Bob Feller : American Hero

Bob Feller died this past week. He was 92 and died after a full life. He was an American hero.

This man had a strong opinion on Hell of Fame induction for people like Pete Rose and steroid users. He earned it. Was he old fashioned. Yes. You cannot convince me that is a bad thing.

Take a look at Bob Feller's statistics and they tell you all you need to know about how great he was on the field. You can read a story about how he was clocked at 104 mph using the methods of the day. With motorcycles.

The day after Pearl Harbor was attacked Bob Feller signed up to join the Navy. He did not see if he had to. He did not have his agent look into it. To be fair many other players joined as well.

Ted Williams and Bob Feller however might well be the best examples of superstar athletes who did their country most proud not on the field of play but the field of battle.

Bob Feller set an example in so many ways. We live in a different world now, athletes would not be expected to join which is why it so caught us short when Pat Tillman joined the military and later died. Tillman while a good athlete was not in the class of these two men bu that should not diminish his choice.

Bob Feller American Hero. God Bless and rest in peace

Sox Bullpen Reconstruction

The Red Sox bullpen continues to be reconstructed. Jon Papelbon had a bad year last year, has really slid noticeably since blowing a lead in the playoffs in 2009. In addition to his struggle his contract status has become a liability for him. The Sox, it would seem, have no plans to sign him to the kind of money he will be looking for. His final year of arbitration this year will make him 10 million at least.

Lenny DiNardo, Andrew Miller join Felix Doubrant as potential lefties out of the pen. If Miller can show any of the potential he once had he could be a find. Matt Albers, Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler join Papelbon and Daniel Bard as the right handers and surely Theo is not done.

It should be interesting.

Patriots Look Like a Super Bowl Team

Right now the Patriots look like a Superbowl team. They have in the last few weeks dismantled the Bears, Jets, Steelers and Colts and made it look easy. Tom Brady, he of the Bieber hair is now the best quarterback in the NFL. He elevates receivers of average ability. He is a career maker.

If the Patriots continue and get home field it is hard to picture them not getting to the Super Bowl.

Heat Wave

The Miami Heat have now won 11 in a row and seem to have gelled since their players only meeting a few weeks ago. No doubt this team has loads of talent although the distribution of that talent may prove to be a problem in the playoffs. We shall see. One thing is for certain the playoffs in the East should be wonderful this year. The Celtics, Magic and Heat may be jockeying all season and whomever finishes first will have advantage of only playing one of the other two in the expected matchups. Go Celtics

Donovan McNabb : The beginning of the End

What is it about Donovan McNabb. Was he overrated all those years. Was he ever as good as people thought he was. Perhaps that is why his fall from grace has been so shocking. Or not shocking depending on how you look at it.

I myself never pictured him as an elite quarterback. Ever. All the way back to Rush Limbaugh on ESPN saying that as a black quarterback he was over elevated above his talent level their has been a lingering doubt about him.

When the Eagles traded him for a draft pick to make Kevin Kolb the starter ( see NFL quarterback job security for how that worked out) most wondered what Andy Reid knew that was not apparent to others.

McNabb's year with the Redskins has been a flop. The Skins have not won, he has not performed. Clearly he has not made a good team with Mike Shanahan. Weeks ago he was benched on a Monday night game as the Coach said he felt he was not in shape enough to lead a two minute drill. What does that mean? Then talk surfaced from teammates new and old that Donovan did not work hard in practice, never had and everyone new that and perhaps this was Shanahan's making a point about that.

If the point was to be made it did not stick. Earlier in the year the Skins gave McNabb a huge contract extension which at the time I told my son seemed strange considering how he did not seem to be playing well.

It is clear that this too was thought to be a prod to make him step up his game. We find out now that their is a clause in the contract allowing him to be cut at season's end with no further money owed.

This week we are told that Rex Grossman will start with McNabb as his backuo and for the last two weeks of the season he will be the third string quarterback.

Clearly the experiment is over. McNabb will latch on somewhere desperate for a quarterback. Arizona comes to mind. But his days as an elite performer are done and perhaps should have been done long ago.

Cliff Lee to the Yankees......NOT

So Cliff Lee spurned the Yankees and went to the Phillies. Wow. That is quite a starting rotation for the Phillies. Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt and now Cliff Lee. Clearly this team has to be the favorite for the National League Pennant if not the World Series.

Often times however teams that look this good in December have things happen in the season that no one expects.

As for the Yankees, clearly they expected to get Lee. Everyone expected them to get Lee. However the 7 years they offered him. I am in sure in the next year or two the Yanks will wish they had Lee. I am also sure that 5 to 6 years from now they will be glad they do not have him. A 7 year deal for a 32 year old pitcher who does not throw that hard. I think not. Sometimes as Garth Brooks said you have to thank God for Unanswered Prayers and I am pretty sure that in a few years the Yankees will be very thankful indeed.

Carl Crawford in Boston

A late surprise at the Winter Meetings last night when it was announced Carl Crawford now was coming to Boston. Strike all those references to him being a thug. He is just intense.

Crawford is a great player. His power has grown, his average is strong, a gold glove fielder with great speed. One wonders if the Red Sox will fully use his speed with his projected spot in the order but the speed will be there when it is needed.

It should be a very exciting season.

Shaq in Boston

I still cannot get used to seeing Shaq every night for the Celtics. He is still in short bursts a force to be reckoned with. My son and I marvel at him, he is so big, when guards run into him they bounce.

One wonders how long he can go this season without injury and how much help he can be in the playoffs. One would think when Kendrick Perkins returns and they have their full complement of big men that he can be a force in short bursts in the playoffs.

Adrian Gonzales

The Red Sox finally completed a trade for Adrian Gonzales. In a deal that has been foretold for more than a year the Red Sox sent three top prospects to Boston for the slugging first basemen.

It seems a perfect fit. A left handed power hitter that goes to the opposite field with power Fenway should be made for him. Now in a lineup where he cannot be pitched around easily one wonders what kind of numbers he will put up in Boston. The Red Sox have not announced an extension of his contract but we must assume it is a deal that is foregone, the Sox would not move three prospects for a one year rental.

Gonzales will be the cornerstone of this franchise for years to come.

Play Ball

Free Agent Season

Victor Martinez signed with the Tigers today. He is the first big free agent to sign this winter. The Red Sox made an effort to keep him but as with all Red Sox negotiations they had a contract they would extend to and not beyond.

The reasoning makes sense. Martinez might not be an everyday catcher and when one puts his numbers in the DH or 1B slot his offensive numbers are much more average and perhaps not worth 12 million a year.

The Sox have Jarrod S as we will call him as a prospect once highly thought of and can get a veteran to split duty with him.

Sometimes the best move is one not made and I have no objection to the Red Sox decision in this case.

Celtics defeat Heat ( again)

So last night the Celtics went into Miami and defeated the Heat for the second time in this short season. Does this mean the Heat will not win the championship. No it does not. It does mean, however, that they cannot be favored at this point.

It will take time for them to learn how to share, it is still undetermined if the egos of Wade and James can coexist. Can Lebron contribute while the offense is isolating for Wade and vice versa.

I read an amazing stat yesterday, in the first 8 games Lebron had two, that is 2, offensive rebounds. How does that happen. It is almost as if you are avoiding the ball for that to happen.


Chris Bosh is a fine player and will be a fine asset but calling him a third member of that trio is like saying that Dwight Evans was right there with Lynn and Rice in 75. Later he did prove to be and perhaps Bosh will but at this point he is not. He was a good player on a bad team and now he is a good player on a team that is supposed to be great. It is not the same and will not be judged the same and if this team does not win the blame will float to him because to blame LeBron would admit a huge mistake.

It will be interesting to watch and surely most fans are rooting against them. LeBron has set himself into a position where he will fail if he does not win it all. That is a very hard place to be.

Giants Win

So as I had hoped the Giants won and Tim the freak led the way. As a Red Sox fan seeing Edgar Renteria be the MVP was a bit hard to swallow but still this series was good for baseball.

Baseball needs the Yankees as the team for many markets to root against but it needs the Yankees to lose to the underdog sometime as well.

Will the Giants finish tonight

With his reputation preceding him, playing at home, with the spotlight on and free agency pending one would have to think Cliff Lee will pitch the Rangers back to Game Six in San Fransisco tonight. Still as I look forward to the game I have to say I hope San Fransisco finishes.

Why? Simply put I think it would be good for baseball for Tim Linscuem SIC to be the best pitcher in the series. Going forward Lee will have his millions but Tim the Freak could be a great front line baseball figure.

His velocity dipped this year. One hopes that he does not with his small frame suffer the shortened career arc once feared for him.

The rest of the Giants as I have wrote before are veterans such as Huff, Uribe, Renteria, Sanchez, and Pat Burrell and super Rookie Buster Posey are a team that does not look like a World Series winner but at times when the moon is right that is not a disqualifier from winning.

This would appear to be the case this year.

Go Giants

Concussion problems in the NFL

Two Sundays ago the NFL fields were littered with the victims of some vicious hits. Some of the hits were clean, some not so but to me the issue is less if it is a clean hit or not but what hits are deemed acceptable.

Every Sunday, every game you will see hit after hit where players hit helmet first. An argument can be made that the game is so fast that players cannot control where they end up when they hit.

My eyes see it differently however, these are the greatest athletes in the world, they can control their bodies. To me at this point if a player hits his opponent with the part of his body above the shoulders first it should be a penalty.

The game has been changed over and over in the last 20 years. It can withstand this change too.

Rangers VS Giants in the World Series

Sometimes you have to play the games. We all were sure that it would be Yankees and Phillies. Someone forgot to tell the Giants and Rangers.

Whichever team wins we as baseball fans have to be happy.

The Rangers with Josh Hamilton, the resurgent Vlad Guerreou and a pitching staff led by Cliff Lee have defeated Tampa and New York. No one can say that Texas did not take a tough path to the Series. They played the two assumed best teams and defeated them, enough said.

The Giants defeated the Phillies after defeating the Bobby Cox led Braves, after chasing down the San Deigo Padres and are led by a great pitching staff, and a lineup that has been patched together with veterans such as Cody Ross, Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell with Buster Posey clearly being Rookie of the year.

Who will win the Series. I would predict the Giants. But really who cares, it will be good for baseball either way.

Final Standings

The Philadelphia Phillies never got hot until August but when they turned it on they easily outclassed the rest of the National League. Injuries to Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins hurt the team but once Roy Oswalt joined the team, Cole Hamels started to pitch like 2008 and Roy Halladay was the monster they expected.

Atlanta with Bobby Cox doing a great job made the playoffs in his last season. Injuries late in the year to Chipper Jones and Martin Prado, and then Billy Wagner in the playoffs led them to a quick exit. Still a good sendoff for Cox.

The Giants came thru, caught the Padres and won the division. This team has great pitching, a solid bullpen, and a very deep team with lots of newly gained experienced players such as Pat Burrell.

The Cincinnati Reds won the NL Central and this was an accomplishment. A quick dismissal from the playoffs at the hands of the Phillies should not minimize what a great season this was for baseball in Cincinnati.

Joey Votto should be MVP while Roy Halladay seems a lock for the Cy Young.

In the American League the Yankees and Rays fought to the end for the top spot in the East and the league with the Rays winning in the end.

This gave the Yankees the wild card and sent them to Minnesota. Minnesota had a great season, after losing Justin Morneault they never missed a beat and won the division going away. That proved to be, in my opinion, a problem as they limped to the finish line resting players and those players never warmed back up for the playoffs.

The Rangers defeated Tampa with Cliff Lee winning two starts and ended what might be the run of Tampa as they look to be a significantly different team next year.

Amongst the also rans the White Sox and Angels disappointed, the Oakland A's while not challenging for playoffs had a year that per usual proved how much you can do with not much with the right decisions.

The Red Sox did not make the playoffs which has to be disappointing but the injuries to Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkillis, Beckett, etc and the fact that the Sox were in the race until the last week proves again the talent of Terry Francona

Cliff Lee shines

Cliff Lee was masterful last night against the Yankees. Most consider this an audition much like a great ad man winning an account against a bigger firm and the firm deciding that they must hire him. This is inevitably what will happen with the Yankees and Mr. Lee. A strong lefthanded starter to pitch half his games in Yankee stadium is a no brainer.

One does wonder what happened to Lee in Texas this year however. I think it will be a great move for the Yankees however. Lee has proven he can pitch on the big stage, his performance in the playoffs this year and last bodes well for his future.

While one never knows this does not appear to be a Javier Vasquez kind of pitcher. Speaking of that is there any better illustration of the difference between the leagues than Javier Vasquez.

Red Sox Season

Well the Red Sox for only the second time since 2002 will not make the postseason. I think it is safe to say that they would likely have made it had they not been decimated by injury but of course with Tampa and New York in their division one never knows.

What is evident is that this is a team in transition. A quick overview from my perspective.

The starting pitching, like it or not seems set. Beckett and Lackey each with 4 years left on their contracts with Lester and Bucholz under team control thru 2014 gives stability. Dice K still has two years left but cannot be depended on and Tim Wakefield is now officially old. Even so starting pitching is not the area of most concern. With Casey Kelly and others on the way this will be strength.

The bullpen as relates to set up men is a mess. With Delcarman and Ramirez traded, Okijima likely not to be brought back this could be an all new group. I think that Micheal Bowden pitched well this year in the second half in this role but other than that we should expect a whole new crew next year. With Daniel Bard in the set up role and Papelbon in the closers role the back end is pretty secure. Still Papelbon did have the most blown saves of his career and with Bard ready it seems likely that Jonathan will not be back in Boston after his contract expires next year. That being the case I would not be surprised to see him moved this winter. If that happens that will put even more pressure to improve the set up as with Bard moving assumingly to the closer role nothing but the ninth inning will be secure.


Mike Lowell is retiring. David Ortiz has a team option and Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre can walk. What will happen. Originally we thought that there was no chance Ortiz would be back. He has however now hit 30 homeruns. Still 12.5 million for a DH is in todays market alot. Teams are paying about half that. The Sox are in some ways motivated by fear, fear of Ortiz going to the Yankees and reminding them of his value 18 times a season. Still it might be time to cut him loose. I think that is future is tied to Adrian Beltre. Beltre has had an MVP type year, he plays hard, he never slacks off. But he now will be looking for the big payday. The Sox must ask themselves if they do this, will he be the Beltre we saw this year or the Beltre who played a big contract out in Seattle with limited success. I believe Fenway is made for him so I do think he is a worthy investment. I am not sure they will want to dig deep enough however and with the pending free agent first base class of 2011 perhaps they should not. Beltre being signed would leave the Sox with no hole save DH in the infield. I do not believe Victor Martinez will be back. He is a good hitter but if he is not the catcher his value is less as a first baseman. The jury is out on if he is a good catcher.

Of the three I would rate in liklihood of returning Ortiz, V MArt, Beltre.

Next year the return on Pedroia and Youkilis will mean alot. JD Drew will be playing for a contract and all the young position players will be that much closer to making an impact.

Which brings us to Jacoby. His value is down now but still many teams would be interested. He might well return and be a great player. I believe that Boston may not be the place for him. He will always have the not tough enough label and with Boras as his agent he will never sign with Boston when he becomes a free agent. He will likely have great success somewhere, but probably not in Boston. It might be time to consider trading him.

One pitch away--Part 2

The news today of Stephen Strasburg's injury is sad. This young pitcher looked to have it all. The evidence continues to mount that except in the very lucky the human arm is just not designed to do what Stephen Strasburg does. 100 mph fastballs, 90 mph changeups, it just is not going to work,,,,,unless one is very lucky.

The Nationals now have to put their " future " back a year. Last year Jordan Zimmerman another young pitcher of their future had Tommy John and now Strasburg does. Hopefully both recover well and a future does come for this team.

The good news is pitchers do recover, they pitch well and long after this surgery. Some say, a pitcher is even stronger after. We must hope so for Strasburg

Injuries and the Red Sox

I have not posted much here recently. I love sports. Continue to watch it everyday, I have the Extra Innings package so watching baseball is what we do. But yet, not much to comment on.

The Red Sox have had a difficult summer. I know it is standard to say this is the first I recall of seeing this but I do not remember ever seeing a team have the injuries that they have had. Ellsbury, Cameron, Varitek, Martinez, now Saltamachiaa, and of course Youkilis and Pedroia. Beckett, Bucholz and Dice K also have spent time on the DL. To be only 5 out with a month to go is testament to both Francona's managing and the overall depth of the organization.

It seems unlikely they can make the playoffs but seems even more unlikely that we should expect them to after this season

Lebron to Miami

I think for basketball this is good news in the sense that we now have an evil empire. I am not one who is convinced this will mirror the Celtics big three. For one I am not sure that Lebron and Wade can share the ball for a full run. I have not seen Chris Bosh play enough to know that he is a superstar. No point guard of note plays on this team and it would seem they will have very little money to add any extra pieces. The Heat will be a very good team with at least two great players. I am not convinced that they are a sure thing however.

As to Lebron, Cleveland hates him and the rest of the league must doubt the path he took to get where he is.

Wake me up in December

Lebron ETC

So Lebron is shopping himself along with the other great free agents of the summer. Already we have seen Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Dirk Novitski come to terms and stay with their original teams. Amare Stoudemire will be moving to the Knicks and it appears that Chris Bosh in the first big move will be moving to Miami to join Dwayne Wade. The big news conference is set for tomorrow evening where Lebron will let us know where he intends to play.

Espn will cover this live. It is quite a marketing move. It seems quite unlikely that he will stay in Cleveland. Some feel he will go to Miami and join Bosh and Wade. He might but I for one am not sure how that will work. I think the best place for him would be the Bulls. With Noah and Rose and the ability to sign yet another great player this would seem to be the best fit.

We shall see. Like I always tell Tyler in these moments. It is not like it's baseball

U S Soccer Loses at World Cup

The success the United States team had in the World Cup should feel good. However for me, not knowing much about soccer, there is the frustration that the game they lost appeared winnable. It seems in every game the United States had many chances to win but despite numerous grade A goal attempts they did not score as often as they should. Conversely in all but the Algeria game it seemed like our defense was not as solid.

It was exciting and a great improvement to get out of Group play. Still it feels like we could have done better. For an event that is once every four years that is not a good feeling to walk away with.

Red Sox Injuries

The Red Sox sit within a game of first place today. This is a feat that Terry Francona cannot get enough credit for. The injuries that have hit the Red Sox this season have been enormous. Jacoby Ellsbury leading the way missing all but a few games, Mike Cameron having been out much of the year and even when on roster unable to play consecutive games. Josh Beckett has been out now well over a month, Dice K out for two extended times as well. In the last weekend Victor Martinez broke his thumb, Dustin Pedroia broke his foot, and Clay Bucholz tweaked something in his leg running the bases.

When and a very big if this team gets healthy they might be a significant threat if they can get to the playoffs.

U S Soccer Defeats Algeria

I watched the whole game. I watched Algeria hit a crossbar early, I watched the US lose a scored goal to a phantom offside call and the US miss good scoring chance after good scoring chance.

In the end it took a mad scramble the length of the field for Landon Donovan to punch home a rebound in the 91st minute ( extra time) for the US to score and thus win and advance to the next round of the World Cup.

It is exciting when every goal counts so much. I have to admit I am very into this event.

The Rise of the Red Sox

Very quietly the Red Sox have come from approaching being 10 games behind in the AL East to being within a game of the Yankees. The Yanks have stumbled and Tampa has stumbled worse. The one thing we can take out of this is the best way for a team to succeed is for me to write them off .( see midwinter Celtics post) The Sox have been doing this with a decimated outfield and a Beckett less rotation. David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia have played well, Bard and Papelbon have been dominant while Lester and Bucholz are auditioning for the best 1-2 punch in the American League. What the future holds we do not know but the Sox have erased a terrible start by dominating the tougher teams on their schedule.

The Rules of Soccer World Cup

So let me get this straight. The US can have a goal disallowed that would have completed the greatest second half comeback in World Cup History and now a few days later we still do not know and will apparently never know why. In soccer the referee can disallow a goal for a foul and does not need to say what the foul was, or who it was on. I cannot understand it. I heard a commentator talking about if you are trying to ruin any chance of Americans embracing soccer this is a reason why they will not. Of course I also hear that if England and the U S end up in a flatfooted tie in their Group in the World Cup the team to advance will be picked out a hat.

I just do not understand it.........it is like finally getting a date with the girl you have dreamed about having interested in you and showing up with food in your teeth and sneezing on her.

Celtics Lose....No it was not a choke

The Celtics lost game six in Los Angeles with a very poor effort so the stage was set for a Game 7 of perhaps epic proportions. The game was a defensive fight with the Celtics playing without Kendrick Perkins. In the first half the Celtics shot much, much better than the Lakers but were seemingly incapable of getting a rebound and allowed the Lakers second and third looks over and over resulting in a very slim lead at the end of the first half. In the third the Celtics went up out to a 13 point lead. From that point on however the Lakers defense intensified and the Celtics could not find offense. In the end the Celtics lost by 4.

A choke? I do not think so. Losing two in a row to the defending champs on their own court when they have the greatest player in the game. I cannot call that a choke. The Celtics had a great run. And I think that the teams were evenly matched. What was not even was the Celtics ability to convert on a nightly basis. Old legs get tired and have to give games away. The Lakers did not give away a minute of the series. In the end they had more at the end to give.

Celtics VS Lakers Game 6 Tonight

Games 4 and 5 of this series in Boston were wonderful to watch, providing you are a follower of the green that is. I believe that the Celtics swagger and bluster might not play well outside of New England. I, myself, am not a big fan of the chest thumping, thug walking act of the entire NBA. I do have to say however that watching some of the things Rajon Rondo does make me say WOW. I also enjoy Glenn Davis and how hard he works. Does he work this hard during the season every game, one wonders, but is Glen Davis a big time player in big time games. This is without a doubt. A funny respite in the middle of the series was the Game 4 post game press conference in which Nate Robinson and Glenn Davis ( who had led the Celtics 4th quarter charge) were interviewed together. They were very funny,,,the " Shrek and Donkey " comment may go down in Celtics lore.

U S OPEN GOLF

The US Open golf tournament starts this Thursday. The course this year is Pebble Beach, a course that Tiger Woods has destroyed in his career. Tiger's performance at the Masters coming back from his personal crisis and the subsequent injury have taken all momentum away from him and the interest in the sport. Perhaps he would have been better advised to come back from all events at the same time.

World Cup Results

The United States tied England 1 to 1 on Saturday. For the United States the game has to be considered a success. For England it was a dismal failure especially when one considers that the goal scored by the U S was one that should not have occurred. The poor goalie for England has been castigated severely, having his name in England go down like Bill Buckner's here in New England.

However Slovenia defeated Algeria meaning that they have a huge edge in the pool and the US and England might be competing for the last spot to come out of the pool. It should be interesting

World Cup

The World Cup starts tomorrow. I do not know much about soccer. I enjoy watching the boys play.

I will watch the US and hope they get out of their group. It is the largest sporting event in the world.

It would be great if the US could engage the country a bit

Stephen Strasburg

It is rare that you see something like this. Something that makes your jaw drop. Something that makes you go WOW. My oldest son and I watched the debut. The sixth and seventh with the buckling curves coming after the 99 MPH fastball. It was something that you will not forget.

How good can he be. I do not know. I am sure adjustments will be made. But it was electrifying. I have enjoyed watching the Nats already this year on the MLB network. Good young players. A good bullpen, a great Color guy in Rob Dibble. Strasburg makes them must see TV every 5 days.

WOW

Chicago Blackhawks win Stanley Cup

This was a great story. The Blackhawks, a legendary team finally win a Stanley Cup. As good as the games were, and they were I watched none of it. I love hockey but for me once the Bruins were out the Celtics and Red Sox took my time. Does Hockey have enough fans that will watch when their teams are out. I am not sure they do. But for what it is hockey is succesful. A regional sport.

I just want the Bruins to do better

Lakers up 2 to 1

Listening to local sports talk radio you would think the Celtics were not fouling constantly. While I have issue with a few calls, the charge Derek Fisher took the otehr night late in the game was a bad call for example. The Lakers have thus far deserved their wins.

Kobe Bryant seems to want it more, Kevin Garnett cannot hold onto a rebound, Ray Allen needs some consistency and the Celtics are not moving their feet. And Rondo you may be great but you still need to hit your free throws.

At this point there is nothing to worry about...as long as the Celtics win tonight. This is a must win.

Remembering Pedro

My oldest son and I watched one of those countdown shows on MLB the other night. Pedro Martinez in 2000 was rated the most dominant season ever for a pitcher. The numbers were amazing. Of special relevance were the differences between Pedro's numbers versus the league average for pitchers. This actually separated him from seasons of Gibson and Koufax. My son remembers Pedro circa 2004 and of course in the playoffs last year, but he does not remember the 99, 2000 Pedro that was as dominant a pitcher as you will ever see.

Jerry Remy says Pedro was his favorite he has ever seen. I have to agree. It seems to me that when Pedro wants to finish up once and for all it would be good to see him at Fenway again. What a showman, a Hall of Famer for sure in my eyes. A Red Sox cap will look good.

Celtics VS Lakers again

This was not expected. The Celtics looked at times during the season like they were done. Doc Rivers has done a masterful job with the team and they appear to be still fresh. The Lakers have played very well. The questions about Andrew Bynum make one wonder if the Celtics will be able to dominate inside but one should not forget how impressive a player Pal Gasol is. Kobe Bryant is a better player than Lebron and has shown an ability to carry a team when it counts that Lebron has not.

I would love to see the Celtics win, not sure if they will. However it cannot be overstated what a great run this has been for the Celtics.

Big Roy--What Do I know

Roy Halliday pitched a perfect game Saturday. Perhaps the pitch count is not such an issue

Roy Halladay

Is a great pitcher. Most would agree the best in the game. However the Phillies seem to think he is indestructible. Lets hope he is. All these complete games, some in games well in hand. Last night Halladay pitched 132 pitches in a 2 to 1 loss. Let's hope it does not catch up with him. I think this is very bad judgment.

Celtics Rebirth

A team is never as good as it looks when things are going well and never as bad as it looks when things are going----not well. The Celtics cannot be this good. One wonders however if anyone will stop them. The rotation of the Big 4, the improved play of Glen Davis and Tony Allen makes one wonder if they might be able to win this championship. If so I will be on the record as having been wrong. My blog post of a few months ago declaring the Celtics dead. No matter what happens I was clearly wrong.

What a pleasure it has been to watch this run led by Rondo

Bruns Collapse

There is little that can be said about this. It was as if the Bruins were playing above their heads and once that overtime goal went in the net in game 4 the bubble burst. How frustrating.

Someday will come. Just not this year

Superstar Treatment in the NBA

We all know traveling is all but allowed in the NBA. What is allowed now by the Superstars such as Lebron and Kobe is laughable. As a Celtic fan we know that Pierce and Bird have in the past received same the treatment. But what Lebron does now is travel consistently, and commit an offensive foul almost every time he touches the ball. The game is physical, so be it. The problem is by allowing this in the first half and then taking it away in the second half even Lebron is confused. The NBA is not the NHL but it is now a sport where the refs could call a foul anytime they wanted.

Tiger's Pain in the Neck

Tiger Woods withdrew yesterday with neck pain. He was well behind and clearly not playing well. That said we have no reason to believe he is not telling the truth. Statistically we can see that his driving distance was last in the field. A healthy Tiger Woods would not have this be the case.

We can all agree we like Phil more. But those of us with charity in our hearts can wish Tiger well. This might be a lost year for him.

When Tiger comes back let us hope he is healthy and playing well.

Rondo

The Celtics evened the series with the Cleveland Cavs yesterday and there is no doubt the best player on the court was Rajan Rondo. Yesterday was not the first time i have marveled at some of the passes and plays I have seen Rondo make. Yesterday however he reminded me in his ball handling and passes of what i have only read about from the stories of Pete Maravich. Rondo will never be the shooter that Maravich was but he does think that make me look not twice but over and over.

His thread the needle passes thru the lane have become commonplace, his cradle that can lead to a layup or a pass can keep defenders and his behind the back " I see you coming Lebron pass" yesterday was one for the ages.

Can the Celtics win. Yes. Will they win? Most likely not. Has Rondo for the second year in a row cemented himself as a great player who is even greater on the big stage. Without a doubt.

Boston Red Sox April - One Month In

The Red Sox after being swept on Sunday sit 5 games behind the Yankees and 7 behind the Tampa Bay Rays. When one looks at the Red Sox roster the sum of the parts should be greater than what has thus far happened on the field. They have, however, had significant injuries. I am not sure that the Sox can compete for the division and or wildcard. I suspect they will, in the end, be in the running. What I a most concerned about is a panic move or two where the Sox makes moves that in the short term might make them more competitive but break the plan they have worked toward.

At the end of this season fat contracts to David Ortiz and Mike Lowell expire, while lesser ones like Adrian Beltre, Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez expire as well.

The Sox do have Lester, Lackey, Bucholz and Beckett under their control for many years to come. The bullpen is not as strong as one might have expected, Daniel Bard for his radar gone prowess is still a work in progress.

A short analysis of the team.

Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia have both been solid. Pedroia has actually been carrying the team offensively while Youkilis slumping a little will certainly rebound.

Youkilis might well be missing Jason Bay behind him in the order.

Marco Scutaro has been a pleasant surprise. His defense has not been superb and Alex Gonzales in Toronto having an offensive explosion makes one wonder if the Sox kept the right shortstop but Scutaro has been fine.

Adrian Beltre has batted over 330 but just last evening hit his first homerun. Just as importantly this, best fielding third basemen we have seen, has made six errors and certainly not saved the runs we had been promised. Beltre also does not walk and simply put goes against the philosophy the Red Sox hitters are expected to take. Beltre will be a one and done player. The Sox must be careful not to let his plate appearances cross the point where they are on the hook for the full ten million next year.

Jacoby Ellsbury has been hurt much of the year as has Mike Cameron. This has been a significant loss and one that should not be underestimated. J D Drew just now coming out of his slump will put up his normal numbers.

Victor Martinez, if there were not a player named David Ortiz would be the teams biggest disapointment. His ability to throw our runners, or lack thereof, has become a huge issue and he has thus far driven in seven runs. Perhaps Martinez is suffering under the pressures of being a catcher. In anycase his future as a Red Sox at the end of the year is becoming much cloudier.

Jason Varitek playing a couple of times a week has been a monster, hitting home runs at a clip that makes one wonder if he should play more.

David Ortiz seemingly is a guess hitter at this point, if he rebounds such as he did last year in the second half perhaps this will be forgotten, but it is a sad ending to a player who was close to legendary in Boston.

The sad fact is that David Ortiz has shown in the last two years that it seems likely his steroid use was more prevalent than he remembers but certainly again emphasizes the importance of Manny Ramirez batting behind him.

Pitchers later

Celtics let one slip away

A couple of months ago I wrote that the window was slammed shut on the Celtics. They would be one series into the playoffs and out. I was wrong. The Celtics dominated Dwayne Wade and the Heat and started their series against the Cavs Saturday night.

It was a game the Celtics could have won. Leading by as much as 11 in the 3rd quarter they let the game slip away and Lebron led the Cavs home.

One can choose to be disheartened but I believe that the series showed many positives. The Celtics can compete with the Cavs. Lebron will not get all the calls in Boston. If you want to win on the road in the playoffs you need to win by more than 1. I am not commenting on the way the officials call the game. It is a long game, if one call makes or breaks it then you should have played harder.

Do I think the Celtics will win this series. No. Do I think that it is possible. Yes. Do I think Game 2 is a must. Surely.

Marc Savard has a well deserved moment.

Marc Savard who is a very gifted hockey player. For the last two months however he has been trying to survive, stay out of the sun and fight off the post concussion syndrome he has dealt with as a result of a very questionable hit two months ago.

Saturday, cleared to play by the medical staff he was inserted into the lineup for Game 1 of the Bruins match with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Bruins blew a late lead and the game went to overtime.

Late in the first overtime Savard put one over the glove hand of the besieged Flyer's goalie to win it. His complete unadulterated joy shone on his face like the sun and I have to say this was one of the moments which explain why people attach themselves to sport.

For me it might be my sports highlight of they year, it is thus far and I think I might well speak the same next year when we are reviewing. As they say on Sportsnation it is surely Nominee number 1

Red Shirt your 5 year old

My son is 14 and is one of the youngest kids in his class. He has always been a good athlete but now that he has gone to high school he reminds me that if he had been held back a year it would have been to his advantage athletically. When I look at his 6 foot 2, 140 pound body I remind him that another year will probably still not make him anything less than skinny unless he works at it, however it is true that with boys these things make a difference.

In his summer baseball league which is consistently based on age and not grade he has played in a class with children that are mostly 8th graders. As he points out to be, do I realize how much he would dominate in 8th grade this year.

I do. He was ready for school socially. But yet I do see the point. For boys it is all about confidence. Not just in sports but in all things. That extra year might make a huge difference to many kids. Many kids in my sons class were held out a year so have a full year or more on him.

If I had another son I would surely consider it.

Last Second Strategy

In the NBA land of 7 foot trees and players who can drive to the hoop and do superhuman things why is it that late in the game with a chance to win and the ball teams will have their best player stand at the top of the key until a few seconds only are left to take a jump shot from 25 feet. Sometimes it works such as with Paul Pierce on Friday night but is that the best that can be had. It just seems to me an incredible lack of imagination.

NBA Playoffs

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder have brought early excitement to the NBA Playoffs by splitting the first four games of their series with the Lakers. Now with the series down to a best of three with two of the games to be played in LA if it goes seven it still seems a stretch to think that the Thunder can pull off the upset. That said most of America that follows basketball is watching them. Kevin Durant is now a legitimate superstar, a couple more wins and people will mention him all the time with Kobe, Lebron and Dwayne, perhaps they already should.

So now on the afternoon before the crucial game 5 it is time to get on board the wagon if you are going to. I think that the Thunder WILL not win this series. In the end I am not sure that they can win a close game in LA and would guess that the series will end in six.

But would I like to see Durant conquer Kobe. I think all of us but Kobe's Mom would like that.

The rest of the playoffs thus far have had San Antonio taking a 3-1 lead on Dallas and Phoenix gaining a 3-2 lead on the Blazers. The Blazers Brandon Roy came back from knee surgery in just 10 days: remarkable but perhaps still not enough to allow them to defeat the resurgent Suns. Denver has faltered significantly since losing George Karl from the bench as he fights cancer. Watching an ESPN short on his situation and battle for his life makes the Nuggets another team you root for but it does not seem like they will succeed as they trail the Jazz three games to one.

In the East Milwaukee has found a way to take Atlanta to a 2-2 split thus far, Orlando swept Charlotte and the Celtics and Cavs both look to end their series tonight as they lead 3 to 1. For the Celtics who have played well this game tonight is a must as they need to have at least as much rest as the Cavs before the next round.

Go Celtics, Go Thunder...Nuggets lets win a few for George.

Mickelson Wins Masters

Tiger Woods promised to show respect for the game. That lasted two days and on Saturday he fired off a few expletives.

One could write many words about the Masters.

Tiger Woods, whatever your opinion of his actions came back, had a good tournament but lost to----

Phil Mickelson. Phil in the last year has stood by him wife and mother with breast cancer. Phil is personable and in short " nice " to everyone.

Karma anyone

NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is a marketing machine. Because of this people will watch the NFL Draft at the same rate they watch NBA and NHL Playoff games. We, in our house, watched quite a bit of the draft ourselves. Of course the big story was not the predictable picks but of course those that fell more than was thought they would.

Sam Bradford was the first pick. The quarterback, with the healed shoulder, and former Heisman winner quickly became the consensus first pick and he now will attempt to lead the St Louis Rams back to prominence. Bradford should be successful, his physical stature is what they call the prototype quarterback. However the Oklahoma system is not surely defined as a pro style offense and their are questions about the health if his shoulder.

What was most shocking was the fall of Jimmy Clausen to later in the second round. Carolina, who going in, had no idea that they would be so fortunate found themselves able to get what at least Mel Kiper thought was the number one quarterback on the board. if Kiper is right, then Carolina is fortune's favorite.

Early in the second round Mike Holmgren stated when asked that the Cleveland Browns wanted to get a quarterback but were sure it would have to be in the late rounds. Yet late in the third round they were able to pick Colt McCoy. There are plenty of detractors of McCoy in terms of his size and arm strength. But clearly he is a winner. And for a third round pick McCoy is a great try.

That brings us to Tim Tebow. I do not know what will become of Tim Tebow. I want him to succeed. I hope he turns out to be the next great quarterback. For many reasons he would be a great example. The fact that from the workout camps in January/February Tebow was considered less than stellar, he has since changed his arm slot and delivery. Something worked, Tebow now sits as a first round pick of the Denver Broncos. It will be very interesting to watch his progression.

Big Ben shut down

Big Ben of the Steelers gets a six game suspension today for his various misdeeds over the last year. It is a complicated and difficult situation for both the Steelers and the NFL. No charges have been filed in either of the cases that Ben has had. So what is the league to do.

The NFL has a personal conduct policy that allows the Commissioner a wide discretion to enforce the proper behavior of the players. It short, any conduct that brings negative attention to the league can be conduct that is disciplined.

The Steelers, long considered the crown jewel of the NFL, a franchise steeped in class owned by the legendary Rooney family, now face the choice of how to proceed. Some calls are being made for the Steelers to attempt to trade him prior to the draft.

In the end they probably will not, he is after all one of the Top 5 quarterbacks in the league. This will buy you alot of rope to hang yourself with. Perhaps in the end it would be better if Ben was a little less football talented so he would be more accountable for his actions. Anyone who has read the police report cannot be impressed with Big Ben. The mix of alcohol and ego in Ben's case had led to nothing but trouble.

Hopefully Ben will learn from this. Maybe it's the motorcycle accident. Whatever it is I would like for my sons to be able to watch Sportcenter without hearing the Law and Order music.

The coverage of Big Ben in the last few weeks has had me longing for Brett Favre to not be making up his mind again. I never thought I would says that.

Duke Wins Title

The NCAA title game last night proved to be one of the best we have seen in the last 20 years. Butler played poorly for much of the game, shooting less than 40 percent. It seemed that several times Duke should have been further ahead and sure enough late in the game Butler had a clear chance to win the game. Butler had the ball with 20 seconds to go and got a good look. The ball would not go in, Duke rebounds and Butler fouled.

Duke hit one of two free throws giving themselves a 2 point lead with 3 seconds to go. However the rebound on the second shot gave Butler the ball, but with no timeouts they had to go the length of the floor. Just inside half court the ball went up, the ball hit the backboard, the ball hit the rim and the ball....went out.

It could have gone in. If it had gone in it would have been the best ending that we could imagine.

So Butler lost.

Duke won.

Coach K has transformed his team into a physical, defensive minded team. Smith, Scheyer, and Singler led the Duke team to victory.

People hate Duke. At our house we do not. We were glad to see them win. With seniors and juniors it is clear that college teams that have talented players that will stay together for more than a drop in season can prosper. Northern Iowa, Butler and of course Duke are good examples of this.

The haters will never stop. But Coach K deserves all this post season has brought him. Go Duke

A Thought on Pedro

Most think Pedro will end up in the Hall of Fame. Most are sure he will reappear sometime this season in baseball. Pedro, an outcast, until last July ended up winning playoff games for the Phillies and pitching on the big stage against the Yankees in the World Series. There is little doubt Pedro can still turn it on for short bursts. I would be interested to see him attempt to close somewhere.

What we do know is that someday Pedro will go into the Hall of Fame as a Red Sox player. Might a late signing be in the cards so that we could someday see Pedro's number retired up on the wall.

Josh Beckett Signs Extension

Josh Beckett signed with the Red Sox yesterday, a four year extension worth 68 million which will keep Beckett in a Sox uniform through 2014. Beckett who has been good if not great since 2007 was happy to be in Boston and in truth probably took a discount to stay here. The market is odd however and as he well knows pitchers have no sure success in staying away from long term injuries.

Beckett when he is on is one of the best in the game, he has proven he can handle Boston, and pitching in the AL East. Beckett has a chip on his shoulder and is one of the few Red Sox players who has the fire we old timers miss against the Yankees.

More important or as important is that the Red Sox now have a clear idea of the expense of their pitching staff for the next few years. Beckett and Lackey now along with Jon Lester are under the Red Sox control through 2014. Not many teams can say this and certainly not with pitchers of this caliber. With Clay Bucholz also far away from free agency and Casey Kelly soon to arrive the Red Sox are built to last.

While we never can predict injury at age 30 another five years of Beckett should prove to be a great signing

Opening Day 2010: Red Sox VS Yankees

The Red Sox and Yankees opened the season on Easter Sunday at Fenway Park. The game originally scheduled for Monday was moved back to 8 PM Sunday night for the ESPN kickoff. The weather, which we feared, could be below freezing cooperated in a wonderful way as last weekend brought temps in the high 70's.

Opening Day is one of the most important days of the year in our house. Watching the game means that I can now allow for my schedule to now be filled with the routine of watching a game each night. The pace and pleasure of a ball game cannot be overstated.

The game itself was a good one, not much pitching as both teams were led by their offenses with the Sox winning late, led by Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia.

The highlight of the game may have been a young man of 5 by the last name of Sacco who gave the Herb Brooks " Miracle speech" to the crowd changing Russian references to Yankee references. It was wonderful. Johnny Pesky was present to say Play Ball and the first pitch was thrown by Pedro. Pedro, obviously thrilled to be invited back, milked it for all he was worth and walked in from left field but would have preferred to walk in from New Hampshire, and it was a wonderful moment. Perhaps even better was Pedro's heartfelt greeting for Mr Pesky.

Later Stephen Tyler came in to sing America the Bueatiful and Neil Diamond appeared to sing Sweet Caroline before Jonathan Papelbon sent everyone home happy.

161 more to go. Play Ball

The Final Four

If you had took odds on Duke being the one and only number one seed that would make it to the Final Four the odds would have been long indeed.

For me personally I have just one of my teams still in it, West Virginia. However, I find myself having no problem with any of the remaining reams winning except West Virginia. I surely find myself not wanting Bob Huggins to win. There is no question he is a very good coach, however his actions leaving Kansas St to go to West Virginia were less than honorable. Mostly however I do not think the track suit wardrobe should be rewarded. Do you think Bob could put on a suit.

Butler is a great story and actually might be the favorite against Michigan State. I can think of no greater ending than Butler winning this tournament. Could it happen, clearly based on their victories thus far it could. They have proven they can play with anyone.

Michigan State without their best player has now issued another demonstration of how GREAT their coach is. Tom Izzo may not be a name you think about when you think of great coaches like Coach K, Roy Williams, etc but clearly he needs to be. Michigan State has now made six of twelve Final Four. This is, in modern college basketball a huge achievement of consistency.

Duke is a team we always root for. We like to think Duke does things right, their teams are more cerebral and have a higher percentage of four year players. This is true. Over the last few years it has become the norm to cheer against Duke. What this means in our fans is hard to know. Is it because they are the antithesis of cool. No matter, for me this means that we want Duke to win. Coach K and his approach should be validated.

However, as a realist I expect West Virginia to win. It is not the outcome we want, bracket or not. I would rather not be right in this case.

It is Fantasy Time

We had our fantasy baseball draft yesterday. It is always a great afternoon for all of us. As we have had the same league for quite sometime with just a few changes it is a day that we look forward to. This year we had a few folks who have moved or were away so we to facilitate this did a live draft on ESPN. Traditionally we have done a manual draft so this was a difference. i have come to the conclusion I am against live drafts. Not a fan of time limits, and with a time limit we do not have as much time to talk and joke in between picks that everyone makes.

For us half the fun was telling our friend Andy ( isn't there one guy in every league that gets abused the most) that all of his picks are " less than good."

So that is a lesson learned for next year. We do not do the regular ESPN leagues, too many players, but instead go with a league that has just 9 offensive players in the lineup at a time.

I won our league last year, drafting King Felix and Zach Grienke as my fourth and fifth starting pitchers did not hurt. As keepers I chose to keep Longoria, Kemp and Utley but had to release Adrian Gonzales, Jimmy Rollins, Pablo Sandoval, Mariano Rivera among others. So how did the draft go. Our league, to me, looks very balanced. One never knows how these things will work out.

A couple of fellows went with the pitching now strategy, one ended up with Verlander, Grienke and Lester, that will be tough to beat. I tend to think that I am good at identifying pitchers and matchups during the season so I decided to draft pitching a little later. I took Felix again in the first round but then waited a bit. However pre draft I had mapped out several pitchers I thought would be undervalued in the draft that I could pick up late. I did well getting those pitchers for the most part. The danger in that however is these are pitchers I specifically believe will carry me to value from my pitchers, if this does not work it will be prep work that did not work. Of course injuries and a multitude of other factors can change the game. However Tommy Hansen, Ricky Nolasco, Gavin Floyd and Matt Garza all had peripherals that indicate that they can be strong this year. Lets hope so. I took Aroldis Chapman in the 24th round, I am not sure if he will be good this year, but on the off chance he is as good as he " could " be he was worth a shot.

Hopefully this season will go well..we shall see

Tiger Woods Scheduled Return

So Tiger Woods is set to return a couple of weeks from now at the Masters. It was to be expected that he would choose this event as the Masters has always been a good course for him. It is ironic that this bastion of exclusivity that had some growing pains with Tiger Woods ethnicity when he began his career, remember the Fuzzy Zoeller comment, should prove now to be a safe place for him to return.

Whatever you think about Tiger Wood's personal shortcomings one cannot deny that he is news. For me personally, i like to watch Tiger Woods before the events of this last fall and winter and will continue to do so. However, even last year, I was disturbed by his demeanor on the course, we see so few examples in modern sports of good sportsmanship, and rarely if ever from Tiger. I will be interested to see if indeed his demeanor and " respect for the game" does improve. This will matter to me.

Those who want to judge Tiger will do so. Eventually if he and his wife Elin do reconcile there will be those that call it a sham marriage and attribute their being together to money reasons. It is not my place to judge Tiger Woods.

That said the comparison between him cheating on his wife , often pregnant at the time and Phil Mickelson leaving the tour to be with his wife stricken with cancer is an obvious one. It is not one I can ignore and not one I think I am obligated to ignore. I will find myself cheering more for Phil this year, but I expect Tiger to do well and play well.

Crash, Thud, Down goes Kansas, Down goes Kansas

ESPN advises that 40 percent of the brackets completed on it's Website had Kansas as the eventual National Champion. We had been out for dinner Saturday evening and upon returning to the house we noted that Kansas was in a desperate position in the last minute against Northern Iowa. I texted my son who was out with friends and he could not believe it. Being older I know anything is possible, I remember Depaul losing I think two years in a row in the first round as a Number 1 seed, I think Mark Acguire is still crying.

This however was a shock and in todays world of everyone doing a bracket this one hurts. I now have lost my National Champion in my bracket. I am not alone.

So let's talk about the story no one is really talking about. Northern Iowa beat this team. Northern Iowa was a number nine seed, not as low as some of the upsets we have seen already. This is a team that earlier in the year had a significant article about them in Sports Illustrated. This team was known. They shoot well, make few mistakes and play a very smart game. This is a GREAT story. I am sad for my bracket but i am thrilled for this team.

With all the upsets so far one might wonder why. I believe that with the best players cycling through the best schools in one and two year increments that at times it becomes difficult for these teams to have any presence of continuity. Mid major teams however rarely have the freshman that will go pro after a year, most of their best players have to play the full four years to gain the notice to have a potential career in the NBA and this helps the teams become a well functioning unit.

Of course for every theory there is a reason that is not right. North Carolina this year is the example of the talented team with little experience to guide them, but thus far that does not seem to be stopping Kentucky. Before yesterday my example of the team that got great recruits but had some continuity was Kansas ( Cole Aldrich and Sherrod Collins) but you can see where that got them against Northern Iowa.

So the truth is no one knows anything. My bracket is busted as my son and daughter said. So I am now changing my allegiance.

Go Duke!!! I always root for Duke. For my theory to be correct they need to win. But more importantly we always WANT Duke to win. Sometimes maybe you get what you want, not what you need

March 18th...March Madness..Here We go

Well it is that time of year. A smorgasbord of college basketball. College Basketball being that rare event in which the prelude to the end may be better than the end. While some great games occur at the end of the tournament these two days and to some extent Saturday and Sunday when 48 games take place in 4 days and those dedicated to doing so can see almost all of the games is a time that cannot be matched.

I suspect by now that we have all done our brackets. In our house we follow the one bracket per person rule disavowing the new practice of filling out multiple brackets. The next time I hear someone say in response to an upset " I had that in one of my brackets" is one time too many. This is much like a weatherman saying the next day that in one of his forecasts he predicted rain. You either pick a team or you do not. In our house we have my oldest son who follows the game more than any of us, my 12 year old who knows the major teams but does not have a wide knowledge, my wife who just knows we love the Irish and the " smart schools" like Duke and Vandy. It is a shame by the way that Northwestern could not get in,,,we had hopes early. My 10 year old daughter who knows enough to know more than most just by hearing what is going on in the house and knows that we always root for Duke. And me. We all did our brackets independently, and yet in the end my wife and I ended up with Duke and Kansas with Kansas winning, my middle son has Kansas over Syracuse, my elder as Syracuse over West Virginia and me..well I have Kansas over West Virginia. So 4 out of 5 take Kansas and the one with the most knowledge takes Syracuse. We shall see.

It is a wonderful event, I love it. I do not see the need for 96 teams however, despite feeling that Mississippi St and Illinois should have made it do we really need 32 more teams so the 6th and 7th best teams in the SEC and Big 10 can get in. If you are the sixth best team in your conference and you make it you are lucky, but if you do not you are not snubbed. You blew it,,win more games. Lets keep it at 64. That is my vote anyway.

Just One Pitch Away- Ask Joe Nathan

The next time you begrudge a pitcher a desire for a contract for as much money as they can get think of Joe Nathan. Or better yet think of Mark Prior. All athletes are to some extent just one injury away from being retired but few are as close as a major league pitcher. As we all know the human arm is not designed to throw a ball overhand. And certainly not at the speed and torque that major league pitchers do. However many do and many more dream of it.

Joe Nathan felt a tightness when he pitched his first spring training game last Saturday against the Red Sox. Nathan has since gone home to Minnesota, been diagnosed with a torn ligament in his elbow and is facing the liklihood of Tommy John surgery. One pitch away is truly where all pitchers are.

My son is 14 and has pitched since thru little league. He has had some great highlights and now as puberty has taken hold of him he is a 6 foot 2 145 pound kid. His motion has never been as clean as we would like and he has each year at the start of the year had tendinitis in his elbow. Last year consulting his doctor who is quite expert at sports medicine we were told that whole exercises could make him stronger, and when his growth stopped his tendons would get stronger and tougher. By July his season was a success and his arm was not hurting, of course it was 90 degrees then, and he was only pitching once every 6 to 7 days. However at the end of the season at a game I got to late his coach pitched him on just 3 days rest and his arm was sore and he, not as importantly, got blown up. What I have told him is he needs to be more vocal, know his limits and know that no one game is more important than his health.

I have also told him that he is unlikely to ever be a professional baseball player, not because he is not good, but because the percentages are not in his favor and because he does have arm trouble all ready. Today in fact with high school tryouts looming, we went outside and did our first toss of the ball. Just 25 soft tosses from a short distance. We have time go slow and he is nervous. Soon enough he will be throwing too hard and with too much torque. Eventually I fear he will throw a pitch and grab his elbow. And that will be it. As a parent what can you do besides love that your kids love the game, support them and if they get hurt pick them up.

Joe Nathan threw that one pitch today. I hope that my son does not throw his " one pitch" anytime soon

Strasburg and Heyward

Every year there are prospects that we hear are going to be the next big thing. This year at spring training we are hearing it again. This year however it seems like it might be different, there may be two players that are actually likely to be the next big thing. The next " really " big thing.

Stephen Strasburg was the first pick in the major league draft last year and the most dominant pitcher in college baseball. This year the Nationals have made clear that they intend to start Strasburg in the minors and not rush him. It is likely that they will do this. However, early reports from spring training indicate that this might not be needed. A composure rare in one so young, combined with a 98-99 mph fastball, a changeup at 90-91 and a curveball that falls off the table on a 3 and 2 count indicate that he can compete now. Now, playing for a team that may lose games behind him, in front of a bullpen that will blow leads for him and in front of fans that will have unrealistic expectations no matter how good he is; these are things that he will have to contend with and might indeed struggle. The talent, that appears to be ready and impressive. This young man may well be the next great pitcher.

Jason Heyward is a 20 ear old strapping outfield prospect for the Atlanta Braves. Like the Nats the Braves have every intention of keeping Hayward in the minors for at least the start of the year. He too, however. is trying to make that a hard decision. Heyard is described as Pujols like, quick bat, strong, fast. I saw a couple swings he took yesterday including one that deposited a ball over 450 feet away. Heyward too looks like the real deal, and like he may hit be well on his way before he is old enough to have a drink to celebrate it.

One could do worse than to start a team with either of these players. Lets hope they develop as well as young men as they seem to be on the verge of doing as players.

Olympic Hockey

What a hockey game yesterday! For those of us who love hockey this was a final present in a weeklong procession of gifts. Canada fulfilled their goal and won the gold while the United States proved that their preliminary victory over Canada was no fluke. This was a game for the ages. The United States as the youngest team in the tournament should feel good about the the 2014 Olympics as well.

Can the NHL capitalize on this goodwill and increase the league's visibility. It is unlikely. Hockey in the United States is primarily a regional sport. And that is OK. Very few sports transcend the entire country in all geographic areas. That said hockey is a fast moving, aggressive sport which should have appeal to the masses in this country.

Ryan Miller in goal, Zak Parisi scoring, and others might well inspire young boys across the country. However there is no way for the NHL to market its players affectively to the masses.

There are reasons that hockey is the number 1 sport of most of its audience. I would believe that for those who follow hockey closely the percentage of number 1 sport is higher than any other.

I love hockey. I love playoff hockey. The Olympics was playoff hockey with all star teams involved and nationalistic pride added. It was AMAZING

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods apologized Friday. He did not answer questions and most reporters felt that this was a travesty. By now we all know about Tiger's transgressions. Clearly he made many mistakes, clearly a high percentage of athletes are assumed to be doing the same thing that he did.

Tiger Woods does not owe me an apology. I long ago stopped considering athletes as role models. This does not mean some are not, some are, and at times I feel that some are good role models. However, even before these transgressions coming to light Tiger Woods was not, in my view, a role model. His behavior on the golf course which has been well documented relieved him from any obligations as a role model.

He is an excellent golfer. One of the best of all time. Cursing, throwing clubs etc made clear however that he was also a prima donna.

In his apologies for his many transgressions Tiger as an aside also promised to show more respect for the game. One can assume that this reference means that Tiger's behavior will improve on the course.

This is the apology that Tiger owes golf fans. Let us hope he means it.

Any other apoligies are owed only to Tiger's sponsers and more importantly to his wife. I am rooting for him here too. He is just a man like all of us, he makes mistakes and he deserves forgiveness.

Accepting a bad shot with grace will be a good start for me.

Baseball

So much has been done to destroy baseball. It cannot be done however. Baseball is fathers and sons, little league, breaking in a glove and the passing on from generation to generation.

Baseball is the red dirt, marking the baselines, bemoaning a bad call and then tossing the umpire a water between innings, the coming of spring. Any sport which announces the coming of spring has a built in advantage.

As our children get thier first uniforms, baseball pants and markings of " real" baseball players we realize both how much they have grown from infancy and yet how little they still are.

Grown men feel the same way about baseball. Every year when they days grow longer, the light gets different in the afternoon, when the birds start waking us in the morning and we get our gloves we all are reborn.

Baseball is like the Easter of the Sports world. It is rebirth and renewal

The Gap in Sports

It has been described as the biggest gap in the Sports Calender and I think that might well be true. The period between the Super Bowl and the NCAA College Basketball tourney is indeed one that for many is that rare time where no sporting event captures the imagination.

This is not universally true of course. For fans of NASCAR last weeks Daytona 500 was the beginning of another exciting auto race season. For even those with just a passing interest the fact that Jimmie Johnson wins the season championship year after year is certainly something worth knowing.

This year we have had the Olympics taking place as well. We have watched some of the events in our home. They are interesting. I think for Americans in particular however the Olympics have nowhere near the importance that they do in other countries. I want the Americans to win. The sports themselves though are sports I only have interest in during the Olympics. It is hard under those circumstances to have any real connection to the sports being played.

The good news is that we are just three weeks away from College Basketball's selection Sunday, less than two weeks away from the beginning of College Conference tournaments and the general euphoria of March Madness. Many state that the first 2 weeekends of the College Basketball tournament are the best events in the calender year.

The best news is that we are close, very close to baseball. Camps are open, pitchers are throwing and all along the northern tier we are convinced that baseball announcers and any of those who can accompamy the clubs to Florida and Arizona have a very good gig indeed.

For myself baseball is the sport that makes me feel young...more to follow..but with the start of the season all that is good in the world will soon be back

Saints Win

On Sunday the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31 to 17. The game was decided when with less than 4 minutes to play Peyton Manning through an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Until that moment we in our house were trying to figure out if the Colts would tie the score too early, allowing the Saints to score before the time out.

The interception changed that.

The game was well played. The Saints played a perfect game. No turnovers. The Colts played well too. What I did not foresee, and what was not foreseen was that with both teams having such long drives and all those completed passes the number of possessions for each team were limited. Each one became magnified. Sean Payton understood that, his attempting to get the touchdown not the field goal, the onside kick these were very big plays that understood that.

Underrated and perhaps the difference in the game was the nine points put on the board on 40 yard plus field goals by Garrett Hartley.

The next discussion is does this loss diminish Peyton Manning and his career. He is 9 and 9 now in the playoffs. These are not great numbers. Does his talent diminish, or do his teams and their unbalanced offense become more exposed in the playoffs?

I believe Manning is a great quarterback, the best in the game. An interesting measure of Manning would be to find out his won loss record against teams that eventually make the playoffs that year. The next question is Manning and his lack of a handshake after the game. This is an especially big subject for me personally, we make a big deal about sportsmanship in our house. I have criticized Tom Brady for his disappearing act after losses. I have always talked about Manning being the opposite. So when Manning pulls his disappearing act I was not pleased.

The field is a wreck after the Super Bowl. Brees was mobbed by cameras. It would have been very difficult for Manning to reach him. It simply does not matter, Manning did not try. He was up the tunnel. Certainly the sea would have parted for Manning had he tried to reach Brees. He did not try. It does not matter if Brees understands, what matters is that so few of the times that athletes have a chance to show class that they actually do. Manning failed. It is not a drug conviction or a criminal case, but it is still disappointing


The Saints won. They deserved it. Brees was fantastic. Manning made one mistake in the game and it cost him. For me however the biggest mistake was after the game.

Super Bowl

The two weeks before the Super Bowl is a slow zone in sports. It is only slightly better than the time after the SuperBowl before Spring Training. Not much goes on.

Couple this with the fact that the Bruins are trying hard to become the worst team in hockey, the Celtics have become ancient before our yes and college basketball is weeks away from any truly meaningful games...and you get the idea

Indianapolis by 10 is my pick. When in doubt pick Peyton. I do not believe the Saints defense is that good and I think he is the best there has ever been.

Football is well down on my list of sports. I won my fantasy football league but unlike some of my friends I do not sit and think about draft day and the 3rd pick the Pats got from Kansas City. I love college football much more, but of course will enjoy the Super Bowl.

I hope the commercials are better this year and I for one and looking forward to The Who

Boston Celtics- The Window is Slammed Shut

Watching the Celtics struggle over the last month it becomes clearer each day that the title won in the spring of 2008 better be enough for the short term because there are no more banners to be had from this team as it currently exists. We have watched a team get old and very old almost overnight. Of course we knew they were old, we knew that it was unrealistic to expect a team with this many players this old could not continue to succeed over the course of the grueling playoff schedule in the NBA. Last year in series with Chicago and Orlando without Kevin Garnett the Celtics looked like a championship team that was missing one of its great players.

This year even with Garnett they have not appeared to be the same team. Games are being lost in the 4th quarter to younger, stronger teams. The ability of this team to play defense late in the games seems to be gone.

Is this fixable. I am not sure. The idea of the team winning any best of seven series against teams such as Atlanta, Orlando or even the newly resurgent Chicago Bulls seems unlikely. The teams bench has been hampered by injury. Also unhelpful however has been Doc Rivers seeming refusal to do anything to use his Big three for fewer minutes each game. Wins are important, but is increasingly apparent that this team will not go deep into the playoffs with the players and player rotation currently that exists. Glenn Davis, who was nothing short of a force in the playoffs last year, has not been used in any kind of regular capacity and certainly not in a way to make the team and him stronger. Pierce. Allen and Garnett have fought injuries and none of have seemed to be playing well at the same time as the others.

To me it would seem that the only answer to get this team deeper into the playoffs would be to rest the Big 3 more, try to involve the bench in a deeper way and realize that where you go into the playoffs in terms of seed means little for a team that has struggled both at home and away. It will be the health of the team that matters.

This will not solve anything long term. Ray Allen will be gone after this season. Kevin Garnett's contract will at the end turn out to be an albatross as his skills diminish. The Celtics will need some inventive trades and a few lucky draft picks to avoid a slow decline to the mediocre. The championship was a great season, and was well worth it.

The team was not built however in such a way to perpetuate long term success. We will pay the price for that.

Baseball

We love all sports in our house. We will even watch tennis and golf. However no sport comes close to baseball. We are a baseball family. My daughter even says, with chagrin often times, that she was raised by baseball.

Pitchers and Catchers report in less than a month. We cannot wait.

Baseball Tonight's theme music is to my son as important as to the Johnny Carson theme music was for me in my teenage years.

We love Baseball

College Basketball Heating Up

We watched a bit of college basketball this weekend. I watched the first half of Michigan at Purdue, a bit of Texas at UConn and Duke at Clemson. I enjoy college basketball very much. The environment of the game compared to the NBA does not compare. I do not enjoy many of the players. I still and never will understand all of the chest thumping and never ever ever understand that tattoos are a good thing but have resolved to not think about those issues.

The games are good, the players are talented and if I might put a plug in for HD TV the games on ESPNHD are amazing. Colorful, bright and loud.

The final aspect however is for the big games the commentary of Dick Vitale and Bob Knight. Whatever you might have thought of Knight as a coach few could find fault with what he brings to the table as a commentator. Dick Vitale, for some might be too over the top, I however find his exuberance a real addition to the experience. I also believe that Vitale is a good man, who cares about the sport and the kids. I have seen films of motivational speeches he has done and would love for my son to hear him in a gym telling him about the risks of drugs. I respect him and enjoy him.

What ESPN does better than anyone else is with their Sat night game of the week, be it college basketball or football in the fall, is to make you feel like you are part of the event and to feel the emotion of it as well as just watching it.

As the NCAA tournament approaches I know where I will be Saturday nights at 9

Colt/Saints Win- Manning vs Brees

Yesterday we witnessed a great playoff game and a a great quarterback. First the great game. The Saints and Vikings went back and forth for sixty minutes and then resolved that was not enough and took us to overtime. They then decided that all the calls that were at least debatable and that the possibility of this being Brett Favre's " last game" was not enough controversy, thus the team that got the ball first in overtime won the game. Before we look at all those issues lets talk about the game. The Saints Drew Brees was very solid. The Saints defense was opportunistic. The game, to me, however, seemed to be more about what the Vikings did and did not do. The Vikings fumbled the ball, late in the first half a Favre handoff in the red zone got away, the Saints recovered. Brett Favre returned to the recent playoff Brett Favre and threw picks that were a result of his forgetting he cannot make those throws in big games and come out unscathed. This game was captivating. It was not exactly well played.

We will now hear this week about the inequities in the sudden death overtime system. When watching a game like this it is almost impossible to think that there might not need to be a fairer way. However, statistics seem to show that the system as it is devised works. I recently was told by Colin Cowherd in his debate about this issue that 52 percent of teams who win the coin toss win the game. That is a very minute percentage for those that have an advantage that is seen to be so large. In a game such as this it is magnified but it was not as if the Vikings did not have a chance to stop them. Fourth down would seem to have been a good time to do so. When your team loses a game like the Vikings did the rule seems unfair, any objective analysis will later determine that sudden death works.

In the AFC game the J E T S Jets won the first 25 minutes of the game leading 17 to 6 and bringing the believers to their feet. However this just gave a precept for Peyton Manning again to prove that he is currently the greatest quarterback in the game. While there are a few quarterbacks that are very good consistently, Drew Brees being one of them, Peyton Manning is the best in the game, and perhaps the best there has ever been. Watching the game yesterday what I notice more and more of Manning is watching him come to the line early in the play clock and change the play based on the defensive set. He is the best I have seen at this.

One last point when watching Tom Brady this year I noticed several times at the end of the game that Brady does a disappearing act. Brady,especially after a loss, does not have anything to say to opposing quarterbacks,coaches or players. Tom is up the tunnel like Giselle has the limo running. In the big picture this is not a huge issue but when Lebron James failed to congratulate Orlando last year it was an issue. The contrast between Favre, Manning, etc and Tom Brady at the end of the games is significant. In our house examples of sportsmanship are pointed out. Tom is invisible in these cases.

Can Kids Admire Athletes

Charles Barkley advised us all years and years ago that he was not a role model. He has worked hard since then to prove to us he spoke the truth. Does an athlete have a responsibility to live his life to a standard deemed acceptable to society.

Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Vick, Roger Clemens, do we have any reason to expect that any athlete can live up to the scrutiny of our media. How many of us living with the wealth, power and facilitators these athletes have could live a life to be proud to tell Mom about.

I have told my children that your models of behavior should be people you doing the right thing. Your parents, teachers, police officers and such. Of course many of these people fall down to. So who is a hero. What is a hero.

Superman does not exist anymore. The superhero movies we see now always show the hero with a dark side. The lines are grey everywhere. Very little is black and white defined, everything is shades of gray.

For me during games I always point out sportsmanship when we see it. Football games where the players celebrate like they just won the game after making a tackle, basketball players thumping their chest when they make a basket. I am old school, excitement has its place but act like you have been there before.

We can name a list of athletes that we think are admirable. We then wait for the next sports bulletin and hope that what we hear is about this athlete we have held up as a role model. Politics is the same, but are the politicians different now or is the relationship between the press and the pursued as it were different. My guess is much more of the latter than the former. Would JFK have become President in todays culture. Never, not a chance.

I do not know who a hero is. It was simpler when I was a kid, I do not recall ever having a hero of mine when I was little become a non hero after the fact. Today it is an everyday event.

I still like Tim Wakefield. I hope that he is not taking steroids to throw that 65 mph knuckleball. I think I am safe. Do you?

Nfl Predictions Results

In most playoff prediction contests geting half the games right lets you advance to the next week. If that is the case then I do get to advance, but to me getting two out of four games right is not something I am proud of. There is no pattern to the mistakes, I did not get burned on two upset specials, I just picked the wrong upset.

In our first game we took Arizona to upset New Orleans Saints. This prediction may have been the result of my hoping for a Favre/Warner matchup but that did not happen. The New Orleans defense abused Warner and may have sent him well on his way to retirement. The Arizona defense is not good, in fact it is bad and Drew Brees and company beat them up.

Minnesota was the favorite in their game against Dallas but Dallas was considered to be a team on a mission. Mission ended. Minnesota destroyed Dallas. They clearly were the better team.

In the AFC Indianapolis defeated Baltimore. Indianapolis did not light up the scoreboard, they won the game comfortably, but not so much so that it seems a given they will keep advancing.

The surprise of the weekend was the New York J E T S. Rex Ryan the man who will not shut up might well have a reason to talk. The Jets with a great running game, a young quarterback in a controlled offense, and a defense which is getting better by the week are scared of no one. Perhaps they should not be.

Baseball Commissioner for the Day

The local sports radio station has been running a survey about what would you do if you were the Commissioner of Baseball. What rule changes would you make to better the game. Baseball is a sport that has problems. Being a person who loves baseball like a member of the family I would love to make the game stronger and better.

The first thing I would do is put a hard salary cap in place. At the same time I would put an equally hard minimum salary floor in place. Teams that take their profit sharing and make money before they sell a ticket are just as destructive to the integrity of the game as are the Yankees and their too high payroll. Baseball is a different sport than football. Each team has an ability to make a local television and radio contract. Seattle and Texas even with a YES or NESN network would not generate the revenue the Yankees and Red Sox do. They just would not, baseball is not followed with the same intensity in other markets. For this reason the salary cap will need to be a large number. But the key is that these numbers both on the high and low end must be fixed. By doing this teams that do well and generate local media revenue will be profitable. If an owner spends the bare minimum under this new formula he will, in the absence of payroll taxes, not make money. The impetus will be to, as we are often told, to spend money to make money.

In recent years we hear about teams being made for the Playoffs as if the game changes in the postseason. The game, however, does not change but the scheduling does. When the Yankees go through the postseason with three starters this is an indication that the off days are too commonplace. An off day when the teams go from one site to the next is acceptable but that should be the only off day. If a game is rained out schedules for future games should be tightened up even if it means eliminating a scheduled off day. To me the postseason should measure the same things as does the regular season and a team with the best starting 5 rotation should not suffer in the postseason against a team that has three aces and two terrible pitchers in the 4 and 5 slot. Perhaps they would still lose the series, but they should not be at a competitive disadvantage in a series schedule that inherently favors the team with 3 pitchers.

More on this subject later but these are two solid ideas on how to improve the game we love.

NFL Playoff Predictions

For Football fans this coming weekend is one of the great weekends of the year. The games to determine who will play for the conference championships look to provide some very interesting games.

In the AFC the Indianapolis Colts will play the Baltimore Ravens while the New York Jets will travel to San Diego to play the Chargers. I am not a football expert such as many you see on television but I think I can predict as well as most. Indianapolis will host the Baltimore Ravens who embarrassed the Patriots last week. Not withstanding the Baltimore connection to both teams it is difficult the bet against Indianapolis. Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the game and while the Colts put it in neutral at the end of the season there is no reason to believe that they will not return to the form that had them as the Super Bowl favorites for most of the season. I will bet on Peyton and the Colts to find a way to win.

The Jets have played well as the season ended but the Chargers are the hottest team in football. I have the Chargers and the underrated Philip Rivers winning here.

In the NFC many are ready to believe that Dallas is ready to make a run to the Super Bowl. Standing in their way are Brett Favre and the Vikings. The Vikings struggled the last third of the season while the Cowboys have been nothing short of dominant. My pick here are the Vikings for the simple reason that the Brett Favre story is too good to end. He will find a way to win.

The game I most look forward to seeing is Arizona visiting the Saints in New Orleans. The Saints after starting 13 and 0 lost their last 3 games. Now with the bye they have sat for two weeks mulling how they are going to restart the machine. Kurt Warner, mulling retirement himself, threw 5 touchdowns last week. Perhaps I am letting my personal preference for a good story win out but I think that Arizona will find a way to win this. A Kurt Warner-Brett Favre match up to go the Super Bowl may be too good to look forward to.

College Basketball

We love college basketball. For me what makes college sports so enticing is the environment. Looking at the home fans at a Duke basketball game or the college football stadiums with 100,000 people all dressed in the same color makes you feel the event as much as see it. Here in Maine we go to the Alfond and see Maine play basketball and it is a very, very, pale imitation of big time basketball. Maine hockey in its strongest times has provided a big time atmosphere, albeit one on a small scale. But any arena completely full can be an exciting place to be.

Watching the college basketball games on an HD big screen television is a brighly lit, digital audio masterpiece. Dick Vitale or Bobby Knight explaining the action and you can almost feel like you are at the game. The players are incredibly talented. Talented to a level we usually have never seen before in Maine. The best players in College Basketball are now usually freshman who play one year before they continue their progression to the NBA. I have mixed feelings about this process.

I like the idea of players going to school for an education and the NCAA insists you call these players student-athletes but it is just not the case. Traditionally players who will make the pros have no more thought to being a serious college student for the full four years than does a recent MBA graduate plan to make a career at that non profit he works for one summer. It is just a step to the big money.

College sports reeks of big money. It is not what we like to think it is. Perhaps it never was. That said when my sons and I can sit down and watch North Carolina visit Duke at Cameron and enjoy the spectacle we are not thinking about money. We are enjoying watching great basketball in a great location coached by great coaches with a great commentary ( if you like Dickie V that is.)

Like most things in life you can enjoy it for what it is or lament what it is not. In our house to this point we still can enjoy it for what it is. I hope it stays that way.

Lane Kiffin to coach USC

Lane Kiffin after leading Tennessee to a 7 and 6 record in his first season coaching the Vols football team has accepted the vacant head coaching job at USC. Kiffin, an assistant at USC for 5 years under former coach Pete Carroll, will take over one of the top programs in the country.

Tennessee fans are feeling betrayed and certainly the administration there was surprised by Kiffin's departure. USC now, instead of losing many recruits which might have been on the fence due to Carroll's leaving, will gain additional recruits that will follow Kiffin from Tennessee to Southern California.

No one can really blame Kiffin. Playing in the SEC Kiffin would always have been swimming upstream against Florida, Alabama and the rest of the conference. Certainly in time he would have competed for a conference and perhaps even a national title but the road is much clearer for him to succeed at USC.

USC is the power of the PAC 10 and will likely remain so even if the NCAA penalizes the program. No, this should not have come as a surprise to Tennessee. I was surprised that Pete Carroll left USC but on consideration it made sense. This for Kiffin does as well.

Who loses in this situation. Some players committed to one coach will not be able to follow, they may not adjust to the next program as well. Fans will say they are hurt but realistically fans will turn on a coach in an instant. One more 7 and 6 season and Kiffin may have been on the way out in Tennessee.

College coaches now make millions of dollars a year. College Football makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Money buys many things. It does not buy loyalty. I believe I have heard a quote from W C Fields years ago. It goes something like this.

He asks an attractive young woman if she will go upstairs with him for a price. She says she would consider it. He says how about for two dollars. The young woman insulted says " What kind of a girl do you think i am?" W C responds " That my dear has been established, all we are doing now is naming the price?"

Lane Kiffin, Pete Carroll like that young woman had a price. College administrators have no one to blame but themselves. Until loyalty is a two way street both sides get what they deserve.

Mark McGwire admits Steroid Use

Yesterday we watched the sun rise and the night get dark. We know this will happen. We also heard Mark McGwire admit that he had used steroids. We also knew this would happen. McGwire admitted he had used steroids on and off during his career including in the fabled year 1998. Does this mean the record should not count? Most would say it should not.

What do we make of this? Rodriguez, Clemens, Bonds and McGwire all now implicated as steroid users. Manny and David from the Boston Red Sox World Series winners as well. As a Red Sox fan I do not feel those championships are tainted as it appears that was the environment of the day. But what a terrible era in baseball.

My youngest son when we are watching a baseball game will ask many questions about the players as they parade up to the plate. Is he a good player? Does he hit homeruns? Does he use steroids? How do we answer these questions? Every player that joins the steroid admission club makes the doubt an even more constant issue.

Last evening I picked my oldest son up from practice and advised him of what the days news was. He was not surprised as this was common speculation. Still, he then proceeded to go down that list we all as baseball fans now have of the admitted users. He talked about how now every player is tainted. A player that has a good season instantly has people questioning what he has done to do so. Does he use steroids?

We love baseball in our house. It is religion. Throwing the first ball in the spring is a very meaningful experience. My children play. We watch the Sox each night. The end of the season is a black armband day for our family. This steroid scandal does not diminish our love of the game. We have kids in little league, on school teams, junior leagues and all stars. We watch the players but we love the game. I think this is what baseball fans have to do now. Love the game and hope that the players that are hurting it stop doing so.

The players are only part of the problem. Major league baseball owners, officials and probably the hot dog vendors knew and have known for many years that steroids were flooding the game. The drug program in place is now one with teeth. Every player but Manny shudders at the thought of being called out for a 50 game suspension. Manny, he just thought it was nice of them to give him a vacation during the season, but the program is working. It is my understanding that HGH is not a drug they can test for yet so certainly many steps need to be taken.

Until baseball gets all of admissions out of the way we are going to continually be like small children hearing the truth about Santa Claus. Children sometimes when they discover the truth about Santa do not know what they have lost, we as parents, however, we always know. It is the same with these steroid admissions. When David Ortiz was linked to steroids last summer the look on my 11 year old sons face said it all. He no longer believed in Santa Claus. Again.