Ho Hum, More Steroid Cheats

So, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz reportedly tested positive for using steroids six years ago. Is anyone shocked? Is anyone surprised? Is anyone stunned? If you are, then you just haven't been paying attention. Anyone who is surprised by players taking performance enhancing drugs these days probably believes the professional wrestling is still real. Anyone surprised by this bit of news is probably one of the most gullible, easily manipulated people you have ever come across.

Baseball hasn't been innocent for a very long time. The fans know it - deep in their gut they do. But yet they come out in record numbers most every year. If a player on their team is caught cheating, it's usually forgiven because the player was trying to help that particular fan's team. Players on opposing teams - that's not considered that much of a big deal anymore either.

If you want to be surprised by anything, be surprised that Ortiz was naive enough to think he could get away with calling for long suspensions if a player got caught using the juice. He took that stand back in spring training, and today probably wishes he had kept his big mouth shut.

It should have been clear to Ortiz, or to anyone that thought they failed those MLB administered steroids tests six years ago, that there is someone out there who wants to destroy their lives. It's probably some lawyer that feels slighted in some way - a lawyer who has an axe to grind with MLB.

That's why the 'Dirty 104' from 2003 are being revealed. Do I have proof? No, but just call it an educated guess. I would bet my last dollar that the person that 'outed' Alex Rodriguez is the same one that dropped Sammy Sosa's name. That same person is probably the one who dropped dime on Ortiz and Ramirez.

My reaction to the news that Big Papi and Man Ram are dirty is no reaction. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Guilty until proven innocent. It's not fair, but it's the way I feel.

I've also said I'm not going to take any of these steroid cheats to task. I've laid my reasons out before. I won't go over them again. But I will add another to my list by asking you one simple question.

What would you have done in that situation?

It's real easy to say you wouldn't cheat. But, let's take it out of baseball and put it into your real life situation. If you - in this economy - could get ahead or make sure you kept your job by cutting corners, would you? If you say no you probably don't have a family to support. If you have a wife and two kids at home you might very well cut those corners. If you have a mortgage you'd consider it. If it threatened your family and its well being you'd think long and hard about it. Hell, I'd think long and hard about it.

Players in baseball aren't only playing a game. It's their job. It's how they support their families. Don't think for a second that it's really any different from what you and I go through. Athletes put their pants on one leg at a time. They have real life concerns that aren't all that different from what you and I have. Bills. Strained marriages. It happens to the players we watch on television, too. They aren't immune from life's problems.

So, before you tell your buddy that guys like Ortiz and Ramirez are criminals, take a second and think about what you would do in their situations. It's very easy for us as fans to forget that because - hell - we aren't making millions of dollars a year. It's even easier for my colleagues in the media to forget it.

I'll protect the name of this particular talk show host because, well - stupidity like that deserves to be swept under the rug. But, I heard a guy on the radio today just tee off on Ramirez and Ortiz. I expected that. What I didn't expect was what followed.

Simply, it was one of the most ridiculous rants I've ever heard on the radio - and I've heard a lot of them. Hell, I might have gone on one or two of those rants myself. But, I've never said anything this stupid.

The host - let's call him Carl - blamed not only the players, other MLB executives for ignoring the problem, and fans for looking the other way, but he blamed the managers. The managers, Carl said, were responsible as well because they didn't force their guys to stop using PED's. He then singled out Joe Torre of the Dodgers and Tony LaRussa of the Cardinals. Most people think these two managers will be in Cooperstown one day. Carl thinks they should be kept out because they allowed their players to cheat. Carl even demanded that the World Series titles won by the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cardinals over the last fifteen years be vacated.

I'll give you all a minute to digest the utter stupidity of these statements.....

OK, time's up.

There are so many things wrong with these statements that I don't even know where to begin. So, I'll try to begin at the beginning. How in the world are the managers responsible for players who injected drugs into their system? They are managers, not parents. And, these are adults, not kids. What are they supposed to do, demand their players drop their pants so they can make sure there are no needle marks on their asses? Give me a break.

Besides, let's be totally honest here. The jobs of these managers are totally dependent on what these players do on the field. If you don't win, you are done in pro sports as a coach or manager. So, as a manager you might suspect that one of your guys is doing something wrong. But, even if you do, do you risk your own job.

Please don't misunderstand. I am not condoning anything that the steroid users in baseball have done. I'm not condoning the fact that MLB owners ignored the problem. I'm not condoning fans for looking the other way, and I am not condoning managers for not having more control of their players. I am just saying - as I have said before - that I will not take anyone to task over the steroid issue. And, maybe in a way, I understand why the players did what they did. And I might even understand why most in baseball ignored the problem.

Back to Radio Guy Carl and his stupid rant. Going on the record and saying that managers - specifically Torre and LaRussa - should not be allowed into the Hall of Fame - is lunacy. Look at their records, and look at the amount of World Series rings they have (that would be seven between the two). You judge their eligibility for the Hall of Fame based exclusively on how they managed. Anyone who looks at the record and rips Torre or LaRussa is just talking to hear himself talk (like Carl the Radio Guy).

And finally, the whole deal about vacating World Series Championships like the NCAA did with Final Four appearances by Michigan and UMASS. What a crock! Put an asterisk next to them in the record book. Hell, take them out of the record book if you want. But you can't change what you saw with your own eyes. And our eyes watched those teams climb to the top of the mountain.

The sense of righteous indignation that comes to light every time a baseball player gets outed for being a steroid cheat has gotten old. The players don't care - if they did they wouldn't have done the stuff in the first place. The fans, baseball executives, and a lot of other people looked the other way.

I'm not saying the media should look the other way. Not at all.

The Steroid Era happened. It is probably still happening. The time for being surprised and stunned has long passed. The righteous indignation; the pounding of the chests; the stomping of the feet on the sopabox - it all has gotten old.

I'm not saying the media should give everyone a pass. I'm saying the rhetoric you hear every time a steroid story breaks has just got to stop.

Favre Needs To Stay Out Of The Spotlight

So, Brett Favre finally made a decision. Instead of coming out of retirement again to play for the Minnesota Vikings, Favre has decided that discretion is the better part of valor. He is (at least for now) going to stay retired.

The shoulder that he was worried about? Apparently that was not the issue. The issues were his knees an ankle – which had been giving him problems during his workouts. The other major stumbling block was the fact that he wasn’t prepared mentally for the rigors of an NFL season.

So Favre has decided to take his ball and go home. It seems to me that he also may have realized that he was coming back (again) for the wrong reasons. It was clear to almost everyone that this dalliance with the Vikings was nothing more than a way to get back at the Green Bay Packers for whatever transpired over the last eighteen months. It wasn’t the right reason to come back. Favre may have realized that and decided it wasn’t worth it at the end of the day.

Was it the right decision? Maybe, maybe not. The only one that can say that for sure is Favre himself. He’s the one that has to look at himself in the mirror every day. He’s the one that has to live with the decision. If he’s comfortable with the decision – if he is happy with the decision – then it was the right one. But, only time will tell.

There will be many different reactions to this news. Talk to any Vikings fan, and there probably will be a lot of anger directed towards Favre. Maybe rightly so. After all, Favre basically held the Vikings hostage for the last three months while he decided whether or not he wanted to play again. Certainly Favre would have been a better option than either Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson. So you can understand if Viking fans feel like Favre teased them. You can understand if they feel like jilted lovers left at the altar by a partner who wound up getting cold feet.

By contrast, talk to any Green Bay Packer fan today and you will get a completely different take. For the last three months many Packer fans felt like Favre had committed treason – that he was for lack of a better term sleeping with the enemy. Now that Favre has decided not to play for one of Green Bay’s rivals he will probably be considered one of the good guys again. In Green Bay the Favre jerseys might very well be taken out of the closets and worn proudly by more than a handful of Packer Backers.

Then there are your average fans – those with no real allegiance to either the Packers or Vikings. They are probably disappointed to a degree – because let’s face it – the NFL with Favre on the field is a hell of a lot more fun than without him.

And there are probably more than just a few fans who don’t believe that this story is completely over. Those that think Favre might jump at the chance to play again should an opportunity come up during the season – an opportunity that would mean he wouldn’t have to go through the rigors of training camp or a sixteen game season.

And it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that some team during the season – a team that has quarterback issues – would put a call into the old gunslinger. If a team thinks that a forty year old Favre is a better option than what they have, they almost have to feel Favre out. And, if you are Favre – should that happen – you might very well consider it.

But, considering it and doing it are two very different things. Something tells me this might really be it for Favre. I know I’ve said it before and had egg on my face as he returned to the New York Jets and teased the Vikings, but I really think it’s over.

My gut tells me that yesterday’s decision to stay retired was Favre’s and only Favre’s. I don’t believe he made the decision to play for the Jets on his own. I don’t believe he made the decision to consider Minnesota on his own.

Favre has surrounded himself with a lot of people who have become rich and famous just by being in his inner circle. People who don’t want the money to stop coming in. People who like to hear other people talking about the legendary quarterback. Favre is seemingly influenced very easily. Heck, three years ago – when he waited until late April to decide whether or not he was going to play – he followed the advice of Phil Simms. Simms didn’t talk to Favre privately. The advice was given to Favre on a national radio show that Favre just happened to be listening to.

I have no doubt that those people were in Favre’s ear telling him to stick it to the Packers by playing for one of their chief rivals. And, knowing that Favre doesn’t have a great relationship with Packers GM Ted Thompson, they knew that Favre would (at the very least) consider it.

The decision to stay retired, though seems to me to be Favre’s and Favre’s alone. The reasons he has given for staying retired sound like the reason he retired in January. Favre feels like he just cannot do it physically anymore. It’s not the first time he has talked bout that, and it isn’t the first time that he has talked about being mentally unprepared to go through what a player of his stature needs to go through for a sixteen game season.

Favre has long talked about just wanting to relax and take time off. Now he has the chance to do it.

But he also has to rehabilitate his image. The constant waffling on his football future has caused a lot of people to look at him and make jokes. The best thing Favre can do now is to go underground. No commercials. No interviews. No nothing. The best thing Favre can do now is to keep out of the public eye. As time goes by, people will forget about the waffling and flip flopping and will just remember the thrills he gave to millions of fans on the field.

As time goes by the wounds that were opened by Favre and the Packers will heal to the point that Favre will return to Lambeau Field to have his jersey retired.

But the only way that will happen is if Favre does what he hasn’t shown the ability to do for a very long time.

Stay out of sight.

Brewers Hopes Might Hinge On Melvin's Ability To Deal

When the season started in April, many had the Brewers and Cubs as the favorites in the National League Central. So far, that has played out. But, what the experts didn't necessarily count on was the way a seemingly undermanned St. Louis Cardinals team shot up the standings. What the experts couldn't predict was the way Cecil Cooper's Houston Astros got themselves off the canvas to become a threat in the division. Heck, up until recently the Cincinnati Reds were making some noise. About the only team out of it was Pittsburgh, and it looks like the Pirates are in fire sale mode again.

With a little over two months to go in the season, the picture in the NL Central is murkier than ever. There are four teams that have shows the ability to get hot and take control. But, showing the ability to do it and actually doing it are two different things.

Which leaves a lot of people around here wondering where the Brewers fit in. Are they as good as they showed when they went on that little 21-5 run earlier this season? Or, are they as bad as the team that has been well below .500 outside that run?

To me, it's real simple. They are neither as good as their hot streak showed, and they aren't as bad as their struggles have shown either. In most years, and in most divisions, a team like the Brewers would be forced to think about next year. But, we are talking about the NL Central here.

Look at the standings again. Yes, the Brewers are looking up at three teams. But do any of those three teams really scare you? The Astros recently lost Lance Berkman to a calf injury - one that forced him to the DL. Can the Astros survive Berkman's absence? If they can, then you have to worry about them. But, if losing two out of three to the New York Mets (a team that has looked absolutely awful lately) is any indication, Cooper's team has their work cut out for them.

The Cardinals didn't have the greatest of weeks last week - getting swept by Houston and losing two out of three at Philadelphia. Now the Cardinals are facing the Dodgers at home before a rematch with Houston this weekend at Busch Stadium. The Cards have been the most aggressive team in the division - dealing multiple prospects in order to acquire Mark Derosa and Matt Holliday. On paper, they have a potent lineup and their rotation - with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright at the top - looks tough as well. But, they have to start playing like the team that vaulted up the standings in June and less like the team that struggled against the Astros and Phillies. It might take a few more games for the Cardinals to get it figured out, but you'd have to think they will. Tony LaRussa has done more with less (as evidenced by winning a World Series in 2006 with a team that won just 83 games in the regular season).

The Cubs still have the most talent in the division, and are finally starting to play like the team most thought they were going to be. They have survived injuries and the struggles of star players like Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley. They were thought to be dead not so long ago, but here they are - smack in the middle of things. They, like the Astros - have another injury to fight through, though. This time it's Ted Lilly that's on the DL. So far the Cubs have dealt with all the adversity, but you have to wonder if they can continue to do so, especially with the problems Soriano and Milton Bradley have had.

Which brings us to the Brewers. Yes, it was nice to get a useful piece like Felipe Lopez, but he won't be the piece that gets the Brewers over the top. There are rumors about Cliff Lee (I'm not going to mention Roy Halladay because the Blue Jays' asking price is way too high if the publicized talks with the Phillies are any indication). There are rumors about Wisconsin native Jarrod Washburn - who is enjoying a good season with a Seattle Mariners team that has been better than they were expected to be. I don't see the Brewers landing Lee, but Washburn is more than just a possibility. Remember that Doug Melvin would be working with his old scouting director in Jack Zduriencik - now the GM in Seattle. There won't be any secrets between these two. I could see the Brewers acquiring Washburn without giving up too many prospects.

If that trade - or a Lee trade - gets done, then the Brewers (at least on paper) have some things going for them. If no trade is made, then the Brewers will be hard pressed to turn things around. The pitching outside of Yovani Gallardo isn't strong enough (though Dave Bush will help when he returns). The bullpen - with the exception of Trevor Hoffman has been inconsistent (I'm being kind here). The lineup hasn't been nearly as potent as it should be with the talent that's out there (Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder could use some help from Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy). We've seen that the pitching isn't good enough to overcome the lack of production behind them.

So, whether or not the Brewers can make up what is not a big deficit in the division might very well come down to Doug Melvin and his ability to make a trade that will help this team. He's done it in the past. He might not be able to make a CC Sabathia type of trade, but he has more than enough ammunition to make a deal for Washburn.

The Cardinals have shown they are willing to go for it now. When it comes down to it, the Cubs probably will, too.

It's your move, Doug. Are you all in?

Halladay Might Have To Change From Labatt's To Bud

Attention all Roy Halladay shoppers! Time is running out on your chance to get the one player that could put your team over the top this season! Make your best offers NOW to Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi! But make no mistake. Halladay isn't for sale in these tough economic times. There are no coupons or special deals. If you want him, you will have to pay dearly for him.

That's pretty much what Ricciardi said when he announced a deadline of next week to consummate any trade for his star pitcher. Ricciardi claims that the offers he has gotten haven't been good enough, and that it's unlikely he will make any trade at all.

Don't buy it. Not for a single, solitary second.Toronto has no choice but to trade Halladay. You cannot put a guy on the market - and announce publicly that you are accepting offers - without making a deal. Halladay knows the Blue Jays would like to move him. If you knew you weren't wanted by your bosses, would you want to stick around? I didn't think so. You can tell me about Jake Peavy and his turning a trade to the White Sox down earlier this season and use it as an example of an unwanted player who wanted to stay with his current team. But, had Peavy not gotten hurt, I guarantee that he would have been dealt.

Toronto has to move him. After a terrific start this season, the Jays - well, they've become the Jays we expected them to be. They are under .500 and their deficit in a murderous AL East is now in double digits. They haven't won with Halladay, so they figure they can lose without him and rebuild what was once a proud franchise.

The deadline that Ricciardi has put on any Halladay deal is nothing but a smokescreen. All he's doing is trying to get a better offer. And he will. There is no doubt about that whatsoever.

As far as who will wind up trading for Halladay - well, if you believe rumor sites the everyone outside of Washington, San Diego, Baltimore, and a few other teams is in the sweepstakes. Frankly, I don't buy it. So, I figured I would try to sort out fact from fiction and see if I couldn't narrow the field of Halladay suitors down to two or three teams.

Let's start with the teams I do not believe are really in the Halladay race. And you can start with the team that always has money to burn in the New York Yankees. Sure, they could use Halladay - hell, Sergio Mitre started for them on Tuesday night. But, I cannot see the Yankees spending that kind of money when they already have a number of highly priced starters in the rotation. I think the Yankees will try to trade for a starter, but I don't see it being Halladay. I don't see the Red Sox getting involved, either. And I sure as hell don't see the Blue Jays dealing Halladay within their division.

The Phillies are the team that most seem to think is the favorite to land Halladay. If the reports are true, and the Phillies won't part with highly touted pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, then I don't see Toronto doing business with Philly. Besides, look at how weak the NL East is. Does Philly really need Halladay to win the division? Nope.

You can take the Dodgers and Angels out of the mix, too. If Toronto thinks they are going to get Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley in a Halladay package, then they are fooling themselves. And considering the Dodgers have a big lead in the NL West, acquiring Halladay isn't something they need to do.

The Angels managed to put a bad start behind them and move into first place in the AL West without Halladay. I don't see them pulling the trigger either - especially when you consider they have said they will not deal their top prospects.

I'm not sure the Giants have enough to make a deal for Halladay. The Rangers have the prospects, but owner Tom Hicks might be gun shy about bringing in such a high priced player in this economy. Kenny Williams - the GM of the White Sox will do his best to make a trade, but if he refuses to give up Gordon Beckham then he has no chance of pulling it off.

That leaves three teams left in my mind - the Tigers, Cardinals and Brewers.

I don't think Detroit will be the team that winds up with 'Doc.' Sure, they have the prospects and adding Halladay to their staff would make them the odds on favorite to win the AL Central. But, keep in mind that there are few cities that have been hit by the recession harder than Detroit. Does owner Mike Ilitch want to add another big money player when he has done that a few times over the last couple of years (with mixed success)? I don't think so.

I also don't believe the Brewers will pull it off. I know there are rumors that GM Doug Melvin is offering Toronto a package including Manny Parra and Mat Gamel, but it doesn't pass my smell test. First of all I don't think Melvin will trade his top prospect two years in a row. Milwaukee - a small market team - just cannot afford to do that. I also don't think that the Brewers will trade a guy they consider their third baseman of the future - especially when they don't have any other solid options at that position. And finally, keep in mind that Halladay can approve or disapprove of any trade Ricciardi comes to him with. Milwaukee is a good team and a nice town, but Halladay might not want to go there when there might be better options on the table.

All of which leaves the St. Louis Cardinals. They could be the team most motivated to make a move here. Halladay would put them over the top in a crowded NL Central. Not many teams would love the prospect of facing a rotation that includes Halladay, a resurgent Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright (who is just nasty), and Kyle Lohse (rounding into form after his injury). It might not be Maddux-Smolts-Glavine of the Atlanta Braves heyday, but it's damn close.

The Cards have the prospects to make a deal happen (they would have to give up third base prospect Brett Wallace in any deal). Halladay probably wouldn't mind going to a city like St. Louis - which just might very well be the best baseball city in America. And with the prospect of having to re-sign Albert Pujols in a couple of years, the Cardinals must do everything they can to show Pujols they are trying to win now (kind of like what the Cleveland Cavaliers did when they made the Shaq trade this summer).

I'm not saying you can make book on it, but come August first, don't be surprised if Roy Halladay is wearing a St. Louis Cardinals uniform.

Thank You, Tom Watson

With all due respect to Dan Croak and all the great people at the U.S. Bank Championship, the story in golf this past weekend took place in Scotland, where Stewart Cink won the British Open. I point out that Cink won the Claret Jug because when we talk about what went down at Turnberry years from now, we won't be talking about Cink. We'll be talking about the guy who didn't win the tournament.

That would be the great Tom Watson.

It doesn't matter that he lost Sunday. It doesn't matter that he failed to par the 18th to win the whole thing in regulation. And it doesn't matter that his dream turned into a nightmare on the third hole of the four hole playoff. Because what happened this past weekend was - quite possibly - the best sports story of the year.

Like I said a minute ago, this tournament will be remembered more for what Watson did than Cink's victory. If you don't believe me, well, tell me who won last year's British Open. I'll give you a minute.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Time's up. Stumped? It was Padraig Harrington. We don't really remember Harrington's win, but we do remember that thrill that Greg Norman gave golf fans by holding a lead entering the final round a year ago. That would be 54-year old Greg Norman. The guy who choked away the '96 Masters (and other majors) in spectacular fashion. The guy who hadn't played full time on any tour for years. And yes, the guy who married Chris Evert. His run was more memorable than anything Harrington did. It, along with Watson's incredible weekend, will be talked about for years to come.

I watched the final few holes (and the playoff) at an airport bar. The place was packed, no small feat considering it was in a small airport. And the one thing every person in that bar had in common was the fact they were all rooting for Watson to bring it home. There was the older gentleman nursing a Guinness - who kept talking about how great Watson was back in the day. There was the 22-year old Chicagoan who had never seen Watson in his prime who wanted the old guy to win it. There was a pretty diverse cross section of people all pulling for Watson.

I can't talk for anyone else who was in that bar. I can only speak for myself. What happened this weekend took me back to a time when life was much simpler. Watson turned back the clock to 1977, when he and Jack Nicklaus squared off in what was called 'The duel in the sun.' I was six back then. I don't recall how it all played out, but I do remember what I was doing all those years ago.

I was spending the summers with my parents and grandparents at a house they rented for the summer on Long Island. My grandfather, along with his brothers, owned a butcher store on the Washington Heights section of New York City. He would work Monday through Thursday and then drive out to spend the weekends with us on Friday.

My grandfather was a strong, hard working man. Back when he owned the store, he would get up at four in the morning to get everything ready. On most days he wouldn't come home until well after 8 o'clock at night. For ten months out of the year my grandfather didn't spend much time with anyone outside of his business. But, for those two months every summer he spent every moment of his free time with his family.

My Opa was born 94 years ago in Germany, and returned there to help fight Hitler in World War II. He fought for his country and fought against the genocide that claimed six million lives. There are memories he has from that time that he cherishes and talks about to this very day. There are also memories that are much darker - memories he never has, and never will, speak about.

I tell you all of this because I got to see my grandfather last week for the first time in months. It isn't easy to see your family when you are about a thousand miles away. It's harder when you see someone you love - someone you cherish so much - suffering through a difficult time.

That's what is happening with my grandfather right now. He mourned the loss of his parents. He mourned the loss of five brothers and sisters. He mourned the loss of my grandmother, who passed away suddenly nine years ago.

His health is failing as well. He fell in his home (where he had been living on his own) in April. He couldn't get up, and hasn't been able to walk since. He spent three months in a rehab center (which is just another way of saying nursing home). Despite intense physical therapy, he has not been able to regain the ability to walk.

We're talking about a man with a tremendous sense of pride here. Life has dealt him a lot of blows. But he's always been able to withstand those blows and come back. He's having a lot of difficulty getting off the canvas from the hand that life has dealt him these last few months. He isn't sad. He isn't angry at anyone. He's disgusted with himself. He never blamed anyone else for anything that happened to him. He took accountability for everything.

As I said, my grandfather has a tremendous sense of pride. That's why it was difficult for him to let anyone see him in the state he is in right now. It was even more difficult for me to see him as he is. This strong man - who I always looked up to as a giant in my life - is wheelchair bound.. This strong man has withered away - if he weighs seventy-five pounds it's a lot. His clothes no longer fit him. His glasses are too big for his face. He now requires a live in aid, and no longer sleeps on the bed he did for so many years. He now sleeps in a hospital bed that has been set up for him in his bedroom - with metal railings on the side to make sure he doesn't fall. It's not an easy sight to take in.

His mind, though, is still there for the most part. He remembers everything, and likes to talk more about the past than he ever did before. He may repeat stories every now and then, but I don't care - I still love listening to them. I could listen to those stories for hours and hours.

But it's tough to see him going through what he's going through right now. You can see the emotional pain on his face. The light in his eyes isn't nearly as bright as it used to be. I'm not one who breaks down and cries a lot, but that's exactly what I did when I left his apartment last week.

I know what you're thinking. What does this have to do with Tom Watson and his run at Turnberry this past weekend?

Everything.

All the talk of '77 - all the talk of history - brought me back to that house in Long Island. I was no longer a thirty-eight year old man with his own family and his own problems to deal with. I was a six year old kid spending time with his grandfather - whether it was playing in the backyard or going to temple or whatever. He wasn't the man stuck in that wheelchair like he is right now. He was the strong man from my childhood - the one that I always saw as invincible.

What Watson did this past weekend was get me to remember the man my grandfather was and all the good time that we shared. Not the man suffering right now. And for that, I only have three words that I want to say to Watson.

Thank you, Tom.

My next podcast will be posted on Wednesday, July 22nd!

Taking My All Star Break

Hey, if the major leaguers can do it, why can't I?? Going back East to hang with the family for a few days. My next column will be up on Monday.

In the meantime, I'll be updating my Twitter and Facebook pages if you are interested.

Attention Brewers Fans: RELAX!!!!!!!

The All-Star break is here. The Brewers ended the first half on a down note - losing eleven of their last nineteen. Still, a quick look at the standings shows that things aren't as bad as they seem. The Brewers are 45-43, and just two and a half games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. Of course, if you listen to some of the radio shows around here, you'll hear some people say that the sky is falling. You'll hear some panic. Don't buy into it.

There are few reasons why. First of all, two and a half games is not a whole lot to make up - especially with seventy-four games left in the regular season. Not to bring up old wounds, but just ask the Cubs of a couple of years ago. Ask the 1978 Yankees, who were fourteen and a half back at the break - and they won the World Series!!

The Cardinals look good - and yes, they might be the team that eventually lands Roy Halladay (they have the quantity and quality of prospects Toronto is seeking). But if they don't land Halladay they can be caught from behind. They have Albert Pujols, but they have their issues as well (third base has been a problem, as have down seasons by Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel). They are not invincible.

The Cubs - well, we all know what's gone down in Chicago this season. Sure, they have the potential to be a factor, but potential and production might be two different things. On top of that, I keep waiting for Lou Piniella to blow a gasket. Instead, he's trying to be the calm, cool, and collected one. Something is very wrong with that.

The Astros have managed to get back to .500 after starting the season badly, but until proven otherwise, I put them in the same category as the Reds and Pirates. They are more of a pretender than a contender.

Not only is winning the division a distinct possibility, but don't count this team out of the wildcard as well. The Brewers are four games out there. The Giants look good right now, but I am not sure if they have the hitting (outside of Pablo Sandoval, who is just a lot of fun to watch) to keep it up. They ask a lot from their pitchers given the state of their offense. Colorado has been red hot, but do they have what it takes to keep it up? And the Florida Marlins haven't been consistent enough to be a threat. They have not been a particularly good baseball team since a hot start a few months ago.

You want other reasons to be positive about the second half? I've got some for you. Dave Bush is on target to make his return from the DL. There is no reason to think we won't see the Bush we saw before he got hurt. The Bush that struggled before being put on the DL was not a hundred percent physically. The pre-injury Bush looked a lot like the guy we saw in the second half of last year.

If Bush returns and is close to the pitcher he can be, then the rotation looks a lot better than it does right now. Yovanni Gallardo has lost his last three starts, but it's really the first stretch he's gone through at this level where he has struggled. He's closer to the guy that has eight wins than the guy that we've seen over the last couple of weeks (and granted, he might not have lost two of those games had the Brewers given him any run support at all). Jeff Suppan isn't great, but he's not the worst pitcher ever. And, Braden Looper has been better than I thought he'd be.

That being said, Manny Parra might turn out to be the key for the rotation. I know it's tough to swallow for fans, given the nightmare of a first half he had, but it is true. If Parra can build on his performance against the Cardinals this past Thursday (seven shutout innings), then the rotation is going to look a lot better than it has for the last few weeks. Sometimes young pitchers struggle in their first year or two, then work things out thanks to a trip to the minor leagues. You hope that Chris Bosio was able to straighten Parra out while he was with the Nashville Sounds.

The Brewers have really no other choice than to hope Parra and Bush pitch up to their capabilities. Roy Halladay isn't coming here. And the price for some of the other pitchers on the market (like Doug Davis) is probably higher than GM Doug Melvin wants to pay.

One last reason to feel better about the Brewers' chances in the second half is the schedule. Among the teams the Brewers will face include the Reds, Pirates, Braves, Nationals, and Padres. None of these clubs will remind anyone of the Dodgers or Cardinals. The Brewers - at least on paper - have a good chance to get on a roll in the second half. I understand they don't play the games on paper. But, until I'm proven wrong, I'll look at the second half schedule and feel a lot better about this team's chances.

Of course, not everything is perfect. This team has its share of problems. The rotation isn't the only part of the club that has struggled. The lineup has its holes, and the bullpen has been spotty outside of Trevor Hoffman lately. But, I have some unsolicited suggestions to help manager Ken Macha work those problems out.

The first thing Macha should do is make rookie Mat Gamel the every day third baseman, if for no other reason than it eliminates the Bill Hall option. No offense to Hall or any of his fans, but let's face it - he has not been the same player since hitting 35 homers in 2006. The last couple of years people wrote off because Hall was making position changes. That excuse isn't available this year. The lasik surgery he had during the off-season didn't solve his problems either. Hall simply had a career year in 2006. He is a shell of the player we saw three years ago, and one that doesn't need to get at bats considering his .199 average.

Gamel, on the other hand needs the playing time. Are his numbers what anyone wants them to be? No, but he hasn't gotten consistent playing time. I'd like to see what he would do if he played every day. Just look at the homer he hit Friday night against the Dodgers. The thing that jumped out at me was his bat speed. He'd be a lot more productive if he played every day. His defense remains a concern, but his bat is what the Brewers need right now.

Not only should Gamel be playing every day, but I'd have Casey McGehee in the lineup at second base every day. I was wrong about the former Chicago Cub farmhand. He's not just a throwaway guy. He's a player. Sure, his knees give him problems from time to time, and he has almost as much speed as I do, but he is a player. His on base percentage ranks third on the club behind Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. His .329 average is better than every regular or semi-regular on the roster. The guy just makes things happen. He's the kind of guy you need in this lineup. And, I'd have him at the top of the order, too. I can't knock Jason Kendall - he's giving you everything he's got and he is very good defensively. I just cringe when I see him at the top of the order.

I know that the promotions of Gamel and McGehee would cost Craig Counsell his everyday spot at second base, but I believe Counsell would be more valuable as the team's super-sub. If McGehee needs a day off because of his knees, well just slide Counsell into that spot. If Gamel's glove is a concern in the late innings, Counsell would make a good defensive replacement. If J.J. Hardy - who started to hit a little bit before the break - doesn't get completely back on track, well Counsell can help out there, too. Counsell is having a really good season - far better than anyone of us could have dreamed - but he's better suited for the super-sub role that I'm talking about here.

I wish I had a solution to Corey Hart's problems in rightfield. Maybe he comes back from the break, and the light finally goes on inside of his head. It's been off since the All Star break a year ago. Macha really has no other choice than to play him. Frank Catalanotto isn't an every day player, and as for Jody Gerut - well, let's just leave him alone. Unless a deal is made - and I'm not sure there is one to be had - Hart is the guy Macha has to sink or swim with.

There are also problems in the bullpen. It (okay, Carlos Villanueva) has let Macha down lately. But considering how effective it was for much of the first half, I have to think it will come around.

So, with the season resuming on Thursday in Cincinnati, things could be better for the Brewers. Two games above .500 was not what anyone had in mind.

But, things could also be a lot worse. Don't buy into the panic. Don't look for a ledge to jump off of.

The 2009 Milwaukee Brewers story has yet to be written.

Why Sanchez' No-No Was Special

I've been lucky. I've covered a lot of baseball over the last fifteen years. Got to go to a couple of All Star Games. Was in attendance at a couple of World Series. But, there's something special about watching a no-hitter. To me, there's nothing like it. To watch someone completely shut down an opposing team for nine innings - not allowing a single, solitary hit - has got to be one of the toughest things to do in sports.

I'm one of the lucky ones. Most people never get to see that kind of performance. I got to see not one, but two no hitters in person. The fist was the one that Dwight 'Doc' Gooden threw against the Seattle Mariners on May 14th, 1996. What stands out about that one for me is a couple of things. It was the first time I appeared on a New York City radio station (I did updates and a game wrap for 1010 WINS that night). The other thing that stood out was the fact that Gooden was really a shell of the pitcher he was in the mid-1980's with the New York Mets.

That Gooden wouldn't just have thrown a no-hitter. The Doc Gooden of 1984 and 1985 would have thrown a perfect game and probably struck out fifteen batters. The Doc Gooden on the mound for the Yankees that May night thirteen years ago actually struggled with his command. If you don't believe me, just check the boxscore. Gooden struck out just five batters that night while walking six. His pitch count was an ugly 134. It was a no-hitter, and a great moment, but it wasn't the kind of dominance you expect when you watch a no-no.

I witnessed that kind of dominance three years later, when David Cone threw a perfect game against the Montreal Expos on July 18th, 1999. Coney - another former Met (George Steinbrenner liked to collect former Mets in the 1990's) - was dominant from the very first pitch. I remember joking to someone in the press box on that Sunday afternoon that Cone could throw a perfect game after the first inning. Sure, the Expos back then had Vladimir Guerrero, Jose Vidro, and Rondell White, but they didn't have anything else. Cone was a man against boys that day. That's the kind of dominance you expect to see when a pitcher throws a no-hitter or perfect game.

The kind of dominance we saw from San Francisco Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez Friday night when he no-hit the San Diego Padres.

Sanchez' gem had everything you expect to see in a no-hitter. A great defensive play (Aaron Rowand's ninth inning catch of Edgar Gonzalez' drive to deep centerfield. Plenty of run support (the weak hitting Giants actually had eight runs). And a pretty cool storyline that made Sanchez' gem special.

His father was in the stands. Just like he was when Sanchez was a kid in his native Puerto Rico.

It was just the second time that Sigfredo Sanchez had watched his son pitch a big league game. The other time was three years ago, when Sanchez came out of the bullpen against the Mets in New York.

This was the man that taught him how to pitch. This was a man that is still involved in the game - he is a pitching coach for a Double A Puerto Rican team.

On Friday, he wasn't a coach or a teacher. He was just a proud father. And Sanchez - who would not have been considered a likely candidate to throw a no-hitter considering his career track record (let alone what happened this year, when he was demoted from the rotation to the bullpen) - looked like a kid who wanted to make his father proud. That was evident when television cameras captured the two of them hugging in the dugout.

It was a moment many of us can relate to. Let's face it. We all played one sport or another as a kid. Even if we weren't the best player on the team, we all participated. We all had out parents sitting in the stands watching us, cheering us on. We all wanted to do well with our parents watching us. Heck, some of us were coached by our parents!

I played Little League as a kid. My father was my team's coach. I wasn't the best player on the team (I know, a shocker right there). But, I busted my hump and worked my way up the ladder - to the point where I was one of the better players on the team. My father helped me as a kid, and I know he was proud of what I was able to accomplish.

Granted, the stage most of us played on as kids could never compare to the stage Sanchez was on this past Friday night. But look at the shot of Sanchez and his father hugging after the game Friday night. That was you. That was me. That was all of us.

Not many major leaguers get to do that at that stage of the game. I'd say that 99% of the players ply their trade far away from their families. What we saw Friday night was one of the best moments of the year so far. Call me a sap if you want. I'm perfectly fine with that.

You can take your steroids scandals, your divas, and most everything else and stuff 'em. I'll take what happened Friday night every single time.

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We In The Media Need To Lighten Up A Bit

The biggest thing I've learned in the months that I've been looking for a job is that there is a big difference between being a fan and being a member of the media. Being a member of the media for almost eighteen years now, I had kind of forgotten what it was like to be a fan. Being a member of the media, I got caught up in my own BS - thinking that the scandals of the day were as serious as anything else going on in the world.

But, sitting these last nine months on the sideline, I have gotten the chance to be a fan again. I have been able to watch a ballgame - any game - no matter what the sport is - and enjoy it as it is. I haven't had to worry about how I was going to attack the game on my show the next day. I didn't have to worry that the game was going too long, and I wasn't going to get enough sleep. I could just sit back, relax, and watch the game. I've found that I had become jaded as a member of the sports media. The one thing that I have promised myself is that when I get that next job - whenever, or where ever that is - I am going to think more like a fan and less like a media guy.

That's why I don't get fazed by the steroid scandal in baseball. When other media guys were complaining that Manny Ramirez shouldn't have played in the minors before his suspension was up, I thought it was ridiculous. Why not give fans in cities that would otherwise never have a chance to see a player like Ramirez a chance to see him in person? When members of the media complained that the fans were giving Man Ram a break when he returned last week, I thought to myself that if I were sitting in the stands, I probably would have cheered too. Because baseball is more entertaining when Manny is playing. Is he a flake? Absolutely. But, it's also what makes him so endearing to fans.

The thing I've discovered in recent months is that the sports fan and the sports media guy don't think alike at all. The sports media guy takes everything too seriously. Here's another example. In Milwaukee, Ryan Braun complained a couple of weeks ago that playing day games at Miller Park was difficult because of the shadows that creep in. Listening to one of the two sports radio stations in town, you would have thought Braun committed a felony. But that was the guy on the radio. The fan didn't have a problem with it at all.

So, the next time I see Terrell Owens do something on the field like celebrate a touchdown - something that would have ticked me off a year ago - I am going to just let it go. You know why? Because T.O. is not just an athlete. He's an entertainer. In a sense, every pro athlete is an entertainer. When you think about it, fans who go to the games are paying good money for the right to watch. They want to be entertained. No one wants to part with money these days if they are going to be bored off their ass. So, let them be entertained.

These last nine months have been an enlightening experience for me. Has it been frustrating? Sure - it sucks not having a job. But, it also - in a weird way - got me to realize why I wanted to go into sports radio in the first place. And that's because I was a fan. The mistake many of us in the sports media business make is thinking that we are above the fans. Now I realize that we are no better than the average fan. We just happen to have the opportunity to talk into a mocrophone, type on a keyboard, or look at a television camera. What we do as sports media isn't really rocket science. I know that many of my friends in the media - and I won't name them - will probably blast me for saying it, but being out of work puts a lot of things into perspective.

All of that being said, the media has been up in arms over the last few months because of a phenomenon that has threatened the way the sports media has been doing their job. That phenomenon is Twitter.

If you're reading this right now, then you know what Twitter is. You probably even have a Twitter account (and a Facebook one too - like me). Twitter has crossed into the mainstream as well. Try watching a television show for more than fifteen minutes every once in a while. Everyone has a Twitter account. You can follow any show, actor, actress, or anchorman on Twitter. You can also follow your favorite athletes.

Shaquille O'Neal has a Twitter page. So do T.O., Nick Barnett of the Green Bay Packers, Charlie Villanueva of the Detroit Pistons, and Chad Ochocino of the Cincinnati Bengals. There are many other pro athletes who have Twitter accounts - all you have to do is search for them. These athletes are using their Twitter pages to get the stories out that they want to get out. Shaq Twittered on his trade to Cleveland long before he had his introductory press conference. Nick Barnett has Twittered on the state of the Packers and what he thought of his team's draft. It's gotten so prevalent that the writers that cover these athletes wind up following them on Twitter so they can get stories that others might miss.

It's got to be disheartening for your average beat writer to see how this is all unfolding. You see, there was a time when athletes needed the writer to help get their message out. They needed the writer to get their side of a story or controversy out there. With Twitter, the athlete doesn't need the writer or any other media member anymore. They can get their own stories out without anyone else's help. And trust me when I tell you that the athlete is happy to not have to depend on the media as much as they used to.

Twitter is easier than having your own website. It's instantaneous. It's short, sweet (or tweet) and to the point. It also makes the fan feel a little closer to the player, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Of course, the media doesn't appreciate that as much as the fan does. Charlie Villanueva, then of the Bucks, actually tweeted during halftime of a game last season. Ochocinco recently told a radio show in Houston that he was planning to tweet during games. And, predictably, the media reacted negatively. Villanueva was roundly taken to task by media types for not taking the game seriously. The less enlightened of the bunch would say "How dare he do that during halftime! He's got a game to try and win." The funny thing, though, is that I never heard one fan - NOT ONE - rip into Villanueva for doing what he did.

I actually asked a couple of my friends - die hard Bucks fans who live in my development - what they thought of Villanueva's halftime tweet. Both said it was cool. Both said it was nice to know what was going through a player's mind in the middle of the game. Both felt a little closer to the action, and less detached from the whole thing.

As I mentioned before, Ochocinco wants to Tweet during a game too. I wish he'd come up with something a little more original than that (since Villanueva was the first one to do it), but I digress. Predictably, media people took Ochocinco to the proverbial woodshed. They talked about how he'll never change. How it's always about him. I listened to this talk and came to this conclusion.

Ochocinco is just entertaining his fans. Which is what they want. I actually am a follower of his on Twitter (I also follow Shaq, T.O., Barnett, and Villanueva). Not for nothing, but I think it'd be kind of cool to get a tweet from Ochocinco after he scored a touchdown. Who wouldn't want to get a tweet from him talking about what Marvin Lewis told the team at halftime (especially if they were down by a couple of touchdowns)? All he and the other athletes are doing is letting the fans in to a place they have never been able to get to before.

The sports media - most of it, anyway - looks at Villanueva and Ochocinco and judges them as being flakes or clowns.

If they got off their high horse for a minute, and thought like a fan, they'd feel differently.

I - for one - wish they would.

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Bringing Halladay (Or Anyone Else) To Milwaukee This Summer Might Be Easier Said Than Done

The Brewers have been struggling for a little while now. They've gone from first place in the NL Central to looking up at the St. Louis Cardinals, and those two teams will wrap up their three game set later today. The Crew is smack dab in the middle of that tough stretch which included games against the Mets, Cubs, Cards, and Dodgers before the All Star break hits. It started out well enough against New York, as Ken Macha's club took two of three from a Mets team decimated by injuries. The Cubs landed a couple of haymakers while winning three of four last weekend. The Cards could take a two game lead on the Brewers in the NL Central. And the Dodgers have been one of the best teams in all of baseball this season.

Everyone knows why the team is struggling. Forty percent of the starting rotation that was here in April is somewhere else now. Dave Bush is on the DL, and Manny Parra is trying to regain his confidence in Triple A. Mike Burns and Seth McClung have simply not been up to the task of replacing them.

But, pitching certainly isn't the only thing ailing the Brewers. The bats haven't exactly been hot lately, either. You want proof? All you need to do is look at what happened Tuesday night against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright. The Brewers - at one point - had three hits and a walk in a single inning. How many runs did that produce? Zero. Zip. Nada. Bubkus. That is inexcusable. Yovanni Gallardo is good, but you cannot expect him to be perfect every time out.

Prince Fielder is producing. So are Ryan Braun, Casey McGehee, and to a lesser extend, Craig Counsell. Outside of that, there are problems. Where is the Corey Hart that got into the All Star Game last year? I haven't seen him since that July night in New York. Mike Cameron has cooled off considerably since a hot start. Jason Kendall's bat really hurts when there are other problems in the lineup. J. J. Hardy is having a down year (I'm being kind), and the only reason Bill Hall is still here is because no one will take his bloated contract. After hitting 35 homers in 2006, it's hard to comprehend why he is hitting under .200.

So, Ryan Braun had the right idea when he addressed the team's problems after another loss to the Cubs on Sunday. Braun did it partly to fire the club up - as he did earlier this season and last season after that awful sweep in Boston. But he also did it because he sees things going badly and knows the team needs reinforcements.

He's not the only one that sees it. GM Doug Melvin does as well. He knows this is a flawed team. He knows the starting pitching has become suspect (an understatement). He knows the lineup has suffered ever since Rickie Weeks went down with his injury. What he didn't want was his star player to point it out to him for the entire world to see.

I have no problem with what Braun did. Maybe this team needs a kick in the ass. Actually, there are no maybes about it. They do. The choice of words could have been different, but I won't blow it out of proportion like others have done.

Braun's request for the Brewers to bring in some help was followed by the news that Toronto has put ace starter Roy Halladay on the block. Immediately, Brewer fans tried to dream up deals that would bring Halladay to Milwaukee. There are some experts - like my friend Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports - who think that the Brewers should be on the list of teams that will go after Halladay. The logic behind that thinking is that Melvin pulled off a blockbuster for CC Sabathia last summer. But that was last year. This year is going to be a completely different story.

There will be no Halladay trade. In fact, there might not be any move at all.

Not that Melvin and his staff won't try. But trying to make a deal and actually completing said deal might be two different things.

Let's deal with the Halladay scenario first. There are a couple of reasons it won't happen. Halladay has pitched in relative obscurity in Toronto. Make no mistake. Toronto is a hockey city first, second, and third. Then comes football (Buffalo is only 90 miles away). Baseball is a solid third (but would be second if the Jays had won anything since 1993). Halladay might want a bit of the spotlight, and if the Phillies and Yankees are after him, then the Brewers don't stand a chance of landing him. True, the Brewers are a contender, but Philly just won the World Series and the Yankees are the Yankees. Halladay can pick and choose where he will go because of his no trade, and I'm not sure Milwaukee would be on his list of teams he'd approe a trade to.

Then again, I doubt the Brewers have enough to actually get the deal done. Toronto is said to be looking for a huge return if they do wind up parting with 'Doc.' We're talking a package of five players from what I have heard (courtesy of ESPN's Buster Olney). The Brewers farm system isn't depleted, but they don't have the quantity that Toronto is looking for. And they certainly don't have it in the pitching department.

Another reason I wouldn't plan on getting Halladay's name and number embroidered on your jersey right now is because of last year's CC trade. Melvin parted with his top prospect in Matt LaPorta, and a couple of other good young pieces in order to rent Sabathia for three months. He has already said he isn't going to trade any more of his top young guns. That means Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar are off the table. I believe Melvin when he says this. He's not Brian Chasman, who has no problem in selling the farm to win now. He runs the Brewers differently.

And if the Brewers won't deal their top prospects, I doubt they have enough on the big league level to get it done. Corey Hart is a nice piece, but he doesn't bring you Roy Halladay. Neither does J.J. Hardy, who I can't see being moved because you don't throw a rookie shortstop into the fire of a pennant race midway through the season unless you absolutely have to (because of injuries).

So, Halladay is off the table. There have been rumblings about Javier Vazquez of the Braves. I don't see that happening, either. Sure, the ERA is down from where it was a year ago. But, Vazquez hasn't always been a guy you can count on in crunch time. Ask the Yankees and White Sox. He's just not a big game pitcher, and if the Braves want Gamel in return, well let's just say it would be lunacy to pull the trigger on that deal.

Another trade possibility - if you believe the 'insiders' is Doug Davis, who would also bring infielder Felipe Lopez with him. Sure, Lopez is having a nice season, but is it just an aberration? His career numbers suggest that it might be. He's had only one really productive season - and that was four years ago. I get nervous about guys like Lopez - who produce for teams going nowhere, but might not be able to perform at the same level during the heat of a pennant race.

And - as far as Davis goes - haven't we been there and done that with him? He's just a guy. He's not anything special. He's not going to rescue your season the way Sabathia did last September. He's a journeyman. So is Lopez. And, given all the teams that are looking for pitching, the price for those two players is probably higher than Melvin is willing to play.

I don't mean to throw a fly in the ointment. I know fans get excited by trade rumors. But that's what they are - rumors. They are fantasy, not reality.

And reality is Halladay isn't going to be a Brewer. There won't be a trade withToronto. There may not be a trade at all.

Sometimes reality bites, doesn't it?

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Media Only Too Happy To Focus On McNair's Faults

Glad to be back from my mini-vacation. A lot happened since my last column. Roger Federer became the undisputed King of the Slams. Manny Ramirez returned from his steroid suspension and found that the fans missed him more than the critics thought they would. Serena Williams beat her sister and won her second Grand Slam of the year, but is still ranked second in the world.

And Steve McNair was shot to death.

By now we all know the story. The former NFL quarterback was discovered Saturday alongside his girlfriend in an apparent murder-suicide. There is no sense in re-hashing the details. They have been talked about over and over again since the news broke Saturday afternoon. What should be talked about is the reaction that the media has had to the whole sordid affair (no pun intended).

The media's reaction has been a bit different than the reaction of fans. Football fans (not just Titans fans) - like everyone else - were stunned at the news and preferred to talk about the player McNair was as opposed to whatever was going on in his private life. The media has been a bit different.

Sure, media members have talked about the warrior McNair was on the field, and rightly so. But, in a sampling of columnists around the country and sports radio , I've discovered that writers and radio talk show hosts are only too happy to take McNair to task for the way he conducted his personal life.

A good example of this is Jay Mariotti. I've known Jay for over ten years. I think he's a pretty good writer. He'd be a great writer if he didn't always jump to blast someone. His piece on AOL Monday wasn't a hatchet job, but it certainly wasn't a tribute to McNair either. Jay was only too happy to point out that the former Titan and Raven had been on the wrong side of the law before.

"But if you looked closely enough, which his beloved fans in Nashville were reluctant to do, you'd have noticed danger signs. In 2003, he was pulled over by police who said he had a blood-alcohol content level of .18 percent, more than twice the state's legal limit. In the same episode, he faced charges of possessing a 9mm weapon. Mysteriously, all charges were dropped. There was no public outcry at the time, as there would be for some athletes, because McNair was that revered. He was honored regularly for his direct involvement with the Steve McNair Foundation, his work with Boys and Girls Clubs, his Thanksgiving turkey deliveries to the needy and his tireless efforts after Hurricane Katrina."

That was actually tame compared to what I heard two different shows on Chicago's 670 The Score. The afternoon team of Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein - two guys I have a lot of respect for - made childish jokes about what can happen if you cheat on your wife. Laurence Holmes - who hosts nights on The Score - called the whole thing 'seedy.' And as I was driving along - returning from my holiday break - I couldn't help but think that the media was wrong to point accusing fingers at a man who died way too young.

It doesn't matter what he was like off the field, and frankly - I never met or talked to McNair. I have no idea what McNair the man was like. What matters is that he's no longer here.

My colleagues in the media (and I've done it in the past as well to be totally honest with you) love to get on the soapbox and blast someone for doing something that - on its face - is morally, ethically, and sometimes legally - wrong. The problem is when you do that before knowing all of the facts, you might just wind up with egg on your face.

The Sean Taylor murder is a great example of this. How many radio guys and writers assumed that Taylor's past of hanging out with the wrong crowd led to his untimely death? A whole bunch of them. And they all had to apologize when the truth came out - that Taylor's murder had nothing to do with his past and everything to do with a home invasion.

Yes, we know that McNair and Sahel Kazemi were dating. That's been established by the police in Nashville. But that's all we know.

Was it an affair? It might have been. But, it also might have been a case where McNair and his wife (who may have been living separate lives apart from each other by the way) were either separated or in the process of getting a divorce. If that's the case, then McNair's only mistake was dating someone who might have had some 'issues.'

Consider another possibility. Maybe McNair and his wife had an 'understanding.' It wouldn't be the first open marriage in the history of civilization. If that's the case, then McNair - again - did nothing wrong.

So he was dating a girl who was young enough to be his daughter. So what? How many athletes - heck - how many guys in their thirties or forties go after a younger woman? That's a shocker to anyone in this day and age? Please!

And maybe he was just having an affair with Kazemi. Plenty of people - both men and women I might add - cheat on their signifigant others. I believe there was a man named Clinton who had trouble being faithful to his wife. He was elected President of the United States (and re-elected, too) - even though it was common knowledge that he had a wandering eye (among other things). Having an affair is not something you should pay for with your life (though your bank account may suffer).

There are plenty of star athletes who weren't perfect. I'll just use one as an example. Mickey Mantle was an alcoholic who cheated on his wife for years until they got divorced. Yet, when he passed away fourteen years ago, no one took him to task for his faults. He was remembered as a great player.

I know that people like Mariotti (with whom I have argued for years on this point) that believe athletes have a higher responsibility because of their standing. That they are role models. If the McNair story has taught us anything, it's that the superstar athlete isn't that much different than the rest of us. They put their pants on one leg at a time. They have the same faults that you and I do. Yet, it was much more titillating to talk about what McNair was doing in his personal life as opposed to the warrior that he was on the field or the fact that someone so young was gunned down in the prime of his life.

We in the media have a LONG, LONG way to go.

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July 4th Break!

I just wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a Happy July 4th. I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!

I'm taking an extended break for the holiday. My next blog will be up on July 8th.

NBA Teams Won't Throw Away Money This Summer

The NBA's silly season is here. It's July first, and the free agent market is open for business. It's not the blockbuster market that we will say a year from now. But there are still some useful pieces out there.

Hedo Turkoglu is a 6-10 sharpshooter that might have gotten a raw deal in Orlando. Ben Gordon of the Bulls is probably going to leave Chicago after the two sides tried and failed for two years to come to terms on a new deal. Trevor Ariza may cash in on a nice little playoff run. Lamar Odom has talent that teams fall in love with (though consistency has always been an issue) Andre Miller, Jason Kidd, and Mike Bibby are the point guards that will be shopping for a new home. Houston's Ron Artest is available as well if you like to gamble with your franchise's future. And Paul Milsap, David Lee, and Ramon Session are three restricted free agents that teams will have their eyes on.

Again, it's not a bad class, but it isn't quite as sexy as the one we'll see next summer, when some dude named Lebron will auction off his services.

The big question, though, is whether or not this class of free agents will hit the lottery. Will NBA teams overpay as they have done many times in the past? Or, will financial responsibility be the new buzzword?

At the end of the day, financial responsibility will win out. Even some ofthe prospective free agents realized that, which is why Carlos Boozer of the Jazz decided to stay in Utah as opposed to opting out. I know, you probably think I'm crazy. The NBA is a league where stiffs like Milwaukee's Dan Gadzuric scored a six year deal worth $36M a few years ago. But, before you hit send on the email you'll write me and tell me I have no idea what I'm talking about, consider these factors.

* The economy is still not in good shape. Don't let the partisan political hacks fool you into thinking that everything is on track to recover from where it was a few months ago. It just doesn't happen that quickly. The NBA has suffered like everyone else did. Did you notice the amount of empty seats at the arenas around the country this past season? That has affected the bottom line, and the bottom line is what rules right now.

* The NBA is rumored to be lowering the salary cap while raising the luxury tax threshold. Not every NBA team is swimming in cash the way the Lakers are. There are teams who used to spend like a drunken sailor that won't do it this time around because they don't want to pay a luxury tax.

* Other sports have had to dial back on free agent spending because of the recession. The NFL was the exception to the rule, but take a look at what happened in baseball this past winter. How many free agents had to wait until March to sign with a team? Manny Ramirez couldn't get anyone to offer him the kind of cash he was looking for. Orlando Hudson was a late addition to the Dodgers. Adam Dunn, one of the game premier power hitters, had to settle for a two year deal from the Washington Nationals of all teams.

The NFL is a cash cow. MLB still is, but there numbers are off from where they were a year ago. The NBA is no longer the moneymaker it used to be - at least not at the same level it was at during the Magic-Larry-Michael heyday. Don't think for a second that isn't going to be a factor this summer.

* Next year's free agent class is going to have a big impact on the class of 2009. Why, if you are the New York Knicks, for instance, would you spend millions this summer, and reduce any chance you have of signing a James next year? You wouldn't, plain and simple. The Knicks aren't the only team in the league that think they can land Lebron. There are ten teams that think they probably have a shot. And because they do, they won't be spending major money this summer.

I actually feel bad for this summer's free agents. If there was ever a year not to be a free agent, it's this one. In the past, a free agent could count on one team overspending to acquire his services.

That's the past. The future may look a lot like the past.

But we're not in the past or the future. We're in the present.

And the present doesn't look all that good.

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