Don't Knock Kobe vs. Dwight

You're an NBA fan. You were looking forward to a possible Kobe vs. Lebron matchup in the NBA Finals. You're a little upset that you aren't getting it (believe me, ESPN, ABC, and Madison Avenue are, too). You feel let down after months and months of Kobe vs. Lebron hype. You probably don't think Kobe vs. Dwight is going to live up to Kobe vs. Lebron. It probably won't. But have no fear. I'm here to tell you why you should be looking forward to the L.A. - Orlando finals showdown.

* It's going to be a good series. The Lakers, like the Cavs, face similar matchup problems against the Magic. If they double team Dwight Howard, then the brigade of three point bombers (Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston, and Michael Pietrus) will do their share of damage, just as they did against Cleveland. If the Lakers try to defend the three, then Howard might have all the room he needs to roam the paint. Either way, the Lakers leave themselves vulnerable.

* Phil Jackson: Phil is going for his tenth NBA championship. At this point, the only debate is who people think was the better coach - Red Auerbach of The Zen Master.Both have nine championship rings. Phil would help his case by winning his tenth right here.

Does that make Phil the better coach? I honestly can't tell you. I really don't think anyone can. They coached in two completely different eras. The game was completely different. Though both coaches probably would have been able to adjust, it's not an absolute. So for now, you just have to say they coached in different eras.

I will say this, though. People who say Auerbach was the better coach like to point out that Phil has had the best talent ever assembled to coach. Those same people never admit that Red had some pretty good talent, too. Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Bob Cousy; I could go on and on. Those guys are all Hall of Famers.

Jackson did have great talent to work with. But consider this. Between the intensely driven Michael Jordan, the moody Scottie Pippen, and the flaky Dennis Rodman, Jackson had his hands full. He had to massage Pippen's ego and keep Rodman walking the straight and narrow while allowing Michael to be the dominant personality of the team.

In L.A., Jackson managed to win three straight titles despite the fact that his two biggest stars - Kobe and Shaq - hated each other. That isn'teasy to do either.

And if Jackson can win his tenth ring as a coach with a team made up of Kobe, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and role players, he might have done his best coaching job ever.

I'm not saying Phil was a better coach than Auerbach. But he's the best I've ever seen (I wasn't around for Red). And ten rings is more than any other coach has.

* Stan Van Gundy: He's not the greatest coach in the world, but he is one of the more entertaining guys you'll find. He doesn't beat around the bush. He tells you what's on his mind, and doesn't care if it's the right thing to say or not.

Van Gundy doesn't have much of a filter. He doesn't speak in the language that coaches have spoken with for years. He doesn't say 'safe' things. Add that up to the fact he won't be doing many shoots for GQ anytime soon, and has an uncanny resemblance to porn star Ron Jeremy, and you have a media guy's dream. The fans like him too. He's a 'never a dull moment' kind of guy.

* Dwight Howard: When people talk about the best players in the league, they usually talk about Kobe and Lebron. Howard's one of those guys that people get to and say 'he's really good,' but he's almost never mentioned when you talk about the best player in the league.

It might be time to start thinking of him when the 'best player' conversation pops up. I'm not saying he is the best, but he's got to be in that group. He's the best center in the league (sorry Yao), and he just eliminated James in what a lot of people considered a big upset.

He's young. His game seems to be improving. And there isn't anyone on the Lakers that can stop him. Nike might want to make a Dwight Howard puppet soon.

* Kobe Bryant: There isn't much to say about Bryant that hasn't already been said. I think he's the best player in the league. The biggest difference between Kobe and Lebron is that Kobe has that killer instinct. When Kobe senses that an opponent is on his way out, he puts his foot on that opponent's throat. Lebron has done that, but not as often and not as consistently as Kobe has.

The one thing Kobe hasn't done is win a title without Shaq. You know how much that bothers him. Shaq is probably getting ready to do another song at a night club should Kobe and the Lakers lose to Orlando. This is Kobe's chance to shut the few critics he has left up. This is his chance to shut Shaq up. That alone should make for some entertainment.

There you go. Five reasons why the NBA Finals won't suck even though we don't have the Kobe-Lebron showdown we were dreaming about.

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Driver Picking The Wrong Time To Complain About His Contract

A year ago, the Green Bay Packers were going through a couple of controversies that everyone was talking about. Brett Favre was about to un-retire, and Ryan Grant was holding out for a new contract. Eventually, Favre was traded to the Jets and Grant signed a long term deal to remain the Packers number one back.

I thought this year might be controversy free. It looks like I was wrong.

Things aren't going exactly as planned in Titletown. Not every Packer is happy with their current situations.

Aaron Kampman refuses to talk to the media about his move from defensive end to outside linebacker.

Nick Collins reportedly wants a new deal and is skipping OTA's not because of his father's death, but because of his contract.

And, Donald Driver reportedly wants his deal re-worked as well.

I can just see Packers GM Ted Thompson walking around with that frustrated look on his face. The same look we saw for most of last summer.

Kampman may not be talking about his position switch, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's unhappy with it. It could just be that the guy wants to work and learn his new position. Kampman isn't a big talker anyway, so at the moment it doesn't faze me that he didn't tell reporters how things were going.

Collins will earn a little over $3M this year, but has apparently been looking for an extension. The second round pick from 2005 racked up seven interceptions last year, his best season so far. If the Packers stay true to their policy of taking care of young players, then Collins almost certainly will get a new deal.

Driver - on the other hand - is the one that concerns me the most. He has two years and nearly $8M left on his deal, and is coming off his worst statistical season since 2003.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Driver, who signed a $17M extension before the 2006 season, has approached the team about re-working his deal for four straight years. This is the same Donald Driver who is loved by Packer Nation for his work ethic and community work. This is not the Driver we have seen publicly for almost a decade.

I know that NFL players think they have to get theirs while they can, but Driver is picking the wrong time to moan and groan about his contract (I know he hasn't said anything publicly, but he's not in camp, is he?)

Driver may be the veteran of the group, but he's not the go to receiver anymore. He shares that role with Greg Jennings. Instead of being the #1 WR, Driver is now #1A.

And speaking of Jennings, we all know he's been looking for a new deal (deservedly so after the numbers he has put up in the last two seasons). However, Jennings is in camp, participating in OTA's. He obviously thinks that showing the Packers he's willing to work as opposed to holding out will get him what he wants. And, don't be shocked if it does.

Driver is not a dumb guy. He has to realize that the Packers have priorities. He's 34 now. Who does he realistically think is a bigger priority in Thompson's mind? A receiver who might very well be on the downside of his career? Or the 25 year old who has far more left in his tank?

On top of everything, Driver is seemingly complaining about his contract in the worst economy since The Great Depression. He has two years and almost eight million dollars left to go on his current deal. He will get his. Joe Fan who might be out of work and trying to make ends meet on unemployment checks isn't going to feel sorry for Driver. I know I don't.

I am honestly surprised that Driver is doing this. I thought he knew better.

But I guess I was wrong. And so is Driver.

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Those Who Won't Deal With Change Are Destined To Be Left Behind

I come to you today admitting that I am a convert. I am now a believer. A believer in what, you ask?

A believer in new media.

I didn't go to college two decades ago intending to become a sports radio host. I went to college with the idea to become a sportswriter. I wanted to be a columnist, more specifically. I wanted to be the guy that wrote things that had people talking at the water cooler and during coffee and lunch breaks.

Life, though, has a funny way of throwing curveballs at you. The curveball it threw at me was going to school and being told that I couldn't write for the newspaper until I was a junior. The internet was only a gleam in Al Gore's eye back in 1989. There was no information super highway. No one knew what a blog was. There was only one place for me to turn to. That place was radio.

I walked into my college's radio station and never left (believe me, my grades reflected that). I've been in radio ever since. Well, up until I was laid off this past October.

In the last few years, I watched the internet explode into a force as far as sports media was concerned. I watched as people in all walks of life launched websites and blogs. I admit that up until last October, I was somewhat down on the new media. I saw how people wrote whatever they wanted to without having to check their facts or put their name to it. To be honest, I was a victim of this trend in new media as well. I hosted a Brewers pregame show for two years. One of my colleagues handed me a piece of paper saying the following. "An internet report states the Brewers have traded for (then) Reds slugger Adam Dunn." I went with it, and quickly realized I had gotten some bad info. We - as a radio station, backed off the report, and I apologized personally to Brewers GM Doug Melvin.

So as you see, I had a reason to be down on the new media. But since that day in 2007, I've watched new media - especially in sports - mature.

From a personal standpoint, new media has helped me keep my name 'out there.' My blog and podcast each weekday allows my to keep in touch with the people that used to listen to me in Milwaukee. My podcast helps me keep my talk show skills in shape so I won't be rusty when I get my next radio job.

From a professional standpoint, I have watched the new media become the modern day version of the newspaper. I'm not going to tell you how the newspaper is yesterday's news a day late or anything like that. I think we all know that the internet has had a negative impact on the newspaper industry. I am going to tell you that I have watched as some of the best writers in the country have left their newspaper columns behind to go 'online.'

Jay Mariotti left his job as the lead sports columnist at The Chicago Sun Times last summer. There was speculation that he might go across town to the Chicago Tribune, but that didn't materialize. Instead, Jay took his writing skills to Fanhouse (AOL Sports). He has totally embraced new media and its place in sports journalism.

Other writers have done the very same thing. Michael Felger of the Boston Herald is now a columnist for WEEI.com. Greg Couch left the Chicago Sun Times to join Mariotti at Fanhouse. There are others who have made the move, as well. But, I am not going to waste anyone's time by rattling off name after name after name.

I am going to tell you that not everyone has jumped on the internet bandwagon. I know there are plenty of writers who still look at the internet and think of it as the annoying little brother to print media (did anyone see Buzz Bissinger on Costas Now a year ago?).

Those writers are missing the boat here. The blogosphere is full of people who write whatever they want and post their ramblings under a fake name. But, in the last year or so, more writers - newspaper writers - have made the move to the net. They are writing hard hitting columns, and they are putting their names to them. The blogosphere is not the Wild Wild West it used to be. It has more credibility than it has ever had before. Sure, there are still plenty of people posting things under fake names. But they are being overshadowed by the established journalists who are embracing new technology.

The writers who don't believe in new media will tell you they are 'newspaper guys.' That's an admirable thing. But times are changing. The newspaper isn't what it used to be. Major newspapers like the Rocky Mountain News (Denver) and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer have either gone out of business or are out of the print side of it (concentrating on the internet).

There are literally hundreds of newspapers who have been making cutbacks by the boatload over the last year. Not just small newspapers either. Almost every newspaper in every major city is cutting back because circulation is down. It's a good bet that we will see more newspapers go out of business over the next year.

So, the anti-'net writers have a couple of choices. Become a magazine writer (because magazines will probably never die), or eventually make the jump like some of their colleagues have.

The alternative is sticking with a business (newspapers) that is dying (if not dead already). I have friends who work for my local newspaper (I'll keep their names out of it) who tell me it's not a matter of if they will be laid off, but when.

To me, the choice was clear (at least when I was laid off). Either embrace new technology and new media, or fade away. I chose to embrace the new media/technology.

The 'newspaper guys' who haven't caught up to the rest of us should get on board as well.

It's simple evolution. Get on board or get left behind.

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Don't Rip ESPN For Hyping Kobe-Lebron

It seems like everyone has been hyping the possible Lebron vs. Kobe NBA Finals matchup since February, right? Well, judging by how the conference finals have been playing out, it might not happen. The Orlando Magic lead Cleveland in their best of seven series 3-1, and the Denver Nuggets are giving the Los Angeles Lakers a run for their money. Not only might Lebron not get to the finals, but Kobe & Company might miss out, too.

I've been listening to a lot of the talking heads on television. I've been listening to various radio talk shows throughout the country (thanks to the internet). It seems like the new thing to do is to bash ESPN for overhyping Kobe vs. Lebron and ignoring the other teams still in the playoffs.

Now, I'll admit that ESPN has done their fair share of hype. In fact, no entity in sports does a better job of promoting something than The Worldwide Leader. However, to rip ESPN for this is just a tad off base.

Sure, ESPN is hyping Lebron vs. Kobe, but isn't that what they are supposed to do? They are, after all, one of the NBA's television partners. They are airing the Western Conference Finals, and their production of the NBA Finals will air on ABC. To not promote it would be stupid. I know, it seems harsh, but it's really simple. You have a product, and you want to promote it. To not acknowledge that a Kobe-Lebron matchup was possible would be crazy. You don't just put that matchup on the air and hope people somehow find it.

Not once have I heard anyone say anything about the way other media outlets have promoted a possible Kobe-Lebron matchup. Surely, ESPN isn't the only entity that is talking about it, right?

Of course they aren't. There are plenty of websites that have been talking about this possible showdown, and they've been talking about it for months. FOX, CBS, Fanhouse - all of the major websites - have had Kobe-Lebron on the brain for months.

Newspapers have had columnists writing about the matchup for a long time, too - even if their cities or teams aren't involved in the playoffs. Why? Because these two superstars are (arguably) the two best players in the league. They are (arguably) the two most popular players in the league. They aren't just basketball players, either. They have crossed over into the mainstream, thanks to advertising campaigns like the one that Nike has been putting out there lately (those puppet commercials are hilarious).

The radio talk shows have been talking Kobe-Lebron for a while, too. Sure, listeners like to hear about their local teams, but they also want to know about teams and players who transcend the games they play. Kobe and Lebron certainly do that, just like Tiger Woods does.

I'm not the biggest ESPN fan in the world. I think Sportscenter has gotten so far away from what made it a great show. I've talked about this on the radio many times in the past. ESPN used to go after the hard core sports nut. That was back in the days of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann. Now, ESPN is more like Entertainment Tonight. They are going for the casual sports fan now more than they ever have before. While it might be the smart thing to do because they want to attract the biggest possible audience, the hard core fans - like me - have been turned off to a degree.

ESPN has done other things that I consider wrong as well. It doesn't happen nearly as much as it used to, but The Worldwide Leader used to be the king of taking a breaking news story and claiming it as their own, when someone else - usually a local outlet - actually had the story first.

Many people complain that ESPN has shown too much bias to the teams in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. To a degree, that's true. But, they are based on the East Coast, and most of the best teams and athletes just happen to be as well. ESPN has recently started paying attention (maybe too much) to other parts of the country - emanating a nightly Sportscenter from Los Angeles and launching a Chicago only website. They might not be paying attention to the developing baseball stories in Milwaukee, Kansas City, or Texas, but they are trying to be a little less biased towards the coasts.

There are a lot of negative things fans and talking heads can say about ESPN. But promoting a possible Kobe-Lebron matchup in the upcoming finals isn't the worst thing they could have done.

Instead of ripping on ESPN (which is a no-win situation), maybe more of me media brothers should look in the mirror and ask themselves whether they were a part of the hype or not.

If they were (and most of them have been), then they need to stop ripping on someone else for doing the same thing.

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More Social Networking Stuff!

Some of you are following me on Twitter but I know that not everyone is 'tweeting.' I have been on Facebook for about a year now - feel free to check out my profile and become a Facebook friend!

Mo Williams Should Have Kept His Mouth Shut

You have to love the fact that pro athletes have supreme confidence. Not just a little bit of confidence. Not just confidence. Supreme confidence. Some athletes are so confident that no matter how bleak the situation looks, they will say something that is sure to make headlines and light a fire under the other team's collective butt.

Earlier during the NBA playoffs, Orlando Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing (no stranger to making guarantees) went out and told the media he guaranteed his Magic would beat Boston. Now, if you remember Ewing as a player, you probably remember the many guarantees that he made. He also was almost always wrong. Luckily for him the Magic went out and beat Boston in seven games.

Now the Magic, locked in a battle with the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, have had the tables turned on them. And turned on them by none other than Mo Williams.

“Guarantee we’re going to win the series? Yeah, yeah,” he said. “We are down 2-1. But there is nobody on this team and definitely not myself that says we are not going to win this series. Yeah, it is going to be tough. We know that. We get this game tomorrow, go home, still got home-court advantage. We don’t see ourselves losing two out of three at home.”



So Williams opened up his mouth and put the rest of his team on the spot. I can't help but think that Williams should have just kept his mouth shut, especially since the Magic beat the Cavs last night in overtime to take a 3-1 lead in the best of seven series.



First of all Williams hasn't shot better than 33.3% in this series. He doesn't look like the same player who went to the All-Star Game a few months ago. I'd have an easier time swallowing this guarantee if Williams was playing at a higher level. I'd have an easier time swallowing this guarantee had it been made by one Lebron James.



But it wasn't. It was made by Williams, who is a nice player, but wouldn't have even been considered an All-Star had it not been for the trade last summer that sent him to Cleveland for Milwaukee.



I was in Milwaukee when Williams played there. When he first got here he was the kid just happy to have a chance to play in the league. Thanks to injuries to others - and his own improved play - Williams found himself as the starting point guard of the Bucks.



Not that he led them anywhere. Williams' two seasons as the lead guard for the Bucks weren't successful. They had 28 and 26 wins in the two years since Milwaukee dealt T.J. Ford and made Williams the man at the point.



Williams was productive during those two years, and his offense was the main reason he got a $52M deal from the Bucks. But once he got that deal, he forgot what his main job was supposed to be (distributing the ball). He decided he had to justify the big contract by scoring 30 points a night. His shooting suffered. When coaches tried to get him to realize what his job was, he rebelled. It got so bad that he reportedly took a swing at former Bucks assistant coach Tony Brown.



The trade to Cleveland gave Williams a fresh start. But make no mistake, Williams would not have blossomed if it weren't for Lebron. He'd be the same frustrating player he was in Milwaukee.



And, it also looks like Williams doesn't learn from history. Most of these guarantees don't come to pass. Joe Namath guaranteeing a win in Super Bowl III over Baltimore is the exception, not the rule.



Here are some of the guarantees that didn't quite live up to the hype.



* Lions quarterback Jon Kitna guaranteed Detroit would win ten games in 2007. The Lions won just seven games.



* Former Lions WR Roy Williams guaranteed a win over Chicago in 2006. The Bears crushed the Lions 34-7.



* Former Steelers (now Packers) safety Anthony Smith made all the national headlines by guaranteeing a win over the then undefeated New England Patriots a couple of years ago. Tom Brady threw for 399 yards and four TD's in a 34-13 thrashing of the Steelers.



* Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow guaranteed a win in last year's Belmont Stakes, which would have secured The Triple Crown. Da 'Tara spoiled Big Brown's bid at horse racing immortality.



* Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck guaranteed his team would score first and beat the Packers in overtime of their 2003 Wildcard Playoff game. Instead, Hasselbeck threw a pick-6 to Al Harris.



* Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano guaranteed that the Northsiders would win the World Series and that he would win the NL Cy Young Award. The Cubs were swept out of October in the divisional round, and Zambrano finished well behind Jake Peavy in the Cy Young voting.



I could go on and on. But I get the feeling that Williams would still say what he said earlier this week.



The Cavs are a supremely confident bunch. But, the last time I checked, they haven't won anything. Ever. They might very well be denied this year, too. They are a flawed team. Sure, they have a great player in Lebron, but he needs help. They don't match up well with the Magic, who happen to be performing well even though Jameer Nelson is sitting on the bench wearing a suit. Williams fit the bill during the regular season, but hasn't been as effective in the playoffs.
And, in case you didn't know, the Cavs were just 3-6 this season (before playoffs) against teams considered 'elite.'



Maybe Mo Williams should have taken all that into consideration before opening up his big mouth.

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You Gotta See This

It might be time for the Cubs to just play a tape of good old Harry singing 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame." Ozzy Osbourne was bombed out of his mind when he sung it. Mike Ditka might have been. Jeff Gordon called it 'Wrigley Stadium.'

But Mr. T might have taken it to a whole new level.

Here's the video.

I Wouldn't Want To Be John Hammond This Summer

While the Brewers find themselves in a fight for the NL Central, the Bucks are flying under the radar. While the Packers are trying to implement the new 3-4 defense at OTA's, Bucks GM John Hammond has some decisions to make. And they won't be easy ones.

The Bucks didn't make the playoffs, but they did improve from 26 to 34 wins in Hammonds' first year on the job. The Bucks did it with new coach Scott Skiles demanding defense and accountability (something no Bucks coach had done in a long time). The team made progress despite the fact that Michael Redd missed 49 games and center Andrew Bogut missed 46 games. The Bucks managed to give the fan base hope for the future.

That's because some of the young guys stepped up. Charlie Villanueva had some rocky moments, but put up the best numbers of his four year NBA career (16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds). Ramon Sessions proved a lot of people who said he couldn't be a starter in this league wrong by putting up 12.4 points and 5.7 assists a game. Not bad, considering he spent most of his rookie season in the D-League after being drafted in the second round out of Nevada.

Then there was Richard Jefferson, who had to become the team's go to guy in the wake of all the injuries. Jefferson accepted the challenge and performed well in his first year in Milwaukee.

So, things are looking up for the Bucks, right?

Well, I don't want to be an alarmist, but the league could throw a few wrinkles into the plan. There are rumblings that the league is going to lower the luxury tax threshold. I've heard that the number could be as low as $68M. The Bucks, who are scheduled to pay almost $47M to Redd, Jefferson, Bogut, and Dan Gadzuric, are going to have to make some difficult decisions.

What do they do with Jefferson, Villanueva, and Sessions?

There was speculation around the league that the Bucks tried to deal Jefferson right before the trade deadline. However, no move was ever made. And, if you believe Hammond, there are no plans to move Jefferson as of now.

"No, we're still not talking about trading Richard," Hammond told Hoops World last week. Part of me liked hearing that, because I've always been a Jefferson fan, going back to his days at Arizona. However, a lot of things could change between now and draft day.

If the Bucks are going to keep Jefferson - and I believe that it's still up in the air (you never know what team will offer come draft day), then that pretty much means both Villanueva and Sessions are going to wind up leaving as free agents.

The Bucks may be preparing for that as we speak. Mock drafts have the Bucks targeting point guards such as Jonny Flynn from Syracuse and UCLA's Jrue Holiday. Word is the team may bring Ersan Ilyasova back after a couple of years in Europe as part of their plan to replace Villanueva. That plan would also include Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who showed a lot of promise during his rookie season.

No matter what happens, fans are going to question every move. Jefferson brings a lot to the table, but does it make more sense to move him and try to keep Sessions and Villanueva? Sessions opened a lot of eyes around here these past two seasons. Is it smart to let him walk and finish his development somewhere else?. And after the best season of his career - a year in which he finally started to deliver on his vast potential - is the right move to let Charlie V. just go somewhere else without even getting a qualifying offer?

There are just some of the questions that Hammond is going to have to deal with over the next few months. The answers he comes up with are going to be critical to the team's short and long term success.

I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now.

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Why I Think Peavy Said No To The White Sox

One thing that I've always liked about Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams is that he's never been afraid to make a big move. If he thinks a trade can help his team win, he goes for it, without worrying about whether or not he gave up too much to get whatever he felt his team needed.

That's why I wasn't shocked when reports said Williams and the Sox had agreed to send the San Diego Padres four prospects (including the team's top pitching prospects) for one Jake Peavy. All that was needed to make the deal official was for Peavy to sign off on it and waive the full no-trade clause in his contract. It was a risky move for Williams, not only because he was giving up multiple prospects, but because he was also bringing back a big salary. Peavy is owed around $60M through the 2012 season.

But, by the time Sox fans were leaving their offices to head home, the dream of landing Peavy (dreamy especially since Bartolo Colon was lit up in a 20-1 Sox loss to Minnesota) was over. Peavy had officially blocked the trade by refusing to waive that no trade clause. His reasoning? That his family thought it was best for him to stay in San Diego for now.

I don't doubt that Peavy's family loves San Diego. Have you ever been there? It's absolutely gorgeous. I'll take 75 degrees and sunny every day, thank you very much. But it's also not the real reason that Peavy said no to the move (had the trade been to the Cubs he probably would have accepted).

There is some thought around baseball that Peavy would prefer to stay in the National League, and that may be true. But, somehow I don't think it was the real reason Peavy decided to stay in San Diego.

I think the real reason is that he doesn't think the White Sox give him the best chance to win.

The Sox made the attempt to land Peavy because they thought he might be able to turn around what has been a sluggish start to the season. Chicago is 17-23, and in fourth place in the AL Central. They are six and a half games behind front running Detroit. They thought Peavy would be the key to the turnaround.

Some in Chicago wanted to compare the move that was almost made to the trade Milwaukee made a year ago for CC Sabathia. But there is a difference. The Brewers were coming off a red hot month of June when they made the deal for Sabathia. They were contenders. The Sox aren't - at least not yet.

They could turn into contenders, but a lot of things have to change.

Peavy's not stupid. I'm sure he looked at what the Sox had before he said no (and if they were a contender he would have said yes). The rotation has Mark Buehrle and John Danks, who are pitching well, but after that - well it's a little rough. Gavin Floyd hasn't built on his big year from 2008. Jose Contreras is now in the bullpen. Bartolo Colon hasn't been good and looks like he might be all done.

Then there is the lineup. Paul Konerko is the only regular batting over .300. Jermaine Dye leads the club with 10 HR's. After that you have problems. Jim Thome is hitting .255 and looks every bit the 38 year old he is. Carlos Quentin was an MVP candidate last year, but is batting just .233 this year. Josh Fields is making no one forget Joe Crede (who hit a homer in yesterday's blowout). And Alexei Ramirez isn't hitting nearly as well as he did a year ago.

But these players could all turn it around and have productive years. Which leads to the another reason why I think Peavy said no to the White Sox.

Ozzie Guillen.

Ozzie (no one in Chicago calls him by his last name) isn't for everybody. Even he says that. And, from what I know about Peavy, I don't think he and Guillen would be a fit. Peavy's a no nonsense baseball guy. Ozzie's a baseball guy too, but he also doesn't mind the occasional controversy.

And, in the years Ozzie's been in Chicago, there have been plenty of controversies. Last year there was the blow up doll fiasco in the clubhouse. The year before Guillen went on a radio program and dropped F-Bomb after F-Bomb - knowing he shouldn't. In 2006, Ozzie got into some hot water for calling former Chicago Sun Times Columnist Jay Mariotti (an Ozzie critic) a derogatory name.

There are other controversies that I haven't mentioned (for instance, challenging his front office to make moves and punishing a pitcher for not throwing at a batter). Ozzie likes being the center of attention. Most managers that I've encountered don't. And, Guillen knows the fans love him because he helped bring them a world championship in 2005. He thinks he is bullet proof. Let me say this. Had they not won the World Series four years ago, Ozzie would have been fired a long time ago.

Ozzie's a pretty good baseball guy, and if he kept his nose clean he might even be considered one of the better managers in the big leagues. But it's not Ozzie. He wants to be the guy you talk about. He gets the attention - for sure, but not the respect. His opposite number in Chicago - Lou Piniella - gets the kind of attention and respect that Ozzie really craves. That's because for years all Piniella has done is manage his team and win. Have there been controversies with Lou? Sure, but nothing like what we've seen with Guillen.

So Peavy can talk all he wants to about San Diego being the right spot for him and his family. The analysts on ESPN can say it's about staying in the National League.

But the real reason Jake Peavy is not a member of the White Sox today is that he looked at their organization and saw flaws.

Lots of them.

Vick Is Entitled To Another Chance

Michael Vick got out of jail yesterday. It wasn't a cupcake jail, either. It was Leavenworth. Then again, Vick's crimes deserved more than just a cupcake kind of jail. He deserved hard time, and that's exactly what he served for the last nineteen months.

He's not quite done paying his debt to society. He has to serve two months of home confinement before the government cuts him loose. That should be right about July 20th or so. Not so far away from the start of training camps in the NFL.

I've talked many times before about how the NFL talks tough, but rarely backs it up. The personal conduct policy has been in place for a couple of years, and we still have players who do dumb things and break the law. The latest two examples are Donte Stallworth and Plaxico Burress. The personal conduct policy has led to some lengthy suspensions, but face it, it was more PR than anything else. Rumors are flying that Pacaman Jones is going to get another shot. Stallworth and Burress (if legally available to play) will play. And Vick will as well.

I loved how NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is talking tough, saying that Vick has to do this and that to my satisfaction before I let him back in. My guess is they will meet as close to July 20th as possible, with the league letting him back in shortly afterward. Not so long after that, some team is going to give him another chance. Vick may not see the $130M deal he once got from the Falcons, but he'll be paid nicely, even if it isn't right away. He's 29 years old, still has a lot of athletic ability, and can help a team win.

And that's all that matters.

The league talks a tough game. So do the teams. Rarely is that tough talk backed up. Winning is the most important thing in the NFL, and if you can help a team win - so long as you're out of jail - you'll get a job. Winning in the NFL also usually means more money coming into the winning team's bankroll. In these economic times, that's more of a consideration that you might think.

So Vick will get another chance. Some team will sign him. Some owner will put his arm around him at a news conference, claiming everyone deserves a second chance. That team will put up with whatever bad PR comes their way. Protests? The team will put up with those if they should happen (and they will at first but probably die down sooner than you might think). The payoff - wins and money - is worth the risk to whoever signs him.

I used to think that Vick should be the one guy the NFL made an example of, because of what he did. My senses were so offended by his crimes that I wanted him banished. Banished to play in the AFL or CFL. Just not in the NFL. I looked at the pictures of those dogs, the videos of dogfighting that were showed over and over again, and I wanted someone to pay.

Maybe it's hindsight being 20/20, I don't know. But I have backed off what I said in the Summer of 2007. Vick does deserve a second chance.

Whether it's for PR purposes or not (and there will always be people looking at Vick with suspicious eyes), Vick seems to be trying to do things the right way. Neither he or his people have made any public comments about him coming back to the league just yet. He has already struck a deal with The National Humane Society. He will likely be a spokesman against cruelty against animals. He will likely do speeches on The National Humane Society's behalf. He's not going to sit at home and do nothing. He's making an attempt to right the wrongs he committed, and I give him credit for that.

He's also 29 years old. He's had two of his prime athletic years taken away by his incarceration. Those that want the NFL to tack on a season-long suspension for Vick (and two years ago I was one of them) are just looking to pile on. That would be overkill, and again, I say that admitting that in 2007 I was advocating for Vick to serve an NFL mandated suspension on top of his jail term. Vick doesn't have ten years left in his career. Most quarterbacks don't play until they are 39. And, when you have a player like Vick, whose game is more his legs than his arm, you have a player that the NFL will discard as soon as he starts to slow down - even if it's just by a step. He's lost two years. A third might effectively end his career.

Michael Vick is no angel, that's for sure. But there are plenty of players in the NFL that aren't angels. Vick has a chance to show some of the young guys who might be traveling down that wrong path that it isn't worth it. He can be a mentor. He can actually save some players from ruining their careers, maybe even their lives, by taking them under his wing. But he can't do it if the NFL keeps him on the outside looking in.

If you think about it, Vick might be more effective by his mere presence in the league than their personal conduct policy. Maybe some young guys will look at him and think to themselves "If I'm not careful I could lose everything just like he did." Vick is a live human being. The personal conduct policy is a bunch of words in the NFL employee handbook that probably isn't read by the majority of players. The live human being will have more of an impact, trust me.

Michael Vick has paid his debt to society. It took me two years to realize it, but I did.

Michael Vick deserves a second chance. Here's to hoping he does more with his second chance than he did with his first.

ESPN Just Turned Monday Night Football Into Your Average Broadcast

On Monday, ESPN took a break (for about fice seconds) from breathlessly reporting on the retirement/un-retirement of Brett Favre to let everyone know they were making a change. A change in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth. Gone is Tony Kornheiser, who had been in the booth for three years. In his place - former Tampa Bay Bucs coach Jon Gruden.

ESPN says that Tony K. decided to leave on his own, and I believe that 100%. Kornheiser is tremendously talented, but as is the case with tremendously talented people a lot of times, he is very insecure. I've seen it for myself.

When I worked with The Fabulous Sports Babe at ABC in New York, Kornheiser came to the network to do his show. He was in town for some awards dinner (he normally did his show from Washington. The guy came into our studio without anyone noticing, hoping to get a couple of minutes with The Babe. When he talked to us (her production staff), it was almost like a kid looking for approval from an authority figure.

I know Kornheiser was bothered by the criticism he took over the last three years. Some of it was deserved (the almost schoolgirl-like crush on Favre). Most of it wasn't. But Kornheiser tired of the armchair quarterbacks (and the travel). He thought about not coming back after his first season (ultimately Joe Theismann was forced from the booth after a tension filled 2006 season). He thought about not coming back after the 2007 season. He finally said enough is enough.

I enjoyed Kornheiser on MNF. I know not everyone will agree with me. My old radio partner used to say "I don't want no funny in my football." But, I'll be very sad to see him go. He was refreshing. He wasn't a former coach or former player. He was all of us non-jocks who somehow found his way into the booth. He was Joe Fan. Sure, he sometimes went a little too far in his attempts to make us laugh (we all do at times in this business), but it was part of his charm. There was something funny about a middle aged bald guy with no NFL playing experience doing Monday Night Football.

He reached a broader audience than Ron Jaworski ever could. It's not a knock on Jawz. He's a great analyst. But he's a pure football guy. He isn't the type to appeal to the casual fan that Tony K. did. He's a hardcore football fan's dream.

ESPN should have hired someone along the lines of a Kornheiser to take his place. They should have taken a risk. Instead, they went with the safe choice in Gruden.

Don't take that as a rip at Jon. He's a damn good coach, and if you ever get to meet him, he's a hell of a nice guy. But, he's a safe choice.

The first problem I have with this new MNF trio is that you have two hardcore analysts paired with Mike Tirico. It's going to sound like your average football game. Monday Night Football is supposed to be special. Now, it's just going to sound like your average broadcast.

ESPN would have been better off - if they weren't going to go with a Kornheiser type - to put Paul Maguire back in the booth. Maguire made those Sunday Night Football broadcasts because he didn't take himself so seriously, and he was able to get Theismann to lighten up (not an easy thing to do). Gruden won't be able to do that. It's just not his nature.

I have two other questions about Gruden's addition to the booth. What will he add that Jaworski doesn't already bring to the table? There is likely going to be a lot of times when Gruden and Jaworski will wind up repeating their points. That doesn't do anyone at home any good.

And, finally, how long is Gruden going to stick around? He said not so long ago that he plans on returning to coaching (either the NFL or college). His name is going to be attached to every job that comes open. Will he stick with ESPN or jump back in to a coaching job. And, if he wants to be a coach again, is he going to be honest with his analysis, or is he going to try and sugarcoat things as to not offend anyone who might want to hire him.

The bottom line is that I just don't think this new MNF booth is going to work. It won't be the train wreck that Dennis Miller was earlier this decade, but it has all the potential of being as bad as the Al Michaels/Boomer Esiason/Dan Dierdorf days.

Monday Night Football is supposed to be special. ESPN is turning it into just your average broadcast.

The late Roone Arledge and Howard Cosell are probably turning in their graves right now.

I Was Wrong About The Brewers

I know that Brewers fans might be a little nervous right now. Nervous because of the news that came late yesterday afternoon. Rickie Weeks, who was off to the best start of his big league career, is done for the season because of a wrist injury that he suffered Sunday against St. Louis. But, I'm here to tell you it isn't time to panic.

Yes, Weeks was one of the reasons the Brewers were playing as well as they were playing. But he wasn't the reason. The Brewers were playing well because a lot of things were going right. The starting pitching is racking up quality start after qulity start. The bullpen has been more than solid since Trevor Hoffman got back fron his oblique injury. And the Brewers have been getting timely hits from a number of different players.

Yes, losing Weeks hurts, but there is no reason to think the Brewers can't win without him. They've done it before. they can do it again. And, if the in house replacements aren't up to the task, the Brewers could go out and get someone. Owner Mark Attanasio said right before the season started that the team had the flexibility in their budget to add a player if they needed to. The organization may have to do just that before it's all said and done.

Again, there is no reason to lose your swagger just yet.

That being said, let's rewind back to February 17th. The NBA was fresh off their All-Star Break. Matt Kenseth had just won a rain shortened Daytona 500, and I wrote that I had a lot of questions about the 2009 Brewers. To say that Brewer Nation wasn't appreciative of what I wrote would be an understatement. I still have the emails. The subject lines I saw were along the lines of 'Terrible Article,' and those were only the ones I could talk about in mixed company if you get my drift.

Well, as it turns out, I have to eat a little bit of crow. The Brewers are 24-14 and in first place in the NL Central (leading the Cubs by two games and the Cardinals by three). This, after starting out 4-9. This after fans were ready to jump off the bandwagon less than two weeks into the season.

So, I come to you today with my tail between my legs. I was wr... I was wro... I was wron.. I was wrong. Wrong about a lot of things. Maybe I should just stop, say I was wrong, and then move on. But I know that wouldn't fly. So let's see what I was wrong about, and how off I was.

* First of all I questioned the starting pitching. I wondered if the Brewers had enough of it. Well, it turns out that the Brewers do.

In February, I wasn't ready to say Yovani Gallardo was a Cy Young candidate because he had yet to pitch a full season in the big leagues. He's 4-1 with an ERA of 3.09. He looks every bit the ace a lot of people thought he was going to be.

Jeff Suppan was downright awful in his first few starts, but ever since Ken Macha pushed him back a day in New York, he has been pretty good. His last start (against the Cardinals on Saturday) was the best he's pitched all season (it might have been his best outing as a Brewer). Suppan won't blow anyone away. But up to this point, he's proven to be reliable.

Manny Parra has battled back from an 0-4 start to win his last three starts. Dave Bush has pitched better than his 2-0 record. Braden Looper has been solid if not spectacular.

* I also wondered whether or not holding on to Weeks was the right thing to do, as opposed to going in a different direction. Despite going down with that season ending wrist surgery Sunday, it looks like I have egg on my face over that one, too. yes, I know he's injured, but I certainly didn't think Weeks would have the kind of start that he got off to (.272, 9 HR's, 24 RBI's, 28 Runs). Not only did his offensive game improve, but his defense wasn't too shabby, either. Yes, he still made errors, but he also made plays this year that he hadn't made in the past. Credit Willie Randolph with the turnaround, but also credit Weeks for maturing into a pretty good player. Based on what I saw in the early part of the season, Weeks still has a chance to develop into what the organization thought he would be when they drafted him. I know this. The Brewers will miss having Weeks out there, though they might have enough depth with Craig Counsell and prospects Hernan Iribarren and Alcides Escobar (who will see some action at second base according to Doug Melvin) to get by.

* There also might have been someone (okay, me) who questioned the makeup of the bullpen (outside of Trevor Hoffman). That was before Mark DiFelice made the most of his opportunity. That was before Mitch Stetter made my mancrush on Brian Shouse as the situational lefty out of the 'pen look foolish. I didn't see Todd Coffey becoming the important piece he has become. Carlos Villanueva had been up and down to start the season, but he has settled down quite nicely. The only reliever I turned out to be right about was Jorge Julio.

* I also wondered how strong the Brewers were at third base. Maybe I shouldn't have worried. Bill Hall may not be hitting for average (and he still struggles against righties), but he doesn't look as bad as he did a year ago. Craig Counsell has also played very well when he has gotten into the lineup, and up until Weeks' injury, was making Macha's decision as to who to start at the hot corner fairly difficult. And now, Matt Gamel is up. He hit his first big league homer in last night's 8-4 win to finish the sweep in St. Louis. Sure, he made an error, but with Weeks out and Counsell shifting over to play second, Gamel could get a chance at some meaningful playing time.

* Ultimately, I questioned whether or not it was appropriate to look at the 2009 Brewers and call them a contender. I thought the Cubs (on paper) had a stronger team. But, as I've said many times before they don't play the games on paper. The Cubs are a good team, but they don't seem to be as strong as I'd thought they would be. The Cardinals had a terrific start, but if the series that they just played against the Brewers is any indication, they are going to have a lot of trouble because of the injuries they are fighting through. Cincinnati got off to a nice start, but I am not sure if they can keep it up. They might be a year away.

Bottom line, to me the NL Central looks (as of now) to be another fight between the Brewers and Cubs. So, yes, the Brewers are contenders.

Of course, the love we're all giving this team could change if the Brewers cool off. But Ned Yost isn't managing this team. Ken Macha is. Macha is the calm influence the team lacked for the last two seasons with Yost in the manager's office.

The Brewers won't be able to play .800 ball for the rest of the season. But I don't see them playing as poorly as they did in early April as well.

I'm riding the wave. And admitting that I was wrong when I questioned this team on February 17th.

Very wrong.

A Sick Day Monday

I know you all came to the site today looking for something a little more interesting than this, but I have been in bed with a sinus infection all weekend ('m not a doctor and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express, but I've had enough sinus infections to know of what I speak) . I'm taking Monday off and hope to be back Tuesday.

Accountability Is Rare These Days

Three of the bigger sports stories over the last week involved Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, and NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield. Ramirez was suspended a week ago by Major League Baseball for fifty games after he failed a drug test (he actually tested positive for a female fertility drug).

Ramirez isn't the first player to fail an MLB drug test. He's not going to be the last either. The response he gave, though, left most fans scratching their heads.

Fans aren't stupid, yet Ramirez is treating them that way. There are very few reasons for any guy to be taking a female fertility drug. One of those reasons would be to mask the use of performance enhancing drugs. Yet, Ramirez issued a statement saying (basically) that the positive test wasn't his fault. His excuse - that he went to a doctor for a medical problem, and that the medication he was prescribed caused the positive test. Ramirez didn't own the mistake that he obviously made.

Dwight Howard of the Magic threw his coach - Stan Van Gundy - under the bus after Orlando's loss to Boston on Tuesday night. Howard said in no uncertain terms that he should have gotten the ball down the stretch. He wasn't wrong about that, as Van Gundy should have found a way to get the ball to his best player in a big spot. However, while Howard's thought process was correct, he should have kept his thoughts about Van Gundy to himself. If he wanted to air his grievances with Van Gundy behind closed doors, that's fine. I have no problem with that. But he also should have come out and said "I didn't get the job done." Kobe would have demanded the ball. Lebron would have demanded the ball. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson would have demanded the ball. None of those players (okay, maybe Kobe) would have thrown their coach under the bus. They would have shouldered some of the responsibility themselves.

Then there's Mayfield, who failed a NASCAR drug test. Mayfield decided to blame a prescription drug he was taking, combined with an over the counter medication.

The one thing all three have in common is that they blamed someone else for their problems. None of them took responsibility. They all passed the buck.

What ever happened to accountability?

Certainly these three athletes aren't the only ones to try and place blame somewhere else. It's happened many times before, and it will happen again. you can make book on that.

It would have been refreshing if even one of them would have just come out and said "I screwed up. My bad."

Had even one of them done so, they might not be taking all the criticism they've been taking over the last week. You see, fans are very, very forgiving. You don't believe me? Try these examples on for size.

Jason Giambi testified that he used performance enhancing drugs. It might not be a stretch to say that Giambi's entire career has been a product of steroids and HGH. Giambi's big league career began in 1995, and for the first three years he wasn't what you would call a power hitter. Then, starting in 2000, he ran off a number of years where he hit between 35 and 45 home runs. Once he was exposed as a steroid user, he came out and apologized (though he has never said what he was apologizing for). The end result of his apology was forgiveness. Giambi hasn't faced the kind of heat that Roger Clemens has faced.

Speaking of Clemens, his friend Andy Pettitte (who misremembers a lot according to Clemens) was exposed as someone who used HGH in the Mitchell Report. Pettitte could have denied the whole thing, but he was a stand up guy about it. He called a news conference and admitted what he did. There aren't many people who are calling Pettitte a cheater these days.

There are other athletes who have made mistakes and owned up to them. Those athletes have gotten second, third, and even fourth chances.

You and I probably make mistakes every day. I don't know about you, but I don't blame anyone else for my mistakes. I own them. If I screw up, I'm the fist one to admit it.

Passing the buck, or blaming someone else doesn't get you anywhere. Admitting a mistake and promising to do better earns you respect.

It's a lesson that Man Ram, Howard, and Mayfield should learn. Quickly.

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Government In Sports? I'll Pass!

As I was taping the Time Warner Sports 32 Roundtable in Milwaukee yesterday, the subject of steroids in Major League Baseball came up. That wasn't a surprise, considering how the news of Manny Ramirez' suspension broke late last week. It also wasn't a surprise given Roger Clemens' recent interview on Mike & Mike (ESPN Radio).

What was a surprise was what the host - veteran Milwaukee television anchor Dennis Krause, asked my co-panelist - Craig Coshun, who is the sideline reporter for Brewers and Bucks games on FS Wisconsin. Krause asked whether or not the governement should get involved (based on a recent column by Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star), considering the lack of success baseball has had in curbing the steroid problem. Coshun said he believed that the government should, indeed, intervene. To say I totally disagreed would be an understatement.

I am not against bigger government. I am also not necessarily for a hands off approach. What I am for is common sense.

To understand where I'm coming from, I think I need to tell you that I consider myself a moderate. On social issues, I tend to side with those on the left. On other issues, you can normally find me on the right side of the aisle. I voted for John McCain, but was not upset to see Barack Obama win the election last November. I believe the President has new and bright ideas which will make us all better off in the long run.

That being said, I don't want the government intervening in sports.

The biggest reason is because the government has more pressing issues. The economy is in bad shape right now. In case you missed it yesterday, retail sales were down in the month of April. The Dow took a bit of a tumble as the result of the news. The numbers that came out yesterday indicate that the recession isn't nearing the bottoming out point that some had talked about previously. Jobs are still being lost in many industries at a staggering rate. The bailouts of banks and automakers hasn't been as successful as the Obama Administration would have liked up to this point. The government needs to get the economy moving in the right direction before it can really think about getting its hands dirty with professional sports.

The last time I checked this country was also involved in a couple of wars. There's the continuing effort in Iraq, which seems to be going better after the surge. And then there's Afghanistan - which is a classic case of taking your eye off the ball. While everyone was concerned with Iraq, things took a turn for the worse in Afghanistan. The Taliban has seemingly made a comeback, and they are making gains in Pakistan as well.

There are things in life called priorities. The economy and two wars seem more important to me than the continued use of performance enhancing drugs in pro sports. The economy and two wars are also more important to me than the issue of a playoff in College Football. In case you missed it, Congress is attempting to get involved in that as well.

Do steroids and the use of other performance enhancing drugs bother me? Absolutely. Does the lack of a true playoff in College Football bother me? You bet it does. Does the government have a right to get involved? Maybe, but now isn't the time.

And let's say the do get involved. Let's just say that the government sinks their teeth into the steroid problem. Is it really going to change anything? I don't think so.

First of all - and we'll keep it in baseball - Major League Baseball has strengthened their steroids policy to the point that most seem happy with the rules that have been instituted. Is it working? Well, it did it's job in the Ramirez case. He got caught and was suspended for fifty games. Bring up Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens all you want, but the steroid use we know about came before MLB instituted their policy. On top of that, since true testing began in 2005, those two haven't been caught with anything illegal in their system.

In fact, the number of players caught over the last couple of years has gone down from where it was a few years ago. Does that mean the sport is clean? No, not by a long shot. MLB still doesn't test for Human Growth Hormone (and the government isn't going to catch up to science because there is no accepted test for HGH right now). I would bet my last dollar that there are plenty of players using HGH. I would also bet that there are newer drugs - more synthetic steroids - that have been invented since the advent of the cream and the clear that players are using. The dug makers, dealers, and players are always going to be a step ahead of the testers. A good example is the cream and the clear, which was being used for years before anyone in a position of authority figured it out.

It's a romantic idea, this thought of the government getting involved in pro sports. But I for one don't see it having a tremendous affect. Athletes will still do anything they can to gain an advantage because there is too much money on the line. Fans have become de-sensitized to the whole thing.

But most importantly, I want my tax dollars going to more pressing issues. I want our men and women overseas to come home soon, and come home in one piece. Selfishly, I want to see this economy turned around. You see, I, like many of you, have been affected by the recession. I've been out of work for almost seven months. The sooner this economy gets turned around, the sooner I might be able to get my life and career back on track.

Again, it's a romantic thought. But I think there are bigger fish to fry.

Click here for today's podcast!

It's All About Roger

So, I'm on my elliptical machine yesterday morning. I started channel surfing, and listened to the interview Roger Clemens gave to ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike. It was the first interview - in depth interview - that Clemens had given in about a year. The interview also took place on the very same day that the book "American Icon" came out. To say the book wasn't flattering to Clemens would be an understatement.

So here was Clemens, on the air with a national radio show, doing his best imitation of a politician. He had his talking points - ones probably given to him by his new PR people - and he did his best to stick to them. Despite what I thought was a good effort by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, there was nothing - nothing at all - earth shattering that was said. Greenberg and Golic asked most of the questions that needed to be asked. Clemens was deft enough to always go back to his talking points. The Mikes couldn't really get anything new out of him - though again, they did a good job of asking the right questions. Certainly a better job that Peter Gammons did when he sat down with Alex Rodriguez.

Why would Clemens talk now? Why would he talk when others have not?

The answer is pretty simple. Clemens wants to win the media over. He wants to get the writers on his side. He wants the TV and radio people on his side as well.

It's not as if he has to win the fans over at this point. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The fans have long ago gotten over steroid use in big league baseball. The sport was riddled with performance enhancing drugs (and in some ways probably still is). Fans might have been shocked at first, but there is no outrage anymore.

There's no outrage because of the amount of people that were doing steroids and other drugs like HGH. Fans just figure that everyone (in one way or another) is dirty. Once they came to that realization, it then came down to whether or not players - clean or dirty - could help their team win. If they did, hey - it was for the greater good of winning.

Fans have continued to show their support for this game and its players by going out to the park in droves and buying all the pieces of clothing with the logos on it. Again, steroidd use in Major League Baseball might have shocked fans at first, but the shock is gone.

Clemens knows this. He also knows that it is the media that has been banging the drum against him for the better part of a year now. And it's the media will ultimately pass judgment on Clemens. It's the writers that have the votes for the Hall of Fame. Clemens probably figures if he can win the hearts and minds of the writers, then he can go to Cooperstown. Which is all it's about for him right now.

Clemens thinks he has the numbers for the Hall of Fame (and he does, frankly). He also knows that getting into the Hall of Fame would benefit him financially. If an athlete can sign autographs with "Hall of Famer" included, he will earn more money than he could if he wasn't a Hall of Famer.

Certainly, Clemens has seen how the silence of some of his peers has backfired against them. Mark McGwire has become a hermit. He has steadfastly refused to address his suspected (but never proven) steroid use. He also hasn't gotten into the Hall of Fame as of yet. He might never get in, considering the amount of votes he has gotten over the last three years.

Rafael Palmeiro is another player who hasn't been heard from since his positive steroid test four years ago. He made his accusation against Miguel Tejada, and then disappeared. Palmeiro's numbers are certainly Hall worthy, but he's not going to get in. Part of the reason for that is his silence.

Barry Bonds has kept quiet as well. I doubt he will ever do interviews like Clemens did yesterday. But, the voters (media) will have a tougher time keeping him out of Cooperstown because of his numbers. Not only because of all the home runs that he's hit. But, the numbers he put up before he (allegedly) started using performance enhancing drugs in 1998 are Hall worthy as well. Bonds, though, might be the exception, rather than the rule.

My gut tells me we're not done hearing from Clemens. I think he'll do a bunch of interviews when he gets back from the vacation that he referenced on Mike & Mike yesterday. You'll hear him pop up on FOX Sports Radio and Sporting News Radio. You'll see him on ESPN, and probably on FOX News Channel as well.

Keep in mind that he's doing it for one reason and one reason only. To convert the critics (media). To get their support for his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Again, it's all about Roger.

Yankees Pain Is My Gain

Today is May 12th. It's only three days away from May 15th (I know, real genius, right?) - the date that I start looking at the MLB standings and taking them seriously. But, I decided to take an early peak anyway (what's three days between friends?).

So, as I cruised the internet looking for Yahoo! Sports and their MLB standings page (who reads the paper anymore?), I saw that the New York Yankees were 15-18. Not a horrible record, but certainly not what they had in mind when they spent roughly the GDP of three countries ($423.5M) to sign three players - CC Sabathia (no periods, please) A.J. Burnett (please add the periods), and Mark Teixeira (no periods necessary).

Then I noticed that the Yankees were in third place in the AL East, five and a half games behind the Toronto Blue Jays (against whom they start a three game series tonight). My smile was starting to get bigger.

Then I decided to take a look at some individual numbers. Teixeira, the 180 Million Dollar Man, is currently hitting .198 with seven homers and seventeen RBI's. Sabathia, a notoriously slow starter (who probably can't afford his normal slow start considering the $161M he signed for), is 2-3 with an ERA of 3.94 (those are respectable numbers but not what the Yankees thought they'd get for their money). Burnett, who signed for $82.5M is 2-0, but his ERA is an ugly 5.26. My smile was getting wider by the second.

After that, I thought about the pictures I've seen of Yankee Stadium. You know, the new palace built to replace The House That Ruth Built. I saw lots of empty seats in those pictures. Sure, the 'cheap' seats are sold out, but when you watch on television and see the seats closest to the action empty, you have to chuckle. Actually, I was laughing hysterically. My smile was so wide that Joan Rivers tapped me on the shoulder and asked how many facelifts I'd had.

And, I haven't even mentioned the exploits of one Alex Rodriguez!

Here's the bottom line. I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that the Yankees are struggling. And, I think most of you are, too.

First of all, the Yankees are an organization that is pretty easy to dislike (the kind work of course). They are the Dallas Cowboys of Major League Baseball. They are the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. They are the Jeff Gordon of NASCAR. They have been so good - they've had so much success (with their 26 World Series titles) - that you can't help but kick 'em while they are down.

The Yankees have been on top for so long that their struggles make me happy. It's like when the Bulls went from being six-time NBA champions to being worse than the Los Angeles Clippers. It's like when the Dallas Cowboys went from being three-time Super Bowl champs in the 1990's to having Quincy Carter at quarterback and Dave Campo as head coach.

It's pile on time, and that's what I'm doing (admittedly knowing that I may not be able to in a month or so).

Look, I have nothing against the three free agents they signed to big money contracts this winter. All three made business deals. All three will now be able to take care of their families for a very long time. Which one of us wouldn't have taken the money? I would have, and I'm pretty sure most of you would have, too.

I don't know Teixeira or Burnett. I've never talked to them. I've never covered their previous teams. I do know Sabathia (a little bit). He was always good to me whenever I talked to him - whether it was in the locker room or on the radio. The bottom line is if someone is stupid enough to throw that kind of money around, you have to take it - even if it isn't necessarily where you want to be.

My problem is with the organization itself. When they were making their run in the 1990's (after struggling mightily in the 1980's I might add), they did it primarily with home grown talent. Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera - they were the backbone of those title teams, and they were all developed in the Yankee minor league system. Sure, the Yankees threw some seasoned veterans from other teams into the mix, but they weren't prima dona types like A-Rod. They were guys like Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius - grinders who didn't have success right off the bat.

But something changed. The organization was embarrassed when they lost the 2001 World Series to Arizona in seven games. They decided they would never lose again. They would do everything in their power to buy championships. That's when you saw guys like Jason Giambi, A-Rod, Carl Pavano, Johnny Damon, and others come to New York for big money (admittedly Mike Mussina did as well, but there is no way you could ever consider him a prima dona).

The Yankees thought they could buy their world championships. Well, they are still looking for World Series #27. They've been close, but Florida beat them in the World Series in 2003. Boston came back from being on death's door to beat them in the 2004 ALCS. They haven't been that close in five years. But, they still think that throwing their money around is the best way to win in big league baseball.

In the meantime, teams like the Brewers, who don't have the resources the Yankees do, have to go about their business differently. Instead of throwing money around, they have to develop a winning tradition from the ground up. Teams like the Yankees look down on teams like the Brewers. So, when the Yankees fail to accomplish their stated goals, it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

The Yankee fans need to be taught a lesson as well. Around here, Cub fans are not regarded very highly (I am being kind). But they are tame compared to Yankee fans. They don't think that winning the World Series is their birthright. Yankee fans do. Sure, it's fun to watch when Cub fans are dealt blow after blow after blow (Steve Bartman, the 2007 NLDS, and the 2008 NLDS). But, to me at least, it's a hell of a lot better to watch Yankee fans talk trash from December through September, only to have to see them eat crow in October.

Again, I know I might not get to do this all season. My bet is the Yankees, one way or another, will right the ship and start winning. But right now they are 15-18. They are in third place in the AL East. They are five and a half games behind Toronto (and almost no one had Toronto starting out like this).

So, yes, I'm taking pleasure in watching this Yankee team struggle this year.

And I imagine most of you are as well.

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The Weekend That Was

As always, it was a busy weekend. In case you missed it, here are the hilites.

Celts Win; Lakers Lose: Let's start with Boston. He's not Kevin Garnett. Glenn Davis (aka Big Baby) makes fun of the comparisons with The Big Ticket, calling himself The Ticket Stub. But he was a PTP'er (sorry Dick Vitale) yesterday when his buzzer beater gave the Celtics a 95-94 win over Orlando to tie their series at two games apiece.

If you believed the so-called experts, the Celtics had no chance against the Magic and Dwight Howard. They were old. The Bulls had just pushed them to the seven game limit. But what the experts didn't take into account is the heart that the Celtics obviously have.

I'm still nervous about their chances against Orlando. But I'm not going to flip flop and pick against them now. They were my pick to win The Eastern Conference when the playoffs started. They remain my pick right now. They are undermanned, but they have heart. Something that has been helping them out so far. Something that could help them as we continue down the road to the finals (and yes, even against Cleveland).

As far as the Lakers go, the Rockets - minus Yao Ming - gave The Lake Show a beatdown yesterday afternoon. That series is tied at two games apiece as well.

Give it up to Aaron Brooks. Give it up to Rick Adelman, who figured out a way to keep this team motivated despite them not having Yao and Tracy McGrady.

That being said, Houston hasn't done anything yet. They beat the Lakers twice, and that is an accomplishment. However, you don't move on by winning two games. You move on by winning four games.

The Rockets were running on adrenaline. I doubt they'll be able to keep it going for much longer given the injuries they have suffered. it's a nice story right now, but I don't see it having a good ending.

The NBA Comes Clean: There are a lot of people who believe in the NBA Conspiracy Theory. You know what that theory is. That the league wants certain teams from certain markets with certain superstars to do well. To win, in fact. Those people are having a field day following Saturday night's game between Dallas and Denver.

In case you missed it, Antoine Wright of the Mavericks (who were holding the lead at the time), thought he had a foul to give and basically tried to assault Carmelo Anthony of the Nuggets. I mean you could have seen that as a foul from anywhere. The only problem is, the refs didn't see it (or didn't want to). Anthony wriggled free, hit the trifecta to give Denver a one point win and a 3-0 lead in the series.

The story doesn't end there, though. Sure, you had the expected complaining from the Dallas locker room (though Mark Cuban managed to keep his cool). But, the NBA also weighed in, saying the refs screwed up - that Wright should have been whistled for the foul.

It's nice that the NBA is admitting its mistake. However, it doesn't do anything for the Mavs or their fans. They don't get those last few seconds back. They still lost the game. They are still in a 3-0 hole.

If the NBA was truly in the business of trying to convince a suspicious public that things are on the up and up, then my remedy is simple. Declare the game suspended with Dallas up (as they were before the Anthony three). Then play the last few seconds (before the start of game four). That's the only way (in my mind) to write the wrong.

It's not a practical solution, and I know it will never happen. But if the NBA wants everyone to believe in and support their product (especially in this economy), then, as Oscar Rodgers said on SNL - "FIX IT!"

Tiger Struggles Again: After the third round at the TPC Saturday, many of the 'experts' were singing a familiar song. "Here Comes Tiger" was all you read and heard on Saturday night and Sunday, before the final round at Sawgrass got underway. But, as has been the case the last few weeks, Tiger's swing betrayed him, and he failed to make the charge up the leaderboard that many thought he would.

This has led to the critics having a field day. it's also led to some honest criticism about what's gone wrong (if top ten finishes and a win are 'wrong') with Tiger's game.

Is there something wrong with Woods' game? Look, I'm not a golf savant, but it stands to reason that after eight months of inactivity, there is going to be some things that aren't perfect. It stands to reason that Tiger's swing probably isn't what it was when he gutted out a win over Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open last June. I'm not sure how it could be, considering the fact he was sidelined after having major reconstructive knee surgery.

The fact that Woods has had top ten finishes this year is a bonus. The fact that he even won a tournament has to be considered amazing. He will get the swing fixed (remember, the bulk of his rehab work - when it game to golf - was on his short game). It's going to take time. The man is 33 years old. despite how he's portrayed by the media (i.e. The Worldwide Leader), he is human.

He might struggle for the rest of the season. He also might win a major. And if he does, while he's still not nearly at the top of his game, then I hope the critics give him the credit he'll deserve.

I admit I'm a Tiger fan. I also admit I get emotional when it comes to sports. I can be quick to take someone to task. But I'm not stupid either. The best golfer in the world blew out his knee last year. He wasn't going to come back and pick up where he left off. If you expected him to, you were going to be wrong.

A Legend Leaves: Chuck Daly, the former coach of the Detroit Pistons, passed away Saturday morning at the age of 78 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Even though he coached the Bad Boy teams in Detroit, there might not have been a nicer guy around the league. Daly never big timed anyone. He knew who he was and what he had done. He just didn't make himself out to be bigger than anyone else. As a member of the media, he was a refreshing guy to cover. He was genuine, which is a quality a lot of people in the sports world lack.

I've been thinking about what Daly did in his career. I've been trying to figure out (in my mind) what his biggest accomplishment was. Some people say it was coaching The Dream Team to gold in 1992. I say it was leading the Pistons to titles in 1989 and 1990.

No offense, but a lot of people could have coached The Dream Team to a gold medal. But, it took someone special to coach those Pistons teams to championships. First of all, they had to get by Larry Bird's Celtics and Michael Jordan's Bulls just to get to the Finals. Then they had to get by a Magic Johnson led Lakers squad. They had to beat an underrated Portland team, too.

Daly also has to manage some pretty diverse personalities. Bill Laimbeer was never Mr. Warm and Fuzzy. Dennis Rodman spent a lot of time on his own planet. Then there was Isiah Thomas, John Salley, Joe Dumars, and Vinny Johnson. Daly got them all to work together, which wasn't an easy thing to do.

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One Down; Two To Go

Ryan Braun took care of business at Miller Park last night. So, the Brewers take game one of their weekend set with the Cubs and move closer to the Cardinals in the NL Central standings.

I can't wait for the second game tonight - Yovani Gallardo v. Ryan Dempster should be cool. I'll be in the press box tonight and tomorrow!

On a sad note, my sympathies to the family of Chuck Daly. He was a great coach (obviously), and a great man as well. Coach Daly was always a pleasure to deal with. He'll be missed.

The Anti-Favres

There's been a lot of talk about the 'R' word this week. Retirement. There's a certain NFL quarterback who was playing with the idea of coming out of retirement.. again. A lot of people - including me - have weighed in. There has been a lot of talk as to whether or not Brett Favre should have returned this. There had been some who went as far as to say they'd turn back on Favre if he joined one of Green Bay's biggest rivals. It's been Favre this and Favre that all week long.

Rather than talk about Brett again, what I'd like to do today is focus on athletes who left their sport too soon. Men (and women) who retired before they either hung around too lung or were forced out.

Here's my list of ten athletes who shocked us be seemingly retiring before they were done. This list is in no particular order.

* Barry Sanders: In case you forgot, this summer will mark ten years since the former Lions great announced his retirement at the age of thirty. There was no teary eyed news conference. Just a fax to Sanders' hometown newspaper. Sanders was on pace to break the record for most rushing yards all time but left in part due to what he saw as the incompetent way his team was being run.

Rumors that Sanders would come out of retirement lingered for years, but he never did come back.

* Jim Brown: The great running back of the Cleveland Browns left the NFL in the summer of 1966 to pursue a career as an actor (and activist). I never saw him play (I was born in 1971), but everyone I know that did said he could have played for about five more years.

*Bjorn Borg: I'm going to admit something here. I used to watch tennis religiously. I covered the U.S. Open in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 (one of my favorite events to cover). I grew up in the middle of the Jimmy Connors-John McEnroe-Bjorn Borg Era. Borg was seemingly unbeatable until the early eighties. Two years after winning his last major (the 1981 French Open), Borg retired - at the age of twenty-six. His retirement stunned the tennis world. No one could believe Borg would walk away when he wasn't so far removed from being at the top of his game.

Borg eventually attempted a comeback in the early 1990's, but he could never recapture what he had in the late 70's and early 80's.

If you want to know when the popularity of tennis (specifically men's tennis) really began, it was when Borg and McEnroe retired. they not only had game. they had personality. Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, and Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi (who was more style than personality) could never match up.

* Phil Simms: The CBS analyst had a good (if not great) career that started in 1979 and ended after the 1993 season. Simms struggled to make it in his early career, and didn't really break through until 1984. Once he did break through, he became one of the most beloved players in New York Giants history.

Simms led the Giants to an 11-5 record and a playoff appearance in the '93 season. he had shoulder surgery after the season ended, and was told he would be back at full strength. The Giants thought he was done, though - and released him (a move that didn't sit well with Giants fans). Most observers felt Simms could have continued on for a few more years, but he decided to retire rather than play anywhere else.

* Justine Henin: She wasn't Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, or Monica Seles, but she dominated women's tennis for a few years. She didn't have the personality of either Williams sister. She didn't seem to have many interests outside of tennis (unlike Martina Hingis). She didn't necessarily have the fans on her side the way Jennifer Capriati did when she came back from personal problems. All she did was play tennis. All she did was win.

Then, a year ago, at the age of 25 and ranked #1 in the world at the time, she just got up and walked away.

* John Elway: I know he was 38 years old when he left (and the Broncos still haven't replaced him. But, I always got the feeling that he had a couple of more good years left in him. To Elway's credit, he left on top of the football world, having won back to back Super Bowls. But, he also left fans wanting more. To me, that screams of a guy leaving too soon.

* Rocky Marciano: The former heavyweight champ retired in 1956 (after defending his title against Archie Moore) with a 49-0 record. He is the one boxer that retired and stayed retired.

* Sandy Koufax: The legendary former Dodger retired in 1966 - after posting 27 wins! His retirement stunned the baseball world. Koufax, though, was suffering from arthritis, and was in pain every time he went out to pitch. He might have been able to continue, but no one knows if he would have been as effective as he'd been in the past

* Jackie Robinson: Yes, he was 37 when he left baseball. But the Giants thought he had more left in the tank and traded for him after the 1956 season. The trade was never completed, as Robinson walked away to work in the private sector. He died in 1972, just sixteen years later.

* Robert Smith: The former Vikings running back was in his prime when he walked away after the 2000 season. He said he was retiring to pursue a career in medicine. He has done a lot of television work since he left the league, and was regarded as a guy who walked to the beat of his own drummer.

There's my list. Feel free to comment, email me at saundersonsports@yahoo.com, or add to the list.

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Et Tu, Manny?

Another huge name has been linked to performance enhancing drugs. Manny Ramirez (Man Ram or Man-Roid) has been suspended fifty games for violating MLB's drug policy.

My reaction isn't one of shock. After A-Rod, how could it be?

I don't buy Ramirez' excuse either. Again, after A-Rod, how could I?

I'll have more in my podcast tomorrow.

Another TV Appearance

I got the call again yesterday. For those of you that just can't get enough of me I will be on the Time Warner Sports 32 Roundtable next Wednesday and Thursday. Dennis Krause will host - as usual. FS Wisconsin's Craig Coshun will be my co-panelist. You can expect a lot of Brewers talk, with NBA Playoffs, Bucks, and Brett Favre thrown in!