Sports Scenes from Europe, pt 1

I just saw my second Chicago White Sox jacket within 5 minutes here on the streets of Barcelona. There must be a big White Sox contingent in Barcelona or perhaps Antoni Gaudi was a baseball fan? Neither are likely and both are incorrect.

I have noticed most of the Catalan people in Barcelona are progressively, often fashionably, dressed. This is a culturally vibrant city after all. The jeans are ripped by designers and the belts stand out. Their shirts are worn to draw attention to either a design or certain body parts. [“Quit starring at the girl’s breasts, Billy”].

One item of clothing you will not find is a baseball hat. Ball caps are seldom worn, at least not in the winter months. This does not stop people from supporting their favorite sports team. (FC Barcelona is THE team, religion, sports symbol of Barcelona. The Gods of Messe and Henry rule this town, but I’m not here to point this point out.) Percentage-wise, the people in Barcelona wear just as many U.S. sports jersey’s as fans back in the States.* I have seen shirts and jackets from teams ranging from the Packers, Yankees, Red Sox, Lakers, Bulls, Cubs, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

I chalked this up as just America exporting its culture and a foreign nation adopting this as cool. I also thought they liked these teams because they saw a game once or liked a certain player. Perhaps they even liked the sport and just wanted to show support. I own a FC Barcelona jersey for this reason.

It was in Berlin that I discovered a few insights into the European fascination with U.S. sports regalia. In Berlin, I found more Berliners wearing hats of their favorite teams. Here the I found Yankees and Braves hats popular, among other teams. On my first night, I asked Joe, a metal guitar player, why he wore a Yankees cap. (seen here not in hat)

“[Joe,] I noticed your Yankees hat. Are you a fan of the Yankees?”

“No.” He said. “I like the city. I want to visit [New York] one day, something I have always wanted to do.”

There you have it. Joe and many other Europeans know nothing of baseball or [American] football, but use the symbols of our sports teams to hold on to their desire to visit America one day.** This sentiment was echoed but I still do not see it ringing true.

Seeing the Braves hats et al. worn on the heads of both East and West Berliners brought me comfort in knowing that we not only have a kick-ass baseball team, but we export the shit out of it as well. Even if we as baseball fans in America are not buying into the sport like in the past, at least our friends in the rest of the world are supporting our local clubs.


*I am not checking facts I make up
**As a representative European, I will generalize Joe’s opinion to be true of all Europeans


WRudolph is not on assignment but has decided to recount his sports encounters on a recent trip to Barcelona and Berlin. Stay tuned for more updates
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Falcons and Brooking Part Ways as Free Agent Pool Opens

Long-time Falcons LB Keith Brooking and the Atlanta Falcons have finally parted ways after contract negotiations broke down prior to the midnight deadline - making Brooking a free agent.

Brooking is just the latest veteran player to be let go by Atlanta, following S Lawyer Milloy. The combination of big-money contracts, declining ability and quality young talent has led to their release. Its safe to argue that they weren't released at the same time as Alge Crumpler and Warrick Dunn last season because the team needed some veteran holdovers to help facilitate a smooth transition. Now a year later, the veterans are gone, and the pressure now squarely lies on the young players, mostly in their second and third seasons. That's not to say GM Thomas Dimitroff won't acquire new talent via free agency or the draft, but overall its clear that the team is going younger.

LB Michael Boley, CB Domonique Foxworth and DE Chauncey Davis also became free agents.

Looking around the league, Brooking wasn't the only high-profile name to become a free agent last night. Former Falcons Pro-Bowl CB DeAngelo Hall will return to the Washington Redskins for an estimated $54M over six years. This makes Hall one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the NFL. This is the second time in two years that Hall has struck a monster deal, following his disastrous half-season with the Raiders. Oakland released Hall after eight games, and he was picked up by Washington a week later. He tallied two interceptions with the 'Skins in seven games, tied for the team lead. Hall put aside his personal conduct problems when he arrived in Washington, but his history of off-field distractions in Atlanta and in Oakland (coupled with his declining on-field production) certainly doesn't warrant one of the largest contracts in the league. Typical Redskins.

Speaking of which, the 'Skins threw even more money at DT Albert Haynesworth. The All-Pro tackle was the center of a flurry of rumors by Falcons fans about whether owner Arthur Blank would open the checkbook to sign him. Last week the team made it clear they wouldn't be writing any $100M checks, which kept Haynesworth out of the picture. Now he'll suit up alongside DeAngelo Hall, Jason Taylor and a high-priced Redskins team that started last year on fire before fading away by December. Haynesworth was signed this morning to a 7-year deal worth $100M (or up to $115M including performance bonuses). $41M is guaranteed, the bulk of which he'll earn in the next calendar year. Certainly too rich for many teams, Haynesworth landed exactly where many analysts predicted.

The free agent signing period has only been open for nine hours, and the Redskins have already agreed to spend over $150M. Owner Dan Snyder has built a reputation of over-paying for veteran players, something he stepped away from last season by largely keeping the checkbook closed (they traded for Jason Taylor). But this offseason, and during a recession, he seems bent on becoming the Yankees of football by spending the cash he thinks will put his team over the top and come out of the best division in the NFL. I think their success still relies on the ability of Jason Campbell and the health of Clinton Portis. If their offense clicks next season, they could certainly be a threat to the Giants, Eagles and that other team.
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The Braves Can Be Competitive This Year, Barring Setbacks

This afternoon at 1pm, the Atlanta Braves will head to Lakeland, Florida to take on the Detroit Tigers in their Spring Training opener. Sophomore sensation Jair Jurrjens will face his former club as he makes the start.

There are plenty of new faces in the clubhouse after a flurry of activity this offseason. With new acquisitions comes new expectations for a Braves team now three full seasons removed from the playoffs. While the general idea of Frank Wren's moves was to bridge the gap between the present and the highly-talented future, he's managed to shape a club that has a chance to be competitive now - in the National League's toughest division.

Let's rundown what must happen if the Braves have any chance of becoming a winning franchise once more:


Starters Must Eat Innings. New guys Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami were brought in mainly because of their reputation as innings eaters. With little to no injury history for any of them, at least two-hundred innings pitched is a reasonable expectation. Last season as one starter after another fell to injury, the bullpen had to pick up the slack and fill in those middle innings early in the season. By August they had no arms left. This year it'll take four healthy starters (Jurrjens should be a 200+ IP guy too) to keep the fragile bullpen from breaking down.

Relievers Must Stay Healthy. Speaking of the bullpen, the final three innings look rather menacing if Moylan, Soriano then Gonzalez take the mound. But that's a huge "if". Soriano's string of injuries and health problems seems to get more ridiculous and neverending (his upper-respiratory problem this spring doesn't bode well). Moylan is ten months removed from Tommy John surgery, so don't expect him to pitch until May - but even then, he likely won't be 100%. Gonzo says he's in the best shape of his life, and I don't doubt him. He looked great last year, and its safe to assume that the farther removed from his Tommy John operation, the better he will be. All that said, the Braves have an opportunity to line up three dominant-closer-like pitchers at the end of every ballgame. Game over.

Someone Must Drive in Runs. Yunel, Chipper and McCann are going to get on base, there's no doubt. But who's going to drive them in? The biggest knock against the Braves this offseason is who is going to drive in runs (besides the All-Stars)? We lack any true power hitters now, bundling together a group of solid 15-25 HR guys. While driving the ball over the fence may come at a premium, landing one in the gap will be quite common. This is a doubles team. The question becomes whether Francoeur can overcome a terrible 2008 and step up with runners on, whether Garret Anderson can continue being a top-tier run producer in a new lineup, and whether the top of the order can get on base in front of Chipper and McCann. Gone are the days of waiting for the big home-run from Andruw or Tex, its time for the Braves to play small ball, move runners over, and sustain rallies.

Prospects Must Live Up to Potential. Jordan Schafer might come out of Spring as the starting center-fielder, Tommy Hanson might be in the rotation come July, and the future of the lineup rests on the bat of young Jason Heyward. These top prospects and others (see Freddie Freeman, Gorkys Hernandez, Kris Medlen, etc.) have to live up to their potential if the Braves stand any chance at sustaining a winning franchise. All of the new faces this year will serve as the bridge until the young guns can be called up. If they're brought up and disappoint, it's back to the drawing board for the front office.

The Battery Must Work Together. Brian McCann leaves this weekend to start practicing with his USA World Baseball Classic team (along with Chipper Jones). That leaves the three new starting pitchers with two to three weeks of not practicing with their everyday battery-mate. Derek Lowe has spoken out that its a big adjustment for new pitchers and catchers to get on the same page. McCann's decision (and the Braves' decision to let him) to play in the WBC greatly limits his ability to establish a report with his new pitchers. Even worse is the addition of Kawakami, who likely will need to establish an elaborate series of signs and key phrases that both players will understand (unless McCann already knows Japanese). If there's any lack of strong communication between the battery mates going into the regular season, it might lead to setbacks in making the pitchers comfortable.

Legends Must Retire as Braves. Though not directly impacting the wins and losses, the fans of Atlanta deserve to see their local legends retire as Braves. After John Smoltz jumped ship for Boston, its become more apparent that the fanbase needs its heroes to stay in town. Chipper is beginning negotations on a long-term extension that should keep him here until he retires. Tom Glavine signed a one-year deal to return home, for likely his last season. Should 2011 come around and Chipper, Glavine, and Hudson are all gone (through either retirement or free agency), fans are going to need reasons to stick with the team. Player loyalty breeds fan loyalty, and Frank Wren did a good job of repairing the damage caused by Smoltz's departure. Let's hope the front office realized what it means to keep our heroes in a Braves uniform in the future.

I know Braves fans are hesitant to jump back on the wagon, expecting another down season for their hometown team. But things are looking up, and barring a few setbacks, this could be a surprising year for Atlanta. Despite the Phillies, Mets and Marlins standing in our way, its not out of the question to be playing meaningful games come August and Septemeber.
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Can Lightning Strike Twice? Falcons to Build Through Draft

Last year Thomas Dimitroff came over from the New England Patriots to become the new General Manager for the Atlanta Falcons. That meant hiring a new coach and staff, finding a new quarterback, and a new running back, and improve the team just enough to win more than one or two games. One year later, Dimitroff is Executive of the Year, his coach won Coach of the Year (Mike Smith), his new quarterback won Rookie of the Year (Matt Ryan), his new running back was a Pro Bowler and MVP Runner-up (Michael Turner) - oh, and the Falcons won eleven games and went to the playoffs.

So can lightning strike twice for the young GM? Can he drastically improve his club for a second straight offseason? Maybe. But if he does, it'll be through the draft.



Since mid-season, Atlanta fans have been buzzing with thoughts of Albert Haynesworth sporting red and black. The former Titan became a free agent at season's end, and there was no doubt that Arthur Blank and the Falcons would make a run at the 2-time All-Pro defensive tackle. But last week things changed. Dimitroff spoke out saying there would be no run at Haynesworth, too rich for our gold-laced blood. There is a fear that a high-paid Haynesworth may become too relaxed, enjoy his money, and become the latest in a long list of athletes to enjoy Atlanta nightlife a bit too much. No, Dimitroff is saying, we need to stick with building from within. We may go through free agency to fill a couple of needs, but there will be no monster contracts handed out.

That leaves us with one way to improve this team (besides cutting dead weight): the draft. And wouldn't you know it, the combine is this week! That's right folks, check out NFL Network to see the college stars of last year jump through hoops and run really fast in front of pro scouts unwilling to watch game film. So what revelations does Dimitroff except to occur in Indianapolis this week? Nothing. He, unlike some GM's on some teams, uses the combine as a supplement. He comes in knowing which players he likes, which positions he needs, and uses the combine more as a "highlight to revisit," Dimitroff told the AJC.

“In the end, it’s how the player performs on the field. It’s production. Is he a football player? I would much rather take a guy who is a half-inch short or a quarter of a step slow who is a passionate, tough, smart football player.”

This should come as good news to Falcons fans. Not just his approach to the combine, but his approach to free agency and team-building in general. We're beginning to see a trend in Atlanta sports: go cheap. Ever since Ted Turner and Michael Vick skipped town, its been rare to see record-breaking contracts in Atlanta. Braves GM Frank Wren has shaped a ball club reliant on the potential of top prospects (while the Yankees give Mark Teixeira $22.5M). Hawks GM Rick Sund kept a young core of talented players to keep his team competitive (while the Mavericks trade their future for an over-the-hill Jason Kidd). Thomas Dimitroff follows this new-found Atlanta philosophy by not only keeping a modest team budget, but also by keeping a young, talented core of players to build around.

Does keeping Keith Brooking or Lawyer Milloy at a high price make more sense than drafting a faster, equally physical player who makes the league minimum? Does bringing in Haynesworth or Ray Lewis on top-dollar deals make more sense than spending the same amount on an entire defensive line?

I think Dimitroff has the right idea here, but only time will tell if lightning has struck at all for the young GM. If the Falcons don't post their first back-to-back winning seasons, it will be hard for fans to accept this approach - especially with Arthur Blank's wallet behind the scenes.
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Braves Sign Anderson, Fill Void in Left Field

After losing out on signing Ken Griffey, the Braves have moved on and brought in veteran LF Garret Anderson. The reported deal is worth $2.5M for one year.

Naturally this is being reported by AJC.com, so you might think, "did we really sign him?" Well don't be too shocked that its likely true. Since Anderson was our second option after Griffey, it makes sense that we'd bring in the life-long Angels lefty on the cheap. Anderson is a three-time all-star, averaging over 20HR and 100RBI in each of his fifteen Major League seasons.

Its probably safe to assume that Anderson would assume the same platoon role planned for Griffey: Matt Diaz will start against lefties while Anderson starts against righties.

This all sounds like a safe way to hold the fort until top prospect Jason Heyward can take the reins. It follows the trend GM Frank Wren appears set to follow: sign veterans on the cheap as a stop-gap until the prospects can take over. I love this trend. You have to assume that enough GMs out there (who don't have $100M to spend every winter) have seen teams like the Dodgers and Yankees sink way too much money into overpaid veterans while sacrificing their farm system for short-term gains. Sure the Braves haven't made the playoffs in three years now, but we're finally developing the top-tier farm system that helped build a dynasty nearly twenty years ago. We've locked in a strong core of Chipper, McCann, and Lowe while prospects Heyward, Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schaefer and Freddie Freeman wait in the wings.

The future is bright for Atlanta, and after struggling early in the offseason it appears that Frank Wren has found his stride. Its time to get excited about Atlanta Braves baseball again.

The first game of Spring Training is this Wednesday.
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AJC got it wrong, Hudson has words!

I really can't help myself, and I know I have written about Griffey a lot this week, but there is more Braves/Griffey news to tell. Rumors have it, that
the recent miss fire by beat write Dave O'Brien in the AJC may have aided Griffey's decision to go to Seatle.

Tim Hudson seems to be of this mind. Yahoo sports is reporting:

... there was clearly some bitterness over the turn of events, some of it directed at media outlets that reported Griffey had decided to play for Atlanta. Pitcher Tim Hudson got into a heated argument in the clubhouse with a newspaper reporter, claiming his story angered Griffey and led him to back out of dealings with the Braves. A team official had to step in and lead Hudson to a back room.

We can only presume, since the Braves have only two beat writers, O'Brien and Bowman, and since only one of them writes for a 'newspaper' then these 'heated words' were directed at Mr. O'Brien.

Dave O'Brien defends himself on his blog (b.t.w. that title is strikingly similar to my last post):

But let’s be clear: What we wrote was a story that said Griffey told a close friend that he had decided to play for the Braves over the Mariners. We wrote it, because that’s what the close friend told our Terry Moore, who goes back a long way with them (Moore is from Cincy, like Griffey).

We did not write that Griffey had agreed to a contract, or that he’d even told the Braves he was going to sign with them. We wrote that Griffey told his good friend that he had decided to play for the Braves.

Now, as for the headline in today’s paper, I knew nothing of it until tonight, when someone at the paper informed me that it said “Griffey to play for Braves.” Folks, I’m in Florida, and I send my stories to the paper, not headlines. I have absolutely no control over headlines in the paper.

...

If we’d written something that was erroneous, if I’d written that Griffey had agreed to terms with the Braves, that’d be one thing. We did not write that, at least I don’t think we did.

Hudson has a right to be upset - we all wanted griffey - but I find it hard to believe that someone would choose to move accross the country (Griffey lives in Orlando) because of one idiot report.

I have read the AJC my entire life, and never can I remember such a failing by the sports desk. I haven't read a formal contraction, correction, or for that matter an apology. Don't apologize to Griffey. The AJC and Dave O'Brien owe an apology to the paper's loyal readers and to Braves fans everywhere for simply screwing up.

That's right, you blew it, so fess up!
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Griffey To Atlanta, Not. He's going to Seatle.

All week long, I have read headlines about Griffey and the Braves. Even one that said he has already picked from our home town paper, the AJC.

NOW! Jerry Crasnick over on espn.com is reporting that Griffey has finally chosen Seatle.

The Braves were hoping to sign Griffey as a platoon partner for Matt Diaz in left field, and Griffey appeared energized by the prospect of playing so close to home and spending spring training in Orlando.

But the Griffey-to-Atlanta momentum hit the skids Tuesday afternoon, when the sentimental lure of Seattle apparently began to tug at him. One person close to Griffey said he had an "agonizing'' 24 hours trying to decide between the Braves and Mariners.

That's right, the long wait is over, we finally know. Griffey will not be a Brave this year, so sad. But with the reporting on this storey being so poor, there is still a chance Crasnick may be wrong, but I really doubt it.

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Late to the Party, ESPN Steals My Article

Eight days ago after, A-Roid was exposed, I wrote an article (HERE) about baseball MVP's in the steroid era, and re-awarded many of them to the non-alleged-cheaters. Albert Pujols got four to add to his two, Moises Alou got one, Frank Thomas another, and so on.

Today, ESPN's Rick Reilly was given a front page article on their website - one that says the exact same things. Its in their magazine too. It proclaims him as being special for looking back and taking away those awards wrongfully given to those we now call cheaters (Bonds, Juan Gone, A-Rod, etc.). Hundreds of thousands of people are going to read this column, between the website and the magazine - hell maybe even a million or two. It'll probably get talked about on Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight and that thing they show in the daytime with pizza or whatever.

So kudos to you Rick Reilly and your massively heightened exposure, because without you I might not have gotten worked up and suddenly a quest to find you in a dark alley behind the seediest strip club in the most drug-riddled town in America - and smack you in the face.

Here's the link, Rick: http://www.dirtysouthsports.com/2009/02/dirty-stats-delves-into-mvp-voting-in.html

Here it is again: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/122301-dirty-stats-delves-into-mvp-voting-in-the-steroid-era

Written and published February 10, 2009. I'll take your article as a compliment to the strength of my ideas. Thank you.
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I want Griffey

I want him. That's right, he should be a brave. No doubt about it.

Well now that you know my opinion on the subject, let me tell you why. I present my arguments fourfold.

Point number one. Ken Griffey Jr. has been in a braves uniform before (as a ball boy). See this picture courtesy of talkingchop.com (and wherever he got it from). Looks pretty good if I say so myself.


Point number two. his father was a Brave. Coming from the New York Yankees in 86 and and again in 88.

Point number three. His father, Ken Griffey Sr., has also played for Cincinati and Seatle. I see a trend. Hey Jr. must be thinking, "if I play for the Braves, next stop must be the Yankees, or worst case Toronto ... and then the Yankees."

Point number four. Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball was the greatest sports video game ever ... so he should play for the Braves.

I rest my case.
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VICTORY!

After starting 0-9 in the SEC and riding the longest losing streak for UGA in over three decades, the Georgia finally stepped up and defeated the hated Gators. All I can say is it's about time. We finally have something to cheer about with the 88 -86 victory.

The Georgia Bulldog basketball team, heavy underdogs to the Gators (who defeated them by 26 in the first meeting) finally got a SEC win. Led by Terrance Woodbury's career high 32 points, UGA won in a game that went down to the last second.
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Falcons Finally Looking to Dump Vick

The Falcons are looking to trade Michael Vick. Yeah, technically he is still a part of the team, but currently under suspension. Now that the suspension period is coming to an end, as well as his jail term, it's finally time to say good bye - forever!

I think I speak for many when I say, good riddance. Vick has no excuse for his actions, and I am happy he paid the price. We talk about Michale Phelps smoking marijuanna, but we should remember that there are real criminals in sports. Thos who purpetrate crimes against people (Packman Jones) and against animals. Crimes with real victims. We should never forget what Vick did, to himself, his pets, and the city of Atlanta. He is a felon, and I hope he never plays again.

Then again, when you can run like that, someone in the league will eventually take him.
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Ten Things to Watch For As Pitchers and Catchers Report

A-Rod cheated when? Tejada lied to who?? Alomar did what???!? Baseball's offseason has taken a turn for the worse and the wacky this week. Luckily for us fans, the offseason is finally over.

This weekend MLB pitchers and catchers will report to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona. That means we've got CC Sabathia headed to Tampa for Yankees Camp, K-Rod to Port St. Lucie for the Mets, and Derek Lowe trucking to Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando. Yes after a relentless wave of one distressing news item after another, its good to start talking about something that matters - baseball.


So to help get you all excited about the upcoming season, let's run down 10 things to watch for (in no particular order) as batteries around the league begin to suit up:

1) Sabathia and Burnett in Pinstripes
The new-look Yankees rotation heads to Tampa hoping to prove they're worth the monster contracts. A year after injuries decimated their staff, the Yankees pin their playoff hopes on a younger, stronger core, as well as on the health of backstop Jorge Posada. With Abreu and Giambi removed from the middle of the order, the switch-hitting catcher will need to prove he's healthy for long haul.

2) Lowe, Vazquez and Kawakami in Atlanta
Speaking of injury-decimated staffs, the Braves will move on from Smoltz/Hudson/Glavine and start fresh with a trio of durable new arms. There's a chance they could come out of Spring Training with 7 or 8 potential starters, which would provide great relief to the bullpen. Set-up men Rafael Soriano and Peter Moylan are coming off major injuries, and closer Mike Gonzalez is less than two years removed from Tommy John surgery. A healthy bullpen could gloss over the likely lack of run support.

3) Old Closers in New Cities
Free agent departures such as K-Rod (NYM), Kerry Wood (CLE), Trevor Hoffman (MIL), Brian Fuentes (LAA) and Takashi Saito (BOS) means new roles for established set-up men around the league. How Carlos Marmol (CHC), Jonathan Broxton (LAD) and Heath Bell (SD) take to being the closer ought to heavily impact the playoffs hopes of their teams.

4) Jake Peavy Staying in San Diego?
Its been a couple of months since we last heard Jake Peavy's name associated with trade rumors, but as the seasons draws near its becoming more likely that if the Padres are still going to move him - its going to be soon. Possible trade partners Cubs and Braves appear to be set in their rotations now, leaving San Diego GM Kevin Towers with having to search for new suitors. Will Peavy be a Padre on opening day? Its likely. Will the trade talks impact his relationship with the ball club? It remains to be seen.

5) The Young Guns in Miami and Tampa
The two teams down in Florida will travel short distances this week to get to camp, bringing with them a cast of talented young pitchers. Tampa Bay will move David Price into the rotation alongside Kazmir, Shields and Garza. The Rays' front four might just be good enough to hang with any rotation in the league, including those highly paid Yankees. Meanwhile the Marlins' staff may not have the big names or national spotlight, but their front five could help them be the dark horse in the NL East. Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Andrew Miller, Chris Volstad and Anibal Sanchez are as green as can be, but all appear ready to make their mark in the bigs.

6) Rehab Projects in Boston
Rather than signing massive contracts like the Yankees, the Red Sox signed multiple players to smaller deals, banking on them to return from injury successfully. John Smoltz, Takashi Saito and Brad Penny join the pitching staff, and should they all be healthy by mid-season the Red Sox may as well throw out a six-man rotation and rotate closers between Jonathan Papelbon, Smotlz and Saito and save everyone's arms for the postseason. The best part of the signings is that the Red Sox have great pitching depth without the newcomers, putting little pressure on them to come out of Spring Training looking like spring chickens.

7) Three Cy Young's in San Francisco
The 'freak' Tim Lincecum will show up with his first Cy Young trophy this week. Meanwhile overpaid and over-the-hill Barry Zito will already be polishing his trophy, and newly signed Randy Johnson will lug his four trophies into the locker room. Suddenly the Giants have established winners in the rotation (not to mention young stud Matt Cain), its just too bad they wont be expecting Zito or Johnson to be on the pedestal again. Watch for the Big Unit's health as well as Zito's stuff, as getting a moderately productive season out of either of them is paramount to the Giants success this season.

8) Geovany Soto vs. The Sophomore Slump
The days of the one-year wonder Rookie of the Year are all but gone after a wave of superstars has flooded the league. Geovany Soto had a huge year for the Cubs, but fizzled out by September and limped into the playoffs. In his second season, Soto ought to be stronger and more prepared for the long haul, just as pitchers and scouts will be more prepared on how to attack the young backstop. A slight dropoff in production wouldn't hurt the loaded Cubs lineup too much, but keep an eye on Soto as he's expected to be a top-tier catcher for years to come.

9) Matt Wieters vs. The Hype
Last season the hype was on Soto, this season its on Matt Wieters. Pegged by scouts as a mix between Joe Mauer and Mark Teixeira, Wieters could be the savior for baseball in Baltimore. Fantasy players will be keeping a close eye on him throughout the spring, for sure, ensuring he makes enough of an impact to be a starter on day one. Veteran catcher Gregg Zaun was signed in the offseason, likely as insurance.

10) Ivan Rodriguez Faces Unemployment
Pudge is a first ballot Hall of Famer and the best catcher to play in our generation (if you take Piazza's defense into account) - so why hasn't anyone signed him? Many may cite he's over the hill or past his prime, but it seems like every new (and young) team he lands with instantly improves. He anchored the Marlins to a World Series title in 2003, and helped the Tigers win a pennant in 2006. My guess is that the Marlins would enjoy a reunion, letting Pudge work with their young arms is far from a bad idea (take note, Tampa Bay).

Also let's not forget that fellow first-ballot Hall of Famers Manny Ramirez and Ken Griffey Jr. have still yet to land anywhere. There are still deals to be made and rosters to be shuffled as the Spring Training schedule draws closer.
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Abreu, Dunn Off the Board as Braves Stand Pat

Two more slugging outfielders have just dropped off the big board, and neither are heading to Atlanta. Bobby Abreu is off to Los Angeles to play with Vlad Guerrero and the Angels, while Adam Dunn will be manning first base on a full-time basis in Washington. Abreu signed a one-year deal worth $5M plus incentives, while the terms of Dunn's two-year deal have yet to be disclosed.

What this means for the Braves is that Matt Diaz better be ready to man left field. Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, Milton Bradley, Andruw Jones and Rocco Baldelli have all signed with new teams. None of them signed particularly rich (or long-term) contracts. This all leads us to believe that Frank Wren and company are either satisfied with the current personnel (Matt Diaz, Brandon Jones, Josh Anderson, Gregor Blanco, and Jordan Schafer) or were never interested in these hitters to begin with. I can tell you this much, as unattractive as our franchise may have seemed lately, we are definitely more appealing than the Nationals.

So who are the Braves' remaining options? Either sign Garrett Anderson, trade for Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady, or go after a couple guys named Manny and Griffey.
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Joe Johnson to Shoot H-O-R-S-E

In case you missed it, Atlanta's own Joe Johnson was named a participant in the first annual H-O-R-S-E competition at the NBA All-Star Game. His competitors are young guns O.J. Mayo (MEM) and Kevin Durant (OKC). If I was a betting man, I would put my money on Johnson. He looks like he has played a lot more H-O-R-S-E than the other two, but then again, it will be played outside and the elements may play a factor. It is going to be cold and windy in Arizona (yes, it does get cold in the desert), and this competition may well be an old-school throw back to school yard horse games. I really can't wait to see all the craziness that is sure to ensue.

On another note in a horrible decision by the NBA, the competition will not count up to H-O-R-S-E as we are all used to. Corporate sponsorship has prevailed, and instead the competition will count up to G-E-I-C-O. What bullcrap is that? Why can't it be, "The H-O-R-S-E Competition Sponsored by Geico?" Who are the ad-wizards that came up with that one? They should be fired.
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Dirty Stats Delves into MVP Voting in the Steroid Era

Its our second edition of Dirty Stats and this week we tackle steroids. With all the talk swirling around A-Rod's allegations and subsequent confessions, I think its safe to say most people are going to write off that 2003 MVP award. The man admitted he was taking banned substances, and he was awarded for doing so. Shouldn't Carlos Delgado (MVP runner-up) be incredibly upset? Shouldn't we look back and say that the Blue Jays slugger (unless any new allegations come out) rightfully deserves the award? What about in the NL that year, when Barry Bonds topped Albert Pujols in the voting. Surely these runners-up have a case to make that they are the rightful MVP's of their league in 2003, right?

Let's look back at the steroid era as a whole (1995-2004), and see how different some players' Hall of Fame credentials might look if these awards were re-awarded.


National League Most Valuable Players
1995: Barry Larkin (CIN) 11 first place votes
He's clean. Moving on.

1996: Ken Caminiti (SD) 28 first place votes, unanimous
Caminiti admitted using, so lets give it to Mike Piazza, the runner-up with 0 first place votes, 36HR, 105RBI, .336AVG.
Re-Awarded to Mike Piazza (LAD)

1997: Larry Walker (COL) 22 first place votes
Walker is a very open advocate against steroids use in baseball, was inducted into Canada's Baseball Hall of Fame, and was the first Canadian to win the MVP. Too bad for Piazza, runner-up again.

1998: Sammy Sosa (CHC) 30 first place votes
Though never proven to be a user, the amount of speculation around Sosa, McGwire (runner-up) and the 1998 home-run chase is enough to bump them both off the list, giving Moises Alou the award: 3rd place, 0 first place votes, 38HR, 124RBI, .312 AVG.
Re-Awarded to Moises Alou (HOU)

1999: Chipper Jones (ATL) 29 first place votes
If he's not clean, then no one is. As far as baseball goes, at least.

2000: Jeff Kent (SF) 22 first place votes
Again we have a middle infielder winning the award, and its hard to believe Kent bested teammate Barry Bonds (49HR) in the voting, but Kent was as solid all-around as anyone that year. No steroids allegations or speculation though, again too bad for Piazza (finished 3rd behind Kent and Bonds).

2001-2004: Barry Bonds (SF)
Now this gets fun. Bonds won four straight MVPs to round out the steroid era, beginning with his monstrous 73HR season in 2001. He never hit more than 46HR after that, but he still took home the hardware and the all-time home-run record to boot. Clearly there's plenty of reason to knock these four (what about his other three?) awards off the mantle, so here's who we are left with:

In 2001 Bonds was followed by Sammy Sosa, Luis Gonzalez and Albert Pujols in the voting. Now let me say up front that Luis Gonzalez has never tested positive, despite multiple allegations of using. Let me also say that Gonzalez' 57 home runs that season was more than he hit in the following two seasons COMBINED. Something is clearly wrong here. I'm giving it to Pujols (4th place, 37HR, 130RBI, .329AVG, won Rookie of the Year) - although I'm sure people will come out accusing him soon enough, but until then...

Speaking of Pujols, he finished second in the MVP voting the following two seasons. But wait there's more! In 2004 the runner-up was Dodgers' third-baseman Adrian Beltre. Beltre's league-leading 48HR was 25 more than his previous season best (23HR in 2003 and he played in more games). Also it was a contract year, which won him a handsome multi-year deal with Seattle netting him $11-13M per season. He's averaged about 24HR and 88RBI in four years with the Mariners. Its the same speculative logic that knocked Luis Gonzalez off our 2001 list, so guess we'll have to move down the list to third place: Albert Pujols.

Effectively we've just awarded Albert Pujols four MVPs to go along with the trophies he won in 2005 and 2008. Six MVPs in eight major-league seasons ain't too shabby - unless any new allegations start to spring up...
Re-Awarded to Albert Pujols (STL), all four of them

Moving on to the American League, we now have a new man to knock off the list in Alex Rodriguez. Despite not having the notable names like Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire, there's a heck of a lot of reshuffling to be done here, almost every single year has to be re-examined.

American League Most Valuable Players
1995: Mo Vaughn (BOS) 12 first place votes
Vaughn popped up in the Mitchell Report, which we are hereby using as grounds for award redistribution. Runner-up Albert Belle may as well have been a juicer for how much people disliked him, but until anyone implicates or accuses him, enjoy the trophy: 2nd place, 11 1st place votes, 50HR, 126RBI, .317AVG.
Re-Awarded to Albert Belle (CLE)

1996: Juan Gonzalez (TEX) 11 first place votes
He's been implicated by a few people as to have a juicer, including being on Jose Canseco's list of 'people he personally injected'. A-Rod was the runner-up in his rookie season, and despite claiming he only used from 2001-2003, I don't believe he's earned our trust yet. So in third place is that sketchy Albert Belle character again, same logic applies - another trophy for Belle.
Re-Awarded to Albert Belle (CLE)

1997: Ken Griffey Jr. (SEA) 28 first place votes, unanimous
No way, no how this goes to anyone else.

1998: Juan Gonzalez (TEX) 21 first place votes
Juan Gone again. Moving down the list to 2nd place we have Nomar Garciaparra, who's horrific legacy of injuries and early deteroriation might lead the cynics to speculate that Nomar was using. I just say he's a heck of a ballplayer. Nomar was 2nd place with 5 first place votes, 35HR, 122RBI, .323AVG.
Re-Awarded to Nomar Garciaparra (BOS)

1999: Ivan Rodriguez (TEX) 7 first place votes
Pudge never tested positive and is likely immune from any steroid talk when the Hall of Fame voters examine his career. Nonetheless he was mentioned in Juiced (honestly, has Jose Canseco been wrong yet?) and in Game of Shadows and had quite a jump in his numbers this year, thus its enough speculation and uncertainty to move down the list to the runner-up: Pedro Martinez. Actually Pedro got more first place votes than Pudge, which tends to happen when you're the unanimous choice for the Cy Young, go 23-4 with a 2.07ERA and 313Ks. He may have been robbed anyway.
Re-Awarded to Pedro Martinez (BOS)

2000: Jason Giambi (OAK) 14 first place votes
He was caught, he admitted, etc. etc. The runner-up was Frank Thomas, a two-time winner already. Giambi edged The Big Hurt in the voting, who received 10 first place votes and totaled 43HR, 143RBI, .328AVG.
Re-Awarded to Frank Thomas (CHW)

2001: Ichiro (SEA) 11 first place votes
I think we can safely skip this year...

2002: Miguel Tejada (OAK) 21 first place votes
He was implicated by Canseco, Mitchell, and my word does Oakland have a tainted history of juicers. Yikes. A-Rod was the runner-up, and Alfonso Soriano finished third (the two were actually swapped in a blockbuster trade after the 2003 season). Soriano is a stud, and clean - give it to him: 3rd place, 2 first place votes, 39HR, 102RBI, .300AVG.
Re-Awarded to Alfonso Soriano (NYY)

2003: Alex Rodriguez (TEX) 6 first place votes
Finally we come back to what prompted the discussion, A-Rod's juicy MVP. As previously stated, Carlos Delgado was the runner-up this season despite driving in more runs and posting a higher batting average and OPS than A-Rod. Basically, he's earned it: 2nd place, 5 first place votes, 42HR, 145RBI, .302AVG.
Re-Awarded to Carlos Delgado (TOR)

So what are we left with? Instead of Barry Bonds dominating the era, it was Albert Pujols. Instead of Juan Gonzalez winning two MVP's that most people forgot about, it was Albert Belle. Pedro Martinez became the 19th pitcher in history to win the MVP. And Mike Piazza scratched his way to finally have something for the mantle. It all sounds great doesn't it? No asterix, no complicated debates over Hall of Fame credentials. These men played the game the right way, the clean way, and as such should not be punished for playing during an era destroyed by the poor decisions of few.

*In case you're wondering who would take Clemens' Cy Youngs...
1986: Teddy Higuera (MIL): 20-11, 2.79ERA, 207Ks
1987: Jimmy Key (TOR): 17-8, 2.76ERA, 161Ks
1991: Scott Erickson (MIN): 20-8, 3.18ERA, 108Ks
1997: Randy Johnson (SEA): 20-4, 2.28ERA, 291Ks
1998: Pedro Martinez (BOS): 19-7, 2.89ERA, 251Ks
2001: Mark Mulder (OAK): 21-8, 2.45ERA, 153Ks
2004: Randy Johnson (ARI): 16-14, 2.60ERA, 290Ks
It would be a shame for Randy Johnson if he didn't win 5 Cy Youngs on his own.
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Yes, it's that bad for UGA Basketball

What are we to do? Ten losses in the SEC, no coach, lack of playmakers, and no BONECRUSHER (note: BONECRUSHER, pictured to the left is David Bliss). Simply put the Bulldogs have not won a game this year. The last win came from against lowly Kennesaw State on December 31st, 2008. The Bulldogs are winless in the SEC and give up more points on average then they score. After ten straight losses, clearly all the blame is on Felton. Just kidding. We will look on to next year, ignoring this year ever happened -- hey, similar to football! Hopefully we can get a good coach, one that will bring publicity to a much maligned program. If we get a good coach, I think things will fall into place. Unlike football, basketball teams can turn around in one year with a great recruiting class. UGA has the ability to offer these talented youngsters what they want -- a guaranteed opportunity to play right away. Lord knows we can't floor a good team now. I ask this team only one thing: Don't go winless in the SEC and try not to go winless in the east. That would be disappointing.
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Braves Finally Make an Offer to Glavine

Reportedly the Atlanta Braves have finally made an offer to Tom Glavine, between one and two million dollars for one year. Glavine has been rehabilitating his arm coming off the first major injury of his career. While many have assumed Glavine's pitched his last innings, he's said many times that after two decades of perfect health he did not want to end his career on an injury. I'm not sure how much he'll be able to contribute next season, should he sign, but he'll have little pressure on him to anchor the staff (he'll likely be the 5th starter). With the sudden departure of Smoltz, nothing would hurt more than to see Glavine join him as ex-Braves likely in their last season. At least one of the big three appears set to retire a Brave. Sounds good to me. And at the very least, it gives us ONE lefty in the rotation, and more arms to strengthen the pitching depth for the season. Its win win, I say.

*In other news, Andruw Jones appears set to sign a one year minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. Rumors had swirled that the Braves had interest in bringing him back (they didn't) and that the Yankees had offered him a minor league deal (they did), but ultimately it looks like he'll be trying to regain his form as a Ranger minor leaguer. Best of luck Andruw.
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A-Rod Used Steroids in 2003, Another Legacy Tarnished?

UPDATE (2.09): A-Rod, speaking with Peter Gammons of ESPN, admitted that he used PEDs from 2001-2003 while with the Texas Rangers. He cited excuses like having enormous pressure after signing that $250M contract as well as being young, stupid, and very sorry.

Now THIS is a bad day for baseball. Alex Rodriguez, the game's best active player, reportedly tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003. The test came as part of a survey screening of all players so that if enough players tested positive, it would warrant the start of random/program drug testing beginning in 2004. All this means is that the results of those tests in 2003 were (1) not meant to be leaked to ANYONE and (2) there are no penalties associated with them. There's nothing MLB can do to punish A-Rod for this test.

So even though he was with the Rangers at the time (and in 2003 he won the AL MVP lets not forget), will the Yankees take it upon themselves to punish A-Rod in any way? Its doubtful, and is likely to washed over and forgotten by midseason. If A-Rod and the Yankees are smart, they'll keep their mouths shut, never bring this up, and go out there and win ballgames. Because one more thing was leaked - Rodriguez already knew he tested positive. Supposedly he was told he tested positive (as all 104 players from that survey were), and what's the first thing you're likely to do when you're caught - stop doing it. Its probably a safe bet that A-Rod got away from the stuff, especially by the time he landed in New York the following offseason. But these days, you never know. Everyone assumed he never took steroids at all, and that when he passes Barry Bonds' all-time home run record that once again the record would be untarnished. Well now what?


Is A-Rod's legacy ruined? Are Yankees fans going to erupt, calling for the head of the cheating 28 million-dollar man? Let's compare this situation to Roger Clemens - don't make things worse by blaming your wife, ending up in court, or making yourself look ridiculous. Either apologize or say nothing. Or compare to Jason Giambi - apologize vaguely, get off the stuff, rehab and start producing again. Andy Pettitte? Apologize directly, prove you never needed it. A-Rod can take a hint from his former teammates on the best way to handle this situation, but as we've seen with a number of players in the steroid era that all you need to tarnish a legacy is allegations and hearsay. And we definitely have that.

Also let's not forget the quotes of a couple of guys named Chipper Jones and Jose Canseco. In August of 2007 Chipper Jones told a newspaper that he thinks when A-Rod approaches the home run record, he'll have to answer to steroid allegations just like Barry Bonds. He cited Jose Canseco's list of allegations and how they had all turned out true. What did Canseco say about A-Rod? That he's a "hypocrite" and "was not all he appeared to be". Though he didnt' specifically accuse Rodriguez of anything, we all know what Jose meant. When asked flat out if Chipper thought A-Rod used steroids, he responded, "I'm going to reserve judgment. Let's put it that way." This made big headlines in New York, but none bigger than what we're seeing today.

At this point is anyone surprised when new names come up? When we find out that this player and that player used steroids at some point? Clearly it was something that was accepted among the players (as was lying about it), and only until it became a punishable offense in the league did anyone care about it. And as far as I can tell, the Mitchell Report, Bonds, A-Rod, none of this has hindered anyone's viewing or interest in baseball. Do you really think that A-Rod's extramarital affairs, divorce and steroids admission will do anything except spark greater interest in the freakshow that is the $28M Man?
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Is Bob Knight the Right Fit for UGA Basketball?

Bobby Knight has 902 wins in his career, the most by any men's college basketball coach. He won two National Championships with Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to the country's last undefeated season. He's a sports legend. Sure he's had in his bad moments, hitting kids or throwing chairs and whatnot, but I don't think that's the guy we'd have if he landed in Athens. I think we'd have a solid disciplinarian who can not only keep the troublemakers on the team but also keep them in school long enough to graduate. His name is legendary and in the Atlanta hot bed of talent, he's sure to draw some big names in recruiting. Put it all together and you have a coach who knows a hell of a lot about coaching young men, helping them graduate and most importantly how to win games.

But is he the right fit for this program?

Dennis Felton came in after a massive scandal, crippling his ability to recruit for a long time. He was brought in to be the guy that would reshape the program into a group of quality young men who could win games and stay competitive in the conference. But during his tenure he kicked off more than a few players (all of whom were top talents), failed to fire up the students to support the team (unlike Tennessee's Bruce Pearl), failed to compete with local rivals Georgia Tech or Florida (see their Final Four success), but hey - he didn't have any scandals.

So now that we've had our guy come in and remove the stain of scandal from the program, can we get back to the business of winning games?

Mark Richt coaches a football team loaded with plenty of troublemakers, players who get arrested for a whole host of dirty deeds - but they still play. Is Richt just letting his boys be boys? These guys get suspensions, they miss games, no matter if they're the best player on the team or the worst. Richt comes down hard enough on these guys that not only will they (attempt to) right the ship, but they continue to help the team win games. Take the Gym Dogs or Lady Dogs as examples too, consistently winning programs at what's supposedly a 'football school'. It can be done - we just need the right man for the job.

Is Bob Knight the right man? Maybe. He's got the pedigree, he loves the game, knows everything about the game, and we won't find a coach who's done it longer or better. So what's the problem? Many will bring up his firey past, where he struck a player or yelled incessantly at them during games. His foul mouth is well known far beyond the courts in Indiana. But putting all of that aside, this is the SEC. We ARE big names: Spurrier, Meyer, Saban, Donovan, Pearl. The SEC has one of the finest crops of coaches in the country, which is easy to argue when you can instantly recall almost all of their names. So Knight would surely fit right in. We would 'win the press conference' as the pundits like to say. But we need that.

We need high school stars to see Bob Knight on television. We need coaches and parents to see how serious we take our basketball program. We need students and boosters to remember that we do in fact have a team, and we play with the big boys every year. We need Bob Knight.

Unless we give Tubby Smith a call. You know, for a reunion.

So that's great if we want Bob Knight. But that's like saying the Detroit Lions want Tony Dungy to come out of retirement. We're simply not an attractive place to coach. Why would Knight want to come here? What makes our program any more attractive than the dozens of programs he could likely choose from (like Alabama). Sure we look good on the surface: a big-time SEC school that's located in a wonderful little city in the middle of the Southeast's hotbed of talent and needs the right coach to help bring them into an era of dominance in a major conference. Sounds attractive enough, right? Certainly sounds more attractive than what Texas Tech must have offered Knight.

Only time will tell what direction Damon Evans and UGA will take to fill the coaching void. As of today his office has given no statement regarding Knight's rumored interest in the job. This could mean any number of things, but at the very least one thing is for sure - some level of mutual interest exists.

Now tell me, who would you like to see coaching the Georgia men?
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The Season Ain't Over Yet - Its the Pro Bowl!

Sunday afternoon the Falcons will be handsomely represented at this year's Pro Bowl by RB Michael Turner and WR Roddy White. The NFL's version of the All-Star Game will be held once more in beautiful Hawai'i. Big names like Manning, Peterson and Fitzgerald will lead the charge, while highly deserving names like Rivers, Ryan, and Romo will be watching at home (or probably not watching like the rest of us).

I don't know about you guys, but what intrigues me most about any All-Star break is the various forms of skills competition. The NBA has their Slam Dunk and Long Distance Contests, baseball has the Home Run Derby, and the NFL has a skills competition as well (pretty sure its called just that). The NCAA does this as well, and its always interesting to see how the top players in the world measure up against each other. We can argue all day about which Manning has the better fundamentals, but what if Eli went out there and smoked Peyton in the skills contest? Or The Burner blew past Adrian Peterson? Or Larry Fitzgerald was proven not to be the fastest player in the game? These are great fun to watch, and speaks directly to the reason we watch professional sports to begin with - they are the best players in the world. We don't turn on NFL games to see 30 incompletions and six interceptions, or an NBA game to see a team shoot 12% from the field. As far as I'm concerned, its all about being caught up in seeing the greatest atheletes in the world perform at the highest level. Its fascinating and awe-inspiring every time. So sure I probably won't be watching most of the Pro Bowl (gotta at least give love to Turner and White though), but I'll be staring at the skills competition wondering how on earth Drew Brees managed to throw a football into the hole of a moving target twenty yards downfield.
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Perjury, Bonds, Law, and the Court of Public Opinion

UPDATE: Alex Rodriguez was found to have tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003, when he won the AL MVP with the Rangers. A-Rod apparently was informed about the results, along with the other 103 players who tested positive that year. The 'survey tests' of 2003 carry no punishment, as they were meant to help decide whether mandatory random testing would be necessary. Obviously they are. More on A-Rod HERE.

Big news yesterday. Court documents linking bond to steroid use have been unsealed by the federal court in San Francisco that is hearing Bonds' perjury case. To get you caught up, some years ago the government went after BALCO, the notorious steroid distributor for not only baseball but other sports as well. During the grand jury testimony, notable ballplayers were called to the stand. Among them were Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi.

Giambi seems to have told the truth during the grand jury and in the course of his public statements. Who can forget his 2007 comments, "I was wrong for doing that stuff," that set off a small firestorm in New York. But then the Mitchel report was released, and new names emerged. The likes of Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens, as well as Bonds, were squarely in focus. Meanwhile, the BALCO case continued, and it seemed more and more likely that Bonds did knowingly lie in his grand jury testimony.

Yesterday, the government's case was unsealed. There is sworn statements, recorded conversations, and most damning of all, positive drug tests. This may seem like the end for Barry, but let me propose this, physical evidence is good for both sides. Remember this is a perjury case. The government most prove byond reasonable doubt that Barry Bonds knowingly and wittingly lied under oath. Physical evidence is extremely daunting to overcome when presented in the court of public opinion, but in federal court, it can be attacked. Did Barry Bonds know that he tested positive? Maybe he never got the results of the test. Were the test compromised? Were they tainted? What was the chain of custody? All of these things can come into question.

No matter the trial, guilty or innocent, one thing is clear. Bonds definitely used steroids for his most productive years, knowingly or unknowingly. Even if the evidence is thrown out in court, it doesn't make it not true in the court of public opion. The question that interests me most is how will this effect Bonds' chances at the Hall? McGwire has had trouble and has fallen off the face of the earth. Sosa is due up soon, and we can't forget about Clemens. Will any of these people now be worthy of the Hall?

The voice I am waiting on is Bud Selig's, 18 million dollar Bud. At some point he needs to speak up. We need him to say it was wrong what happened, and that he feels personally responsible. But most importantly, there is one thing that Bud can do to make things right, fix the records. Aaron is the HR king at 755 and Marris is the single season champ at 61. Toss out Sosa's 60+ HR's seasons and McGwires as well. Get rid of bonds homers. Get rid of them all. Fix this mess, and bring closure to the worst scandal (yeah i said the worst) in baseball history. Steroids have fouled the game, cast doubt over a 20 year period, and it is time to finally put it all to rest.

It doesn't matter if Bonds is guilty by law, the public has decided. The entire baseball establishment was guilty, but now is our opportunity to make things right and move the game forward into the 21st century. All eyes are not on Bonds, they are on you, Bud Selig. It is time for you to talk, and it better be sooner rather then later.

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Summitt Wins 1000th Game as Lady Vols Pound the Dogs

Tennessee Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt earned her 1000th career victory last night. At home. Against the Georgia Lady Bulldogs. By 30 points. Arguably a down year so far for them, the Vols were given their second crack at #1000 after losing to #2 Oklahoma earlier in the week. Her #1000 wins are the most by any college basketball coach (men's or women's), nearly 100 more than men's leader Bob Knight (902).

Coach Summitt has been with the Vols for 35 years but she's still only 56, meanings its quite possible she could be doing this for another 10+ years. Since 1974 she's won 8 national titles, 14 SEC regular season titles, 13 SEC tournament titles, was the SEC coach of the year 7 times and the NCAA coach of the year 7 times - oh and the Tennessee hardwood is named after her.

Ladies and gents take note that one of the three greatest college coaches in history is here in the south. Every year Georgia fans can make two trips to Stegeman to see Coach Summitt in action. Men and women alike can tell their children they saw Pat Summitt coach the Vols. Its like telling your kids you saw John Wooden take the court, or Bob Knight. Its like how I'll be able to tell my children that I saw Greg Maddux, Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds play. Sometimes we forget that we are witnessing history. That the players and coaches we see every year and take for granted may someday be looked upon as the greatest there ever was. And when you look at sports today and see names like Tiger Woods... Shaquille O'Neal... Alex Rodriguez... Coach K... you have to know that in twenty years people will be wishing they had a chance to see them in person. That they'll have photos and ticket stubs framed on their walls. The same will be said about Coach Pat Summitt - arguably the greatest coach in sports today.
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What Happens when Children Wear Gator Clothing

I have discovered another reason to make fun of Florida Gators -- their children. Don't let the dentist part fool you. You Gators can take your national championships, your "happy" quarterback, but we will keep our children's sanity and dignity. This child is clearly having a subconscious argument about being a Florida Gator.

Also, I'm sure "David" is coming to grips with the fact that everything the next child says is true -- "Gators wear Jean shorts (Jorts)."

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Smart Jock

As the ink dries on Signing Day 2009, college football experts and fans alike settle down to evaluate the successes and failures of the recruiting season. UGA had all their commits sign as promised but lost nearly all their holdouts. It will be a thrill to watch Aaron Murray, Marlon Brown, Brandon Smith et al, and a shame to see the missed opportunity with Greg Reid. (Hell, at least Reid had the foresight to ditch Florida and pick non-threat FSU). No recruit is
as exciting to see don the Red and Black as offensive guard Chris Burnette.

Troup County High School signee, Chris Burnette, brings aggressive blocking, strong technical skills, and a 5.012 GPA to the UGA African-language Athletic Division.* Burnette is a candidate for his graduating class’s valedictorian. Athletic skill is one thing, but a sharp intellect is even better between the hedges. To have a Bulldog not named Stinchcomb with academic promise gives the injury-and-punishment-ridden Bulldogs that ever-needed ingredient: Intelligence. It's the same reason why players like Matt Ryan are successful.

Recently, pre-med student-athlete Myron Rolle of the Florida State Seminoles was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University. His teammates ragged on him constantly, but "whenever there is a debate that goes on in the locker room about whether tomatoes are really red or whether there's a country in North Africa named Algeria, they'll ask [Myron].

"They don't go to Google, they go to Myron."

When conventional wisdom says athletes are not as smart as the general student body, players like Rolle and Burnette are subverting the paradigm. Consider the positive impact a nerdy teammate could have on the often-thuggish Bulldogs. With his influence, study hours could turn into exercising the crucial muscle – you know that lump three feet above your ass. It’s about time the Bulldogs seek intelligence and reject investing in ignorance.

*Referring to the large number of football players who enroll in the Swahili, Yuroba, and Zulu languages offered at UGA

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The Thrashers Do It Again - Another Hilarious Radio Spot

You locals might recall hearing that wonderfully hilarious Thrashers commercial on the radio the past few months: "Become One in Blueland." An everyday Atlantan had just attended his first Thrashers game and became a fanatic. Kovalchuk scores and causes the newborn fan to take his shirt off, sing along to the 'Woo-Hoo' song (Blur's 'Song 2') and declare to his peers in a support group that when he dies he wants to be buried underneath the Thrashers ice. That's his dream. A fellow fanatic proclaims histerically that he wants his ashes to be shot out of the t-shirt gun! And there was much rejoicing.

You all remember this.

Well now the geniuses down at Blueland have unleashed another radio spot sure to shock you in its hilarity as you fall asleep in traffic. A man speaking to similar fanatics tells them about a dream he had. He sees All-Star Ilya Kovalchuk skating so fast down the ice that he tears open a wormhole in the arena. What's inside? A dimension where everything is Ilya Kovalchuk. All the players, the fans, the guy who droves the zamboni. And you know those t-shirt parachute drops they do at Philips? There's little Kovalchuk's manning those chutes. Its glorious.

And absurdly hilarious.

So thank you Atlanta Thrashers creative team. Without you, there'd be nary an interest in the disaster that continues to take the ice and call itself a professional team. Thank you.
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Dirty Stats Reveal the Greatest Franchise in Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers just won their 6th Super Bowl title. That is the most for any NFL franchise. Last week, leading upto the big game, I heard someone on the radio claim that should the Steelers win their sixth title that they would become the greatest franchise in any sport. Greater than the Yankees, Celtics, Lakers and Patriots. Sure that's all well and good to try and argue, but wouldn't it better to look to the statistics to prove this gentleman wrong?

There have now been 43 Super Bowls played in the NFL, Pittsburgh has won 6 of them: 14%.

Surely the Yankees or Celtics have won more than 14% of their league's championships, right? Let's take a run through the numbers and discover who really is the greatest franchise in all of sports.

NFL Super Bowl Championships (out of 43):
Pittsburgh Steelers - 6 titles (14%)
San Francisco 49ers - 5 titles (11.6%)
Dallas Cowboys - 5 titles (11.6%)

NBA Finals Championships (out of 62):
Boston Celtics - 17 titles (27.4%)
L.A./Minn. Lakers - 14 titles (22.6%)
Chicago Bulls - 6 titles (9.7%)

MLB World Series Championships (out of 106):
New York Yankees - 26 titles (24.5%)
St. Louis Cardinals - 10 titles (9.4%)
Phi/KC/Oakland Athletics - 9 titles (8.5%)

NHL Stanley Cup Championships (out of 94):
Montreal Canadiens - 24 titles (25.5%)
Detroit Red Wings - 11 titles (11.7%)
Toronto Maple Leafs - 11 titles (11.7%)

Okay so let's tie it all together:
Boston Celtics - 27.4%
Montreal Canadiens - 25.5%
New York Yankees - 24.5%
Los Angeles/Minn. Lakers - 22.6%
Pittsburgh Steelers - 14.0%

Therefore! By using these Dirty Stats we can safely and accurately conclude that the Steelers may be the greatest franchise in NFL history, but they are clearly the 5th greatest in professional sports history. Case closed, moving on..
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Michael Phelps Can take a Hit

Michael is in the news again, only this time, it's neither for his dramatic finish, nor for his 14 gold medals. This time, it's bad news. Phelps was at a party and this picture was taken of him smoking marijuana. I bet he regrets this. Until now, this golden boy was making an estimated 10 million dollars a year. Now who knows, hopefully he didn't waste all of his money on illegal drugs and strippers.

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Super Bowl XLIII: Cardinals Stun Steelers, then Lose

I've been saying it for two weeks: the only thing I would be cheering for on Super Bowl Sunday would be Larry Fitzgerald's hands. So naturally for three quarters I had squat to cheer about. The Steelers ran the clock, held onto the ball and kept Kurt's offense off the field (which meant less throws to them hands). Then suddenly a miracle happened, the Cardinals were in position to take the lead deep in Steeler territory. This looked like a perfect time to loft one into the corner for Fitz... but no. Instead Warner decides to force a bullet past the linebackers and gets picked off by the mighty James Harrison (you know, the Defensive Player of the Year who should've been thrown out after that insane personal foul on that punt later in the game?). Harrison thinks to himself, "you know what hasn't been done in a Super Bowl before? A 100-yard interception returned for a touchdown! Think I'll do that!" So Harrison sprints and stumbles and bumbles his way to the opposite endzone, capping a huge momentum swing in the Steelers favor. Things were dire for the poor Cardinals. Where was Fitz? How would they recover? Oh I don't know - the same way they had been all postseason.


The third quarter came and went and the Steelers stood tall on a 13 point lead, knowing full well that no team had ever held a 10+ point lead in the Super Bowl and lost the game. Clearly they haven't watched the NFC playoffs this year. Fitzy took his 5-hour energy shot and jumped right into the fray, making big catch after big catch. Capping off a solid drive with that patented jump ball in the endzone I had hoped for earlier. Cardinals within six.

Then came the vaunted Cards defense. That's right.. THAT Cardinals defense. Roethlisberger couldn't get anything moving, could barely get the ball out of his own red-zone. All the momentum had flown west for the winter. After being pinned inside at the goal line after a solid punt+personal foul combination (thank you Mr. Harrison), the Steelers' young quarterback tried everything he could to not allow a safety. He was incredible. He danced around wave after wave of tacklers, managing to fire a bullet to Holmes down the field. This was bad for Arizona. This may have meant the game. If only the Steelers' offensive line had their heads on straight: holding in the endzone. That meant a safety, two points for the Cardinals AND the ball. Now within four points, the Cardinals had nearly four minutes to drive down the field and put this game away.

Warner steps back, looks across the middle, finds Fitzgerald crossing over and fires him a bullet... its caught! Fitz is flying down the middle of the field and the safeties are nowhere to be found! Polamalu can't catch him! No one's going to catch him! Larry Fitzgerald has taken it to the house! Arizona has the lead! A 16-point rally to take the lead in Super Bowl XLIII! (let's also note that this touchdown gave Fitz the record for the most in a single postseason).

But they left too much time on the clock.

Roethlisberger is very good at this.

Suspiciously good.

So Ben hits Santonio Holmes... and again... and again.. and oh look he's running downfield for another twenty yards, great now they're on the six yard line with less than a minute left. Beautiful, at the very least we're headed to overtime. They'll probably hand it to Parke--- wait, he's throwing! To the corner! It looks to high - its... caught?? NO WAY! UNBELIEVABLE WHAT A CATCH! Holmes kept those toes in bounds! THOSE DAMN TOES!!! Steelers are up by four with 30 seconds left, its all but over. Well okay, its over. Enough with the play-by-play.

The Steelers blew this game. Without Harrison's pick six to end the first half, or Warner's inability to finish off drives in Steeler territory twice in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals are Super Bowl Champions. But that's what the Steelers are all about: defense. They expect their defense to make the big plays and their quarterback to just keep them in the game. They played their style and were able to steal the game back in the final moments. Gotta give them credit.

So for the sixth time the Steelers are Super Bowl champions (most by any franchise), for the second time Ben Roethlisberger is the winning quarterback (and neither time the MVP), and for the second time a black head coach hoisted the Lombardi Trophy (wow Dungy's record really latsed a long time..) - and all offseason long we'll be hearing from sports talk fanatics about how Kurt Warner shouldn't be let into the Hall of Fame because he lost this game. The NFL season is over, and what I thought would be a boring game ended up being as exciting as any Super Bowl I can remember. We've found two new superstars in this game in Santonio Holmes and Larry Fitzgerald, and let's hope that the upstart Cardinals don't fall the way of the Colorado Rockies.. and followup a conference championship with a season in the cellar.

Now then.. who're the Falcons gonna take in the first round?

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