The Sports Statement

FIFA World Cup 2006: Coolest Mascot Ever?

2006-02-15T16:55:00.000-05:00

I know I'm really late on this, but I just caught a glimpse of the 2006 FIFA World Cup mascot: GOLEO VI (the name really is in all uppercase letters), the lion, and he's got to be one of the coolest mascots I've ever seen.

From the official FIFA World Cup website: "GOLEO VI's constant companion, Pille the talking football, is always at his side." While 'Pille the talking football' is a little weird, I think GOLEO's badass image makes up for the weird ball. Damn, just look at him!

FIFA's website also says that GOLEO "has his own opinions and point of view." Does that mean he'll be blogging during the World Cup? Who knows.. GOLEO's also the "King of Parties." I'm sure he pulls in all the ladies...what a pimp.

According to Wikipedia, "the Goleo costume was fabricated by Jim Henson's company, at a price of around €250,000." So not only is GOLEO a soccer mascot, but he's also a Muppet! Sweet!

The Madness is Building...

2006-02-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

What a wild two days of college hoops...

Last night, J.J.Redick (finally) set the NCAA record for 3-pointers last night. Wow...as much as I hate Duke, the Cameron Crazies, and J.J. Redick himself, the guy does deserve some respect. He's now an NCAA record-holder and will soon become Duke's all-time leading scorer.

What annoys me is that it seems that every single three is made the exact same way: take a screen from some Duke player, run around him, catch the pass, and chuck the ball up. And it always seems to go in. Either that or run the "I'm a crazy Duke player" offense in which you run in circles around the court until the players get too tired to keep up with you. Then catch the pass and, one again, chuck the ball up and hope it goes in.

I've said it time and time again - this type of play will work in college, but it will not work in the NBA. Redick may the premier player in the NCAA right now, but give it two or three years, and Adam Morrison will be the better player.

On another note, the Seton Hall players have completely lost their minds. We all saw them upset N.C. State a few weeks back, then upset Syracuse the week after that. An unranked team beating two ranked teams in two consecutive games isn't that amazing. But who the hell do they think they are beating West Virginia last night? Remember, this the same team that lost by 42 to UConn (not surprising). Seton Hall is currently unranked and, if they manage to make the NCAA tournament, is starting to look like a good sleeper pick.

Valentine's Day just passed yesterday, so you all know March Madness is right around the corner! March 14 is less than a month away! I can't wait baby! (sorry, just had to do the Vitale impression) I'll post my bracket up online so you can use it as a cheat sheet to win your NCAA pool this year (yeah, I'm that confident).

Lights Out for Torino

2006-02-14T15:54:00.000-05:00

In a recent SportsNation poll, 47 percent of voters said they didn't watch any Olympics coverage this past weekend. Not even the opening ceremony!

That's what ESPN reported this morning in its Sportsnation section. And honestly, I'm really not that surprised. I know personally, I might have seen two hours of coverage total. And that makes me part of the majority.

And I must say that it makes me laugh that, when asked "Which other country do you most associate with the Winter Olympics?", Sportsnation responded "Canada."

IOC Rejects Softball and Baseball (again)

2006-02-09T08:49:00.000-05:00

In a bit of upsetting news, the International Olympic Committee once again rejected baseball and softball's bids for reinstatement into the Olympics. The vote went 54-50 to eliminate baseball and a tight 52-52 for softball, with one person abstaining.

First of all, I understand why baseball might have been eliminated from the Olympics, even though my reason is a bit selfish. The United States sucks at baseball, particularly because MLB refuses to take a break for the Olympics like hockey does. And my assumption is that since the U.S. pays sports stars the highest (compared to other athletes' salaries worldwide), the best baseball players, both domestic and international, are in the United States. I know this is a bit general, but overall I think it's a valid conclusion.

Softball, however, thrives in the Olympics. The American women (probably another selfish remark) are great, and their success has really helped softball rejuvenate itself as a serious sport both for young and older girls. Unfortunately, I'm sure the IOC saw softball as too "one-sided", considering the American girls kicked ass in Sydney.

But what pisses me off the most is how close the vote for softball actually was. Like I said earlier, the vote went 52-52. Why an even number of votes? Because some asshole abstained from voting! What a douchebag! So because of the abstain, the sport didn't receive a majority and it remains out of the Olympics for Beijing and, until further notice, all future Olympics as well.

An article a while back in Sports Illustrated showed why some sports like synchronized swimming aren't voted out while more popular sports like softball and baseball are. Synchronized swimming, along with the other swimming events such as freestyle, diving, and water polo, are all listed under the same category - "Aquatics." Removal of synchronized swimming would mean the removal of the other swimming-related events too, and that'll never happen. Yeah, tell me that's not bullshit.

So come 2008, I'll be sitting at home watching rowing, shooting, sailing, and synchronized swimming instead of softball or baseball. How pathetic. Great job IOC.

Duke/UNC

2006-02-08T20:41:00.000-05:00

I'm not that upset. Really, I'm not. Sure, Bobby Frasor decided to take the jump shot with 34 seconds left in the game and put UNC down by one instead of taking the three And yeah, I was pissed last night; After Frasor took that shot, I took my cell phone, threw it at the ground, screamed at the TV, and proceeded to (quickly) finish my 40oz of beer.

But really, I'm not that upset. UNC played well the whole game, and they came back from 17 points down to make the game really exciting. I was going nuts at the half, with UNC only down by 5, but I'll admit I actually turned the game off at 52-35 Duke. I figured the 'Heels were losing this one.

But a quick 12-0 run by UNC put the game back into their hands. From then on, the game was back and forth, leading to much anxiety, turmoil, and excessive drinking on my part. And as much as I hate him, I've gotta hand it to J.J. Redick. It seemed that everytime UNC got on a roll, Redick was there to shut it down. And he did it in traditional Redick style - doing his best And1 Mixtape impression by taking ridiculously impossible shots that will never fly in the NBA.

And, once again, as much as I hate J.J. Redick, the highlight of the night goes to the Duke whitey himself: not for a good night of basketball, but for the shocker he showed the crowd after making the three that put UNC away for good (For those not familiar with the "shocker", check out Urban Dictionary). It's good that Redick is there to remind us how immature college guys still are. It was pretty damn funny.

Anyways, at least UNC covered the spread I gave them yesterday, when I said they'd lose by 12 points. But just think - a highly freshman team keeping a game this close against #1 ranked, senior-loaded Duke? It almost makes me shiver when I think about the future. I can't wait.

Let the games begin...

2006-02-07T12:26:00.000-05:00

Here we go, the day I've been waiting for all year. Tonight, 9:00 PM EST on ESPN: Duke @ North Carolina.

North Carolina's been underrated all year, so I wouldn't be surprised if they give Duke a run for their money. They have the best freshman in the country, and can easily make this a close game. Still, they're still a young and inexperienced team (save David Noel). My roommate and I predict Duke winning by 12.

Watching sports with people who don't understand sports sucks

2006-02-05T23:18:00.000-05:00

I never realized how irritating watching sports with people who don't understand sports is until today, when I watched my first Super Bowl at college with some of my floormates. Wow. Some quotes from the night:

1. At Polamalu: "His hair looks like pubes!"
2. "I hope the Steelers win because if the Seahawks win, my boyfriend has to dress up like a girl because of a bet and I don't want him to!"
3. "What does PIT stand for?"
4. "SEA stands for Seattle, not Seahawks!"
5. On a Hasselbeck throw-away: "He threw it out of bounds! He sucks!"

And that's just the beginning... What a horrible experience. Never again.

"Super" Bowl?

2006-02-05T22:41:00.000-05:00

What a terribly un-exciting Super Bowl. Sure, the Steelers won. Sure, the bus is now parked at home. Sure, Cowher still looks like a horse. I still was expecting more. A few highlights that caught my attention for a bit:

1. Willie Parker (UNC!) running it in for 75 yards.
2. Kelly Herndon's 76-yard interception. Excellent Cover 2.
3. ABC's consistent use of the phrase "gadget plays" (what the fuck?)
4. The Steelers' "gadget" oopdey-oop where Randle El passed it to Hines Ward (never saw that one coming...)
5. The Bus parking his career for good.
6. Madden using the phrase "sandwiched" as well as another food-related phrase I can't remember. One can only imagine him eating a cheesesteak while commentating.
7. Suze Kolber, talking about a Seattle player's injury (I forget who): "The trainer took him down, pulled down his pants..."

On another note, the commercials sucked. Although I have to say I was pretty happy I finally got to see what the GILLETTE FUSION was all about (I also have to say that having an extra blade on the back does not make it better than my Mach 3).

And man, did that halftime show SUCK. Mick Jagger is sixty-two years old. A 62 year-old man should not be the highlight of a Super Bowl halftime show. Never ever ever ever ever. After about five minutes of watching the Rolling Stones perform, I said to myself, "This is the worst halftime show I've ever seen." That statement will stand true for a while, I'm sure. The Janet Jackson breast thing was bad for the NFL and TV networks, but I think they've taken it too far. What are they gonna do next year - bring back Ray Charles from the dead?

If I think of anything else insightful, I'll post again later tonight. Good night. I'm off to dream about the AFL.

High School Girl Scores a Million Points

2006-02-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

Well, close enough.

Seriously, when a girl is scoring 113 of your team's 137 points (that's 82 percent by the way), how long is it before you all collectively, as a team, kick her ass?

Well, at least the ballhog is going to Rutgers...

I think I'm gonna kill myself

2006-02-02T11:21:00.000-05:00

If I hear any of the following one more time in the next few days before the Super Bowl, I will slit my own throat:

1. "The Bus' Last Stop"
2. "The Bus Parks in the Garage"
3. Hell, any more phrases involving Jerome Bettis and a vehicle.
4. "The Bus' Homecoming"
5. "The Bus Comes Back to Detroit"
6. "Joey Porter Trash-Talks"
7. "The Steelers are a 'Cinderella' Team"

God, I hate media week.

#23's Momma Gets Maced

2006-01-31T10:12:00.000-05:00

No one heard about this, so that's why Deadspin's reporting it:

LeBron James’ mother was arrested for a DUI on Saturday night and, rather amazingly, cuts a stunning mugshot. Highlights from the police report include:
• She was “driving in an erratic manner, weaving in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed.”
• When they first tried to put handcuffs on her, she wrang herself free before she was sedated again.
• Once in the car, she kicked out the side window of the backseat.
• The police, exhausted with dealing with her, eventually sprayed her with mace.

Yowch.

Only Baghdatis

2006-01-26T10:35:00.000-05:00

What the hell is going on with Marco Baghdatis?

After a huge upset in the quarterfinals by beating the #7 seed Ivan Ljubicic, the unseeded Greek spent a day at an amusement park instead of relaxing and proceeded to roll over the #4 seeded David Nalbandian in the semis at the Australian Open. What the heck? Since when does a nobody, especially in the powerful arena of pro tennis today, all of a sudden become a somebody? When does an unseeded Greek (of all people) beat a Croatian and an Argentinian, both ranked 7 and higher?

The answer: with skill. And a lot of it. Baghdatis is showing the tennis community what it takes to go deep into a tennis grand slam. Marco's got brains and braun, and he showed it last night when it mattered most. Baghdatis, down two sets to Nalbandian, kept his cool and played tennis the smart way - methodically and without questioning himself. After a rain delay and a bad call by the chair ump, Baghdatis did not faulter, and instead used his head to stay in the match and pull the upset.

Something special's going on here at the Aussie Open in 2006 with Baghdatis, and even if Federer beats the 21-seeded Kiefer tonight, don't count Baghdatis out. If he keeps playing like he is, we all might soon witness another beautiful Cinderella story.

The Greatest Play in Sports

2005-10-24T12:11:00.000-04:00

Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated wrote a few months ago that the best play in baseball was the play at the plate. I couldn't agree more. For anyone who saw the top of ninth of Game 2 of the World Series, I doubt emotions can't describe that play. "Jose Vizcaino, pinch-hitting for Adam Everett with two outs in the ninth, hit an opposite-field single to left off Bobby Jenks that drove in two runs and tied the game at 6. Chris Burke just beat Podsednik's on-target throw to score the tying run, slapping the plate with his hand, but Podsednik made sure in the bottom half that the game didn't go to extra innings." (AP)

Some argue the walk-off homerun is more exciting. For me, the walk-off homerun is anti-climatic. It happens instantaneously. In a play at the plate, there's usually build up. There is a runner of first or second. There's the hope of the rally. As the player is rounding home, all your emotions culminate.

Does it get better than seeing Barry Bonds trying to throw out a chugging Sid Bream at home? Or Derek Jeter coming out of nowhere to get the ball to Posada to tag out Jeremy Giambi? Or Enos Slaughter's Mad Dash?

Seeing Scott Podsednik hit a home-run was awesome, but it was anti-climatic. No build up to the final play. Boom. The game ends.

Let's Not Hope It Ends That Way

2005-10-23T23:11:00.000-04:00

Baseball's most prolific pitcher since World War II walked away from the mound after two innings last night in Game 1 of the World Series. He didn't leave because of ineffectiveness, although he allowed he allowed three runs. He left with a hamstring injury. Since 1985, Roger Clemens has started at least 29 games for all but two seasons. Even though some view Roger Clemens as the anti-christ, it would be sad to see the game's most dominant pitcher for the last twenty years to go out this way. I'm hoping Clemens is ready for Game 5 or even next season.

How to lose $20 million dollars

2005-10-17T16:53:00.000-04:00

You're the General Manager of a basketball team. Two of your players are planning on retiring. Regardless of their retirement, the players will earn their check. However, you can eliminate one of their salaries towards the luxury tax.

Player A will cost you $20 million.
Player B will cost you $40 million.

Which one do you chose?

Easy. Elimate Player B's $40 million.

Isiah Thomas, the idiot General Manager of the Knicks, chose to use the "amnesty clause" on Jerome Williams and save $20 million rather than on Allan Houston. With Allan Houston announcing his retirement today, the team will lose $20 million over the next two years.

The White Sox Shouldn't Be in the World Series

2005-10-17T13:20:00.000-04:00

As a sabermetrician (the term applied to the Moneyball philosophy of emphasizing statistics over traditional scouting), it kills me to see the White Sox in the World Series. They are not supposed to be this good. Every stat you look at will tell you the same the White Sox - they will eventually cool off. BaseballProspectus.com's adjusted standings had their regular season win total at 91, eight fewer than they should actually had. Every month, the website had an article about the start of the team's despise. Every month, the White Sox fought back. One run games have been statistically proven to be luck. It has too many variables to say a team clearly won. The White Sox were 35-19 in one run games. They should have been 27-27. When the Indians threatened, sabermetricians were saying this is what should happen. Yet the White Sox withstood the onslaught and managed to make the playoffs. They weren't supposed to beat the Red Sox. Bunting, situational hitting, stealing, and quality starts were not supposed to beat on-base percentages, strikeout to walk ratios, slugging percentages, or defensive independent earned run average.

Yet, they've defied the stats and managed to make it to the world series. Using Ozzie Guillen and his belief in the old school style of "little ball," the White Sox have managed to field the best team in the American League.

Objective Reporting from ESPN?

2005-10-13T14:40:00.000-04:00

Check out ESPN.com and you'll see a link for ESPN Ombudsman (a public official appointed to investigate citizens' complaints), a column by George Solomon that rips ESPN. I have to applaud ESPN for bringing objectivity to the bias corporation by criticizing what ESPN has done in the past month. In his most recent article, he rips ESPN's style of crossing the line between reporting and commentating. It's similar to an article I wrote a few weeks ago on How PTI destroyed ESPN and Journalism. He rips ESPN Hollywood, College GameDay, Woody Paige, the over-coverage of T.O, and the stories that go underreported. He rips PTI despite working at the Washington Post with Wilbon and Kornheiser. I highly recommend you check out his columns.

Joe Morgan is an idiot

2005-10-08T12:04:00.000-04:00

I caught a few minutes of the Yankees/Angels game and it confirmed that Joe Morgan is an idiot.

It was 8-6 (Angels up) in the top of the 7th with Juan Rivera up to bat for the Angels. With runners on the corners, he hit a groundball to Arod who threw it to Cano for the fielder's choice. Cano appeared to step on the bag but the ump ruled him safe. Upon closer inspection, the runner was indeed safe and the ump got the call right.

Joe Morgan saw the play differently. He said the runner was safe, but the ump should have called him out. He said the play was close enough to being an out and as a former second baseman, the ump should have called the runner out. He's basically saying he was safe but I would rather call him out. Tell me if that makes sense. Isn't it about getting the call right? Its a crucial play in a playoff game. They scored one more run that inning. But not according to the idiot Joe Morgan. He should've been safe. What an idiot.

Funny How Things Work Out

2005-10-06T13:58:00.000-04:00

"Twenty months ago, Robinson Cano, was offered along with Alfonso Soriano to Texas as a throw-in in the Alex Rodriguez trade. But the Rangers had only so-so reports, so they took 16-year-old shortstop Joaquin Arias instead, and funny how things turn out." - Newsday

Baseball In Its Purist Form

2005-10-05T12:40:00.000-04:00

The baseball playoffs started Tuesday, but that's not the pure baseball I'm talking about. The baseball I'm talking about doesn't have a big audience. Its player aren't known...yet. I'm speaking of the Arizona Fall League, the purest form of baseball around.

The AFL, now in its fourteenth season, started Tuesday, October 4th. It showcases baseball's top prospects, motivated by one thing: a chance in the big leagues. A thirty-two game season with only six team culminates with a championship on November 12. For the past decade, the AFL has showcased the stars of tomorrow. With new rule changes allowing for players who've played less than a season in the big leagues, even more stars will be present; Eric Duncan (NYY), Lastings Milledge (NYM), Jered Weaver [ANA (refuse to call them LAA) - Brother of Jeff Weaver], Justin Huber (KC - Futures Game MVP), Kendry Morales (ANA Highly-touted Cuban import), Ryan Zimmerman (2005 first round pick in June made it to the Nationals by September), Adam Miller (CLE), Matt Murton (CHC), Wade Townsend (TB), Stephen Drew (ARI), Andy Laroche (LAD), Prince Fielder (MIL), and JJ Hardy (MIL) are among the notables.

The energy and passion with which the players of the AFL play with are unmatched by any leagues. You can watch the young stars blossom into major leaguers. This is pure baseball.

The End of the Eddy Curry Saga

2005-10-03T23:52:00.000-04:00

With Monday as the final day for Eddy Curry to accept his 5.14 million dollar qualifying offer, the Chicago Bulls shipped the troubled center to the only team dumb enough to take him, the New York Knicks. According to new reports surfacing today, the Bulls offered Eddy Curry $400,000 annually for the next 50 years if he failed the DNA test. That's $20 million in guaranteed money. Of course, Curry the idiot, refused the offer.

There was only one team in the entire NBA with a general manager dumb enough to invest millions ($8-9 million a year) in an overrated big man. That GM was Isiah Thomas. That team was the New York Knicks.

A quick recap of the Pre-Knick/Post NBA Isiah Thomas Era:
- As GM of the Toronto Raptors, he drafted Damon Stoudamire and proclaimed him to be the next Isiah Thomas. He also drafted Marcus Gumby.
- He went on to work as an analyst for NBC. Just hearing him speak was one of the most hilarious things ever.
- He took over as commissioner of the CBA. The league folded a few months later.
- He became Head Coach of Indiana Pacers. With a talented team of Ron Artest, Reggie Miller, Jermaine O'Neal, and Jamaal Tinsley, he struggled to get the eight seed. The next year, under Rick Carlisle, they had one of the best records in the NBA.

To recap: failed GM, announcer, commissioner, head coach.

So no one would give him a chance? Then the New York Knicks, the worst run organization since 2000, hired Isiah as their GM on December 22, 2003. Immediately, he began shaping the team into his mold.

Despite a payroll of $80 million in 03-04, Thomas was given a decent financial situation. There was about forty million in expiring contracts with Antonio McDyess The payroll would be about $40 million in 04-05, enough financial flexibility to make big moves. But Isiah didn't see it that way.

The Isiah Thomas Era:
- He trades the expiring contract of Antonio McDyess ($15 mill), two promising young players Milas Vujanic (still in Europe) and Maciej Lampe, two draft picks for the Stephon Marbury (the most overrated player in basketball) and Anfernee Hardaway (the best young player in 1995; unfortunately it was 2004).
- He trades Keith Van Horn, the best Knick player at the time, for Tim Thomas.
- He signs Jerome James (4.9 ppg / 3 rpg last season) for 5 y/$29 million.
- When the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement allowed for one contract to be bought out and not count against the luxury tax, it was nicknamed the "Allan Houston Rule." Isiah Thomas didn't use it to save $40 million off Houston's contract. He used it to save $12.5 million of Jerome Williams' contract. Try figuring that out.
- With the 8th pick overall, he drafted Channing Frye. He's a twig that seems more like the next Loren Woods or Jason Collins than anything productive.
- Quentin Richardson and his uninsured back (5y/38 mill left) was acquired for the their only good big man, Kurt Thomas in June '05.
- He signed Vin Baker. I don't need say anything else.
- He acquired Jamal Crawford (7y/45 mill) and the contract of Jerome Williams to the Bulls for Dikembe Mutombo, Frank Williams, and Othello Harrington.
- He acquired Maurice Taylor (2y/19 mill left) for Moochie Norris (1 y / 4-5 mill left).
- He acquired Malik Rose (undersized big man with 3y/21 mill left) for Nazr Mohammed, an instrumental piece in the Spurs' championship this past year.
- And now he's acquired Eddy Curry with an uninsured heart, along with Antonio Davis, for Mike Sweetney (a promising young rookie who's play has been hindered by the 80 power forwards Thomas carries) and Tim Thomas (expiring contract). A conditional first round draft pick was also included. According to the Chicago Tribune, Davis will be released and signed back by the Bulls. Eddy Curry will receive a long-term contract worth $8-9 million annually.

Larry Brown hates players who don't hustle and try. Before Curry's ailment, most wondered if he even had a heart.

So who do you think got the better half of the deal? The Knicks or the Bulls?

How Pardon the Interruption Killed ESPN and Journalism

2005-09-30T19:27:00.000-04:00

I love Pardon the Interruption. It's a terrific show. Wilbon and Kornheiser are perfect together. I rarely missed an episode all summer. I try to plan my day around the show. PTI even outdraws the 6PM SportsCenter. And that's where the gradual murdering of SportsCenter and ESPN began.

The next year, ESPN spawned Around the Horn, a spinoff of PTI where four journalists from across the nation argue sports. This was Step 2 in the downfall of journalism and media.

It seemed that no journalist cared about reporting or facts. It was about making a name for themselves and getting "face time" on ESPN. (Ironically, the winner of each Around the Horn episode receives "face time" at the end - a twenty second span to throw out any opinion.) If Wilbon and Kornheiser could do it, Woody Paige and Tim Cowlishaw could do it. That was ESPN's reasoning. (I'm leaving Mariotti and Bob Ryan out of the ATH argument because they've established themselves as the premier columnists in the nation.) It led to journalists turning into columnists.
If you look at the nation, pre-PTI, there were only a handful of sports journalists who had national acclaim: Jerry Izenberg of the Newark Star-Ledger, Bob Ryan of the Globe, Mitch Albom of the Free Press (more on him later), Edwin Pope from the Miami Herald, Mike Lupica of the Daily News to name a few. Now everyone knows that Woddy Paige was from the Denver Post or Michael Smith was from the Boston Globe. (Both of them now work for solely ESPN.) These columnists will argue any outrageous thing (see Skip Bayless) just to get on TV.

If you're wondering why LA Times reporter T.J. Simers was fired from Around the Horn, it's because he told the truth: "The show is awful, promotes conflict and the outrageous,"

In March of 2005, the Mitch Albom scandal took the sports journalism nation by shock and brought up the question of journalistic integrity. Why wasn't this on ESPN? Because Mitch Albom works for ESPN. It's ESPN's job the present the major sports stories around the country, so why did they fail to mention that Albom made up facts in an article about the Final Four? Albom is probably the most famous sports columnist of all time with Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven as best-sellers. Albom wrote the article the day before the game, yet described two Michigan State alums (Mateen Cleaves and Jason Richardson) cheering on their team. The two players did not attend the game. Albom was suspended for a month. Why did he write the article on Friday for the Sunday edition? Albom had to spend all of Saturday working for ESPN. For more on the Mitch Albom scandal, see USA Today.

ESPN then created 1st & 10 and Quite Frankly. More shows where hard-hitting opinions dominated rather than facts and highlights. Then the anchors started doing it and ESPN hit a new low. For decades, Chris "insert name here" Berman has been sharing his opinion despite calling himself a sportscaster. The other anchors followed and realized they had to be flashy and opinionated to get recognized. The viewers shouldn't know or care that Stuart Scott went to North Carolina. Yet, he brings it up in every NC highlight. They don't care about presenting the news. They're only presenting themselves.

If you watch SportsCenter now, you can go twenty minutes without seeing a highlight or stats. It's all lousy analysis from Guy With Loud Voice. Go back to the good old days. No analysis. Just present the highlights and stats and let the audience form their own opinion. No one gives a damn what Former Marginally Good Athlete or Loud Guy From The Newspapers That No One Reads has to say about this or that.

CNN saw what happened to ESPN. And you know what they did? They followed ESPN. It's all about ratings now. Who cares about journalistic integrity? You won't find news on CNN. It's all analysis now. If you want to know what's going in the world, you have to go to Headline News.

Right now is the perfect opportunity for a sports station to come up and overthrow ESPN's dominance. If you look, it could be OLN. The sports deal they've reached with NHL and others aren't bad. The station bears a striking resemblance to the programming ESPN had in it's infancy.
As for journalism, I recommend Sportspages.com. They present the top 10 articles from around the nation and serve as my inspiration for many of my posts.

To rewrite a line from Jerry Maguire's Mission Statement.
Fewer columnists. Less analysis. More highlights.

The End of St. Louis Baseball

2005-09-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

St. Louis baseball is dead. No, they still have Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Chris Carpenter. Gone is the 50+ year partnership with KMOX radio. The 50,000 Watt station was one of the pioneers in sports radio. 1120 AM reached Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and beyond.

When the story first broke, "the consternation lasted for days. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran front-page stories. Television stations carried post-mortems. Bernie Miklasz, a Post-Dispatch sports columnist and a talk show host on KMOX, simply opened the phone lines and for hours the calls poured in. 'I understand that attachment, it's like a family bond,' Miklasz said." (Washington Post)

They produced two of the most prolific baseball voices, Harry Carey and Jack Buck.

Now, new ownership cares only about dollars and cents. They plan on tearing down Busch stadium at the end of the season. They've eliminated any loyalty left to the city.

For more on this story, read Les Carpenter's Questionable Reception in the Washington Post.

Braves a Model of Consistency

2005-09-28T22:18:00.000-04:00

Sheil, I completely disagree with your assessment of the Braves. You're not giving them enough credit. Fourteen straight years as division champs in one of the deepest divisions in baseball. They're also competing with two big market teams, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.

The Braves chose a different way to run their franchise. Rather than ship prospects for veterans at the trading deadline each year, they kept their homegrown players. The team undergoes an enormous amount of turnover every year, yet remains consistent.
Check the last fourteen years:
From 1991 to 2005, they've gone from Gregg Olson to Damon Berryhill to Javy Lopez to Johnny Estrada at catcher, Sid Bream to Fred McGriff to Andres Galarraga to Ryan Klesko to Wes Helms to Robert Fick to Adam Laroche at first, Mark Lemke to Keith Lockhart to Mark Derosa to Quilvio Veras to Marcus Giles at second, Terry Pendleton to Chipper Jones to Ken Caminiti to Vinny Castilla back to Chipper at third, Jeff Blauser to Walt Weiss to Jose Hernandez to Rafael Furcal at short, Deion Sanders to Otis Nixon to Marquis Grissom to Kenny Lofton to Andruw Jones in center, David Justice to Brian Jordan to Gary Sheffield to Jeff Franceour at right, and Ron Gant to Jermaine Dye to BJ Surhoff to Chipper Jones to J.D. Drew to Todd Hollandsworth in left.

The Braves could've chosen the route of the Yanks. They could've traded the farm systems for championships. But look at the Yanks now (despite currently being in first place), they have a payroll of $210 million with only a handful of young players in the minor leagues. Since 1996, the Yankees have not drafted a player who has had more than 11 wins or 800 at bats with the team.

Their coaching staff is probably the best in baseball. Bobby Cox turned the team from worst to first and Leo Mazzone has resurrected so many careers. Every pitcher, Glavine, Maddux, Jaret Wright, Russ Ortiz, Kent Mercker, Denny Neagle, Chris Hammond, Kevin Millwood, Kerry Lightenberg, Steve Avery, Mike Remlinger, etc..., had their best seasons under the tutelage of Mazzone. Offensively, they've even gotten a decent season out of the 47 year old Julio Franco.

The Braves may have only earned one championship, but they still remain the model of consistency in sports. Billy Beane is credited as one of the best GMs. He's never gone past the first round of the playoffs. Brian Cashman is the pawn of George Steinbrenner. Theo Epstein inherited a deep roster with most of the pieces already in place. Yet, John Schuerholz built this team from the ground up and managed to maintain its excellency at a rather consistent payroll and he doesn't get credit? They're at $85 million right now, tenth in the league. They're winning with a budget.

A Year by Year look at their payroll (in millions) since 1990.
Year---Payroll-----Top Payroll--------Payroll Rank-----Season Finish
1990-----13---------24 (KC)-------------23/26----------last place
1991-----20---------34(OAK)------------20/26----------world series loss to Min.
1992-----33---------45(NYM)-----------11/26-----------world series loss to Tor.
1993-----38---------46(TOR)------------7/28-----------lose to Phillies
1994-----40---------45(NYY)------------3/28-----------strike
1995-----45---------50(TOR)------------3/28-----------world series winners
1996-----48---------52(NYY)------------3/28-----------world series loss to NYY
1997-----50---------59(NYY)------------5/28-----------lose in playoffs
1998-----59---------70(BAL)------------3/30-----------lose in playoffs
1999-----75---------88(NYY)------------3/30----------world series loss to NYY
2000----83---------93(NYY)------------4/30-----------lose in playoffs
2001-----92--------112(NYY)-----------6/30-----------lose in playoffs
2002-----93--------126(NYY)-----------7/30-----------lose in playoffs
2003----106--------153-----------------3/30-----------lose in playoffs
2004----90---------184-----------------8/30-----------lose in playoffs
2005----85---------208----------------10/30-----------TBD

There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and the Braves in October.

Braves clinch...again.

2005-09-28T15:57:00.000-04:00

The Braves made it official last night - for the fourteenth straight season, they were NL East champions. But the question remains: Does anyone really care anymore?

I think all Braves fans can agree: it's not what happens in the season that matters - finishing well over .500, finishing first place in their division - but rather what happens in the playoffs. And that's why, once again, I'm still unimpressed. Being successful in sports isn't about being almost the best; instead, it's about coming out on top. The Braves haven't been able to do so in ten years, and only once total during their 14-year division champs streak.

Once the Braves give their fans something real to cheer about...maybe then it'll be time to celebrate. Until then, that 2005 banner will just be another number to add to the "almost made it" wall.

To Take a Blood Test or Not To Take a Blood Test

2005-09-25T15:42:00.000-04:00

In March of 2005, Chicago Bulls center Eddy Curry was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and enlarged heart. The Chicago Bulls, for precautionary measures, shut the former fourth pick overall for the remainder of the season.

Curry, who went pro straight from high school in 2000, had been plagued by inconsistency his first 3 seasons in the NBA. At 285 pounds, Curry was always out of shape. With the help of the Bulls training team, Curry underwent a rigorous workout during the summer of '04. It appeared his hardwork paid off. He averaged 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds. A restricted free agent at the end of the season, millions awaited him. Every team with cap space and in need of a center wanted him. Then on March 30, Curry received the bad news. He would miss the remainder of the season.

On June 28, 2005, the Chicago Bulls cleared Curry to resume physical activities. It looked like Curry would get his millions.

Then the offseason came and the NBA's insurance refused to cover Curry's heart. The teams that were interested dwindled down to two: the Hawks and the Bulls. The Hawks, disappointed with Curry's attitude, didn't offer him a contract. With the Bulls still owning his rights (since he's a restricted free agent), the Bulls asked Curry to take a blood test to know if he's genetically predisposed to a medical condition. Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis each had on court fatalities because of a heart condition. Curry and his attorney's oppose the idea, citing personal privacy. The Bulls motive was simple: protect their financial investment. Curry and his lawyers' motive: Try to get Curry as much money as possible. It doesn't seem that either of them cares about the most important thing, Eddy Curry's health. This landmark issue will likely go to arbitration with the result changing the way pro sports evaluates players.

Palmeiro and Tejada

2005-09-23T15:57:00.000-04:00

Rafael Palmeiro, under investigation for lying to a grand jury in March, claimed that a vitamin he received from teammate Miguel Tejada might have caused his positive steroid test. I highly doubt that. The vitamin in question is B-12, an over the counter pill that is completely legal. It helps maintain red blood cells. Miguel Tejada is also one of the least likely people to take steroids. In Juiced, Tejada is one of the few players who Canseco goes out of his way to vindicate. He describes a scrawny Tejada training every day in his home country and adding twenty pounds of muscle. Since Canseco is the only one who appears to have credibility, I can't believe Palmeiro's allegation.

One more thing: I think I speak for the collective public when I say that Palmeiro should shave that mustache unless he plans on becoming a porn star.

Griping About the Media

2005-09-21T01:59:00.000-04:00

I'll be the first to admit that I love sports: I love sports. First thing, I do when I wake up is to check the box scores of West Coast baseball games, then I take a Sports Illustrated with me to the bathroom, and my day finally begins.

Through the day, I obsess constantly, whether I'm pondering the little things like, how many times a week does Eli call Peyton? Or making up questions, that I then think about the rest of the day, for example: Would the Falcons win more games if their QB was Tom Brady? I don't think its guaranteed at all, and it makes me question that Brady is the best QB in the league. (I think this is a weak consensus based on the conclusion that in the end a QB is judged by wins, however if you disagree then you still must accept that Brady is believed to be a better QB than Vick.)

All tangents aside, the purpose of the last paragraph was to make clear that I am a passionate sports fan, however even I am disgusted by the recent coverage of the Saints. This was very evident in Week 1, when commentators would make you believe that the Saints victory was somehow going to evaporate the waters that have devastated the Gulf Coast region.

I'm not too fond of the politically correct type, but I think these statements are insulting to the brave people of New Orleans. To even suggest that a Saints win could console a person who may have lost loved ones and their home is absurd. In that atmosphere of death, despair, and desperation, a game with tens of thousands of drunk fans yelling and screaming watching 22 guys chase after a ball, mercilessly punishing each other is completely irrelevant. Football is a game, Hurricane Katrina is life.

I'm not one of those people who sit around and criticize the media all day, I'm just very outraged at this specfic coverage. I think true enjoyment and appreciation for sports derives from the cognizance that sports is ultimately meaningless and the athletes' performance hinges on pride and money.

On a side note, I think its ironic that our finest athletes work in jobs that only provide entertainment to people. I mean imagine if Bill Belichick was a supermarket manager or Walter Jones was a mover. Imagine a moving company made of offensive and defensive lineman, they'd just pick up homes and walk cross country. And I'd bet anyone a $100 that if Belichick managed a supermarket, he'd have the highest profits, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction out of all the supermarkets in the country.

I pretty much feel that the media is blurring the lines between sports and life in order to sensationalize the story, but are being insensitive towards victims of Katrina. I hope that the media can gains some perspective on this matter, quickly.

The media and the Saints

2005-09-20T10:56:00.000-04:00

After watching the New Orleans Saints ' loss last night against the New York Giants, I couldn't help but think how ironic it was that the Saints beat the "super bowl contending" Panthers in Week 1, only to lose to the Giants during their Hurricane Relief telethon in Week 2. And of course, you couldn't help but hear over and over again about how the Saints were "fighting for New Orleans" and all the people who suffered a loss during the hurricane. And now that the Saints finally lost, where's the media now?

Things like this just go to show how easily the media can make and break you in the wake of a disaster. Week 1 passed and (quoting an anchor on NFL Prime Time) "the Saints were America's team." Now, all of a sudden, they've sunk to the depths of the NFL and, once again, no one cares about the Saints. It all happened that quickly.

The fact of the matter is that, unfortunately, this trend will continue. The Saints aren't good enough to make the playoffs, especially while playing in the tough NFC South. And, similarly to what happened in Week 2, the Saints will essentially fall off the surface of the media's attention, and "America's team" will exist no longer. Instead, the Saints will go on to being just the plain, old close-but-not-good-enough-for-the-playoffs Saints. One week was a good run, New Orleans.

Hurricane Relief

2005-09-19T23:19:00.000-04:00

The Hurricane Relief special during the Saints / Giants game was well done, but something troubles me.

They show men like Bruce Smith, John Elway, Donovan McNabb, Jackie Slater, Eric Dickerson, and other NFL greats answering phone calls. Nothing wrong with that. I didn't even have a problem with Tony Danza or Regis Philbin. What bothered me was Danny Kanell! Danny Kanell! The same Danny Kanell who has a life time QB rating 63.2. The same Danny Kanell who started for the Giants during the forgotten season of 1998. The same Danny Kanell who has thrown 34 ints to 31 TDs. While typing this, I checked online was shocked to discover that Kanell was still in the NFL (Denver Broncos). I still can't get over this.

Congrats Ginepri

2005-09-10T20:36:00.000-04:00

I'm going to dedicate a whole post to Robby Ginepri because, frankly, no one else wants to dedicate any of their time to him.

Can we please all give a hand to Ginepri, who reached the semifinals of the 2005 U.S. Open before falling to Agassi in five sets? For some reason, with all the talk of Blake, Federer, Hewitt, and Agassi, people have completely forgotten about Robby. Maybe it will help if we take a brief look at his illustrious career:

Singles titles: 2
Highest ATP ranking reached: 25
Career grand slam titles: 0
U.S. Open seed: unseeded

Robby Ginepri has been nothing other than a mediocre player his entire career, but in the past two weeks he's risen from the depths of the tennis world to advance and advance and advance in the Open. And talk about working hard in the process - Ginepri's last three matches (including his loss against Agassi) went five sets.

It's not often that an unseeded player reaches the semi's, and for that reason Robby Ginepri needs to receive some love from tennis fans everywhere. Congratulations Ginepri, you've made us proud.

Tennis - the greatest sport in the world

2005-09-09T17:15:00.000-04:00

I think Andre said it best after his remarkable win against James Blake Wednesday night - "Tonight wasn't just a victory for me. It was a victory for tennis."

This year's U.S. Open has been more than what people could have asked for. To sum up, Roddick lost in the first round. A wild card - Blake - made it to the quarterfinals. Federer continued to dominate. Andre became the oldest U.S. Open semifinalist in over ten years. Davenport - the 2 seed and the #1 player in the world - was knocked out of the women's draw by a 12 seed - Mary Pierce - who's now in the semis. And Sharapova's not a guarantee by any means.

This is by far one of the most deep grand slams tennis has seen in a long time. No one (with the mild exception of Roger Federer) has any clear chance to win, and as we've seen in the women's draw - the tournament's wide open.

But one can't talk about how great the 2005 U.S. Open has been without discussing James Blake, who basically had to reenter the world of tennis after he paralyzed his face last year. Blake, who hit his head against a net pole during a match in Spain, worked hard through recovery to even qualify for the U.S. Open. He fought through, match after match, and eventually made it to the quarterfinals to lose in one of the best matches I've personally ever seen in my entire life.

The score says it all for Blake and Agassi's match: 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-6 (8-6). One couldn't have asked for a better match - with two Americans duking it out, mono a mono. I can actually recall saying, as Blake was in the process of winning the first two sets, "It's not that Agassi's playing badly either. He's playing well!"

And there's the case of Robby Ginepri too - another unseeded player who no one's talking about - who also made the semis. Which means, as Agassi also said, "I can guarantee that there will be an American in the finals."

Oh, how I love tennis.

No Remorse

2005-09-08T12:17:00.000-04:00

A month or two ago, the Newark Star-Ledger wrote a piece on steroids and the policies in other professions. The article (which I can't find a link to) discussed the steroid/drug test in the trucking industry. If a trucker fails a drug/steroid/sleeping pill test, they are suspended without pay until they come up clean on another test. Since these supplements generally stay in your body for 60-90 days, the suspension is a devastating blow to trucker's financial situation.

Which brings me to Mike Morse. The Seattle Mariners' SS took roids in November 2003 after a hamstring injury. He was suspended in May 2004 for violating the minor league steroid policy. Although he claims he stopped using steroids, it remained in his body and he was suspended again in July 2004. Now in September 2005, Morse is facing a suspension as he failed another steroid test. He argues that the amount of steroids in his body is negligible and science proves it has no perfomance-enhancing effect.

I don't care when he stopped taking steroids. If he still has the slightest amount of performance-enhancing drugs in his body, he shouldn't be allowed to play. When he comes clean, then I'll believe he stopped taking roids.

Retiring No. 21

2005-09-07T16:30:00.000-04:00

"It started with a softly spoken comment from the lips of Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran: 'Major League Baseball should retire Roberto Clemente's number, just like they did Jackie Robinson's.'" - New York Daily News

Carlos Beltran's words has caused massive campaigning among Latin ballplayers to have Clemente's jersey No. 21 retired universally. Clemente had an enormous impact on the Latin community and the world. He was a pioneer who paved the way for Latin ballplayers by withstanding abuse from fans and showcasing his skills. To the non-Latin community, Clemente will always be remembered for his charity work.

Major League Baseball annually hands out the Roberto Clemente Award to honor the person who gives the most back to the community. In light of the recent events that have hit the Gulf Coast, maybe baseball should honor Clemente for his community work and ground-breaking actions. Clemente died for his cause. His plane crashed on December 31, 1972 as he flew supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

Something's not right here

2005-09-07T11:41:00.000-04:00

Take a quick look at the MLB standings today and you'll see the following:

NL West W L Pct GB

San Diego 68 69 .496 --

San Francisco 63 74 .460 5.0

NL East W L Pct GB

Atlanta 80 59 .576 --

Florida 73 65 .529 6.5

Philadelphia 73 66 .525 7.0

Washington 72 67 .518 8.0

NY Mets 70 68 .507 9.5

Anyone notice what's wrong with this picture? Why does every team in the NL East, including the last place New York Mets, have a better record than the first place Padres in the NL West? Not only that, but every team in the NL West has a record that's under .500.

Look, I know that you can't screw around with a playoff system that's been in place for years now, but it just doesn't seem fair to a team who worked hard throughout the season, then got screwed because they just happened to be in the wrong division. John Kruk had said on Baseball Tonight a few weeks ago - something I agree with, though I also realize is impossible to implement - that if a team isn't over .500, they shouldn't be allowed to enter the playoffs. The league should just take the next wild card team, and encourage the crappy sub-.500 to try harder next season.

I know it's a lost cause, but I do wish that baseball would encourage teams to do their best, rather than just good enough to stay alive in their division. It's just another thing that could help make baseball even better.

This Won't Make SportsCenter

2005-09-07T10:35:00.000-04:00

Trev Alberts, a college football analyst for ESPN, was fired after failing to show up to work for Saturday's College Gameday. Entering his fourth year on College Gameday, Alberts grew unhappy with his role on the show and told ESPN he wasn't coming to work. Somehow this didn't make SportsCenter. For the full story, check out SI.com.

Rice retires

2005-09-05T15:34:00.000-04:00

He went to Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, a division 1-AA school. Didn't stop him. He ran a 4.7 40. Didn't stop him. He fell to the mid-first round. Didn't stop him. Jerry Rice, the greatest receiver of all time, retired today. He leaves holding 38 NFL records. Most Touchdowns. That belongs to Rice. Most Receptions. Rice. Most Total Yards. Rice. 1000 Yard Seasons. Rice. Consecutive games with a reception. Rice with 274. If you played 17 seasons and got a catch in every game, you would finish two short of Rice.

In 2000, at age 38, it looked like Rice's career was done. He had a mere 75 catches with 805 yards. It was his second straight season with less than 1000 yards. The 49ers thought he was done. They had a promising youngster named Terrell Owens. They didn't need him. They let Rice go. He went across the bay to Oakland. How did he fare? Two straight seasons with over a 1000 yards and at least 83 catches.

Rice is the last of a dying breed of receivers. In an era of non-guaranteed contracts and career-ending injuries, receivers tend to avoid going across the middle. They run vertical routes or go towards the sidelines. Not Rice. He took his hits. The NFL and the fans will miss Jerry Rice.

Glanville Returns to Coaching

2005-09-04T00:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, September 3 marked the return of Jerry Glanville to football. Most people under the age of 21 probably don't remember Glanville as a head coach in the NFL. During the late 1980s, he coached four seasons with the Houston Oilers. Then he went to the Atlanta Falcons for four memorable seasons before getting fired after the 1993 season. Following his coaching stint, he spent some years doing pregame for CBS and NBC.
Yesterday, he resumed his coaching as the defensive coordinator at Hawaii. But, I doubt anyone will remember him for that stuff. Glanville was a character. He wore a large cowbot hat and big sunglasses when he coached. He used to leave 2 tickets for Elvis at the will call window. I wonder if anyone will remember for his defense. Atlanta's "Grits Blitz" and Houston's "The House of Pain" were famous for their punishment of the opposing QB.

How did Glanville fare in his first game back verse USC? They lost 63-17. One more note: Hawaii's defense was ranked 117 out of 118 last year.

Roddick loses again

2005-09-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

Not surprisingly, Roddick showcased another less-than-stellar effort in his loss to Gilles Muller (if you're asking who?, don't worry. I asked the same thing) on Tuesday.

I've said for a long time as a tennis fan that Andy Roddick, while I still cheer for him every tournament, is not a spectacular player by any means. He was "good" as a rookie, only because his opponents hadn't figured out how to beat him. When a player concentrates on only one part of his game - as Roddick did with his serve - it's easy to see nowadays how easy it is for that player to lose. One his opponents learn how to deal with the serve, it's lights out.

My love for Roddick is a love-hate type of relationship. I love that he's a young face of tennis that can help bring the sport to the general America's eyes. Roddick, with his Mandy Moore relationships and Got Milk? ads, helped young teenie-bopper kids learn that tennis is a real sport worth watching.

However as an actual athlete, I've lost a great deal of respect for the man. Roddick simply cannot make it in the events that matter, and hasn't really ever dominated in a Grand Slam (Don't forget that even though he won the US Open in 2003, he was down match point in the semifinals..) I'm starting to doubt the validity of "the next great player" that Roddick was once touted to be.

Roddick still manages to win the smaller tournaments, however, which is why he's still ranked third in the world. Maybe he needs some extra practice or something and time off from the tourneys...I don't know. Just please, Andy, don't screw up the Australian. Win one for America and you'll gain all our respect once again.

The Washington Whiteskins

2005-08-30T10:41:00.000-04:00

"Seeking to honor his part-Sioux coach, William "Lone Star" Dietz, he re-christened his team the Redskins. Three years later, Marshall moved the club to Washington, and the rest is history."
- Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun

In today's Baltimore Sun, Childs Walker wrote an excellent piece on the origin of the Washington Redskin nickname. Originally created to honor a part-Sioux coach, recent investigations have determined that William "Lone Star" Dietz was actually white. To read more, visit the Baltimore Sun.

The Wild Card

2005-08-29T23:25:00.000-04:00

"Russ Hodges's call of Bobby Thomson's home run if it happened today: 'The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Dodgers win the wild card! The Dodgers get the wild card!!' Inspiring isn't it?"
- Bob Costas in Fair Ball

As a baseball purist, I've always hated the wild card. It deemphasized the division title. Would you rather see Boston/New York grueling it out over a 162 games or both making the playoffs?

That was my reasoning for the last 10 years. But it's now 2005, the Cleveland Indians are on the cusp of the wild card and I love it. Check out the standings - New York, Cleveland, and Anaheim are separated by a game. Minnesota is only 5.5 games. And then theres the NL - Five teams separated by 2.5 games. It's August 30 and more than half the teams are within striking distance of the wild card. This is captivating baseball. It's rejuvenate areas like Philly and Washington, D.C. It looks Bud Selig may gotten something right in baseball.

Maurice Clarett The Idiot

2005-08-29T11:36:00.000-04:00

"The Broncos will reportedly release former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett this week. But don't worry, Clarett can always fall back on his college education." - Pete McEntegart SI.com

Is there anyone dumber than Maurice Clarett? All he had to do was keep his mouth shut, attend class, stay in school, and stay out of trouble for three years. He would have had millions waiting for him. Now he's unemployed and I couldn't be more happy. Some people just don't deserve an opportunity.

Check out the last four 4-5 years of Clarett's life:
(Some of the following material was courtesy of USA Today)
January 2001 — Maurice Clarett commits to Ohio State to play football.
January 2002 — Begins classes at Ohio State after graduating early from Harding. - Unfortunately, he didn't stay in his classes too long.
Aug. 20, 2002 — Listed as starting running back, the first time a freshman has opened as the starter at the position since 1943.
October 2002 — Misses two games with an injured left shoulder. Says he has received dozens of pieces of hate mail from Ohio State fans since an ESPN The Magazine article earlier in the month that quoted him saying he's thought about leaving college early for the NFL.
Nov. 23, 2002 — After returning from injury, rushes for 119 yards on 20 carries, scores on a 2-yard run and sets up another touchdown with a 26—yard pass reception in a 14-9 win over Michigan that boosts Buckeyes into Fiesta Bowl showdown with Miami.
December 2002 — Angrily blasts Ohio State officials for not allowing him to fly home to Youngstown for the funeral of a friend, then accuses university administrators of lying when they say he didn't file necessary paperwork for emergency financial aid for the flight.
Jan. 3, 2003 — Dives into the end zone on a 5-yard run, providing the winning score in a 31-24 double-overtime victory over Miami to give Ohio State its first national title in 34 years.
July 12, 2003 — The New York Times quotes a teaching assistant at Ohio State who says Clarett received ''preferential treatment.'' She says he walked out of a midterm exam but ended up passing the class after the professor gave him an oral exam.
July 29, 2003 — Ohio State confirms the NCAA is investigating Clarett's claim that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment was stolen in April from a 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that Clarett had borrowed from a local dealership.
Sept. 9, 2003 — Clarett charged with misdemeanor falsification for the police report on the theft. The charge carries a penalty ranging from probation to six months in jail and $1,000 fine.
Sept. 10, 2003 — Athletic director Andy Geiger announces Clarett is suspended for the season. Geiger says Clarett received special benefits worth thousands of dollars from a family friend and repeatedly misled investigators.
Sept. 23, 2003 — Clarett sues the NFL, challenging the rule that a player must be out of high school three years to be eligible for the draft.
Dec. 17, 2003 — Ohio State says university committee finds no evidence to support allegations of academic misconduct by athletes, including Clarett.
Jan. 14, 2004 — Clarett pleads guilty in Franklin County Municipal Court to failure to aid a law enforcement officer, a lesser charge than lying on a police report. Judge Mark S. Froehlich orders him to pay the maximum fine of $100.
Feb. 5 — Clarett ruled eligible for the NFL draft by U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin in New York.
April 19 — A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals puts on hold the lower court ruling that allowed Clarett to enter the draft.
April 20 — Clarett files an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to stay the appeals court ruling preventing Clarett from entering the draft.
April 22 — The NFL argues to the Supreme Court that it would be unfair to a team that picked Clarett if he were later ruled ineligible. Ginsburg later refuses to intervene, saying she sees no reason to let Clarett into the draft while his challenge to the rule is unresolved. Clarett files a second emergency appeal with Justice John Paul Stevens, who turns it down.
May 24 — The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules against Clarett, making Clarett ineligible for a supplemental draft. He now has to wait for the 2005 draft to enter the NFL.
Nov. 9 — Clarett alleges in an ESPN The Magazine article that coach Jim Tressel or his staff arranged for him to get passing grades, cars and money for bogus summer jobs. Geiger denied the allegations. - Clarett, you accepted the stuff. You're just as guilty for doing that as Tressel is for arranging. You ruined your credibility.
April 23, 2005 - Clarett is taking with the last pick in the third round by the Denver Broncos. Instead of signing a guaranteed contract for $410,000, the idiot decides to take an incentive-based contract worth $230,000. The $230,000, however, is not gauranteed.
August 29, 2005 - The Denver Broncos cut Clarett. They owe him nothing. Welcome to the real world. I'm sure his degree from OSU will get him far in a non-football career. Then again...

Mark Kizla of the Denver Post had more to say in this morning's edition of the newspaper. "The best thing about Clarett's Broncos career was its brevity. He apparently didn't like to practice. His smile was constantly broken. With a stiff arm, Clarett seemed to hold most teammates at a distance where nobody could root for him." For more, go to http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_2981858

The US Open started?

2005-08-27T19:57:00.000-04:00

I'm a huge tennis fan - one who subscribes to the Tennis Channel and watches all the US Open Series tournaments. So it really annoys me that people are still - after all the years that tennis has been a big sport around the world - American sports fans still don't care. On Cold Pizza the other day, Jay Crawford was being educated by Brad Gilbert on how to hit a simple forehand.

I guarantee as well that right now, more than half the nation doesn't even know that the US Open is starting. Some probably don't even know that the US Open is a tennis tournament as well, and not just a golf major. It's ignorance like this that bothers me most.

There are a few reasons why I think tennis has trouble turning into one of our nation's top sports:

1. Tennis is too international. I personally never understood this about the US, but we Americans have very little national pride when it comes to sport. Look at soccer and even the Olympics - American's simply don't care about their country as much as they should. Considering that tennis' best players - especially when it comes to the women - are from other countries, it's not surprising that Americans don't watch the sport.

2. Tennis is fair to women. Go ahead, start the negative comments with this. But the fact is that women's sports don't sell. Who seriously watches the WNBA, LPGA, and softball? Giving the women an equal shot at winning a title at the same events that men play gives tennis a losing effort in the shot to gain acceptance in the US.

3. Tennis isn't contoversial. Look at basketball, football, hockey, baseball - steroids and other issues are abound in those sports. Tennis simply has nothing; it's a pure game with very little controversy. That gives sports journalists little to write about and, therefore, the sport gets very little media attention.

The only "controversy" that tennis gets comes when good-looking players like Maria and Anna enter the game and woo fans with their gorgeous looks. This isn't what tennis is about. The US needs to be introduced to the actual athletic portion of the game.

I want to hope that tennis will eventually make its way into the hearts of the American people, but realistically I know it never will. Changing the minds of a whole nation isn't that easy.

Then again, it happened with NASCAR...maybe there is a chance. I'll start crossing my fingers now...

Milk - just as good as steroids

2005-08-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

I originally wasn't going to post about this, seeing as it's a relatively stupid story. But then I realized that stories like these are why I write for this weblog - because they piss me off so much, I need somewhere to vent. So here we go...

The Florida Marlins suspended a team batboy for six games after he accepted a $500 bet from Brad Penny to drink a gallon of milk in one hour. Brad Penny, along with me, was outraged at the ridiculous suspension, especially since the batboy's six game suspension is so close to the ten game suspension given to players for testing positive for steroids. The batboy will be suspended from August 28 - September 4 for the six-game series against the Cardinals and the Mets.

HE DRANK MILK. I don't know how else to put it - he only drank milk. First off, the Marlins shouldn't have suspended the boy for taking on such a harmless, fun stunt. And second, and what bothers me most, 6 GAMES? There's no sense in this at all.

What is pretty cool is that the Milk Processor Education Program wants to offer the batboy a reward - the original $500 reward that Penny offered him as well as compensation for the 6 games he won't be playing, just as long as he agrees to drink the recommended three glasses of milk a day.

The GM of the Fort Myers Miracle, the Marlins' Single-A affliate, also offered to give the batboy an honorary position at the Miracle's home games during his suspension. In addition, all kids 14 and under will receive a free pint of milk upon entering the stadium.

At least there are people who see that what this kid did wasn't a big deal at all. I'm in favor of the Single-A affiliate's idea to have a batboy day. At least he'll get to feel good about not completing the bet.

Oh god

2005-08-25T08:21:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's just Linda Kohn who makes Sportscenter's 50 States in 50 Days campaign look terrible. She did another injustice to the program today when she quoted herself - For the love of elevation! - when talking about Colorado. I assumed 50 in 50 couldn't have gotten any more worse than it already was, but Linda Kohn has proven she can do what I had thought was impossible.

Ridiculous

2005-08-24T10:48:00.000-04:00

Absolutely ridiculous. That's the best way I can describe Andruw Jones' 40th homerun that he hit last night against the Cubs. Jones crushed an inside pitch from Jerome Williams to left field. The crazy part is that he did it while falling down. I saw the replay on MLB.com last night and I literally said to myself, What the hell? I've seen some pretty crazy hits - including a single off a ball that hit the dirt on the way to the plate - and this is up high on the list. And of course, Chip Carey announced it as just another homerun, giving no acknowledgement to the insanity of how Andruw hit it.

Speaking of ridiculous, Freddy Garcia and Johan Santana both pitched gems last night against each other. The Twins ended up winning 1-0, even though Freddy Garcia only gave up one hit. Jacque Jones hit a homer to right-center that ended being the only thing that mattered in the game. Santana gave up only three hits in his eight-inning effort, making the total of hits given up by both teams a measly four. That's nuts. These are the kind of games that make you ancy for the playoffs. I know I can't wait.

Gates signs a new deal

2005-08-23T21:51:00.000-04:00

I guess bitching and whining sometimes does work.

Antonio Gates, the Chargers tight-end who set an NFL record for touchdown receptions by a tight end as a rookie last season, signed a six-year contract today with the Chargers. The amount of the contract is not yet known, although Gates had said in the past he wanted to be paid between $4 and $5 million a season.

What's most surprising is that Antonio Gates held out all preseason because he wasn't happy with his former, rookie contract. His old contract would have had him being paid under a million dollars for the 2005 season. The Chargers gave Gates an ultimatum - report to camp or be suspended. When Gates didn't report, the team suspended him for the last two preseason games and the first game of the regular season. After the suspension, Gates signed a quick, one-year, $380,000 contract.

But even after the one-year deal was signed, Gates continued to bitch about how he outplayed his previous contract in 2004 and his current one "wasn't fair." Doesn't this sound very familar?

The difference - the Chargers gave in, which is exactly what the NFL does not need right now. It goes to show that if a superstar complains enough, he'll eventually get what he wants. The Eagles' job now is to make sure that Terrell Owens does not get his new contract. Players are not and will never be higher than the team they play for, and while we've seen Gates pull off the impossible, the NFL cannot let him be a pioneer for others to follow.

Hogan still wrestles?

2005-08-22T21:15:00.000-04:00

I saw an ad on the internet for WWE Summerslam on the internet the other day, so out of sheer curiosity, I decided to take a look at the official WWE Summerslam website. What I saw shocked me.

Hulk Hogan def. Shawn Michaels

What the hell? Hulk Hogan? Hulkamania Hulk Hogan? The same Hogan that knows best? It couldn't be...could it? Sure enough...

Advantage, Legend.

In one of the most anticipated matches in SummerSlam history, Hulk Hogan defeated Shawn Michaels.

I thought this was absurd. Hulk Hogan was around in the 70's, meaning he's gotta be how old now? 50?! And so, I started my research. Hulk Hogan (whose real name is Terrence Gene Bollea...no wonder he changed it) was born on August 11, 1953. So that means, accounting for his recent birthday (Happy birthday Hulk!), Hulk Hogan is now...52?! What the hell?

At 52, most men are starting to worry more about their prostate than their pounding. Wrestling might be fake, but that doesn't mean these guys just pansy around the ring each week. And all along, here's Hulk Hogan taking a ride in the WWE party bus way past his prime.

Not to say I never had any respect for the Hulk, but damn, I've got a lot more for him now than I've ever had. I thought Hogan left wrestling ages ago, and doing that stupid VH1 reality show was something to keep him busy during his retirement. But nope - he's still here - and apparently doing a damn good job to be the headliner at a Pay-Per-View event.

There's still one thing I don't understand. Apparently, Hogan "managed to escape a Sharpshooter and kick out of the combination of a flying elbow and Sweet Chin Music" in the match. Someone please answer me this question: What the hell is Sweet Chin Music?

ESPN + Hollywood = FUN!

2005-08-21T15:22:00.000-04:00

Oh god, ESPN. This cannot be possible. I've seen some pretty bad shows from your network in the past - 2 Minute Drill, Stumb the Schwab (Whose website doesn't even work) - but ESPN Hollywood has by far got to be the worst. I can just imagine the conversation between the guy who thought this show up and the guy who let the show air:

Intern: Hey, I have this great idea! I think sports are cool, and I think movie stars are cool, too! What if we just made a show about them both?!

CEO: Sports are cool. Hollywood is cool. Cool + cool = double cool! Yeah, let's do it!

Intern: We need a good name for the show too. Something really creative.

CEO: How about ESPN Hollywood?! That's genius! I'm so smart!

Intern: Who should host it?

CEO: How about Slater from Saved By the Bell? I love that show!

It sounds stupid, because it is. Reuters pointed out that ESPN Hollywood is "fulfilling a need that probably doesn't exist," and so it's probably not surprising that the show drew 0.08% of cable TV households, or about 75,000 households. Or as USA Today would rather describe it, "the standard industry projection for the number of homes where viewing levels are determined by pets accidentally hitting TV remotes."

Thomas Herrion - dead at 23

2005-08-21T12:02:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it takes unfortunate news like this to help us all realize how physically-intensive NFL football actually is. 49ers lineman Thomas Herrion collapsed in the team locker room after last night's preseason game against the Broncos. He died this morning, about three hours after his collapse, at a nearby hospital in Denver. The cause for Herrion's death is still unknown.

The cause for his death is still unknown. According to ESPN, "Players had finished listening to coach Mike Nolan address them in a postgame meeting when Herrion collapsed...The cause of death was not immediately known." The last time he was seen on the field was two seconds before the game ended, when the 49ers finished a touchdown-scoring drive.

Pretty scary stuff. It will be interesting to learn the cause of Herrion's death, as it might affect the future of the NFL in some way. I'll keep you all updated on the story.

PTI? Oh wait...no.

2005-08-19T23:56:00.000-04:00

I know I'm late on this, but I just caught the newest Pardon the Interruption ripoff - The Situation With Tucker Carlson on MSNBC. It's an hour-long show, with a rundown like PTI's - except it's on the left side. Also, there's no time limit between topics. So basically, it's just a news version of PTI, except without the excitement and fun of ESPN's real PTI. Sounds crappy, but the best part of the show?

My man Max Kellerman subbed in for Tucker Carlson today!!

Yeah, that's right. Max Kellerman - the self-proclaimed metrosexual who once-hosted Around the Horn before that idiot Stat Boy took over. Unfortunately, Tucker "I wear a bow tie because I like to look like a loser" Carlson takes over again on Monday. That's too bad...I don't get a chance to see Kellerman often, so this was quite a sweet surprise.

Spiez's tattoo

2005-08-19T17:16:00.001-04:00

I don't usually like to repost stuff from other sites, but this is too funny. Courtesy of The Sports Frog's forums, Scott Spiezio's new tattoo:

(Click to enlarge)

And for the record, here are Scott Spiezio's 2005 batting statistics:

Batting average: .064
Homeruns: 1
RBI: 1
Runs: 2
At bats: 47

Nice tat Spiez. Now try concentrating on what really matters - figuring out how to not suck.

Shutup about Tiger Woods!

2005-08-18T23:05:00.000-04:00

It seems that the one thing that sports journalists seem to do most often is go nuts about a really dumb and seemingly unimportant topic. The most recent example of this is Tiger Woods leaving the PGA Championship a day early after play was suspended Sunday night. Tiger was three strokes off the lead.

I understand that it doesn't make much sense to most people for Tiger to leave early, especially since he was so close to tying for the lead, but let's not forget who we're talking about. This is Tiger mother-fucking Woods. He's the #1 ranked golfer in the nation, #1 ranked golfer in the world, and one of the best golfers of all time. There's no way Tiger would have done something stupid like leaving a championship early without fully deciding that there was no way he was going to win. Again, let me reiterate - he's the best golfer in the world and he's not an idiot. There's absolutely no reason people should be going nuts about this whole situation. Tiger knows what he's doing, and he knows more than everyone else knows in the world. Not many people can say that, but Woods can.

You want proof that Tiger isn't stupid? How about this: the tournament didn't go to a playoff and Tiger was perfectly fine in Florida. There weren't any problems at all, so everyone please just SHUTUP!

And even if Tiger left early and people are still bitching...you can't deny the fact that he's now tied for the lead at the NEC Invitational in Akron. If anything, these past two weeks have been very Tiger-esque: Woods does bad at one tournament and then kicks ass in the first round the next week.

Overall, I think I'm just mainly pissed at people who think they know everything about everything in the world. Maybe it's the job of the sports reporter to pretend like he does, but it still annoys me. People are too quick to criticize without looking at the whole picture. A radio host on ESPN Radio's Sportsbash introduced the idea that maybe Tiger left early to go home. After all, "if I had a wife like Elin Nordegren, I'd want to go home early too."

Quite Frankly, the advertising sucks

2005-08-17T17:57:00.000-04:00

Stephen A. Smith's new show Quite Frankly has been advertising like crazy - the most advertising I've ever seen an ESPN2 show receive since Cold Pizza a few years ago. But the one thing I don't understand is that, while people everywhere have seen Stephen A. Smith's face plastered on everything from highway billboards to national magazines to television commercials, the ads themselves all say the same thing:

The Patriots scout well, draft well, and play well. And last time I checked, they still have Tom Brady. Quite frankly, that's all you need.

(Yeah, I memorized the ad.)

After over a month of hearing the same crap over and over, I'm starting to get a little sick of it. Is this the only ad ESPN ever made for this show? Is this the best they could come up with?

Patriots are the best team in the NFL? NO SHIT. The Pats have won the Super Bowl three times in the past four years. Any dumbass could tell you they're a fucking football dynasty. Stephen, if you want people to watch your show, try pointing something out to people that's not obvious. Maybe that's why, according to yesterday's episode of Mike and the Mad Dog, Quite Frankly received a rating of 0.2. Quite frankly, Stephen A. Smith, no one's watching your show!

It looks like Quite Frankly's going the way of Playmakers and 2 Minute Drill very soon. I don't necessarily think it's a bad show...I wouldn't mind watching it once in a while if it were on...but I'm not gonna devote time to it everyday as I do for PTI and Around the Horn. I think that's the same with most people, which is likely why its ratings are so low. The show also seems to be way too long. Stephen A. Smith doesn't deserve an hour-long program, ESPN2 or not. I say give Quite Frankly another month...two maximum. I personally don't want to see QF get cancelled; it's not like ESPN2 has anything better to show (and no, the 4,000th repeat of the World Series of Poker is not better than Quite Frankly). I just hope the network creates some new advertising to lure viewers to this show and prove that Stephen A. Smith is smarter than ESPN makes him look.

Thank you steroids

2005-08-17T10:59:00.000-04:00

I'm writing today's post to give thanks to the miracle drug that saved our national pastime: steroids.

That's right - steroids.

No, I'm not crazy, but I have given this a lot of thought. It seems that with all this talk about Palmiero and the needle, it's been hard to think of anything else. And while I'm not siding with Rafey - I don't agree that players should take steroids - I'm not going to sit here and completely criticize it. The fact remains that steroids changed baseball but, contrary to public opinion, steroids didn't hurt the game. It saved it.

Flashback to 1994 - the year of the Major League Baseball lockout. Fans, upset that baseball had been cancelled for the rest of the season, had become frustrated with the sport. Similar to what happened last year with hockey, many fans began to turn away from the game they once loved. So what could the MLB do to bring fans back? Aside from some small front office changes, the only possible solution seemed to be to make the game more exciting. That was up to the players.

So, three years after the return of baseball, fans were treated with one of the most exciting seasons ever in 1998 - including the breathtaking race to 61 homeruns in a season, courtesy of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. And consequently, people started to watch baseball again.

Now years later, after McGwire admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs and many have become suspicious of Sammy Sosa as a steroid user, people are quick to target those players as ones who tarnished the game rather than enhancing it. Imagine the incredible rise in power never occurred over the past few years. Would we even be talking about baseball now? Would I even be making this post? The increase in power - a direct result of steroids - brought fans back to baseball and brought baseball back into our lives.

Whether you like it or not, the fact is that steroids helped baseball. So while the rest of America rants and raves fanatically about the drug, take a moment to step back, look at the whole picture, and realize: maybe steroids aren't so bad after all.

NFL Contracts

2005-08-16T11:19:00.000-04:00

Jay Crawford made a good point on Cold Pizza today. Rookie running back Ronnie Brown signed a contract with the Dolphins on Wednesday, worth a maximum value of nearly $35 million. That news comes only two weeks after Hines Ward announced that he'd be holding out from playing with the Steelers until he was resigned to a new contract.

What's interesting about this is that Brown, who has never even touched a football in an NFL game, is making a guaranteed $19.5 - $20 million as part of his contract. Ward - a four-time pro bowler and only 69 yards shy of a franchise-record 1,398 career yards - is set to only make $1.66 million.

Anyone see anything wrong here? It seems that recently there's been a completely unfair situation when it comes to NFL contracts. Players with experience, like Ward, aren't making enough when compared to younger, unexperienced players. Alex Smith also signed a six-year, $49.5 million contract ($24 million guaranteed) last month, proof that this isn't just a one-man problem.

Solutions include adapting a type of policy where, your contract reflects your experience and playing time in the NFL. However, the players union would have to adapt the contract, and there's no guarantee that'll happen. I do hope Ward gets his new contract, because I can't imagine a season without him. He's too good of a player to not play this year.

Oh yeah, and today marks the first ever Mascot Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The Hall's first inductees include The Famous Chicken, The Phillie Phanatic, and - my favorite - the Suns Gorilla. Have you ever seen the Gorilla during Suns' halftime shows? This guy invented the flip-dunks-off-trampoline move that nearly every basketball mascot uses nowadays. He paved the way for quality mascots and, as a pioneer in his profession, deserves to be inducted in the first class ever.

Phickelson wins

2005-08-15T16:33:00.000-04:00

All this fuss about Phil Mickelson not winning majors, and here he goes winning two in two years.

Mickelson won Baltusrol today, after yesterday's golf was suspended due to inclement weather. Although I'm a fan of Phil, I am a bit upset. Mickelson obviously played the best over four rounds, but I do wish Tiger could've done a little better on Day 1. Tiger played amazing over his last three rounds (69-66-68), and if it wasn't for that piece of shit round 1 (75), he would've won this tournament. My opinion: this tournament was a fluke. Mickelson isn't "back", and Tiger is still best. I'll give Phil Baltusrol, but there's no way he's any real contender in the PGA.

In other news, Jaret Wright starts again - after a four month delay due to injury - in New York against Tampa Bay. I agree with basically every other sports reporter in the tri-state area that Aaron Small shouldn't have been taken out of the rotation to make room for Wright, but I have faith in Torre's decision. I figure if Jaret can go five innings giving up 3 runs or less tonight, he's good enough for me. Plus, it makes sense to put him in against the crappiest team in baseball. I just wish they'd make Leiter as, say, the long reliever and keep Small as the fifth starter. It sounds like a ridiculous idea, but if Small can keep the Yankees winning, I see no reason to fix what's not broken. 4-0, 2.57 ERA sounds damn good to me.

Terrell Owens is damn funny. In the midst of his hissyfit with the Eagles and his suspension from the team, he paid a visit to the Falcons-Ravens preseason game on Saturday, showing his interest in the Falcons...I guess to prove that he wants to play for them. Seriously, though, he whined last year about not wanting to play for the 49ers, then whined about not playing for the Ravens, and now he's whining about not wanting to play for the Eagles. It's gotten to the point where, if I were the GM of a team, I wouldn't take him if he were free.

A stroke of genius

2005-08-14T08:57:00.000-04:00

I am thoroughly convinced that Tiger Woods never fails to surprise. Absolutely never. A stroke from the cut at Baltosrol, he shot a ridiculous 66 in round 3 - one of the best scores of the day. Even if Tiger doesn't win this thing, he still should deserve an award for "Most Entertaining Golfer of the Tournament."

Or maybe that should go to Thomas Bjorn, who shot an even ridiculous-er 63 in round 3. Bjorn made 8 birdies, while bogeying only one hole. Maybe he should change his name to Birdie Bjorn. Now that I think about it, it has a nice ring to it too...

Baltusrol has been so crazy that I have no idea who's gonna win. Phickelson could give up the lead at any moment, now that he had a not-so-great round 3. I'm hoping my man Vijay - the other minority golfer - will win, but all I can do now is cross my fingers. Bring on round 4.

Anish Shroff on MySportsRadio.com

2005-08-12T22:30:00.000-04:00

Anish Shroff, a former ESPN Dream Job semi-finalist and the brother of a good friend of mine, has a new Podcast on MySportsRadio.com called The Pinstripe Pulse. Trust me America, this guy is amazing. I've heard him do play-by-play for Syracuse lacrosse and basketball (including their championship season with Carmelo) and he's the real deal.

When listening to The Pinstriple Pulse, check out the 17th episode, where Anish goes off on Rafael Palmiero's denial of steroid usage. Anish tells a story of how when he first started lifting weights, was introduced to the idea of using supplements. He had tons of questions at first about these supplements and made sure that they were safe for him and not illegal. The question he poses to the listener is, if he took the time to make sure that the performance-enhancers he took were safe and legal, wouldn't a professional athlete take an even closer look at the supplements he was taking to make sure they were ok?

I encourage you all to listen to Anish's Podcast. I assure you he's worth every minute.

What happened to Sportscenter?

2005-08-12T21:21:00.000-04:00

Someone please help me answer this question: What happened to Sportscenter? At what time did the sports fanatic's CNN become something more like a UPN News? When did we lose great sports anchors like Kenny Mayne, Rich Eisen and Stuart Scott during the morning editions of Sportscenter and instead get stuck with Fred Hickman? When did longer sports highlights get substituted for 50 States in 50 Days? WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS?

Remember the old Sportscenter? Let me refresh your memory. The set was bright, exciting, and fun to watch. The anchors were quirky, funny, and informative: all at the same time. And most of all - they were talented. It seems that now we're stuck with a watered-down type of Sportscenter, where the anchors aren't funny and have no character. Remember when Cooler than the other side of the pillow, En fuego, and He obviously hasn't watched Tom Emanski's "Defensive Drills" were popularly used catchphrases? We used to remember and repeat these phrases to our friends while we played Madden. Now we're mistreated with boring anchors who should be doing local network sports coverage. In fact...Fred Hickman did do local network sports coverage right before moving to ESPN.

I think the big change occurred after Sportscenter moved to HD. I don't know whether it was a budget decision or what, but it seemed that after the switch, Sportscenter really looked like it stuck with the short straw. And the idea of 50 States in 50 Days didn't help either. I think I nearly lost it when Linda Kohn actually said (this is word for word by the way): "And just for the record, it's M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I." Spelling a state on television - WOW. That's when you know you need to rework your show.

And recently too, I've seen a more dynamic group of anchors. Can't we just stick with the few anchors that actually work? Linda Kohn, Trey Wingo, Stu Scott, Kenny Mayne, and John Anderson - THAT'S what works. Stop experimenting with crap and start showing good television. Right now, the only reason I (as well as a large number of other sports fans, I'm sure) watch Sportscenter every morning is because we have nothing else like it to watch. Give us a choice, and we'll likely choose the other.

Sorry, but I'm sick of this shit. Fix this garbage that is Sportscenter soon, ESPN, or you'll end up regretting it.

EDIT: For those of us that miss the old Sportscenter, we can at least reminisce with The Sportscenter Altar, a collection of all that was great when it came to the greatest sports show that ever was.

Sick of T.O.

2005-08-11T20:32:00.000-04:00

I think I'm finally completely sick of Terrell Owens' shit. As a former 49er, I tried to swallow the bitter pill that was his contract complaining and whatnot. Hell, I almost bought into the idea that he deserved a new contract (playing in the Super Bowl and receiving 100+ yards with a half broken leg ain't easy). But now, I'm finally done.

Owens was kicked out of practice yesterday and asked not to come back till next Wednesday, apparently because he got into an argument with Andy Reid. He's now lost the support of pretty much every Philly fan, his entire team, and the majority of the U.S. population.

Terrell, do me a favor and just SHUT THE FUCK UP. No one gives a shit what you or Drew Rosenhaus have to say. Either play for the Eagles and go to the playoffs or just leave the fucking team and go to the Falcons. I'm just sick of hearing T.O., T.O., T.O. all the time.

The reporters aren't making it any easier either. They were at his house today interviewing him. Owens lifted weights and did situps on camera while answering questions.

The sooner we can stop talking about T.O. and start talking about Todd Pinkston and Greg Lewis as the Eagles' #1 and #2 receivers, the sooner the Eagles can start planning for what their season will ultimately become: one without Owens. At this point, I'm thoroughly convinced that the Eagles do not need T.O. and will not keep him for the rest of the season. He doesn't care he's not part of the team, and I don't think the team cares either.

Welcome

2005-08-11T18:40:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Sports Statement, a(nother) blog about sports, featuring news as well as my take on the day's happenings.

First up is Beltran and Cameron's ridiculous crash in right-center in San Diego today. Last I heard, Beltran was fine, but Cameron broke two teeth, bled a bit, and suffered a concussion. Pretty scary stuff. If you take a close look at the video, you can see they collided head-on...literally. And to make things worse, Cliff Floyd squirmed in pain after getting hit in the knee with a pitch later in the eighth. In the words of Len Berman, "The Mets nearly lost their entire outfield today." Kinda makes you laugh, in a sick, sick way.

And I know I've jumped the bandwagon very late, but I think it's never too late to talk about Ron Mexico. In case you haven't heard, Michael Vick was charged by Sonya Elliot for giving her herpes and not telling her he had the disease. The best part: "Elliot's lawsuit alleges that Vick has used the name 'Ron Mexico'." Even I couldn't have thought of a more friggin genius name than Ron Mexico. And to followup, Midway's not NFL-licensed videogame Blitz: The League features Ron Mexico on a team called the Redhawks. Genius.

NL East	W	L	Pct	GB
Atlanta	80	59	.576	--
Florida	73	65	.529	6.5
Philadelphia	73	66	.525	7.0
Washington	72	67	.518	8.0
NY Mets	70	68	.507	9.5