Clemens and Bonds...double-standard by the media?

As of yesterday, we found out that the congressional committee looking at the Mitchell report on HGH and steroid use in major league baseball, has recommended to the justice department to look into whether or not Roger Clemens lied during his testimony in front of the same committee a week or so ago.

I agree. They should. There are so many contradictory statements to Clemens denial that it would be almost conspiratorial by a pretty substantial number of people, if Clemens is telling the truth. By that, I mean that either Clemens is lying about his denial that he ever took steroids/HGH, or at least 5 other people are lying that he DID take them. This is not a "he said vs he said" situation. And new we have learned that Clemens, (with regard to his denial that he attended a party hosted by Jose' Canseco), that there actually may be photographic evidence that the WAS there. And Clemens is now backstroking saying that he may have "misremembered" that event.

Funny that he used the phrase "misremembered" to his own statements, when he used the exact same phrase with regard to former teammate and friend, pitcher Andy Petitte, when Petitte said that he heard Clemens talking about using HGH. So you have to wonder, if Clemens is "misremembering" about the party, could he ALSO be "misremembering" that conversation and Petitte be right?

Still, the real issue for me is why has the media been so tirelessly running article after article about Clemens, and showing very little support for him, when just 4 months ago, these VERY same media were calling the indictment of Barry Bonds a "witch hunt"? (The exact words that Kevin Blackistone, sports writer and ESPN guest of the show "Around the Horn", used when describing the effort to get to the truth of Barry Bonds claim of denials of his use of steroids and HGH. As he too was mentioned in the Mitchell report.) Bonds, IMHO, has proven to be FAR more guilty than Clemens has at this point and I very much believe that Clemens is lying, but the evidence will out on that story line.

So where is the media regarding Bonds indictment for lying to a congressional committee? Is the media playing a double-standard here? You have to ask that question.

Which also begs another question. While Andy Petitte is coming across as the "victim" in this whole sordid affair, by openly and almost immediately admitting he did use HGH, because as he claims, he did it on the advice of people who told him it would help him rebound faster from an injury, where is Selig, the players union, and all of the MLB exec's in regard to this? Basically, why are they allowing Petitte to continue playing?

Look, I understand that Andy Petitte is a sympathetic figure right now, and I actually and honestly feel sorry for him. But that does NOT diminish that he acted in a manner that, while not illegal in baseball at the time he did it, is illegal now, and is seen as a form of cheating, even at the time he did it. So, why has MLB not at the very least, suspended Petitte from play?

I am beginning to wonder if there is not some type of double-standard going on here.

A reason why baseball 'was' better than football...

Ok, first. I am a huge football fan. College football is my #1 sport, with major league baseball close in the heels @ #2 on my list. Well, that is unless you count fishing, then college football and MLB ranks second and third respectively, but that is something different. And I do not count them in the same categories.

Still, one of the greatest things I love about baseball is that in baseball, you do not have the constant and annoying distractions while the game is being played that you do with other sports, like football. What do I mean by that? Simple. Cheerleading.

Or at least, there USED to not be any cheerleading in baseball.

Do not get me wrong. I am a guy, and I sit in the stands of football games with a pair of binoculars and staring down at the petite, athletic, extremely limber, lithe and HOT little cheerleader babes like 90% of all other guys do. It is what makes football what it is. Especially with the delays between plays, it is a great distraction.

But in recent years we have seen, in an effort to bring in more fans and mostly male ones, some of the low market baseball teams are now, not only looking at creating cheerleading teams, like the Florida Marlins, "Mermaids", who while they are EXTREMELY pleasant to look at, bring nothing to the game itself.

But those very same Florida Marlins feel that was not enough. Now they want to completely offend our very senses by bringing in a cheerleading squad called, "Manatees". This group is NOT made up of women dressed in hot little outfits that make 40 year old, paunchy men suck in their gut so hard they turn blue and faint, but instead THIS group will consist OF 40 year old plus, paunchy men! (or some reasonable facsimile of that male demographic.)

According to an AP news report this is what is happening (quote:)

"The Florida Marlins are looking for some footloose fat men. The National League team is creating an all-male, plus-size cheerleading squad to be dubbed the Manatees. Tryouts were scheduled for Sunday.

The team hopes to recruit seven to 10 tubby men to dance, cheer and jiggle during Friday and Saturday home games this season.

Real manatees, 1,200-pound mammals sometimes referred to as "sea cows," are not considered the most agile of creatures and often get caught in boat propellers.

The Marlins want their Manatees to have the same dimensions, but to be decidedly more agile. Men will be judged on how well they dance a choreographed routine."

(Source AP news)

(endquote):

Ok, that is just WRONG! NO one wants cheerleading at baseball games, and certainly no one wants to see "fat guys" dancing!!! Fat men dancing as cheerleading for baseball is to me about as appealing as spooning down a bowl of ice cream topped with bleach and gasoline!

Baseball is supposed different, it has been and will be a game for 'game purists'. People who are insanely wrapped up in statistics, numbers and history. But over the years as the interest has faded in that part of fan involvement of the game, what has begun to show up is something that is just offensive and contradictory to that. That being, "cheer leading".

Baseball is game to be enjoyed wistfully and in contemplative reflection of the game. Not wild-eyed, radical screaming at the top of your lungs. THAT is what football is for!

To paraphrase from that immortal movie about baseball, which gave us some of the greatest baseball one-liners, "THERE IS NO CHEERLEADING IN BASEBALL!"

Center of college basketball...state of Tennessee??

Here we sit with only two weeks to go in the regular season of college basketball for the 2007-2008 season, and we need to take stock of some major shifts that have occurred this year.

With all due respect to UL, UK and IU fans who believe that the states of Kentucky and Indiana are the birthplace of college basketball; and to all of the Duke and UNC fans who know with their heart and soul that THEIR schools refined college basketball to be the center of it for the nation; and to all of the sports media wonks who believe that if basketball is not played on tobacco road, in the gyms of the mid-west, the streets of the northeast and the beach strips of the west coast, I have some shocking news.

The BEST basketball being played in the nation, is right there in Tennessee!! Yes, Tennessee.

Take a look at the most recent AP top-25 poll for factual evidence of that.

Not only are UT and Memphis University, (MU), sitting atop the poll still at the #1 & #2 spots, but coming in at #18 is Vanderbilt. The only other state that can say they have 3 schools in the top-25 is Indiana, with IU (#12), Purdue (#16), and Notre Dame (#17). But it is hard to make that case that the basketball is better there when the top two teams in the nation just flipped-flopped their positions without dropping after UT ended Memphis' bid to remain unbeaten in the regular season.

Sorry, Dookie Vitale and all of the Cameron crazies, but your blue devils are nothing more than devil cake dessert afterthoughts in the national rankings.

To the UNC fans: what can I say? With all of that sticky substance on your heels, no wonder your feet are dragging on the national college dribbling scene!

To UK and UL fans: Sorry, but the national attention just does not care about either one of you right now, no matter how many banners are in your rafters, or how much of a national presence your coach may have.

The question becomes, when did the state of TN eclipse all of these other bastions of basketball supremecy? How did it happen?

The truth is that all of these schools in TN have very steadily building their programs to this outcome. Both Memphis and Vandy have been known for years as "good" programs. But with little else in the way of revenue generating sports, and with both schools having to compete with pro sports in their home locations, the schools decided to throw all of their attention to building their men's basketball programs to compete on the national level for NCAA titles and top-25 rankings. Both after wallowing in some obscurity for a long period.

UT however is a newcomer on the stage. And you have to give the UT AD a ton of credit. After watching UF figure out ways to leverage their dominating national college football program, UT's AD decided to "keep up with the Jones", and put as much effort into the men's basketball program, as UT has done in both women's basketball and football.

And that brings up the next point, it is not ONLY men's basketball that the state of TN is dominating in. But also women's basketball as well. The UT women's program has been a powerhouse for years. But looking again at this week's AP standings and you again see TWO state of TN universities chiming in, in the top 25. UT Lady Vol's at the #3 spot and the Vandy women's team at #23. Yeah, yeah, I KNOW all of you Duke and UNC fans are going to start thumping about how both of your women's programs are also in the top-25 as well. UNC #2 and Duke #12. But I am talking about total programs for the state here, where the state of TN tops NC in that regard. And if you look a little closer you will also notice that in the "Others receiving votes", that Chattanooga's women's basketball team received 4 votes in the AP poll, and are close to breaking into that top-25. Which would again give the state 3 teams in both men's and women's programs spots in the AP top-25 polls.

The question becomes though, is this a trend? Can the state of TN continue to put teams into the top 25 year after year? That only time will tell. But one thing is for certain: at least for now, the state of TN is THE center of the NCAA college basketball universe.

The first weekend of Spring!....

Ok, so it might not have looked or felt like it, but this last weekend of Feb WAS the first weekend of spring.

There was still ice clinging to all of the trees, and every parking lot had small mounds of non-melted snow/ice on them, and the temp on saturday dipped in the upper 20's. But this WAS a spring weekend.

Ah, spring, that time of year, when all men's fancy turned to two things: Baseball and Bass Fishing!

Ok, maybe not ALL men, but a number of us! And there is a larger number that is also beginning to polish up the golf clubs, because soon it will be time to begin torturing well-manicured fairways with huge divots, just as I will be annoying fish.

And yes, this weekend begins all of those honored traditions.

Baseball is being played again in Louisville, with the UL baseball team opening up their season saturday with two big wins over Cleveland State, (13-5 in the first game, and 4-2 in the next), in a double-header day that was a holder start after that big ice storm caused a postponed game on Friday.

And this was also the weekend that the BassMaster Classic, (the 'super bowl' of the bass fishing tournaments), was held on Lake Hartley in South Carolina.

Ok, so many of you probably are NOT both baseball and fishing fans. But believe me, those two events mark the start of spring. And that is the important thing.

Because soon, all baseball, (both college AND professional), will be in full swing. And speaking of full swing, for all of you golfers out there, remember, it is just one thaw away from the time you get to swing for your favorite summer sporting fun.

Yes, the days are getting longer, even though the weather is not much warmer. But we are in the beginning stages of spring.

So, let's remember, that while it may not look like it outside, you can feel that spring is in the air. Or, if you can not feel it, you can still see the signs of it by heading out to Patterson Stadium and catching an early season UL baseball game!

Council arrest highlights athlete issues

In some surprising news yesterday, Rod Council, the UL football starting cornerback, and one of the only consistently solid secondary performers for UL, was arrested in TN allegedly for robbing a gas station at gunpoint, for barely over $100.

UL Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe acted immediately to "permanently dismiss" Council from the team and the football program. Kudos to Kragthorpe for not being wishy-washy about a decision and acting promptly. It was a sound and correct decision.

However, this incident, for me, illustrates what might be the real problem in college athletics today. While athletes are given full scholarships for their educations, (and something every current and former student would LOVE to have, instead of the debt we incur while gaining our education), there still exists a big hole for these athletes that results in SOME of them ending up in serious trouble and even serious legal trouble.

That hole is a double-edged sword. The first part is that many of our athletes come from very economically depressed and poor neighborhoods that quite often are riddled with crime and even gang warfare and drug abuse. Many of our athletes see sports as their ONLY way out of this situation. And for a great number of them, it works. But this situation also shows the pitfalls of that system. While in school and on campus, these athletes can and do lead very productive lives and begin to find self-worth. But outside of that protective environment these same athletes, once back home, are subject to the exact same conditions that they seek to get out of. And the pressure by those that do not leave is still there on these athletes to be accepted or be "cast out" and threatened.

In the case of Rod Council, for example, the first question that comes up for me is this: Why was this athlete roaming around Asheville N.C. in the middle of a school week, in the middle of an academic semester?

Why was he not in class? Or at the very least, on campus either studying or in the football complex training?

According to reports, not only was Council not at the school on the day the alleged crime took place, but also the next DAY when he was arrested he also was not even in the city of Louisville.

Where was the oversight and mentors that are supposed to be in place?

And what possessed Council, who is getting a free ride for his education to allegedly rob a gas station for little more than $100? He is charged with a felony that could ruin his life all for such a pitiful sum of money? Why? If this is true, what led him to this action, and where were the people who his parents entrusted him to, (i.e. the school administration and coaching staffs), when he reached this critical life-changing decision?

Afterall, the schools themselves have a very real financial vested interest in seeing that the athletes in their charge are having their needs met and are caring for these athletes in way that
protects these kids from themselves.

Now, understand, I am NOT defending Rod Council, or even questioning the decision by HC Kragthorpe to permanently dismiss Council from the UL program. As I stated above, I 100% agree with Kragthorpe's decision. My question(s) are more broad based and general as it pertains to college athletes.

The system, because of past greed to "win at all costs", (by schools like Oklahoma, Notre Dame and most emphatically Southern Methodist University, where unfair practices would stockpile talent and falsify academic records), where many of these athletes could stay on campus and be under the care and supervision of their coaches and mentors, as well as having academic and assistant and/or graduate assistant help, are now, by NCAA rule left to their own devices to survive except the time period in which the sport is actively playing. And that includes very strict rules on any scholarship athlete finding a paying job, in the time period when the sport is not actively playing. Are we truly being 'fair' to these athletes? Are the schools that depend so much on the revenue that these athletes bring in for their performance truly acting in the best interest of the STUDENT?

I know that many ordinary students have the attitude that athletes "get all the breaks". In many cases that is true. But I would also challenge those same student opinions to tell me how much more impact the school's revenue is beyond that student's tuition costs? With athletes, the price of a scholarship is minuscule compared to the revenue that the school brings in comparatively.

And yes, I do realize that there are many ordinary non-athlete students who also come from very underprivileged environments. But at the same time, unlike student-athletes, ordinary students are not constrained by NCAA rules with regard to finding any kind of job they want, or limited to financial help by any number of sources, (i.e. family, friends, even social services), to help them with their scholastic pursuit.

I just have to wonder if the real issue here is the NCAA rules system which so strictly impairs our schools to act in the best interest of our student-athletes.

ok, reason #1001, why baseball is great....PRANKS

On sunday, one of THE all time greatest baseball pranks was pulled on Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick. This was a BIG time prank.

In case you have not heard about this, here is a recap: Kendrick was called by the Phillies manager into his office and told him he was being traded to Japan, for a pitcher named Kobiashi. Kendrick fell for this hook, line and sinker. They had him going from the second he stepped into the mgr's office. They had him sign the trade papers, and then the Phillies General Manager, (yes the GM AND the MEDIA were in on it), came down to make a media statement and said he thought it was time to make a move in the best interest of the team for the future. It was PRICELESS!

What was so great about it, is that they had everyone involved from the manager to the players, to the General Manager, to even the media! That was a true big time punk! It had all the elements that make a great baseball prank. It was cruel and funny!

And the funniest part is that they told him they were trading him for that guy in Japan who is the hot dog eating champ!...that is priceless!...LOL...

This is one of the major reasons that baseball is so great for those of us who love the game. Baseball has a long and storied history of pulling pranks. From the proverbial 'hot foot' in the dugout to shaving cream pies in the face while sleeping in the clubhouse, to now this.

With all of the negative stories and ugliness of the scandal regarding drug use in MLB, it is great to see that some of the things that make baseball such a unique sport are still part of what makes the sport a "fun game".

Pranks in baseball is what reminds us that with all of the "business" of baseball, baseball is, at the very core, a "game". An escape from all of the seriousness that we have to deal with in our daily lives. And the sport of baseball is a major piece of our American history. (I might do a series of blogs about that during the dull days after the MLB All-Star game.) Baseball is still a game that is played by men who never grew up. And pranks are the way they express that eternal mischievous nature.

I remember a couple of great pranks pulled on me, and one I pulled on pitcher. When I was in HS, I played both center field and was the backup catcher. One of the best pranks ever pulled on me was when I was in HS, on a day when the temp was nearing 100 degrees. The starting catcher was just about dying by the 5th inning, and asked if I could take over for an inning or two to give him a chance to cool down. What I did not know is that the ump had called a half-hour delay to the game to let both teams cool down. So I start to get geared up and when I slipped my hand into my catcher's mitt, (we each used our own), I found out he had slipped several scoops of cherry jello into it. Don't worry, I got even, I put vaseline in his cleats a few weeks later. Oddly, he said he liked the way it "squished" between his toes.

And even movies ABOUT baseball reflect how much pranks are part of the game of baseball. Watch the movies of "Bull Durham" when Costner decides that everyone needs a "rained out" game. Or the Tom Selleck movie "Mr. Baseball" when he lights a teammates shoe on fire.

Pranks are part of baseball. It is what we remember that is best about the game. And it is what is best about your teammates. And right now, we need more stories about the "fun" in baseball instead of the "ugliness" surrounding it.

and you think I am a baseball fan?

Ok, as most of you might know I am a big baseball fan. And in Louisville, there really are quite a bit more of us than you might realize. Part of that is because of Louisville's baseball history and the ties to current baseball with The Louisville Slugger bat and Hillerich & Bradsby.

And I admit I love the "game" of baseball, even though I hate all of the recent scandals over drug use. I even make a yearly trip down to Ft. Myers, where I used to live, for a week of fishing and spring training baseball. I actually love spring ball to see guys who are trying to make the teams and where the next generation of talent comes from. And you have not tailgated until you have grilled out redfish, snook and snapper that you caught just that morning!

Even in the winter I love to watch the off-season trades, and who is moving to which team.

But I am NOTHING when it comes to some people and their baseball frenzy. That fact was driven home to me just a couple of days ago, when I was reading an article from a Boston newspaper, and came across the following little hysterical item:

--------------------
Dan Shaughnessy
<http://www.boston.com/news/globe/>

It's live - but not lively

2/16/2008

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Seminal moments in television history?

There was the first appearance of the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in
1964, the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, and, of course, the final
"M*A*S*H" episode, watched by 106 million viewers in 1983.

And now we have spring training brought to you live by NESN [New England
Sports Televsion]. Television history.

The Red Sox network today will broadcast the team's first workout for
pitchers and catchers from 10 a.m. to noon. It will be replayed in condensed
versions at 1:30, 4, and 11 p.m.

Wow. LIVE FROM FORT MYERS! MUST-SEE TV! . . . Curt Schilling leading the
charge out of the clubhouse for the ceremonial single lap around the warning
track . . . Doug Mirabelli belching . . . Pitchers standing on the mound, in
line, running to cover first base as a coach hits fungoes to the right side
. . . Tim Wakefield stretching while [broadcasters] Don Orsillo and Tom
Caron stretch to find words to fill the empty action.

----------

Ok, now how hard up do you have to be for baseball to tune in for two hours to see a bunch of PITCHERS jogging around a field and stretching?!

I have to laugh, because I KNOW that unless there were some RedSox fans watching somewhere, this would not be televised.

So, just remember the next time your spouse, (female OR male), says that you are "obesessed" with your hobby or sport, just remind them that at least you are not watching pitchers excercising for several hours.

NCAA at the whim of TV...

A couple of days ago, as you may know, the NCAA proposed several changes to the college football rules. Most of these changes were done not with the intent of enhancing the game, but instead at the request of TV to shorten the games.

There were some changes that were proposed which were, IMHO, good changes, because they were enacted to protect players from injury. For example, college football will follow the NFL now with regard to "horse collar" tackles, making that a penalty. Another was a greater clarification on what constitutes a "chop block".

These two rule changes have been long overdue. Too many times players who have been caught from behind and drug down by their shoulder pads, (i.e. the 'horse collar' tackle), have ended up with injuries. Some severely so. And the clarification on what is and is not a chop block makes if far more simple for referees to call, because that rule was simplified. However, on the horse collar tackle, what we do not know at this point is whether that is a 5-yard minor penalty or a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Personally, I believe it should be a 15-yarder.

Another rule that was enacted was the elimination of the 5-yard incidental face mask penalty. The problem with this rule being eliminated is that now the ref's are going to be making judgement calls as to whether to call a personal foul 15-yard face mask penalty. And I believe we will see the number of those calls go UP over the course of the season. That is a huge part of the game that can truly determine an outcome.

Another proposed change was another clarification on the helmet-to-helmet penalty. That was actually, (like the chop-block rule), a good proposal, because again, it makes it clearer what is and is not a penalty. And that helps the ref's in determining calls.

The other rule changes proposed though I think are unnecessary and actually take away from the game. The biggest of these changes is once again on the kickoffs. Last year the kickoffs were moved back 5 yards from the 35 to the 30 yard lines to try and speed up that part of the game. THIS season, in addition to that, any kick that goes out of bounds will be placed on the opposing, (kick return), team's 40 yard line, instead of the 35 yard line. That is a HUGE advantage to opposing offenses. And the ONLY reason for this rule is so that the TV networks can shorten their broadcasts. The same with the change in rule for the play clock.

Instead of starting the play clock upon the ref placement of the ball, it will start using a 40 second clock which will begin immediately after the preceding play ends. That is also a huge change in the game, and for no good reason, IMHO. While this rule parallel's the NFL game, in college, where schemes and coaching play a more dominant role in the outcome rather than the talent level on the field, this rule HEAVILY favors "hurry-up" or "no huddle" offenses. This may have the net effect that we will see a major shift in college football to less and less of a power football scheme to more of a "pass-happy", spread the field type of football.

The problem I have with these clock, kickoff and other "speed the game up" changes is that the game itself begins to look less and less like a traditional game of football and more and more like a "junk" offshoot of the game. I mean really, what is next? Are we going to see the NCAA go the X-Football league route and ban 'fair catches' on kickoffs next, because a fair catch call added a whole 2 minutes to each game? This rule does nothing to truly enhance the game of football. And in direct effect, actually DE-emphasizes a part of the game that is virtually 1/3rd of the strategy of the game of football.

I mean really, at this point, why even BOTHER with kicking off? The TV networks hate that anyway, so let's just eliminate that part of the game altogether and upon scores, just give the ball to the opposing team offense at their own 35 yard line to start. That will take a whole 4-5 minutes off of the game right?

I do not mind any change that actually "enhances" the game of football. But some of the rules changes being proposed do not do that, and are only being proposed because of pressure by TV networks because THEY do not like how "long" the game takes? Oh, right, THAT is a reason to make that change! (rolling my eyes here).

Basically what is slowly happening is that the game of college football is not changed for the betterment of the game, but instead is looking more and more like a government entity being swayed by a powerful lobbyist. And there is no good reason for that to be the case.

Easy to find...but hard to read....

Roger Clemens testified today in front of the congressional committee holding hearings on PED use in MLB, as a result of the Mitchell report.

Having listened to his testimony, I want to believe him. But the problem I have is that Clemens seems more angry and defensive, than someone innocent and pleading his case. Several times during testimony, even when asked questions which seemingly would have helped his case, (such as the question asked by one congresswoman about his workout regime after showing a 4-panel display of Clemens taken at various stages of his career), Clemens had to be coaxed by chairman Waxman to answer the question directly, and even then barely satisfactorily.

Clemens just seems bent on stating that he has been wronged, and that others have and are lying about him, but at no time during the questioning has he offered any real proof of his innocence or evidence that shows that his accusers HAVE falsely accused him.

And even those people who Clemens considers good friends, like Andy Pettite who yesterday during his questioning said that he overheard Clemens in a discussion about taking human growth hormone, Clemens stated today that Pettite just misunderstood. He did not deny that there had been a discussion that had taken place, nor did Clemens provide to us the details of how that conversation could have been misunderstood. All Clemens did was offer us an excuse that Pettite was wrong, not that Clemens was right.

And that is the knife that keeps twisting in my brain about this situation.

If Clemens is not guilty, then why is not offering substantiative proof of his innocence, instead of trying to state to us that he thinks all of his accusers are lying or mistaken???

Very few of the questions were directly answered. At least not to my satisfaction.

Even that very simple question which part of his answer is in the title of this blog entry, he stumbled answering. The question was simple and straight forward. When asked if he had denied any request to appear before former Senator Mitchell to answer any allegations that were being made against him, Clemens offered us only that he was "easy to find". And that had he know what "lies" were being told he would have been there. But that did not answer the question. So while Clemens may be "easy to find", he sure is extremely hard to read, when it comes to answers he has given.

Baseball memorabilia..bloody sock to bloody gauze??

When the Boston RedSox won their first World Series in nearly 90 years, a few years ago, they did so with the help of the pitching of Kurt Schilling who had to have some surgery on his ankle literally during the AL divisional series. Then during that WS, we all watched the game he pitched as the media focused on such a "gutsy" performance that he gave, while his stiched up ankle oozed blood. Which turned into the "bloody sock" gate later on where Schilling was even later accused of staging the whole thing. That turned out to be much about nothing. Still, we were left with people vying to buy a "bloody sock" to get a piece of baseball history, even to the point where the MLB Hall of Fame finally won out, and now that sock is on display.

But last friday may be all time doozy of baseball memorabilia. Last friday we learned that Clemen's former trainer, McNamee, not only accused Clemen's WIFE of taking human growth hormone injections, but to try and prove his claim that McNamee injected Roger Clemens with them, he produced syringes and bloody gauze pads that he claimed he kept in a freezer for SEVEN years!

Anyone else find this really creepy?

Ok, for now, let's drop the whole "guilt or innocence" discussion of Clemens. Because what I find FAR more disturbing is that as a big time baseball fan we have sunk so low as to now we have started considering that such things as cotton fabrics stained with bodily fluids are now part of baseball lore. This is really just wrong.

I mean come on, what's next? Not to be crass, but have we dipped so low into our quest of trying to immortalize our baseball heros as to have gone beyond dumpster diving for "trinkets", as to now start to see if we can save anything from blood to hair to urine samples???

It is one thing to go after uniforms, gloves, bats and equipment. But it then borders on sickness to start to go after such things as jock straps and cups. Which you can bet somewhere on Ebay, there is a guy who is offering such things.

Horse Racing & Boxing...dead sports?

Yesterday the Breeder's Cup decided to send the 2009 event to Santa Anita in CA. Churchill Downs, along with the KY state legislature had put in a tremendous amount of effort and incentive to attract the event back to Louisville and to Churchill Downs, with obviously no success. And in my opinion, through no fault of their own.

But this brings into view a growing problem in the sports world around both the horse racing industry and the professional boxing industry. That problem is, that I believe that both of these sports are literally dead sports to the vast majority of the American sports public.

Now, before you start quoting how Louisville and Churchill Downs owns the 5 of the top 6 Breeder's Cup attendance records, or how the Derby every year pulls in millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of people, or how Louisville hosted a professional boxing event, and how Louisville is home to the greatest heavy weight boxing champion in the world, let me defend my point. Because Louisville and the state of KY still value these sports, especially the horse industry. And the horse industry in KY is a HUGE part of the economic engine in this state. I get that.

But the truth is that nationwide, horse racing is losing fan interest. Especially among the sports media. Even during last year's Derby event, the friday immediately before Derby, (known here as Oaks Day), not only went completely unnoticed by ESPN's SportsCenter, but also, on ESPN's "Around the Horn" show, Kevin Blackistone and Bill Plaske said that they would NOT be watching the Derby at all. Blackistone because there was a boxing match, (which I will get into in a moment), and Plaske because of some other golf event. Even Jay Mariotti on the show that day said that while he would watch the race itself, it only had a passing interest for him and his readers in the Chicago area.

You can gnash you teeth and come up with all sorts of reasons as to why these guys do not matter, but the evidence of fan attendance at race tracks bears out that horse racing has become such the purview of the most wealthy and famous that unless you are part of the industry, (or live in KY, or certain parts of FL, VA or CA), it no longer holds any interest for the national fan base. (And do not use the argument of, "But the Queen of England came to the Derby!"....because I can counter with how much interest do you have in THEIR national sport, soccer.)

Boxing is another sport that no matter how hard the cable companies try they just are NOT going to revive from the dead. Sorry, but this sport is dead, buried and needs a eulogy for it. This sport has been declining in significance since the incarceration of Tyson. The truth is, with anyone under the age of 35 this sport is being fastly replaced as a spectator sport with more violent and agressive Ultimate Fighting Championships. UFC is growing fan ranks at a very quick pace, and will soon equal, and I believe overtake, boxing with regard to fan interest. Again, you can deny that, but numbers do not lie, (although they can be 'fudged'), but the truth is, that boxing has become completely insignificant in the world of sports. And in many ways they only have themselves to blame for the greed that overtook them by moving all big title bouts to 'pay per view' events that had very little excitement and interest.

Even in the state of KY and surrounding areas, UFC is gaining in popularity and interest, where boxing, even with Louisville's rich history of boxing, is losing ground. And again, to that same demographic. And the truth here is that boxing is all but dead even in KY.

The point is that soon while in KY these sports will continue to have relevance and interest, and in the case of horse racing, a continued huge roll in the overall economy and interest of the people of this state, in the coming years these sports will be of so little significance that even getting the Breeder's Cup to Churchill Downs will not capture much attention of the national sporting world.

What is the answer? I think doing what Louisville is doing. Looking to pull other events into the mix. Events like the Ryder Cup, the Senior Olympic Games, (and as much as I personally HATE it), even the Ironman Competition. Louisville should also continue to court other X sports, and try to get more of those championships to come to the area. Those sports are growing in fan interest, and are far and away a better investment of time, resources, and money than continuing to go after boxing and other horse racing events that will have continued diminishing economic and fan interest returns.

a different perspective on UL football signings

Yesterday, UL football signed 22 players to the football team. Of those 8 of them were JUCO's, and the rest prep players. Like many of the sports media wonks, I honestly do not put a whole of weight on the "star" rankings of players. Is there a talent difference between a 1 star and a 5 star player? Yes. But the gap between 3, 4 and 5 star players is really not that great for the most part. Remember, that rating is not so much a rating based on "talent" as it is the difference between "potential" versus "immediate" impact a player could have. Some kids are more physically developed than others, but that does not mean those that are not, will not become superstar players in college. It just might take a little longer. So I do not put a great deal of emphasis on those rankings.

Looking up and down the players signed by UL, it looks like a solid class. It has some size and speed, mixed in with shoring up some glaring needs that UL has coming into the 2008 season. So all of that is "goodness and light". But I have to say, I have some very serious reservations as to the strategy of recruiting by Kragthorpe and this staff.

My concern is not that Kragthorpe has not and can not find talent, it is that there exists what appears to be an extreme bias against recruiting what has been traditional areas that have resulted in reaping great benefits for UL football.

With this staff the emphasis is in recruiting the western part of the nation far more heavily than UL's history of pulling talent from areas like AL, LA and especially FL.

Unlike some others I am NOT convinced that this is in UL's best interest.

When Schnellenberger came to UL to build a program, he started pulling from talent rich FL. Over 10 years Howard worked that pipeline, building relationships and ties. And over the 20 years since that time, UL, (especially in south Florida), has developed a very strong alumni and prep school presence there. When Schnellenberger left, every coach since has recognized how important that link was to a state that is arguably the most football talent rich state in the nation. And without question IS the most football talent rich state east of the Mississippi river. And having recognized how important those in-roads to talent were, every HC since Schnellenberger continued to develop them.

The single biggest reason why I believe UL should not "focus" on recruiting players from out west is that of geography and demographics. The truth of the matter is that UL simply stands VERY little chance of ever consistently developing a pipeline of top level talent from those states of TX and CA, because quite frankly, UL just does NOT have the "national presence" to develop that pipeline. And historically only ONE school ever HAS done such a feat. That school is Notre Dame. Now having said that, I am not saying that Kragthorpe should never go to TX or CA to look for talent. But I am saying the he should NOT do it as the first option. Instead go after those players selectively and as a one-off process.

Geographically, trying to get a kid to come east of the Miss. river, unless your school name is Notre Dame, is nearly impossible. If it were that simple to develop and pull talent from those areas, you would see a LOT more schools from the Big 10, the ACC and even the SEC trying to do it. But they do not, and there is a reason for that. Most of the kids in TX want to play in fairly similar timezones, so that their families, parents and friends can see them play. In Notre Dame, that is easy, because of ND's virtual TV choke hold on NBC.

The other issue is one of demographics. Regardless of what this staff thinks, there is a HUGE cultural difference between the west and the east coasts. And Louisville just does not have the same type of culture, from an activities standpoint, that west and west coast environs do. (As someone who lived in Denver, CO and Phoenix, AZ for 7 years, I can speak to that a bit.) Not to mention that in the Big East, east coast football is very different than what they play out "west".

And a lot of what I say rang true with the FAILURE of this staff to pull in even mid-level talent from the state of TX. Two of the players that UL were recruiting signed with other teams that were on-par or were below UL's football level. That is VERY telling.

For Kragthorpe to "thumb his nose" at areas that UL has had long standing tradition with, and great success pulling recruits from, speaks to just how completely "out of touch" he is with the history of UL football. And lest we forget, the LAST time a school in the state of Kentucky tried to develop a strong recruiting base from the state of TX or west of the Miss. river; resulted in that school getting smacked with 2 years of probation due to NCAA violations. (*ahem*, see UK history for reference.)

It is my opinion that if Kragthorpe continues to disregard those areas that have resulted in football recruiting success and have deep ties to UL, then UL football is in for a long period of relative obscurity, because it will take at LEAST 5-10 years to even come close to developing the type of prep school recruiting pipeline that UL has cultivated over the past 20 years.

the REAL "super tuesday" event....

Sure the airwaves tonight will be full of media wonks going off about who won this primary or that caucus and giving us more information that is useless than last weeks build up to the super bowl.

But the REAL "Super Tuesday" event today is that this is the day that Roger Clemens will have his day in court....er...or should I say, day in congress.

Clemens is due today to give his deposition to a congressional hearing committee on charges of his using PED's during some of his years in MLB.

This comes one day on the heels of Andy Pettite's deposition which went almost completely unnoticed by the sports media world. And I still find it interesting that throughout all of this mess, Pettite, being the only one that has confessed to USING PED's, is just quietly flying under the radar of every media outlet and reporter. Funny that.

Let's hope that today though we get to hear something from Clemens other than 42 pages of statistics showing his ERA, strike out ratio, and game winning percentage. Clemens needs to address specific charges against him in specific ways. Even to the point of answering questions such as, "Why would McNamee lie about you, but not about Pettite?"

And let's hope the congressional hearing committee is not satisfied with sound bite answers.

Love him or hate...Bob Knight was centerstage

In shocking news last night we learned that Bob Knight is abruptly retiring as HC of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. My first reaction to this news was, "Man, I really hope this is because he wants to, and not because of some type of health or family crisis." I still hope that is the case today. But from everything we know, he was just tired of the gig.

I have to admit, I am one of the probably hundreds to thousands that both respect and despise Bob Knight.

I respect him for all that he did off the court for his players and his community. His sincere and honest care for not only the player to achieve as an athlete, but also in the classroom and as individuals. I achieved this respect years ago, when Bob Knight did something I have never heard of being done before, or since, in college basketball. During one season, Knight was reviewing the players grades from the semester, and even though all of them were passing grades well enough to be eligible to play basketball, Knight benched 3 of his 5 starters for the next game, because the players were not getting grades high enough. What coach today would even DREAM of benching a player for not getting higher than required NCAA eligibility grades?

I respect him for what he brought to the game of basketball. His motion offense and tough defense.

I despise him as an opponent and his tirades. If there was ever a coach I never wanted UL to face it was Bob Knight. Even though UL did well, he was a terrifying opponent, and he just hated opposing fans.

I wish Bob Knight all the best and hope his retirement years bring as much success to him as his years of success on the court have.

History interrupted.....

As I have stated throughout the NFL playoffs, I am not a New England Patriots fan. But I am a little down this morning after watching the Pat's blow a late game lead and lose to the New York Giants last night in the Super Bowl.

Hat's off to the Giants. They had a stellar defensive game plan to stop the Pat's. And they did. But that still leaves me feeling a little cheated this morning, because I really wanted to see NFL and sports history made.

Like I noted last week, it also is a bit unfair to the Pat's, throughout everything they accomplished this season to end up 18-1, and that be considered a "failure" this morning.

Let's hope that the NE Patriot's, with their aging LB corps, and their group of overachieving playmakers, realize just how much they DID accomplish this season and just how dominate they were all season. Look at the following stats:

NFL records for:

Most touchdown passes in a single season

Most touchdown receptions in a single season

Highest scoring point total in NFL history for a single season

Only team EVER in NFL history to win 18 straight games in a single season

Only team in NFL history to reach 18-0 in single season

As a team, this was a dominating team to watch, and epitomized what the real definition of the word "team" meant.

On a night were a gutsy and completely gassed Giants defense, and bunch of young and unknown Giants offensive future stars made the plays they had to, to win; let's also give the Patriots an round of applause for giving us football fans a season to remember.

Another Pat's superbowl opinion and prediction...

Right about this time, most of us football fans are sick to DEATH from all of the sports-wonk analysis, predictions, injury-innuendo and just plain nonsense. Even local sports talk radio is flooded with talk of the super bowl. It is as if they are trying to INVENT issues to talk about because what more can be said? Truth is, we sports fans just want the damn game to be played and stop talking about it.

But I am NOT going to take my own advice....LOL...and this is just one more stupid, insipid and rank discourse about the upcoming 42nd superbowl.

The first thing I would like to say, is that I am NOT a Patriot's fan. I am a Tampa Bay Buc's fan. But having said that, I am pulling hard for the Pat's to win this game. Because I want to SEE sports history.

What the Patriot's have done to this point is literally unparalleled in the history of the sport. And I believe 100% absolutely already eclipses ANYTHING that the 1972 Dolphins did!

Let's face it, at the time the Dolphins had their magical undefeated season, they did it in a time when the NFL was not nearly as deep and talented, or as even in parity, as it is today. And that makes what the Pat's have done to date even that much MORE impressive. They have won MORE games while going undefeated than any other team in NFL history. But here is the problem they have. They have now set the bar SO high, that the ONLY possible satisfactory outcome for them is to finish it off with a Super Bowl Championship. If this team finishes 18-1, that would be considered a failure?! Yes, a team that went 18-1, but did NOT win the Super Bowl would be a failure. At least in the eyes of history they will be. This is like the MLB Seattle Mariners, who were the winningest team in baseball a few years ago not winning the World Series. Which is why I think that this 42nd edition of the Super Bowl, will be the biggest viewed televised sporting event in the history of the NFL, and MAYBE of any single game event in the history of TV sports broadcasts.

Regardless of whether you want the Pat's to lose, the Giant's to win, or the Pat's to stamp their mark in NFL history, you WILL be watching. Even those casual football fans that care nothing about either team, (like me). I WILL be watching, because I want to see history unfold, if it indeed happens. But at the same time, if Giants look like they are going to win, I am also going to be turning the station. Because I honestly have NO interest in seeing the Giants win, or the Pat's lose. Only in seeing if the Pat's can finish off this run.

Late sunday evening, we will know.

Oh, and my prediction? Give me the Pat's by 8.5 over the G-men. I think it will be closer than many think.