever heard.  You want to limit the home fans impact.  Limit the impact the wotking stiff who drops a $100 bones on a ticket, then $6 more bucks on a dog and $20 mo scrills on BEER!!!  You want to take away his impact and basically limit the home field advantage that has been exclusive to the tradition of football for years.

Sure the crowd at a basketball game inspires a team, and maybe a pitcher or batter get pumped when he knows the crowd is behind him.  But what makes football's homefield advantage special is that the fans, the working man or woman, CAN impact and help his home team.  Good fans know that being loud when the team is on defense makes it hard for the offense to hear their quarterback.  Joe Schmoe feels like a hero every time a false start is called.  I myself high five everyone around me and beam proudly "fan sack, fan sack!"

Now you want to tell me that the comish believes home field advantage should be limited to just giving the defense an emotional lift???  Well Mr. Goodall if you are going to do that than maybe I will just stay home.  Seriously?  What is the advantage of being at the game?  To me it is to support the team, to be at a live event, and to FEEL like I am helping my team with my roudy noise.  Now a days the product on television is better.  I get a million angles, I can eat without going broke, I don't have to worry about parking,  Instant replays, play-by-play, color announcing, and sideline reporting.  When I watch a game on TV, I save money, am more informed, can pee without stepping in pee, and get to lay on my couch.

So why go to a game?

Because I want to scream my head off and help MY team.  I want to be the 12th man!  Don't let technology ruin the greatest tradition in football.  The fans.

Reggie Bush seems like a good guy.  His teammates and even his opponents usually only had good things to say about him. 

I was watching Outside the Lines today and it was clear that he has been very charitable to his new home in New Orleans.  Lending a helping hand himself and using his endorsement deals to better the community.  Pepsi, Subway, and Adidas have donated large sums of money to the Katrina relief effort as part of their endorsement deal with Reggie Bush.  It is very cool that Reggie and Ornstein would make sure that whoever endorsed Reggie would also donate to Katrina relief. 

Sure this is a brilliant PR move by Ornstein and Bush, but it is a PR move that benefits everybody.  Reggie himself has taken a very personal interest in how this money was used.  Choosing and overseeing the reconstruction of several local high school football stadiums.  Stadiums that were once flooded and covered in debris are now clean and green.  Reggie Bush is making a difference on and off the field.

Off the field difference has not been all positive though.  While Bush is rebuilding New Orleans and the Saints he may have left his Trojans in shambles.  USC's future is in major jeopardy.  Bush and Ornstein's relationship was undeniably violating NCAA rules and it was under the watch of Pete Carroll.  I don't think this investigation will affect Reggie's play on the field.  Even if he loses his Heisman (which I am against) it will more than likely only motivate him more on the football field.  USC on the other hand could and most likely should face major sanctions and lose future scholarships. 

The rise of the Saints and the fall of the Trojans is upon us.

It has been reported that Lee Pheifer a partner of Mike Ornstein (the head scum in this ordeal) was investigated by the NCAA this week.  Pheifer has nothing to hide because he is angry with Ornstein for negated his end of the deal.  Yahoo! believes that Pheifer has additional documentation proving that Ornstein paid for additional trips for the Bush family.

There is also a rumour going around that Yahoo! has proof that the coaches at USC knew of these violations.  The rumour is that they are just finalizing some of this info and will come out with it soon.

In addition the FBI is also investigating the agents involved in a conspiracy to take advantage of Reggie Bush's riches.

So NCAA, Pac-10, Yahoo!, and the FBI are all hot on the USC and Reggie Bush trail.  Reggie is already a millionaire and while this could cost him his Heisman and some endorsements he will be forgiven for his future greatness in the NFL.  Hopefully the agents get punished hard so they can not  mess up other kids lives.  Also I hope Bush's parents are punished in some way, but honestly they are millionaires now too.  So USC is the one that is going to be hurt the most.  Sanctions and lost scholarships are definetely on the way.