What's Up With The NFL?

Roger Goodell does realize that people tune in every Sunday to watch the players on the field, doesn't he? This is not college football, where you have a new player every four years and you primarily root for the team and not the players. The NFL is driven by it's marquee players. I mention all of this because yet again we have injuries to players, this time starting quarterbacks, in the second to last preseason games before the regular season starts. Now both the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs may have to start the regular season with back up quarterbacks starting under center. Another perfect example of why the preseason is way too long!

I hear your argument, "Mr. Anyone can get hurt in any preseason game." Believe me when I say that I hear you, "Mr. Football is a physical game and injuries are part of the game." I get it and understand all of the arguments. Here is my argument, the games are meaningless and the players playing in these games are in there when they don't need to be. I have a couple of ideas that might fix the problem. Instead of four weeks of preseason, cut it down to one preseason game and a couple of non-contact scrimmages. I know this won't happen because the owners are greedy and want all the revenue they can get, err... I mean they are smart business people who are capitalizing on their company and the ability to maximize profits and revenue. Whatever! You know as well as I do that the owners would add on as many games as they could if the Players Association would let them. Heck, the owners are trying to get two more games added to the regular season. Pretty soon the Super Bowl will have to go up against the NCAA and March Madness.

Maybe I'm a little impatient for the season to start. Maybe I'm just a little cranky tonight because my wife likes the Broncos and I already knew that it was going to be a rough season without Jay Cutler and having Kyle Orton as your starting quarterback. But now Bronco games will be tougher to watch with her with Tom Brandstater (who?) starting at quarterback for a couple of weeks. See what the preseason has done to me. If Goodell or the owners cared about me, Broncos or Chiefs fans (Yea, Matt Cassel is done for a little while too) they would mercifully limit the amount of preseason games that there currently are. Please somebody....help!

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Sports And Religion....Who Wins?

Even as I sit here and write this, I contemplate if I should. I mean it is the Sabbath, at least in my religion it is. I am supposed to be relaxing and not working today. It got me thinking about athletes and how religion plays a role in their "work". We don't really hear too much about athletes choosing religion over the sports they play. What if a player has a religion that says you can't play on Sundays, Saturdays or certain days of the year. What should they choose? Their religion or their sport?

One could say that the "sport" is in fact the player's job and for them not to play is just like you or I not showing up for work. There are not any major sports that have been impacted by any major religious rules that say that players can't play on Sundays or Saturdays. There have not been any games lost because a Seventh Day Adventist chose not to play on Saturdays or an LDS member chose not to play on Sundays, but there was an occasion not too long ago that we may have forgotten about and we are approaching the five year anniversary of it. I wonder how our reaction would be today if someone chose not to play due to religious reasons?

September 24, 2005, then Los Angeles Dodger, Shawn Green was in a pennant race and also is a member of the Jewish faith. The Dodgers were battling the Giants for the National League West crown and had a crucial three-game series, however, Yom Kippur (the Jewish day of atonement) was that weekend and Green was weighing heavily if he should take the two games off in observance of the Jewish holiday. Ultimately Green received hate mail and there were mixed media reactions to Green not playing. Green chose to play in one game and not the other as a compromise. Other famous Jewish athletes, Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax have missed games due to the same Jewish holiday, Koufax did so for game 1 of the 1965 World Series.

Ultimately it comes down to you, your God and your faith, but I am curious what you would do if you were the athlete in that position? What if a player on your favorite team decided to miss the Super Bowl because it was played on a Sunday or missed Game 7 of the NBA Finals because it was being played on a Saturday? Hard question to answer, but and even harder one to ask yourself!

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What Do Athletes Owe Us?

"I am not a role model!" Remember when Charles Barkley uttered those words during a Nike commercial in 2003? Is he right? There are those that would argue that Barkley, along with all paid athletes are role models. They are in the public eye and they have a responsibility to the people who watch them, especially the youth, to set the proper example. Who said that is how it is suppose to be? This weekend, Tiger Woods had back to back average rounds of golf and decided not to face the media. Should he have? Is it his responsibility to? Is it the money that they make that obligates them to be who we look up to?

So you are a kid growing up practicing your jump shot. You make the varsity team, next you get a scholarship and finally you are in the NBA. Time to act wild and crazy, right? Well, I would argue that athletes don't behave themselves because they are worried about people emulating them. They are more worried about what the corporate sponsors will have to say about their conduct. Because if Madison Avenue isn't happy, you don't get paid. That leads us back to what do athletes owe us?

When I stand outside after a game and a player is going out to their car and I want an autograph, does he owe me one? What if he doesn't give me an autograph, is he a jerk? I think it is hard for any of us to say what an athlete's obligation is to us, the fans. I mean, we do ultimately pay their salary, but does that get us some type of credit that the athletes need to continuously pay against? So next time you walk out of your office and on your way to your car, imagine people rushing up to you and asking for your autograph. Or what about when you make a mistake at work and get chewed out by the boss, are you ready to tell the office about it? Sometimes we do look at athletes as larger then life. True, they do make a great amount of money, but as Barkley said, "I'm not a role model. Parents are role models. I get paid to reek havoc on the floor!"

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Things You Don't Do At A Fantasy Football Draft

So it's the night of your first Fantasy Football draft (I say first, because if you are like me, it is the first of many Fantasy Football drafts to come this year) and you need to be prepared about what to do and what not to do. I'm not talking about depth charts and player rankings. I'm talking about not making a fool out of yourself in front of your buddies. Because trust me, if you stay in the same league, draft night stories of you being an idiot will be repeated year after year after year. Consider this a gift from me to you. Listen to my words and follow my advice and you too don't have to be the butt of jokes for years to come.

First rule, and maybe the most important rule in Fantasy Football, is know who has been drafted. Nothing like..."Um I'll take Roddy White." "Dude, he was picked three rounds ago." "Oh, OK, um...I'll take Carson Palmer." "Dude, he was taken three picks ago." Don't be that guy! I repeat, DON'T BE THAT GUY! It is somewhat excusable by round 12 or 13 when people are picking their backup defence and kicker to ask, "Hey, was this guy taken?" However, if you are asking this question in the fourth round, just give the commissioner your money and tell him to call you after the draft and let you know who is on your team. Second rule is to show up on time, don't take forever on your picks and stay the whole time. I know, these sounds like three seperate rules, but really it is all about time management. Nobody likes to wait for someone to show up to the draft for it to start. Dude, we have been waiting since early February for this day, act like you are excited too! Now I'm not talking about sleeping on the commish's lawn the night before, but if you want to be there with the morning paper ready for him, I'm not going to judge. Also, I like five hour rounds of golf, three hour baseball games and even watching back to back re-runs of Married With Children. What I don't like is the nine-hour draft that goes till five in the morning. I'm not 19 any more, I don't have to prove that I can stay out until the bars close. Lastly, this just bugs me so I had to put it in here with this group, don't pick your starters and then pull the, "Well, uh, my wife wanted me home by midnight, could you please pick my subs?" "Sure thing buddy, but before you go, let me ask you, what are your feelings about having all your backups being Detroit Lion players?" Again, time management.

The final rule I'm going to put in, trust me we could be here all night but I have a fantasy draft to get to is, don't pay your entry fee by check. There is something more macho about breaking out the cash and having it sit in a tight stack on the table. You could be creative and bring a jar of pennies, or maybe pay in food stamps, but not a check. Oh and if for some reason the ATM machine is just too hard for you to get to and you have to pay by check, make sure your wife makes out the check. Hey, I'm just trying to provide your league with stories for years to come that they can make fun of you with!

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U.S. Open Starts When?

It's the end of August, baseball pennant races are heating up. Football season is just around the corner with both NFL and College teams getting ready to start their season. The NHL and NBA start their training camps next month. The PGA has started the Fed Ex Cup playoffs and NASCAR is about to get to their Chase for the Cup. Did I forget about anything else going on in the world of sports? Oh yea, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships start on Monday, August 31st. Wow, I almost forgot. Did you?

This year might be a little more intriguing on the men's side. Roger Federer is going for a record breaking sixth straight men's single title, but Raphael Nadal, his nemesis is back. Of course American hopeful Andy Roddick has returned to try and reclaim the title for the first time since 2003. On the women's side, you have the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) fighting for the championship, but they won't play against each other in the final, if they get there, because they are in the same bracket due to seeding. Try and take a guess at who is the #1 ranked woman tennis player in the world right now....Russian born Dinara Safina. Safina has won twelve singles titles in her career and is looking for her first major.

I remember when the U.S. Open used to get me all excited. I remember staying up late into the night watching 39 year old Jimmy Connors play until 1:30 in the morning back in 1991. I remember watching Pete Sampras, so dehydrated, actually puking on the court in the semi finals and finding a way to get to the finals to beat Michael Chang (yea, you remember him) in 1996. I remember a young Steffi Graph (anyone remember that SI picture from 1990?) beating Gabriella Sabatini in 1988 to win the first complete grand slam in women's tennis since 1970. Tennis has fallen down the sports totem pole so far and I really hope that this U.S. Open gives us a great story to follow and a reason to stay up way too late on a Tuesday night, listening to the airplanes land at LaGuardia. Please, someone give us that reason to be excited about tennis again!

Comments! Love to read 'em!

Rick, Don't Pretend To Be The Victim

I love spin. You know spin is taking a story that is about you and somehow making it not about you. It is being the bad guy and being able to make people feel sorry for you. Rick Pitino is trying to be the best "Spin Doctor" he can be right now because in his own words, "My family is going through hell." Remind me again why they are going through hell?

According to Pitino it is the media's fault for showing tapes of the person that Pitino admitted to having an affair with six years ago. Pitino is now being accused of sexually assaulting this woman in a Louisville restaurant. Pitino, a father of five, has admitted to making a mistake and having a, as he puts it, "lack of discretion." Pitino is outraged that on the day that Ted Kennedy died, all the Louisville media can do is keep covering the story. Guess what Rick, the story isn't going anywhere.

You would think by now with all of the liars that have been caught in their lies, that someone would just come out and tell the truth right from the beginning. Pitino had his "lack of discretion" six years ago and gave the woman $3000 dollars, she claims it was for an abortion, he claims it was for her to get medical insurance. Now Pitino has gone to the police because the woman was wanting more money and he is claiming that he is being extorted. Poor, poor Rick.

Let's just remember that there is a heartbroken wife and a family of five children that are in shock. It blows my mind that people can do such a thing to the family they love. As for Rick, don't worry, he wants to be there for his family. He also thinks that the media should concentrate on more important things in life, "Like the economy...and really crucial things like basketball." Glad to see that Rick has got his priorities straight. Oh and don't worry about Pitino and his confidence being diminished at all, "It has not hurt recruiting one bit. We still bring in top 10 players." Good for you Rick. Good for you.


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Hello Mountain Network...Good Bye Versus?

There is a report circling around on Monday, that DirectTV is in contract negotiations to renew its agreement with the Versus Channel (previously the Outdoor Life Channel). However if a deal can't be made by September 1st, when the contract runs out on their deal with Versus, DirecTV is prepared to drop the channel from its lineup all together. Versus currently airs MMA, NHL, PAC 10, MWC games and coverage of the Tour de France

Versus is considered the fastest growing sports channel with it being shown in 75 million homes up from 62 million homes just three years ago. Coverage of the Tour de France was up 137% in the demographic age group from 18-49 year olds. The biggest bone of contention, according to research firm SNL Kagen, Versus currently earns .18 cents per viewer and they are looking to increase that number.

If DirecTV holds to their guns, viewers could miss out on some big games. DirecTV added the Mountain West Sports Network in the past year to start covering MWC games but Versus is scheduled to show three college games with top 20 teams in them during September, highlighted by Texas vs. Wyoming on September 12. The NHL season starts three weeks after that. Versus had this to say about the situation, "Since our last deal with DirecTV, Versus has added many marquee properties and has become the fastest growing sports cable network in the country. Despite this tremendous momentum, we are offering DirecTV the ability to carry Versus the same way it does today at market price for the network."

Continue to check http://www.directv.com/, http://www.versus.com/ , http://www.ballhype.com/ and of course here for further updates.

Rivalries, Where Have You Gone?

With another Yankees-Red Sox series concluded this past weekend in Boston, it made me wonder. Have we lost all rivalries in sports? I think perhaps free agency has a lot to do with it. The same guys aren't on the same teams for their whole careers, heck, they sometimes sign with the team that is considered its former teams rival. But I really wonder if rivalries exist anymore or for that fact, matter anymore. When was the last time you heard anything juicy about a Dodgers-Giants series? What about a Celtics-76ers game? Remember when Bears-Packers games meant something?

Now I know everyone is going to say that there are still rivalries alive and strong today. The first example I will get will be Lakers vs. Celtics. Yea that was a good rivalry in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Sure they played in the 2008 NBA Finals and they play twice a year, but is there that real hatred for one another? Like in 1984 when Kevin Mchale knocked Kurt Rambis to the ground. Now I'm not advocating violence in order to be considered a rivalry, but there needs to be a general dislike for the other team to take a normal game or meeting to the next level.

Red Sox vs. Yankees is another one someone might point out. There really hasn't been any meaningful, hatred games since 2004. But even in that series, nothing crazy happened like in 2003 when, ring the fight bell, Pedro Martinez and Don Zimmer went at it. Sure Sox fans don't like Yanks fans and vice versa, but when Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon can come over from the Red Sox t0 the Yankees and Bernie Williams can be in serious contract talks with the Red Sox, that doesn't mean that the hatred is still alive.

Packers vs Bears, aww yes one of the oldest rivalries in the NFL. When was the last time you cared about a Packers, Bears game? Rivalries also have to affect the national level, not just the local level. That's why Jets-Dolphins, Cubs-Cardinals and Spurs-Mavs don't reach the rivalry level. I honestly think that in pro-sports, the rivalry is dead. College sports is another story. Let me know what you think!

Pac 10 and Big 10...What are you waiting for?

Alright, let's face it, the BCS isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's doubtful that we are ever going to see a playoff system. So let's try to make College Football as fair as possible for everyone. Sorry Fresno State fan. Sorry TCU fan. Sorry Memphis fan. You aren't going to like what I am going to say, but we need to start to make it fair for everyone. Everyone that matters.

First off, why are the Pac 10 and Big 10 so special? Why does every other major conference in the BCS have a conference championship game, but these two? I know, I hear the whining about there not being twelve teams in the Pac 10 and there being eleven teams in the Big 10. Well, there is an easy fix to that.

Pac 10 say hello to your new brothers from the state of Utah, The Runnin' Utes of Utah and the Cougars of Brigham Young University. They both have solid football programs. Both are are also good at basketball, something that can't be ignored when talking about adding a new school to a conference. They travel well and they are geographically located. So then you make a Pac 10 North and Pac 10 South. Up North you have Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Cal and Stanford. In the South you have Utah, BYU, UCLA, USC, Arizona and Arizona State. You don't break up any of the main rivalries. You are able to make recruiting a bit more regional and help with the travel costs as well.

Big 10 say hello to your new brother, Notre Dame. I know, I know, why would Notre Dame give up its plush independence status to join a conference. This just in, you don't have to give up your NBC network deal. You add more legitimacy to the Big 10. And Notre Dame fan, I have some bad news for you. You really aren't that relevant anymore and you need a shot in the arm to get back into the national discussion. I know, I'm heartbroken too that you won't get to play Navy, Army, Air Force, The Coast Guard, The National Guard and the local ROTC anymore. But guess what, you could play Indiana, Minnesota and Iowa every year. Not too shabby Golden Dommers. So the Big 10 err Big 11 err Elite 12 would be made up of Elite 12 West and Elite 12 East. In the East you would have Notre Dame, Penn State, Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State and Illinois and in the Elite 12 West you would have Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Iowa. You would still have some good old rivalries and some new ones. Who wouldn't love to see Notre Dame vs Ohio State at The Horseshoe?

These two changes would be huge for College Football. It is not fair that these two conferences can have teams run through their regular season and not have a loss and then wait for all the other conferences to have their conference championship games and watch the other undefeated teams either fall, or gain another top notch win. To level the playing field, these changes need to happen. Let me know what you think.

Greatest Sports Movies Of All Time

For some reason I still get a little teary-eyed when Ray Concetta (Kevin Costner) asks his Dad if he wants to have a catch? I know you have too, if you have seen Field Of Dreams. Or does the hair on your arms stand up when the members of the board are deciding if they should suspend the football program at a small university and the whole town is shouting, "WE ARE...MARSHALL." How much do you laugh when your hear that lovely Puerto Rican accent of Rosie Perez yelling at Billy Hoyle (Woody Harelson), "Billy, you lost all the F*%$#ing money!" Movies are great, but sports movies are the combination of two of our greatest passions, sports and entertainment.

There are three movies though that have really affected me and will never forget and can watch them over and over again.

1. The Natural -

This movie gets me on so many levels. A young man with so much talent, Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford), falls for the wrong woman and the perils of greatness. He loses all and never gives up. He faces a crooked owner, the Judge (Robert Prosky), a temptress, Memo Paris (Kim Basinger), the cranky never won anything manager, Pop Fisher (Wilford Brimley) and the loss of his bat (Boy Wonder) to give us one of the greatest moments on film. When Redford hits that ball into the lights and is rounding the bases with the sparks flying down, I can't help to think that it every boys dream. If you have never seen this movie before, go out now. I'm sure there is a redbox near your house that has it.

2. Rudy -

"You're five foot nothing, one hundred and nothing, and you barely have a spec of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football players in the land for two years." This is one of the greatest pep talks that was ever given in a sports movie. It was given by Fortune (Charles S. Dutton) to Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger (Sean Astin) when he was thinking about giving up because he wasn't going to be able to get on the field in a Notre Damn game. Rudy shows the courage that all of us need, not only on the football field but in the game of life.

3. Hoosiers -

"If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we're going to be winners." What an inspirational pep talk given by coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) to his players to get the best out of them. It's true, if we all follow Hackman's words in this movie, we are all winners. Plus, it's still pretty sweet to watch Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) sink jumpers all day long on South Bend Central High School.

Well, there you have it. I know I have left some of your favorites out, but that is why there is a comment section. Let me know what is your favorite sports movie and why.

Do You Really Need A Gun?

Ok, so when did all of these players in the NFL start thinking they were Tupac? Everyone is at the club all hours of the night, they all have an entourage and a lot of them are carrying concealed, unlicensed hand guns. When did it become so dangerous to be an athlete and when did these "big superstars" not save enough money to hire body guards, you know the ones that actually know how to use a gun without shooting themselves in the leg.

I know that was a cheap shot at Plaxico Burress, but he is just the latest in the long line of NFL players that seem to be having run ins with the law and even more scary is that these run ins usually have to deal with some type of fire arm issue. In 2006, the average NFL salary was 1.4 million dollars. Backups are making that, heck practice squad guys are making six figures. So why can't these individuals, who are thinking that they might be mobbed at any second by a psycho fan, hire protection or I don't know, get a gun licence? Seems to me it is better then showing up on Sportscenter or the front page of the Los Angeles Times.

Unfortunately, players today think they are invincible and above the law. They can't be role models because they never had role models themselves. They think that they can do whatever they want, whenever they want. Why do they think that, because we tell them so, that's why. We live in a country where a drunk driver can hit someone and kill them and only get 23 days in jail, yes Donte' Stallworth, I'm talking about you. Our judicial system has allowed someone to be apart of a murder and allow them to plea bargain out of it to get one year probation, yes Ray Lewis, I'm talking about you. How many times has Adam "Pacman" Jones been arrested or in trouble with the law? Nine times and guess what, one of them he was directly involved in a nightclub shooting.

I want to feel bad for these celebrities that are truly scared and nervous that something might happen to them if they go out unarmed to the grocery store to buy a carton of milk. But, it's not like we are in Serbia and the militia is going to come around the corner and gun you down. I want to feel something for them, but I can't. I can't because honestly I can't tell anymore who is doing it because they are generally scared or who is doing it because they think they are a bad ass. Grow up. Realize that the world doesn't revolve around you. Change your lifestyle. Yea it might suck that you can't go out like everyone else and go shopping. Well, boo hoo! Just break out your platinum American Express card and order online next time.

Yea, My Team Won....Again!

So we all know the type of person I'm about to talk about. The person that always has the brand new jersey. The one who always seems to have his team winning a championship. The spectator that doesn't even know who the starting right fielder of his team is. You know who I'm talking about. I'm talking about bandwagon fan.

It must be nice not to have gone through horrible moments like Buckner in '86 or the Titans in '99 or the Cavs in '89. Wouldn't it be great to not be committed to a team. To have a little bit of you die when their hearts are ripped out right in front of their faces. I swear when Magic hit his little baby hook in '87 I felt like that poor Thuggee follower about to go right into the pit of lava after Mola Ram ripped his heart out. Oh boy wouldn't it have been great to go, hmmm, go Lakers, as I took off my Celtics hat and put on my crisp purple and gold Laker hat? Aww, that would have been nice.

No, what really would have been great would have been not walking out of the bar in '97 when the Packers beat the 49ers to chants of "Nanana nanana hey hey hey goodbye." Those memories are so much fun to rehash. It would have been so much easier to sneak in to the men's room and come out with a cheese head on and asked for another brawt. So think about it. Think of all the sports fans you have run into. Any of them sound like the kind that you probably think have about seven or eight different hats in their closet, one for each time they changed teams?

Real fans don't give up when the going gets tough. They still wear their Eckersley jersey the next day even after he practically lobs a slow pitch softball to a guy that can barely stand on one leg and needed a walker to get around the bases after he hits a homerun that sets the tone for the '88 series in one of the biggest sports upsets ever. I mean come on, how did the Dodgers actually win that series, their second best pitcher was Tim Belcher. I mean what the .... I digress a little and just ask that the next time you see one of these "fans" wearing their brand new Angels hat, you ask them if they can tell you who Donnie Moore was. If they don't shed a tear, they're not a true fan!

This Is The End!

Here we go again. On Tuesday, Brett Favre officially signed on with the Minnesota Vikings to be their starting quarterback for the 2009 season. He will start in this Friday's preseason game against Kansas City in Minneapolis.

For the past four months Favre has flirted with the Vikings to the point that he bought a house in Minneapolis and rented rooms in Green Bay for their game against the Packers on November 1st. Favre even went so far as to have surgery to repair his elbow that he injured last season while playing with the New York Jets. Then all of a sudden, Favre announced that he was staying retired and he would not be signing on with the Jets. Vikings head coach Brad Childress said that he was sticking with either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels as his starting quarterbacks.

Then on Monday, Fox Sports' writer Jay Glazier was reporting that members of the Vikings didn't believe that the Favre saga was completely done and then within the next twenty four hours Favre was on Vikings owner Ziggy Wilf's private plane and being flown up from Gulfport, Mississippi to sign a new deal and by late afternoon the familiar number four was on the Vikings practice field.

Rumors were running rampant all day that Favre and the Vikings were just using the retirement as a smoke screen and the real reason Favre wasn't in until today was because he didn't want to participate in training camp and have to live in the dorm style facility that he would have had to. With the Vikings breaking camp on August 13, Favre won't have to deal with that anymore. What does that say for Jackson and Rosenfels? Were they in on the alleged secret?

We as sports fans had to deal with the Favre three ring circus last off-season with the, "will he, won't he" retirement question. Well at least now with a signed contract we know that Favre will be a Viking for at least this year and possibly next. The question remains, what kind of quarterback did the Vikings just sign? Is this the youthful, energetic forty year old that was throwing six touchdowns in a game and smiling like a school boy leading the Jets to a 8-3 start last season? Or is it the broken down, injury prone, has-been, that led the Jets to their 1-4 finish and missed the playoffs?

Whichever quarterback the Vikings get, one thing is for certain. October 5th and November 1st just got a whole lot more interesting. Those are the two regular season dates when the Vikings and the Packers will play. To me a more fitting end to this story would be to see those two teams play a third time in the NFC title game and let the feud end on the field. As for me. I really like Favre and I want him to do well. I just won't go through another should I stay or should I go now saga with him again. The next time it happens, and it probably will, I will just change the channel. Just like most of America will.

Are We Ever Going To Learn?

I played as a kid as I am sure that most of you did. AYSO is a great organization and I, along with millions of other kids, played soccer....until I was seven. Then something amazing happened, I could hit a baseball, catch a football and shoot a basketball. USA Soccer has tried so hard to be a world power among the likes of Mexico, Germany and France, but USA Soccer has one major disadvantage, there are way too many sports to play as a youth and the best athletes don't always choose soccer, most of the time they don't even think about playing soccer.

I know, Germany has a good basketball team. I know Mexico has a good baseball team. I know France did well in NFL Europe. Thing is, soccer is the main sport in those countries, as well as a majority of the other soccer powers. When the youth decides what sport they want to play there, there usually isn't a question of which sport they are going to choose, soccer is the choice. In the USA, Lebron James chose to play basketball, Derek Jeter chose to play baseball, Randy Moss chose to play football. Could Landon Donovan have played another professional sport? Maybe? Probably?

USA Soccer gets close to being in the conversation as a world soccer power. An almost victory against Mexico recently. An upset of top ranked Spain and then next game we get smoked by Mexico. The game was played on U.S. soil. All I am saying is that USA Soccer fans can, and should, root for the Americans to do well, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. We are along way from being a world power in soccer!

NASCAR.....Why?

Someone needs to explain the allure of NASCAR and why it has so many fans. I can understand why you go to a NASCAR event. Lots of people, pretty girls, partying, the chance of seeing someone get in a good wreck. I get all that, but for the sport itself, why are people so interested in it? I get road courses a little bit more, at least there are different turns there. But traditional racing, going around and around, stopping for gas and tires and then going around and around again, I just don't get it. Maybe I need to research the topic a bit more. So here I go with the history of NASCAR.

NASCAR was started by Bill France, Sr. in 1947. However, racing actually began back in 1903 when there was racing on some beach you might have heard of, Daytona. France was a mechanic who moved to Daytona in 1935 and noticed that people enjoyed watching racing. So on December 14, 1947 NASCAR was created. The initial point system was actually written on a bar napkin when France and other original organizers of NASCAR were discussing how to run it. Originally there were three divisions, Modified, Roadster and Strictly Stock. Modified and Roadster were not widely accepted and NASCAR shrank down to "Strictly Stock" and held its first "Stock" event at Charlotte Speedway on February 19, 1948 (This is not the same track as the modern Charlotte Motor Speedway). The event though is the same and is still part of the NASCAR racing schedule.

Over the years the sponsors names have changed. From 1970, when R.J. Reynolds sponsored the "Winston Cup", to more recently in 2004 when Sprint Nextel took over sponsoring and changed the name to the "Sprint Cup". ABC started to air partial and full racing in 1970 and the first "Flag to Flag" Daytona 500 was broadcast in 1979. There have been many famous names to drive for NASCAR such as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt and in recent years the money to be earned has grown significantly.

I am still not sold on why NASCAR is so appealing to so many people, but there is no arguing that many many people follow it as intensely, if not more intensely, as other sports fans. I know it has been one of the fastest growing sports and has even become trendy to watch, but I need to be convinced. Please, someone give me a reason to watch. Anyone?

Michael Vick's Long Journey Back

There are some things in life that no matter what you do you can't redeem yourself from. There are some people that are going to have an opinion of you that you won't be able to change no matter what good deeds you do. If Michael Vick isn't in a no-win situation, he is pretty close to it. Vick is trying to resurrect not only his NFL playing career but also his life and his public perception. The former Atlanta Falcon took another step towards both by signing a one year contract today with the Philadelphia Eagles with a team option for a second year.

Vick was recently released from prison after serving eighteen months of a twenty three month sentence for funding and running a dog fighting ring. Vick's name first came up in April of 2007 about his potential involvement in the ring. By August, he had come to a plea deal with the district attorney and by November of 2007 he started to serve his prison term. During his time in prison Vick was visited by numerous people, but the person that seems to have made the biggest impact is former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy.

During Friday's press conference Dungy recalled the first time that he visited with Vick in Leavenworth prison. "I asked Mike, where was the Lord in all of this? He kind of explained to me his spiritual walk growing up, and the fact that when he got to the NFL, that was one of the mistakes he made. He felt that he didn't need the Lord anymore." Dungy went on to add, "With some of the things that happened, he felt like he needed to turn back, and that's when I really felt that this young man is going in the right direction."

Obviously Dungy's assessment of Vick's mentality now and his want to correct the many wrongs in his life played a significant role in the Eagles signing him. Eagles owner, Jeffrie Lurie still sounded like someone that wasn't completely convinced of Vick's new attitude when he said, "I needed to see a lot of self-hatred in order to approve this." Vick showed plenty of that during his press conference on Friday at one point stating, "I know I've done some terrible things, made a horrible mistake. No I want to be part of the solution and not the problem."

The question now to answer is will the general public forgive what Michael Vick did? They will never forget what he did, but can they accept his apology? Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue in the Philadelphia suburbs said that they will be renting three billboards blasting the Eagles for signing Vick. "I'm really shocked that he is coming to Philadelphia. He keeps talking about second chances. The dogs didn't get second chances." True, that dogs didn't get a second chance, but Michael Vick is. Are we going to allow him to redeem himself?

Is 2009 A Bad Year For Tiger If He Doesn't Win The PGA Championship?

Some PGA players don't win five tournaments during their career. Tiger Woods has won five tournaments this year alone. There are six players tied for second place with two wins. He has ten top ten finishes this year in only twelve events. Second place is occupied by two people, the first being someone you probably have never heard of, Kevin Na, and secondly by Steve Stricker. They needed twenty-one and seventeen events each to get there. However, there are rumblings that if Tiger Woods doesn't win the PGA Championship going on at Hazeltine this weekend that 2009 is a failure and the most laughable whisper that is going around is that he is losing his grip on the rest of the PGA Tour.



Tiger has a scoring average of 68.15, which leads the PGA Tour. By the way, that is more than a full stroke better than the person in second place, Steve Stricker at 69.22. Tiger has made about three million dollars more than the next closest player on the money list. He is four and a half points better (12.93) then the next closest person in the world golf rankings, Phil Mickelson is a distant number two (8.27). However it still seems that there is the thought out there that somehow Tiger is slipping. Oh, I forgot to mention one more thing. He had major knee surgery last year and shouldn't even be playing this well right now. Most people wouldn't even be on a golf course right now.



Is Tiger Woods slipping? Is he losing his death grip on the PGA Tour? Tiger hasn't lost his killer instinct yet. He is number one in scoring average, 68.35, on the back nine of tournaments. He still gets into his opponents heads, just ask Padraig Harrington when Tiger was down three last week at Firestone going into the final round and he chased him down and by the turn had the lead and never looked back. Is Tiger on the downside of his career? The fact that we are asking these questions and that Tiger has to read about them should keep the rest of the players on the Tour up at night. So what if Tiger doesn't win this week? Well, that might just be the motivation he needs going into next year. Don't look now though, Tiger is up one on the field after the first round. Did I mention that his first round scoring average this year is his highest of all his rounds.



Good luck field, you're going to need it!

NBA Free Agency....Winners and Losers

Now that there has been a little over a month since the NBA free agency signing period began, let's look back to some of the key signings that have taken place and list some of the winners and the losers. Remember, this will not cover any trades or draft picks that have happened, but only free agents signed or lost.

Winners

Los Angeles Lakers - Not only were they able to re-sign two key free agents, F Lamar Odom and G Shannon Brown, but they were able to get a perennial all star, and headache, in F Ron Artest. Even though they lost F Trevor Ariza, to the Rockets, the signing of Artest is a sizable one on defense. Artest can guard the other teams best player at the two, three and sometimes four position. Artest was a better 3-point shooter last year (39.9%-31.9%) and has always been known for being a great defender. Even if the Lakers had lost Odom, they would have still been winners with the Artest signing.

Boston Celtics - The Celtics were already a pretty deep team to begin with, but their depth was put to the test last year when at certain times of the year, F/C Kevin Garnett, F Leon Powe, F Brian Scalabrine and G Tony Allen went down with injuries. Powe just signed a two year contract with the Cavaliers, but the Celtics had the luxury of letting him go after landing his replacement earlier this summer. Boston signed F/C Rasheed Wallace to a three year contract. Wallace had a down year last season (12.0 ppg, his lowest since his rookie season in Washington, 95-96, 10.1 ppg) but now is teamed up with fellow intense low post players in Garnett, Kendrick Perkins to form one of the most intimidating front courts in the NBA. The Celtics also resigned F Glen "Big Baby" Davis to a 2 year contract and former lottery pick F Sheldon Williams. Also, former Indiana Pacers F/G Marquis Daniels has verbally committed to coming to the Celtics via either a sign and trade or a free agent signing.

Detroit Pistons - GM Joe Dumars has completely stripped away the team the won the NBA championship only five short years ago. Things don't look so bleak in Motown, not with the additions of G Ben Gordan and F/C Charlie Villanueva, both whom the Pistons signed immediately after the free agent signing period was initiated. The Pistons also added some more bulk on the front court with the signing of F Chris Wilcox. Detroit did lose some front court help in F Antonio Mcdyess (signed with the Spurs) and back court help in not re-signing G Allen Iverson.

Losers

New York Knicks - This was suppose to be the last summer before the King was coming to town. The Knicks were supposed to be dumping salaries to free up cap room for the summer of 2010 while still adding quality, low-cost pieces to entice Lebron James to come to New York. They have not signed any free agents and have lost two serviceable pieces in F Chris Wilcox (signed with Detroit) and G Quentin Richardson (trade with Memphis). Explain to me why Lebron will want to come to New York besides hanging out with his friend Jay-Z and scoping on his wife?

Chicago Bulls - OK, so you just come off one of the most memorable playoff series ever, you have a ROY in Derrick Rose who looks like he is going to be a star, you made a great trade to get F John Salmons and C Brad Miller, G Ben Gordon looks like a mix between Ray Allen and Allen Iverson and then you sign nobody? In fact you let Gordon walk and F Tim Thomas walk. You flirt with trading for F Carlos Boozer, you think about F/C Amare Stoudemire and at the end of the day you do nothing. Well, I guess Bulls fans will be happen to know that Chicago native, and 2010 free agent to be, Dwayne Wade just bought a house in downtown Chicago. Here's to next summer!

Los Angeles Clippers - Wow, so you won the lottery and got F Blake Griffin. You have a shooting machine in G Eric Gordon, you have a big name in G Baron Davis and the Clippers sign....Tony Brown? That would be assistant coach Tony Brown. The Clippers flirted with Iverson, they flirted with trading Davis back to Golden State but as L.A. is accustomed to doing, they did nothing. This would have been the summer to throw money into the wind, sign a couple of big names. Can you imagine Davis leading the break, Griffin on one side, Iverson on the other side and C Shaquille O'neal trailing (salaries would have matched up for a few players). What could have been. Well at least there will be another good player in the lottery next year Clipper fans.

There were lots of big trades that happened in the NBA this summer, i.e. F/G Vince Carter to Orlando, F/G Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto, F Shawn Marion to Dallas, but teams that really go for it go for it with the free agent market and some teams hit home runs, some teams strike out and some teams never leave the locker room.

Daddy....What are steroids?

I know the question is coming. Every time I hear the word on a sports report, I know I'm closer to being asked about it. Are you prepared to answer the curious inquiry....."Daddy, what are steroids?" That might be an easy enough question to answer. "Well honey, it's a medicine that you can take to help you get stronger.""Ok, Daddy, who uses it?" "Well, the people that play sports on T.V. do." "Ok, why do they do that Daddy?" "Well sweetie, they do it to get better." "Ok, so if I take them can I play on T.V. too?

Why is the best question that your child could ask you, but can you answer it? Let's look at that simple question closer. Why? Well, why do the players take it? Easy enough question to answer, right? To improve their physical tools. Whether it is to get stronger, quicker or faster. Or if it is to recover quicker from an injury. Or if it is just to regain energy quicker, it's still improving their physical tools. Well, those are reasons players use steroids, but is it easy to understand why they actually use them?

Now we as fans need to understand why we continue to watch and support players that are using steroids. I'm guilty of it just like you are. I can justify it like, well everyone else is doing it so why should I care? I can empathize with the person, not the player, that has a family at home and may lose his job if he doesn't produce. I can dream like the player who will make the big bucks, have the fans adore him and have the girls chasing him. But what am I saying about myself as a person watching a sport that I am pretty sure has players in it that are using steroids or some PED (performance enhancing drugs)?

Its not like we are the first generation of sports fans to have to deal with players using PEDs. Amphetamines in baseball in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Steroids in football and track and field in the 80's. Cocaine and marijuana in basketball in the 80's and 90's. It's just now the time to finally look ourselves in the mirror and ask the question of why do I support sports that I know are not 100% free of PEDs? More so, are we setting the right example for our kids?

Here is what I have come up with. Yes, all sports are not 100% clean. Probably more players use some type of PED then don't. It is our job as Dads to educate our kids about PEDs and the dangers in using them. It is also our job to instill a quality work ethic and let them know that hard work should win out. Finally, we need to explain to them the sports are a form of entertainment and should be taken with a grain of salt. So the next time you are watching a sports program and the word steroids is mentioned, before you start to sweat, think about what you are going to say when the inevitble question is asked.