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It's been three years since Michael Jordan retired for the second time.  In reality though, the league has been sizing up replacements for His Airness for the past eight seasons.  Everyone seems to be waiting for Kobe, or LeBron, or D-Wade to step up and be the guy.  Each has shown that they have the skills and the make-up to do it but for one reason or another none of them have quite fit the bill.

Enter Steve Nash

I know what you are thinking.  Is he really going to put a 6’3 white Canadian up there with the best to ever play the game?  Yes, I am.

Houston Rockets Coach Jeff Van Gundy after facing the Suns last month said of Nash, “He might be the all-time, for a star, the all-time best teammate.”

Seriously, who wouldn’t want to play with this guy?  Player’s field goal percentages go through the roof playing with him.  He is a genius on the basketball court, and I don’t throw that word around lightly.  He looks to set up his teammate before he looks to “get his”.  I’d like to go a step further than Van Gundy though and echo the words of another coach.

Coach Mike D’Antoni said of his point guard, “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen.”

Now I realize that D’Antoni is about as impartial as I am but bare with me for a minute.  Since returning to the Valley of the Sun all Nash has done is take two completely different teams to the Conference finals and preside over not only the highest scoring team in the league but two of the highest scoring teams ever.  He’s led the league in assists each of the last two seasons and seen his FG%, 3P%, and scoring increase each year.  Oh by the way, he’s won two consecutive MVP’s to boot.

Staying with “the best” theme I have going; last night I watched the best basketball game I’ve ever seen.  The Suns defeated the Nets 161-157 in double OT.  If you missed it don’t worry it will be replayed again and again.  Jason Kidd, who has played for the Suns and Mavericks just like Nash, tied Wilt Chamberlain for third all time in triple doubles posting 38-14-14.  The only thing was he was trumped by Nash and his 42 points and 13 assists including a crazy ridiculous 3 point shot, he was 6-7 from deep, to send the game into overtime.  He willed his team to a victory scoring 31 points after the half and nine in the second overtime.  He does whatever the team needs him to do to win.

Why do I cite that in reference to my “best player I’ve seen” argument?  The game before against the Sacramento Kings Nash scored only 11 points, but had 20 assists (the most in a non-OT game in five years).  So he dropped 20 dimes in one game and followed that up with 42 points in the next?  Who does that?

Answer: Steve Nash.

I’ll let my boy J-Day gush over Nash for a bit.  I feel he says it best.

“I've never seen a guy pick apart defenses more in my life.  If you get up on him, he makes the pass.  Then when you honor the pass, he lights you up scoring.  The guy is beyond words.  When the pick and roll comes, he knows that the defense is going to do 1 of 3 things and regardless of what they do, he knows how to pick it apart and has the ability to do it.  If you go under the screen, he'll shoot it and he's arguably the best shooter in the NBA, so most likely he'll make it.  If you slip the screen and stay on the pick man, he drives left and makes his little flip lay-up or draws weak side help and makes the pass for a wide open 3.  Or, you stay on him by switching and he hits the cutter rolling the basket with a perfect pass.  It doesn't matter what the defense does because he can pick is apart in every way imaginable.” 

The season’s only a quarter gone but Nash already is averaging a career high in points, FG%, 3P%, and once again leads the league in assists.  He’s shooting over 50% from the field and from deep.  He’s hitting more than half his shot and he is a point guard.  He’s the only player under 6’10 in the top 20 in the league for FG% and yet he’s a pass first point guard.

I think we all recognized watching Jordan in the 90’s that we were watching a once in a generation, possibly a lifetime, player.  For some reason people are a little slow on the up take with Nash.  He’s special.  We aren’t likely to see a player like him again so I hope you’ll all enjoy him while you can.  I know I will.

Oh and I’d like to officially kick off the Nash for MVP ’06 campaign with this thought: Nash is averaging 21 pts 11 assists per, better than his previous MVP seasons and nobody, I repeat, NOBODY means more to their team than he does to his.

Whether or not the BCS is working is a matter of how you define success.  If you want 1 versus 2 playing each other every year then, yes, the BCS is working.  If the goal is to see the best two teams play each other at the end of the year, well then that’s a matter of opinion.

The Bowl Championship series was created eight years ago.  The goal is to have No. 1 and No. 2 play each other for the National Championship.  There has been tweaking and fine tuning over the years to make every effort to get it right.  The problem is you have 11 Conferences and 117 teams in Division 1-A.  So how do we know that we are watching the two best teams?  Answer: we don’t.

Case in point: Boise State.  The Broncos won the Western Athletic Conference and finished a perfect 12-0.  The current and final BCS standings have them eighth, good enough for a Fiesta Bowl invite but they won’t even sniff the national championship.  Why?  Because the voters and BCS computers don’t think that their schedule stacks up to the bigger conference schedules and therefore their team doesn’t stack up against the bigger schools.

All Boise State can do is play their schedule.  And on their schedule was Oregon State, whom they beat 42-14 early in the season.  That same team Oregon State team later beat USC 33-31.  Stay with me now.  If USC had beaten UCLA right now they’d be preparing to play Ohio State for the national championship.

Now I’m not suggesting that because Boise State beat Oregon State and Oregon State beat USC that Boise State would beat USC, that’s not the way it works.  You see that’s the point.  These voters and computers don’t know what would happen any more than the players and coaches do. 

Human beings (with the help of computers) picking two teams out of 117 and saying they are the best two is just as impossible and unfair as those same people picking one team at the end and saying they are best.  So what’s the answer?  I have joined the chorus of those screaming for a playoff.  4 teams, 8 teams, 16 teams, it doesn’t matter to me I’d be for it.  The university presidents seem reluctant to allow that to happen for whatever reason; money, logistics, a genuine concern for the well being of the players.  I really don’t know.

It is all too clear that the system is flawed.  The BCS was supposed to fix the controversies that arose under the old system and it has not.  So if we can’t have a playoff, like every other division playing college football, then I say put it back the way it was.

The regular season in college football has always been the most meaningful in all of sports.  Every single game matters.  Those kids play with pride.  They play with passion.  They are competing for themselves, their teammates and their school.  That hasn’t changed and it won’t; no matter how a national champion is decided.  Everybody is trying to fix something that can’t be broken.  The only thing wrong here are those so caught up in profit and commercialism that they’ve lost sight of what college athletics is about.  It’s about excelling through competition.  Of course that too is a matter of opinion.

The legendary Bo Schembechler passed away in Southfield, MI this morning on the eve of the Michigan (No.2) Ohio State (No. 1) game.  Schembechler coached at Michigan for twenty years (1969-1989).  Stepping into a rivalry that already had a long and bitter tradition both he and Coach Woody Hayes ratcheted up the rivalry during their tenure.

“We're not here to beat Indiana, Illinois, or Northwestern because this is the Big Two and Little Eight,” coach Schembechler said.  “We're here to beat Ohio State and we're going to do something about it every day to make that happen.”

The sentiment went both ways.  Woody Hayes despised everything about Michigan and said of Schembechler, “I didn't like the son of a (expletive) when he played for me, I didn't like him when he worked for me, and I certainly don't like him now.”

Today Lloyd Carr and Jim Tressel carry on this historic rivalry; although with a more politically correct tone.  But make no mistake about it both men understand its importance.

Coach Tressel said shortly after his arrival in Columbus, “I can assure you that you’ll be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community and, most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Mich.”

Coach Carr was 5-1 versus the Buckeyes before Tressel’s arrival.  Since then UM has dropped four of the last five.  Although Carr is still 6-5 overall against “The hated Ohio State University” and Michigan holds a commanding 57-39-6 lead in the all time series, this is a must win game every year.

Nemesis is defined as an opponent or rival that one cannot best or overcome.  In Greek mythology, Nemesis was the goddess of divine justice and vengeance, striking out at those who stood in opposition of the natural, right order of things.  Saturday afternoon two nemeses will collide.

This game is circled on the calendar every year and the stakes have never been higher.  With a perfect season, a Big Ten Championship and a trip to Glendale to play for the national championship on the line the ‘Big Two’ will go to battle.   Michigan will go into The Horseshoe looking to restore things to the right order.  The Buckeyes will be trying to extend their recent dominance over the maize and blue. 

All that stands in each of their way is their greatest foe.  Michigan Ohio State, perpetually at odds, inseparably connected.

The Arizona Fall League wraps up this week.  A couple of weeks ago I took the day off to spend an afternoon with my son at a Fall League game.  We went to see a high school friend of mine, Joe Inglett, who plays for the Cleveland Indians.  It was the Mesa Solar Sox versus the Peoria Javelina’s at HoHoKam Park.

I am a baseball romantic.  You know the kind that could watch “Field of Dreams” or “The Natural” any time.  That’s where I think Major League Baseball has lost a lot of people.  It’s not about the game any more its all business.  They care about the product on the field only as it relates to dollars in their pockets.  I don’t want this to be a referendum on MLB; I only mention this to show the contrast between the Bigs and the minors.

Most AFL games start at 1:05pm, which in my opinion is when baseball should be played.  I love day games and wish MLB would give us more opportunities to skip out of work early and catch an afternoon ball game. 

If you enjoy baseball this is the place to be.  You walk right up to the box office and buy a general admission ticket for six bucks.  You can’t beat that.  The crowds at the ball park are between 100 and 200 people so you can sit wherever you like and the access to the players is great.

Connor and I sat right up front by the visitor’s dug out.  Before the game we got to talk with Joe and Connor got down on the field for a little bit.  During the game Joe fouled a ball off the back stop and the player in the on deck circle walked over to Connor and handed him the ball.  The player was a Braves prospect, Yunel Escobar from Havana, Cuba who just happened to be celebrating his 24^th birthday.  After handing the ball to my son he promptly stepped to the plate and hit a grand slam.  On his trip back to the dug out he actually took the time to acknowledge my boy with a point and a nod.  You don’t get that kind of treatment from today’s Big Leaguers.

That’s why the Fall League is so great.  These players are a breath away from realizing their dream but still have fun playing baseball and haven’t been distanced from the fans by big contracts, chartered jets, and catered spreads at every meal.  They are just ball players trying to make it and they appreciate every day they get to play baseball; they even appreciate the people who come to watch them play.

After the game J.C. Holt, another Braves prospect, went out of his way to give Connor one of his bats and my friend Joe also gave us one of his.  As we left the stadium my son, with his arms full of stuff, looked at me and said, “This was a good day.”  It certainly was. 

The Cardinals are who you think they are.  They are not jinxed.  They are not cursed.  They are mismanaged and poorly coached.  They are not the worst team in the league, but they definitely reside in the cellar.

Everybody knows how to fix the problem.  Get help on the offensive line.  Run the ball better.  Pass the ball more.  Don’t settle for field goals.  Stop giving up big plays on defense.  Oh, and stop being cheap. 

All of those are good, but none of it will help you now.  Six losses in a row.  All of them demoralizing in one way or another.  It’s a dark time in the Valley of the Sun.  That ray of light coming from the east is not the dawn of a new day for Cardinal fans; it is the NBA season on the horizon.

When the Phoenix Suns tip off their season next Tuesday the Cardinals will likely have suffered another humiliating loss to the Packers.  The only reprieve for fans of the Big Red Embarrassment will be the upcoming bye week.  This is an opportunity to shake of the shackles of despair that bind you to this perpetual let down and experience the euphoria that comes from a well run organization.

Two-time MVP Steve Nash will once again be leading the league’s most exciting offensive attack.  The Suns will once again be contending for the Pacific division lead and a top seed in the playoffs.  Sports fans in Arizona will once again have something to cheer about.

This is not a team of promise and potential.  They are not a wild card, or a trendy dark horse pick.  They are winners, proven and tested.

The Diamondbacks are building with an eye toward the future.  The Coyotes don’t seem to have a direction and if they did no one would care.  The most important thing the Cardinals have left in front of them is scouting collegiate offensive linemen.

The Suns led the league last year in points per game (108.4), field goal percentage (47%), three-point percentage (40%), and assists per game (26.6).  And in most cases second place wasn’t even close.

They are bringing back the core of last year’s team and have added a speedy point guard to lessen the burden on Nash.  Amare is still recovering but will contribute nicely to a team that lacked front court depth last season.  Raja, Diaw, Thomas, and Jones all have another year in the system and know their roles.  Barbosa has found his place as the scorer off the bench and with the addition of Banks won’t have to try and run the offense.

There is only one cure for that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.  This Halloween put a bowl of candy on your front porch with a sign that says “Please take one”.  Hang a do not disturb sign on your front door.  Turn your TV to TNT.  Ease back in your favorite chair and let that fast paced basketball just wash over you.  You’ll feel better, I promise.

It was November 4, 2001, game 7 of the World Series.  The Yankees led 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth.  The Diamondbacks had thrown everything they had at the Yanks, pitching their two aces Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson.  It appeared they would come up just short.

My 24^th birthday was winding down.  I was sitting on the couch next to my wife with a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach as Mariano Rivera took the mound once again.  The phone rang and it was my friend Peder.

“It’s over man,” he said glumly.  “Mo’ doesn’t blow saves.”

I opened my mouth to make a statement of faith and confidence but instead said, “I know.  This sucks.”

Then it happened.  Grace got a hit.  Then Damian Miller reached on a fielder’s choice and Dellucci, who pitch-ran for Grace, was safe at second on a throwing error by Rivera.  Jay Bell laid down a bunt trying to advance the runners but forced Dellucci out at third.  Womack roped a double to right field and pinch runner Midre Cummings scored to tie the game.

The phone rang again.  “Can you believe it?!”

You know what, I couldn’t believe it.  After saving 23 consecutive post season games Rivera had let this one slip.  Craig Counsell was up next and was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Counsell was the only Diamondback with a World Series ring and in my mind saved the Series in the very first game.  Leading up to the Series all the media talked about was the “mystique and aura” of the three time defending World Champs.  The Yankees got on the board right away in the first inning of game 1 as Bernie Williams drove in Derek Jeter to deflate the crowd at the BOB.  Counsell came up in the bottom of the first with one out and drove a 2-1 pitch over the right field wall; a statement to everybody that they could play with this team.

So with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth the Diamondbacks best hitter was up to face baseball’s best closer.  Luis Gonzalez had had a career year batting .325 with 57 home runs and 142 RBI, but was 0-4 on the night.  The Diamondbacks had suffered through two nightmarish extra inning losses in New York.  If the game had gone to extras I’m certain my wife Lola would have turned off the TV and sent me to bed in order to avoid another sleepless night of me tossing and turning.  I held my breath as he swung and made contact.  I leaped over the coffee table as the ball sailed over the head of golden boy Derek Jeter and landed in shallow left center field.  Gonzo was jumping in the air throwing his hands over his head on his way to first as Jay Bell crossed home plate and was embraced by the waiting Matt Williams.  The Diamondbacks were World Champions.

Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson were named co-MVP’s and rightly so, but they are both gone now.  This weekend will be the final three games for two of the Diamondbacks most beloved heroes Craig Counsell and Luis Gonzalez.  It is our last remaining tie to the greatest sports moment in the history of the state of Arizona.  I can’t blame the club for looking to the future.  Bringing back both players only to have them sit behind the team’s rising stars would be unfair.  Still it is with much sadness that we say goodbye.

To borrow from Boyz II Men, I don’t know where this road is going to lead.  All I know is where we’ve been and what we’ve been through.  And I’ll take with me the memories to be my sunshine after the rain.  As we watch them go there’s so much to say that “Thank you” feels insufficient.  But it is that feeling a gratitude that will be with me this weekend as we all say goodbye to yesterday.

College Football starts a week from today (pardon me while I wipe this tear of joy from my eye).  This is a happy time for me and a time of lamentation for my wife.  I’m kicking it all off next Saturday when my friends and I will try to consume as much meat and snacks as our bodies can tolerate while watching as much football as possible.  It’s going to be beautiful.  Looking ahead at the schedule here are some must see games in September.

Right out of the shoot we have Florida State at Miami on ESPN Monday night, September 4^th.  Let me start by saying I am not a fan of this.  I love rivalry week and I love it late in the season.  One of these teams can almost immediately kiss their national championship hopes goodbye.  Still it’s FSU vs. Miami and that’s always good.

Last year Texas went into the horseshoe and won an absolute thriller catapulting itself into the national championship picture.  This year the Buckeyes hope to return the favor.  Week two Saturday night on ABC, do not miss this one.

September 16^th, or as it shall henceforth be called Christmas come early, is chucked full of must see games.  This will merit other man day of meats and salty snacks.  First up is LSU at Auburn, followed by Miami at Louisville or Oklahoma at Oregon.  Then there’s Michigan at Notre Dame.  Finally anchoring this relay is the tri-fecta of Clemson at FSU (Bowden Bowl), Nebraska at USC, and Florida at Tennessee.  Those are just the headliners.  Not even mentioning: Iowa State at Iowa or BYU at Boston College or Texas Tech at TCU.  Let’s all bow our heads for a moment of silent reflection.

That is a tough act to follow, but week four still comes up with some intriguing games that will go a long way to deciding the conference champions for the Big Ten and the Pac-10.  Penn State at Ohio State, last year this game was amazing and proves to be just as important this season.  Cal and ASU both have designs of knocking USC from their perch.  The Sun Devils travel to Berkley where the winner will become the top contender to dethrone the Trojans.

It’s difficult to determine what teams will start strong and which games will look as important as they do today but there are potentially good match ups on the board as September comes to a close.  Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech could be important and depending on the outcome of the Cal ASU game the Ducks visiting Sun Devil stadium could be huge.  There are a lot of big conference games with Ohio State playing at Iowa and BYU traveling to TCU as well.

October is also stocked with great match ups but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.  I can hardly wait.

It’s the middle of August.  The temperature’s hot, the pennant races are heating up and last night in Arlington tempers boiled over.  Scott Feldman was pitching in the top of the ninth with two out when he hit Adam Kennedy in the hip with a pitch.  Kennedy immediately rushed the mound.  Feldman threw down his glove and they started swinging.  The benches cleared (is there anything better than a bench clearing brawl; and yes I know I’m a terrible person for enjoying that).

All of this started the night before when Vincente Padilla, in the middle of being shelled by the Angels, started plunking batters right and left.  He hit two and nearly hit a third before being run out of the game. 

Flash forward to last night, the bottom of the eighth with the Angels trailing 9-3.  Anaheim reliever Kevin Gregg throws behind Ian Kinsler and both dugouts are warned.  The very next batter Michael Young is hit in the back.  Gregg and Manger Mike Scioscia are ejected.  Brennan Donnelly comes in and hits the next batter Freddy Guzman.  He and the bench coach, who took Scioscia’s place, are then ejected.

Everyone knew it was coming.  The players, the umpires, the fans, even my four year old son knew somebody was going down.  So with two outs Kennedy stepped to the plate.  As soon as the pitch left Feldman’s hand Kennedy was bracing for the hit and positioning himself to spring toward the mound.  Likewise Feldman almost instantly threw off his glove and prepared to swing.  The catcher reacted immediately chasing Kennedy to the mound, as did the batter on deck and third baseman Mark DeRosa (who took down Kennedy with a pretty nice tackle).  That’s what made the post game comments so silly.

“With the situation that occurred earlier, I can see why I got tossed for that,” Feldman said. “I was just trying to go inside.  I wasn't shocked. I looked up and he was coming at me.”

Who are you kidding?  You were trying to throw inside with one out to go in a six run game where two of your teammates had gotten plunked?  Really?  Kevin Gregg’s excuse was equally as feeble.

“I was 90 pitches deep on a bum knee,” Gregg said. “I was amped up and I just threw one that got away from me.”

Well I’m no math major but throwing behind Kinsler and then hitting Young, isn’t that two that got away?  Manager Mike Scioscia further stated that there was “no intent”.  Look, I know everyone’s trying to avoid suspension and lessen the fines but nobody’s buying this.  The fines are coming.  Several players can expect to be suspended.  Baseball has got to do something so why not be honest.  It cheapens what I think is a great tradition in baseball.  Protect your own.  Brennan Donnelly came closest to saying it like it is.

“Baseball is baseball,” Donnelly said after the game. “Things have a way of working themselves out.”

Well with six games left between these two teams I, for one, am looking forward to seeing exactly how this works itself out.

Angels Rangers brawl

It’s the final inning of the championship game.  There are two on and two out.  Your team is down by one as you step to the plate.  This is the dream of every kid who has ever picked up a baseball bat.  Only in the dream this is where you become a hero.  That was not the case for Romney Oaks of Bountiful, Utah.

At age 4 an MRI showed little Romney had a malignant cranial tumor.  Several years of chemotherapy, radiation and a shunt in his brain Romney has recovered.  Even with a steady dose of human growth hormone Romney is still undersized and frail.  Although he cannot play contact sports he was cleared to play baseball as long as he wore a helmet in the field.

It was under these circumstances that Romney Oaks strode to the plate in the championship game of the Mueller Park Mustang 10 and under league.  If he gets a hit he joins the ranks of Jason McElwain and we’re talking about making a movie of his story.  It was not to be.  Romney took a swinging third strike with tear filled eyes.  This would just be a sad story had it not been for the events that preceded his at bat.

Batting in front of Romney was the Red Sox best hitter Jordan Bleak, who already had a home run and a triple.  So the opposing Coach Bob Farley (who by the way was coaching the Yankees, further strengthening my resolve to despise them even at the little league level), chose to intentionally walk Bleak to get to Oaks.

I first heard of this story last week and had several mixed reactions.  I’ve since read more on this subject and a variety of opinions including today’s piece by ESPN.com’s Greg Garber.  So the question is did Yankees coach Bob Farley do anything wrong?  Yes and no.  He was within the rules of the game to do what he did and maybe that’s the problem (more on that later).  Furthermore he did right by his players by giving them the best opportunity to win (don’t crucify me yet, I’m not finished).

I have several problems with this and I’ll start with the opposing coach and supposed villain.  When you coach little league baseball you are teaching kids how to hit, throw and catch.  Teaching them the rules of the game and teaching them to compete.  Did they play within the rules?  Yes.  Did they compete?  Absolutely not.  That pitcher should have had the opportunity to succeed or fail against anybody.  If he can’t get Bleak out then he loses, but at least he didn’t side step a difficult situation.  What did he learn from giving Bleak four wide and striking out a frail cancer survivor?  There are lessons to be learned in competing one of them is how to deal with defeat.

The blame is not solely his.  There is plenty to go around including Little League Baseball and Romney’s parents.  If the kid is well enough to play then Farley should be allowed to pitch to him.  At the risk of sounding heartless if you don’t want your son in that situation keep him at home.  He was in a position to be the hero or to fail.  That’s difficult for any parent to watch their child go through.  The reason this is a story is because of Romney’s medical history and because he struck out.  I am widely recognized among my friends as the worst baseball player alive.  I’ve struck out in slow pitch softball (true story), in little league I batted ninth and that was only because my coach had to play me.  Players used to adjust their stance to try and hit wherever I was fielding.  If I had come up in that situation I’d have struck out too.  The only thing that would have followed was a long quiet car ride home where my father wondered what he did wrong to deserve such an uncoordinated son.  This is a national story because we love an underdog and hate a bully.  This is the strong picking on the weak and unfortunately in life more often than not that is reality.

Youth sports ought to be a safe harbor.  This should not be allowed to happen.  Little League baseball has its own rules; like every player gets to bat.  So why not outlaw the intentional walk?  I would purpose that all the way up to the Big Leagues.  Penalize the team, at least, and give the batter two bases for an intentional walk.  Alright enough of my loathing for the gutless act of walking a batter on purpose, that’s not the real problem.  We should be teaching our children to have a heart.  That little league trophy is going to end up in a box in their parents garage one day but they’ll take the lessons they learned with them throughout life.  It’s bigger than an at bat, or a game or a season.  This is about building men.  We bemoan the attitude of professional athletes today.  Where did they learn it from?  Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)  So which way are we training our children to go?

So preseason football is meaningless, right?  Wrong.  The games themselves don’t mean anything that’s for sure but its football.  Football is the king of the sports mountain.  That wasn’t always the case but I don’t see it changing anytime soon.  It’s not all because of what happens on the field either.  Don’t get me wrong that’s the reason we watch football but it’s not the reason we love football.

It’s the principle of least interest.  In any relationship the person with the least interest has the power.  That’s true in personal relationships, business relationships and even in sports relationships.  It’s like driving into a car dealership in an old beat up jalopy with rusty doors and smoke poring out the back.  That salesman knows he owns you because he can’t possibly need a sale as much as you need a car.  That’s football.  They turn on the lights, put up their flags, grease back their hair, put on their gold chain and wait for you to come to them.  Other leagues try and stay around as long as possible.  Baseball and hockey seasons seem endless.  The basketball season is about twenty games too long.  You can’t wait for the regular season to end and the playoffs to begin.  Football though gives you just enough to keep you hungry for more.  In college you get 11 games, 12 tops.  The pros give you a little larger of a sample with a 16 game schedule.  After the playoffs and the bowl games are over though you’ve got seven long months.  Basketball gives you only four, with baseball it’s barely five.  There’s no time to miss them and they’re back again, like that clingy girlfriend in junior high.  You know the one where you couldn’t wait for summer to come so you wouldn’t have to see her everyday.  Sure she was nice but sometimes you just need your space.  That’s what you don’t get from the NBA, NHL and MLB, space.

Another thing is that every schlub who watches football thinks ‘I can do that’.  You sit down and watch a basketball game and you know that you can’t dunk.  You go shoot around at the park and quickly realize that you’re not going to hit 40% of your three’s either.  You know you’re not 7’0 feet tall, so punk’n out of shape middle aged guys during a Saturday morning pick up game may be the pinnacle of your basketball career.  That’s fairly easy to accept.  Also easy to accept is that you can neither throw nor hit a 90 mph fastball.  Just go down to the batting cages.  I have three words for you, Men’s Softball League.  Football, however, lends itself to certain delusions.  You can throw a football, you can catch a football.  Sure it may not be with six or seven angry 280 lb. men chasing you but that is easy enough to overlook, especially when the receiver should have caught that pass.  Come on it hit him in the hands.  Or maybe you can’t throw or catch; you can eat, right?  All of those big fat linemen allow every beer guzzling hot dog eating chump to believe he could do that.  Then there are those who know they can’t play but with one glance at that old tubby guy on the sidelines with the headset they are right back in the game.  Everyone knows 3rd and 5 is a passing down, what was he thinking.  Why didn’t he use his last timeout to ice the kicker, what an idiot. 

I’ll admit watching Tony Romo sling passes to Sam Hurd while the Cowboys and Seahawks third string units ground out a 13-3 game wasn’t the highlight of my weekend.  But it does bring a smile to my face knowing that football is back.  Hooray Football.

People love to compare generations.  It’s an impossible scenario with no one able to claim victory, yet we can’t stop ourselves.  We all want to crown an All-Time champion.  That can be difficult to quantify.  “Big Papi” David Ortiz was recently compared to the All-Time clutch athletes in Boston sports history.  The argument itself is asinine since there’s no black and white definition of “clutch”.  To top it all off the parameters of the discussion were not limited to baseball but span several sports and several decades.  I refuse to get into such a discussion, except for the purposes of baiting my close friends into a fruitless argument to kill time during a seemingly endless workday.  I do enjoy a good argument though.  With that in mind I pose a question:

Who is the best 1-2 punch in baseball today?

This can be either hitters or pitchers.  For hitters they have to follow one another in the lineup.  That means apologizes to Carlos Beltran and David Wright who are separated in the lineup by Carlos Delgado.  As for pitchers they need to win, so save the hate mail for excluding Roy Oswalt and Roger Clemens.    It’s not my fault; I can’t give them the run support they deserve.

Let’s start with the defending champs.  They actually have a 1-2-3 punch with Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, and Jermaine Dye.  Now I’ll play by my own rules and pick Thome and Konerko, most because they hit first in the line up.  But here are the numbers of all three so you can decide.

Player	Pos	BA	HR	RBI
Thome	DH	.301	33	84
Konerko	1B	.304	26	80
Dye	RF	.319	30	83

Staying in the AL with the previous champs you have Boston’s dynamic duo David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.  Big Papi is rapidly becoming one of my favorite hitters to watch and he has supplanted Barry Bonds as baseball’s most feared hitter.  A big reason for Papi’s success is the RBI machine Manny Ramirez sitting in the on deck circle.

Player	Pos	BA	HR	RBI
Ortiz	DH	.290	40	109
Ramirez	LF	.318	31	89

Moving over to the NL you find Papi’s biggest rival for the Major’s HR and RBI lead Ryan Howard and his teammate Chase Utley.  On his way to chasing down DiMaggio second baseman Chase Utley quietly rose up the batting average leader board.  Howard has been on a tare all year long and is proving that the display he put on at the HR derby was just the beginning.

Player	Pos	BA	HR	RBI
Utley	2B	.330	21	71
Howard	1B	.291	38	99

This last twosome is simply because I can’t leave Mr. Pujols off any list of elite baseball hitters.

Player	Pos	BA	HR	RBI
Pujols	1B	.324	34	89
Rolen	3B	.316	15	71

I’d like to start with a pair of Hall of Famers in Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez but due to injury Pedro has yet to post double digit wins.  The same is true for Bronson Arroyo one half of Cincinnati’s terrible twosome, apologizes to him and Adam Harrang.  Here are their numbers just for fun.

Player	TEAM	W	ERA	BB	SO
B Arroyo	CIN	9	3.47	37	127
A Harang	CIN	12	3.53	43	146
Player	TEAM	W	ERA	BB	SO
T Glavine	NYM	12	3.96	50	93
P Martinez	NYM	8	3.48	30	122

Boston’s pair may have been the favorites were it not for Josh Beckett’s bulky ERA.

Player	TEAM	W	ERA	BB	SO
C Schilling	BOS	14	3.78	20	142
J Beckett	BOS	13	5.00	46	115

That leaves us with a load of young studs and one pitcher described as having the best stuff in baseball.  First is Detroit’s two youngsters Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander.  If you are looking to the future these two might be the way to go.

Player	TEAM	W	ERA	BB	SO
J Verlander	DET	14	2.79	38	92
J Bonderman	DET	11	3.81	43	146

Then there are the two pitchers who’ve carried a sometimes shaky Angel’s rotation.  Yes Jered Weaver is 7-0 with a 1.81 ERA and if he’d been up all season he’d be on this list I assure you.

Player	TEAM	W	ERA	BB	SO
J Lackey	LAA	10	3.28	54	129
E Santana	LAA	12	4.09	50	104

And last but certainly not least you have the Twin Cities two headed monster, Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano.  This pair of southpaw’s numbers speaks for themselves.

Player	TEAM	W	ERA	BB	SO
J Santana	MIN	12	3.22	35	168
F Liriano	MIN	12	1.96	32	137

While you can’t go wrong with any of these choices the name of the game is making a pick.  I’d like to go with the premise that good pitching beats good hitting and pick Santana and Liriano.  In light of Liriano returning to the DL again though I’ll go with the everyday players and pick Papi and Manny.  I don’t think you can pick a deadly pair than those two. 

Team USA’s scrimmage against Puerto Rico aired last night on ESPN2.  This was the first time that this incarnation of NBA All-Stars suited up in red, white and blue.  After failures in recent years steps have been taken to correct past team deficiencies.  Jerry Colangelo, former Phoenix Suns President, was brought in to direct this movement.  He immediately did something that hadn’t been done before asking a college coach to come in and coach professional basketball players.  Not just any college coach mind you, he picked Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.  With Krzyzewski and several assistant coaches familiar to the international game in place Colangelo began recruiting some of the top players in the NBA, including some considered to be role players.  If the first scrimmage is any indication this rebuilding project for USA basketball has been a master stroke.

Not to get too carried away with just one scrimmage but this team was quite impressive.  Several things stood out.  First, was the score 114-69.  They beat them by 45 points, and that’s after overcoming so early jitters.  Second, was their teamwork and camaraderie.  These guys have only been together a couple of weeks and their communication was excellent.  They were looking to set each other up on offense.  Unlike an All-Star game these guys played defense.  They forced 25 turnovers leading to 41 points.  Make no mistake about it every player in the NBA has a big ego, but this team has found a way to leave their egos at home.  They all respect each other and are looking for ways to bond with one another.  Third, was the overwhelming talent of the players.  Carmelo Anthony led the team with 18 points.  Joe Johnson crossed over a Puerto Rican defend and exploded to the hole for a reverse lay-up.  Dwayne Wade had a beautiful windmill dunk and then turned to the servicemen and women in the crowd and saluted.  That’s the best part too, this team just gets it.

“We understand that we represent more than the organizations we play for in the NBA, and we represent more than the name on the back. We represent the name on the front of our jersey, and that means a lot to every guy on this team,” Wade said.

I give all of the credit to Jerry Colangelo, Coach K, and all the players for buying into this.  It’s not just about winning it’s about representing your country with honor and pride.  Sure we all want them to win but we also want a team that we can be proud of.  The important thing is how they carry themselves on and off the court.  That’s a big part of Mike Krzyzewski’s job here is to show them that this is bigger than just themselves.

“There was something about being here that has helped to create a national spirit for our team,” Coach K said following the scrimmage.

For me personally the greatest thing that Coach K has done is outlaw arguing with the officials.  Not one player complained about the officiating.  Granted they beat the team by 45 points so there wasn’t much to complain about, but no matter what the call the players just played.  That’s amazing.  Arguing with the officials has become an outright epidemic in the NBA.  There didn’t seem to be one call last year that didn’t warrant a tantrum or defiant stare from the players.  Tim Duncan hasn’t committed a foul in nine years in the league.  You could put together a coffee table book full of pictures of his post foul reactions.  Just Google search pictures of him and you’ll see what I’m talking about.  This is a problem the league needs to address, it’s gotten out of hand and it detracts from the game.  The league has gone to great length to fix its image problem off the court and now it’s time to stop the whining on the court. 

I have two suggestions for fixing the problem.  Have the officials standing under the basket during pre-game warm ups making the technical foul signal and staring at the players. They could say “I’m just warming this up for ya.”  Maybe give some bench warmer a technical before the game starts as a messenger that whining will not be tolerated.  Or you could clone Mike Krzyzewski.  Normally I’m against cloning but if that’s what it takes to fix the problem then you’ve got to do it.  He’s done wonders so far with team USA so I think the idea has merit. 

Jimmy Dugan said “There’s no crying in baseball.”  As far as I’m concerned there should be no whining in basketball.

It’s not often that the BCS picture drastically changes in August, but that’s exactly what happened yesterday.  Oklahoma, a team that went 8-4 last season, suspended starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn for being overpaid by a local car dealer.  The university has been proactive in the investigation and prompt with their discipline.  I firmly believe Bob Stoops stern reaction to this situation is sincere.

“We spend a considerable amount of time addressing our players regarding their personal conduct and the NCAA rules.  They know exactly what we expect from them. Ultimately, they have to make right decisions. The same holds true for our boosters. When they do not, the consequences are serious, and we will not tolerate this behavior.”

“Our team and university actions are necessary because of the intentional participation and knowledge of the student athletes in these violations,” Stoops said.

He further stated, “I firmly believe that our program is stronger than any individual player and that a championship program cannot compromise its values.”

Well kudos to Stoops and OU.  I’m trying not to be cynical and say that they also did this to avoid NCAA sanctions which would definitely be more severe than losing two starters.  It’s not easy to run a clean program with kids from all different backgrounds and upbringing, especially this generation that comes preprogrammed with a sense of entitlement.  Combined that with boosters that have an “everybody’s doing it” attitude and it’s a wonder we don’t see more of this. 

So Rhett Bomar and J.D. Quinn will have to pay for their mistake.  Unfortunately they are not alone.  Last seasons struggles were due to inexperience and injury.  This year both of those seemed to be behind them.  Now the Sooner’s will be forced to use an inexperienced juco transfer from California or fall back on last year’s season opening starter Paul Thompson who converted to wide receiver after his demotion.  Either way junior tailback Adrian Peterson can look forward once again to Big 12 defenses putting eight in the box and daring the Sooner’s to throw. 

This not only affects the university, the team, and their fans but it changes the conference and the national title picture before the season even starts.  I had them as the favorite for the Big 12 championship and the No. 2 team in the country.  Although Bomar was a top recruit coming out of high school, I wouldn’t put him in the top 25 quarterbacks in college football.  That’s not to say the Holiday Bowl MVP is without talent, I’m saying that the impact of his loss will be more than just losing a talented starting quarterback.  With inexperience at that position you can count on an increase in turnovers and a lack of respect by defenses for your passing game.  That impacts everything.  The Sooner’s defense was going to be their strength regardless.  Now, however, they’ll likely have to deal with the other team regularly getting the ball with good field position.  Even if they can hold them it means the offense will once again have a long field in front of them.  This trickle down effect will be felt all season and not just in Oklahoma. 

It’s not just as simple of Oklahoma falling back one, two or ten spots and everybody else shifting up one.  Now the Longhorns title defense just got a little more probable.  Yes they lost their starting quarterback to the NFL, but they bring back a host of talented players on both sides of the ball.  If they can get past Ohio State at home, they are in the driver’s seat not only in the Big 12 but for another shot at the BCS title.  Talk about insult to injury for the Sooner faithful.

I love sports.  This page is dedicated to that very subject.  My favorite among them is football.  I love to write about it, to talk about it, to play it.  Personally college football is more exciting than professional football.  However, I recognize the NFL as the pinnacle of the sport and currently the monster of the American sports landscape.  Playing and coaching there is a dream for all those who pursue a football career.  Recognizing all that, I think that some people’s perspective is a little skewed.

Sunday, Miami Dolphins coach, Nick Saban was invited to dine with the President of the United States.  He declined.  The reason?  The Dolphins put on pads for the first time and are just two weeks away from their first completely meaningless preseason game.

“It was really a tough decision,” Saban said. “I feel like my first responsibility is our team. That in no way disrespects the importance of the opportunity I would have loved to have had to spend dinner with the President.”

This is not okay.  I’m almost positive that no matter what ridiculous hours Nick Saban is working that he has not as yet cut dinner from his schedule.  When the White House calls you answer.  No matter what you think of the person or the politics, respect the office.  Do you honestly think that anyone on the team would begrudge him for leaving for one evening to dine with the President?  It’s not like he was going to be gone on some goodwill mission to China, this was just dinner.

Our freedom is what makes this country great.  Saban is certainly free to decline this invitation and I am free to call him mistaken.  Some people may call him dedicated or committed; I think he’s shortsighted.  Young men and women aren’t over seas fighting so that the Dolphins can make a run at the wildcard this year.  They are fighting for our country.  I am in no way saying that by not going to dinner Saban is disrespecting them or President Bush, he’s not and to suggest that would be ludicrous.  I am just saying that when rating life’s decisions a Presidential dinner invite should take precedents over day two of training camp.  There are things bigger than instant replay or a cover 2 zone.  My fear is that a large majority of the country, even those outside the shirtless face painting brood, would side with Saban.  Sure this isn’t life or death; there are far great concerns for the country and the President.  This just alludes to a different set of priorities and to me that’s too bad. 

1	Notre Dame Fighting Irish
	The Fighting Irish are returning 17 starters from last years 9-3 team.  Eight of them are on offense, an offense that rank 10th in the nation.  The Golden Domers have plenty of experience as well with 18 starters on both sides of the ball being seniors.  If Brady Quinn doesn't win the Heismann it may be because of Daruis Walker, who is poised for a monster year as well.  Charlie Weis is a phenominal coach but some credit should also be given to Tyrone Willingham because these are all his guys.  The Irish still play the one of the toughest schedules in the country, but it's not nearly as tough as in years past.
2	Oklahoma Sooners
	Inexperience and injury dogged the Sooners last season.  The offense is returning only 4 starters from a year ago.  The good news is one of them is a healthy Adrian Peterson.  Peterson is the best running back in the country, period.  If Oklahoma's young offensive line can mesh quickly number 28 will have a season for the ages.  The defending national champs await the Sooners on October 7th.  As usual this game will decide who will play for the Big 12 championship and a chance to play for a national title.
3	West Virginia Mountaineers
	With super sophmore's Pat White and Steve Slaton the Mountaineers will continue to run, run, run.  They finished the season ranked 4th in the nation in rushing with 272 yards per game.  They return eight starters on offense but are missing their behemoth bookends.  Still with a pretty weak schedule West Virginia has a very real shot and finishing the season undefeated.
4	California Golden Bears
	Speed.  Cal's got it and they'll need to get off to a fast start too.  With the season opener at Tennessee we'll know right away what we can expect from the Golden Bears.  Marshawn Lynch has Heismann asperations which will be helped or hindered by his quarterback play.  Whoever wins the job will be throwing to three ultra-talented receivers (Jordan, Jackson, and Hawkins).  With USC slipping back to the pack Cal is thinking BCS.
5	Texas Longhorns
	The word in Texas this season will be defense.  Not only defense of their national title; the Longhorns will rely heavily on a defense that returns seven starters.  The offense has the potential to be explosive but with two freshman quarterbacks battling to replace the legendary Vince Young there will be the inevitable growing pains.  After the Red River shootout they have two stumbling blocks at Nebraska and at Texas Tech.

6	Florida Gators
	It's year two for Urban Meyer in Gator Country.  Chris Leak appears more comfortable in Meyer's offense and that can only make SEC coaches uncomfortable.  As usual the Gator's have plenty of talent.  There are no easy roads through the SEC; and for the Gators it doesn't end there with the season finally in Tallahassee.
7	USC Trojans
	Despite having a favorable home schedule getting back to the title game will be difficult if not impossible.  I'll only say this once; you can't lose three irreplaceable players and not backslide.
8	Ohio State Buckeyes
	Each year the expectation in Columbus is a national championship.  This year is no different.  The flashiness of Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. have blinded Buckeye fans to the fact that they are returning two starters on defense.  Not only that but they lost the left side of their offensive line.  Smith will be counting on two sophmores to watch his blind side.  Maybe they will take some consulation in being able to spoil Michigan's chances at a Big Ten title in the final regular season game.
9	Louisville Cardinals
	Louisville is returning fifteen starters including Heismann hopefuls Brian Bruhm and Michael Bush.  They play their two toughest opponents, West Virginia and Miami, at home.  Only problem is they have to play West Virginia and Miami.  The Cardinals will have a great season but the Mountaineers may push them out of a BCS game.
10	Michigan Wolverines
	One thing is certain the Wolverines are going to put big points on the board.  With a returning backfield of Henne and Hart and speedster Breaston and Manningham look for last years five loss season, and heartbreaking loss to Nebraska, to be a distant memory.