Killing time on a Saturday night

My cute female friend is in bed already and I've got a ton to do, so I'm staying in tonight. At least it'll give you guys (are there girls that read this?) something to read when you come home drunk later. It's not all sports, but last I checked, there's no rules on this blog, it's like an anarchy with integrity. (Just so you know, I've tried to go back a couple times to fix the spacing problems in this but can't figure it out, sorry)

- I was in St. Louis earlier this week for work, and had to take a shuttle from the airport to my hotel. I was in a pretty pissy mood as I'd had a gun pulled on me the previous day at work here in Pittsburgh. Whatever, on the shuttle with me was just one family - mom, dad, 3 sons none of which older than 15. Well, son #2 asks the parents, "What does San Diego mean?" I laughed out loud, it took everything I had not to turn and inform them that the correct answer is "A whale's vagina".
Dad, in all his wisdom, tells his boys that it translates to "Saint James". San Diego=Saint James? Ok... Bet he'd translate his wife's contempt for him into undying love, though I'd guess she's plowing her way through their neighborhood and will take him for everything he's worth in 2 years.

- Getting a gun pulled on me at work? Not fun. I'm moving to Minnesota. At least I'll be able to give an untapped region's viewpoint on all things sport and tundra - Hey Berman, tundra is frozen, stop calling it "The Frozen Tundra", that's like saying "The drunk wino" or "Shitty mainstream rap" - being frozen is part of what makes it tundra. Expect some Aurora Borealis posts this summer.

- I'm convinced tweezers were invented for one of three purposes:
1) Removing splinters
2) Cleaning toenails
3) Roach clips
The lesson being, don't ask to borrow my tweezers.

- I've sent this link to some people already, but for those who haven't seen it, this is one of the greatest skits Will Ferrell ever did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kShJAEODWMc

- My sis is getting married at the end of April and the DJ doesn't really understand that my family isn't gonna put up with his ideas for music, so they've asked me to put together a lot of music for the reception. Good call. The only relevant question appears to be, will "I can't drive 55" be on that playlist? You know it.
Expect this trend to continue - amateurs putting together playlists for occasions like weddings, etc. As erm can probably testify to, DJs aren't cheap. Why not gather all the music you want to hear, arrange it into playlists, throw it onto an iPod and go to town? There's no reason to pay DJs anymore for this. Hell, if my sister, her man and I can throw together 4-5 hours of wedding reception music, who couldn't? Put this on the list of things I'd do if I were a smart man, along with improving tattoo removal technology (not for me, but for the dumb asses that get some arbitrary ink done), wait, I'm not giving you anymore of my ideas. Come up with your own.

- We've got a new entrant in the "Best Drunk Food" category, joining Pagliai's ((419) 352-7571) stuffed chicken & cheese breadsticks, Taco Bell's Nacho Cheese chalupas and Trader Joe's fresh salsas: D's "Big Ben dog". D's is the hotdog/beer joint I live above. The Big Ben is a dog with nacho cheese, fries & coleslaw. Sub in bacon for the slaw and goodnight!

- Bill Simmons is amazing. He's Gandhi. Gandhi, Mitch Hedberg and MLK Jr. rolled into one. This guy tirelessly takes on all critics and asks nothing in return. Oh, you feel like you've made a well thought out, constructive, unassuming argument to a point of his? Think again.

"Um, I was trying to be funny … I just forgot that we live in a world where you can't joke about anything. This nation is tighter than Meg Ryan's face right now. Loosen up. It's not a crime to joke about the fact that last year's college hoops season sucked so much that the best two players were white. See, basketball has been a predominantly black sport for about 40 years now, a blessing because the game evolved in a vertical direction and became infinitely more entertaining than the product from the late '50s. If you wrote down the best NBA players from the last three decades, you'd probably notice that all of them were black except for Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Steve Nash, Chris Mullin, Dirk Nowitzki and John Stockton.

Now, if last year's best college players were on the level of Bird, Nash and Stockton, it would be one thing. But J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison both flamed out in the tournament and look like potential busts as pros. Hence, my joke in yesterday's blog. For anyone who was offended, I'm sorry … not for the joke, but for the bug up your ass. "

So there. Not only does he somehow find a way to be the last vestige of humor in an unfunny world, he has no problem attacking celebrities' insecurities to prove his abilities. Never mind that the reader's point appeared to be that race doesn't dictate talent or worth, he informs us that only 6 white players in the last 30 years have mattered. So all the other white who have played were pretty bad, huh? But wait, later in the column while discussing the league's current talent level, he says:

"Jemele (Hill) argued that Kobe's current competition is tougher than the teams from 1991-93, which is just plain wrong. There's no comparison. The league sucks (emphasis his) right now."

Did the sport lose all its good players? No, the game has transitioned from a team game where players had defined roles into a me-first, run and gun contest. By no means should you take that as social commentary, but the game and its players' roles have changed. Thank god this world has Bill Simmons to stick up for the right to insult people who wish to dissent from the views of the all knowing sports scribes.

Oh Hell Yea

Yes, yes, yes yes yes! It's going to happen, just as someone in the basement predicted! Florida - OSU Monday at 9. I can't wait! Unless Florida craps the bed, we're gonna see a repeat of the BCS championship game, minus Roy Hall taking out OSU's biggest threat, whoever that is. This is gonna be great. You can beat your ass I'll be watching it in Cleveland, wearing either BGSU or U of M colors.

Oh and yes, I picked Florida over OSU in my bracket, if it happens, I'll take the whole thing.

More on Greg Oden: Just watch these Florida guys play - they pass extremely well, they FIGHT for position, battle for rebounds, these guys want to win. When have you been able to say that about Oden? Sure, his team won, no thanks to him. He's gotta play the game of his life if they're going to beat Florida. Anyone know the spread on this game? I may never have to work again if OSU is favored...

He's like Yinka Dare without the court vision

That's Greg Oden? No, not the headline, that referred to Desagana Diop (I forget who said it), but wow, Oden? This is the first time I've seen him in action all year; hell, the only highlight of his that I've seen was his pancake block that didn't get him tossed earlier in the tourney. Who in his right mind takes this guy first overall?

There is no way I take this guy #1, probably not even top 3! First person that says his wrist is still bothering him so he isn't 100% will never again be allowed to take part in any future debates relating to sports. Is Oden the only guy who is banged up? Have the rest of these guys not played 30+ games? Hell, he didn't even play the whole year! It's been said by everyone else that he lacks intensity, but humor me as I'm in shock that people forecast big things from this guy.

Give me one reason he should go first. Uh, he's black? Piss off, Simmons! Stop with the Ewing/Tim Duncan comparisons, he looks more like LeBron's father with narcolepsy. Unbelieveable, this guy is gonna save somebody's franchise? Baloney. He couldn't save 50 cents with a coupon.

Did the Buckeyes play better with Oden on the floor or the bench? Exactly. You can thank Dan Dakich anytime now for Ron Lewis...

I say three months until the first "Bowling Green" headline

Trent Green? That's the answer to Cleveland's quarterback woes? Wonderful. What possible reason could the Browns have for trading for Trent Green, who will be 37 before the start of the season and is owed $24.1M over the next three years? Aw crap, no! He's obviously a short-term fix (at least it should be obvious) and with everyone realizing Eminem...errr Charlie Frye sucks, it looks to mean only one thing: Brady Fucking Quinn.

Really? You're going to do this to us? Brady Quinn? I'd rather have Bobby Quinn! This draft is top heavy in terms of talent, like the bar below my apartment, and we're going to take a frightened school boy #3 to run our team? Good plan, wouldn't want a backfield with Adrian Peterson and Jamal Lewis, now would we? This year, I've been telling everyone that anything could happen with the top three picks, so it's worthless trying to predict who is going where, but screw Brady Quinn! I'll take David Carr over the money Quinn would get at number 3, not to mention Trent Green's $7.2 this coming year.

Fine, I'll finally say nice about Troy Smith - given the completely theoretical options of:
A.) Signing David Carr for 2-3 years at a discount, drafting Peterson #3 and taking Troy Smith in the 3rd/4th (and just so there's no confusion on how I feel about Smith: Go Blue!), or
B.) Trading away picks for Green and his ridiculous salary, drafting Brady Quinn and giving him another 4-5 million a year...
....There's no doubt I go with A.

At least we'll get to see some doofus grab the #31 "Green" jersey out of their closet, cross out the numbers and draw a "10" on top of them, in a twist of what they'll consider to be irony. (I on the other hand will still wear mine as is, waiting 'til the day Willie Green makes headlines for his inevitable Rae Carruth impersonation)

USC 87
Texas 68

That score is going to be the answer to a trivia question one day. The question: What was the final score of the last game Kevin Durant played in college?

And that's how it ends for Durant. In a loss, a blowout, for one of college basketball's most talented freshmen ever. It didn't end with a national title like Carmelo or Walton. But it did end. In the coming weeks or months Durant is going to announce that he is leaving the University of Texas to enter the NBA Draft. Sure there's a chance that he stays and there's also a chance that I may grow 10 inches while writing this.

This post isn't so much about Durant or Texas (or how they killed my bracket, *cough* Rick Barnes *cough* DJ Augustin) its about college freshmen. Durant and fellow super freshman Greg Oden are going to be one and done in the NCAA. Staying only so long as to meet the requirements of the NBA's age restrictions. There aren't a lot of people out there who feel that Durant or Oden would have ever stepped foot on a college campus if it wasn't for the NBA rules. Durant and Oden suffer from poor timing. Poor timing in that they weren't born two years earlier. Had they been they would have graduated high school before the NBA's rule took effect. Unfortunately for them and the Toronto Raptors they were born a year too late.

The nuts and bolts of the NBA rule is that it prevents American born players from entering the draft until they are 19 or one year has passed since their high school class has graduated. There is an entirely different rule for foreign born players, which is an entirely different story.

The rule (with minor exceptions) only prevents kids going from Prom to the Association. It says nothing about going to college or improving the lives of the student athlete. The NBA doesn't care what these kids do in that year. Go to college, go overseas, play AAU, it doesn't matter as long as you're not playing in the NBA. That's right folks the NBA doesn't give a damn about these kids. Don't let David Stern fool you, he doesn't care about protecting these kids. He only cares about protecting the NBA's interest.

What is the NBA's interest? Free Minor Leagues. What the NFL and NBA have with Major College athletics is a free feeder system. Let the colleges have these kids for at least a year, they can teach them and weed out the ones who aren't ready. This way pro-teams don't have to invest in training younger players and they don't have to risk passing up the next Kobe or Kevin Garnett.

I'm not going to get into the research that suggests that this may be illegal (Ermisch), or that these high school kids many times outperform college seniors once they get to the Association(McCann). Or the role race plays into this. Lets just say this issue is deep and divisive. Don't believe the lies the NBA is selling.

Hey if you got questions i got answers. Comments Bitches!

New stuff

Ryan=MVP

He's basically carried this blog through the month of March.

Check out my other blog at www.blogginwithbull.blogspot.com.

I have begun my Prospect Pulse. I'm reviewing all of the finest prospects I've seen so far in my few years in the minor leagues. I'll try to put at least one prospect on there every day.

I have a few other random notes of interest.

The NFL Draft is rapidly approaching and a few things stand out.

First off, its all well and good that Calvin Johnson has great 40 times with someone else's shoes, a 40 in verticle, and good size at 6'3 or 6'4, 230+lbs. However, I"m not getting too excited about a receiver until I see him play an NFL game.

Think about all the first round flops at that position over the last few years. Johnson looks good now, but he didnt exactly set the world on fire at Georgia Tech. Granted, his quarterback was awful, but still, if he plays in a system that sucks in the NFL (ex: Oakland), it wont matter how great he is.

The Browns are thinking about both JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn with that third pick. First of all, Charlie Frye has never really had a chance. He ran for his life in that backfield last year and never had any time to throw. Personally, I dont think he's the answer, but he needs a realistic chance to prove me and everyone else wrong. He didnt have that chance last year in that sorry excuse for an offense.

Next up, if they are at that spot and both quarterbacks are available along with Joe Thomas, and they dont pick Joe Thomas, then this current Browns regime is just as stupid as the first two that came before it. You dont pass up a guy like Joe Thomas who can help IMMEDIATELY with Steinbach and the others.

Not to mention, picking Brady Quinn would be the dumbest thing that franchise could possibly do at this point. You thought he choked under pressure in big games, versus good defenses at Notre Dame?? Just wait til he plays in Cleveland with no offensive line and defenders in his face NON-STOP. He'll have more picks than completions.

I think he's garbage regardless, but if he goes to Cleveland he'll be a bigger flop than Tim Couch.

As for my favorite team, I'm VERY optimistic. They'll get Randy Moss eventually, and they'll draft either Marshawn Lynch in round one, or Kenny Irons in round two. That offense is going to be fun to watch next year. I think they will win the NFC North.

Angry, yet not drunken

We're all waiting for the first drunken, angry post here, but let me assure you that while I'm assuredly ticked, I'm not nearly drunken enough. Still, get ready for disjointed thoughts in no order.

1. The response for updates on my bracket has been overwhelming, and to sum it up, let's just refer back to the original post:

-I only have 7 upsets in the whole thing. 7 in 63 games. This is why I don't do it for money.

Well, needless to say....(If it's needless to say, then why say anything?)

I still have a chance to pick all of the remaining winners. The way I see it, if two certain games in the Sweet 16 go my way, it's all mine. Maybe I should have done it for money.

2. If I could say "Fuck Major League Baseball" I would. But I can't. A couple years ago, someone told me that when you're pissed at someone, write them a letter telling them everything you'd want to say without repercussion, but don't send it. Well, I'm too lazy to do that, so I'll tell you instead.

In the interest of keeping it short and sweet, I'll limit it to one thing. This latest allegation that MLB's deal with DirecTV is slightly shady should be enough to show how little you matter in this whole thing. Regardless if On Demand has matched what MLB is looking for, the league is displaying a reprehensible attitude toward the issue in general. If, as they love to say, they're a business, then this "business" is distributing a soiled product through inadequate media.

"We cannot put the interests of what we believe are a relatively small minority of fans over what we believe are the best interests of the entire fan base as a whole," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission.

Not only does your comment contradict itself, but your numbers (yea, thanks for not referencing them) don't fit the formula. According to ESPN.com,

"Extra Innings" had more than 500,000 television subscribers last year plus about 60 percent more on MLB.com, the sport's Web site. DirecTV has estimated only about 5,000 "Extra Innings" subscribers would lose access to it on television.

Yea, that's all well and good, but let me put it to you this way. In the last 3 years, I've lived in Cleveland, Boston and Pittsburgh and the fraction of people I've known to have On Demand is probably close to 1/3 of cable subscribers (DirecTV 1/50 at best?). That's a staggering number of people to personally be aware of and MLB is telling me that these "500,000" DirecTV subscribers represent "the entire fan base as a whole"? What, do I only hang around On Demand subscribers? Plus, if you're losing 1% of your customers off the bat, how are you replacing them? People with DirecTV automatically get "Extra Innings" now, right? No? You mean people still have to sign up and pay to get it? THEN WHY'D YOU DUMP YOUR CUSTOMERS IN THE FIRST PLACE? I'm now becoming much more angry than before, yet oddly less drunken.

3. The other night, I went to a movie with a lady from work, just as friends (uh, same reason Billy Zane and Ellen DeGeneres would go as friends) and holy crap was it awesome. Now, let me start off by saying that I haven't been to the movie theater since I saw A Beautiful Mind (Fahrenheit 9/11 doesn't count, it's not really a movie) so I wouldn't be kept abreast of revolutions in the movie theater industry, but wow, this place was seriously somewhere you'd take someone on a date.

It was a matinee on a Monday, but who cares. The two of us spent a total of 23 bucks on "V.I.P." seats which, in addition to the spacious (and empty) reclining leather seats from the best view, but also a coupon worth $3.50 off food. We'd already planned to eat there at the theater (a proposition which had me worried), but damn, was it worth it. The full bar and restaurant on the second floor above the lobby was tremendous and comfortable. Good food from a pretty full lunch/dinner menu was surprising, plus the lounge and cocktail areas blew my mind, even though the place was dead at 4:30 on a Monday. Is this kind of setup common? Seriously, the place didn't feel at all like a movie theater until I'd turn 90 degrees left and see the 30 foot tall coke bottle and popcorn tub reaching up from the concession stand below. By the way, it was a Loews Cinema - what the hell is a cinema?

Again, I have no idea how common this stuff is, but if I were the dating type, this would be way up the list of things to do.

4. Today at work, I'm told that I need to tone down the ripping on Pittsburgh so much, some people are "taking it the wrong way". Uh, there's pretty much only one way to take it, you're Pittsburgh. Name one redeeming quality about everyday life in Pittsburgh, it's harder than naming 3 songs by Kiss (and how many of you can come up with "Detroit Rock City" as #2?).

Don't think I don't know what it's like to have my hometown hated by outsiders. Now that's why I was originally angry.

A "Thorne" in Barry's Side

This article http://www.callofthegame.com/bbs/index.php?showtopic=3447 written by one of the greatest play by play announcers of our generation, Mr. Gary Thorne provides some surprising insight from a public figure who openly criticizes Major League Baseball and the future Home Run King, Barry Bonds.

What is so shocking to me in this article is that Gary Thorne, a guy who is very exciting, very well liked amongst his peers and seems to be well respected by players and managers alike, goes out of his way to bury, well…Barry.

As fans we have the right to hate what Bonds has done with the cream and the clear and anything else that will never go un-noticed in the court of public opinion. Forget the fact that he’s one of the greatest players of this generation, he’s never going to be perceived as the likeable figure whom Major League Baseball wants to hold the title of Homerun King.

For that reason, Bud Selig and Hank Aaron have yet to decide if they’ll be in attendance when Bonds breaks that record this summer. That alone still speaks volumes of the accomplishment, just how sweet it will be for Bonds, and how bitter the rest of us will be when he breaks it.

It was easy to fall in love with Big Mac and Slammin’ Sammy back in the summer of 1998 when they brought baseball back, drawing it closer to the NFL at the top of Sports in American Enterprise. They were likeable guys, easy to identify with, seemed very open and at the time we thought they were clean.

Bonds likes to blame the media for everything. He doesn’t care that nobody likes him, and at 41, still limping after every fly ball hit his way, he’s hanging on just long enough so he can get that homerun record, and give the rest of us a middle finger salute, as he trots away with history.

This article by Gary Thorne, who I think is one of the best, clearly displays what we are all thinking and hoping. Yet Thorne, like the rest of us, knows that this moment is like that of the last meal for an inmate doing time on death row. You know the worst is coming, and as much as you try to ignore it, there is no denying that it’s on the way.

In this particular sport, there have been several reasons for discontent over the years, especially if you are a Royals fan, a Pirates fan, or a Colorado Rockies fan. At the beginning of each year, because of the way Spring Training is hyped, and perceived, you are fooled into believing that you have a chance.

And even though different teams are beginning to compete and win titles, there are some serious problems that are coming to the surface. This is a sport that is SAVED by tradition. A tradition that still lives a healthy life from year to year, but it no longer parties like a rockstar and gets up the next morning without feeling any effects.

The fact of the matter is this, as my basement buddy Ryan mentioned earlier, this sport is sliding. His problem finding a spot on an outdoor court on the first great day in a long time speaks volumes. Kids no longer go out of their way to head to baseball diamonds on the first day that feels like spring. When I was a kid that was the first thing we did. However, that certainly isn’t the case anymore.

What I’m trying to say is this. If we can’t enjoy Bonds breaking the homerun record this year, then I think the fans’ discontent goes beyond his alleged use of steroids, HGH, and their overall hatred for him.

This sport, the one I have earned a great deal of respect for, after working in it for the last five years, is in trouble. As I mentioned earlier, its no longer partying like a rock star, but at the same time, its not wearing a night gown, bracing itself with a walker that has an oxygen tank attached to it while it walks down the driveway every so steadily to get the mail every morning.

This sport has some life left, but it’s certainly moving in a direction it doesn’t want to go. Perhaps it’s at the stage now where the kids are grown up and in college, allowing it to purchase that Escalade or Bentley during the mid-life crisis with retirement at arms length.

Do this for me, instead of looking at this as the summer of discontent, try to enjoy the finer things about it. Realize that even though you hate Barry Bonds and think he’s a cheater, he’s going to break the Homerun Record and YOU will be able to tell the next generation what the baby boomers told all of you about Hank Aaron breaking the record 30 years ago.

If that’s not enough, understand that Alex Rodriguez has a VERY good chance at breaking the record in another 10 years. If ever there were a player who’s homerun numbers rival that of Hank Aaron’s, it’s A-Rod because of his consistency.

If that’s not enough because you perceive him to be the enemy since he makes too much money and can’t hit a lick in the post season, then why not get excited about a guy like Ryan Howard. A hard hitting left hander who is out to a tremendous start in his career. Not only a guy that hits homeruns, but a guy that hits tape-measure shots, much like McGwire back in his day.

If you don’t think its worth it to follow Howard because he’ll end up just like Cecil Fielder back in the late 80’s and early 90’s as a big guy who hit bombs for a few years then faded into oblivion, then I can’t help you, you’ve already made up your mind. Discontent can be dangerous, and contagious.

It has begun

Anyone here seen Futurama? One of my top 4 tv shows of all time along with The Simpsons, Seinfeld and MST3K. Strange list when you look at it. Whatever.


[Leela just jumped into the river of Slurm to rescue Fry from drowning and surfaces with him. Bender surfaces with them whistling]
Leela: Bender, why did you jump in?
Bender: Everybody was doing it... I just wanted to be popular.


It's not a cartoon, it's animation. Mmm... sarcasm.

My random thoughts the NCAA tourney and my bracket (share yours):

-I only have 7 upsets in the whole thing. 7 in 63 games. This is why I don't do it for money.

-All 4 #1 seeds in the Final Four? Check.

-If you're naming each 16 team bracket after geographical regions, then why don't you put as many teams as possible in their appropriate region? OSU in the South and Florida in the Midwest? At least it could lead to a championship rematch and build a rivalry between major schools.

-In regards to game locations, how can Buffalo host games for the Midwest and the West? The West? UCLA has relative home games with two in Sacramento and two in San Jose. Wait, North Carolina has to play in Winston-Salem and Louisville in Lexington? Awesome.

-Texas Tech vs. Gonzaga. The General takes on the freedom hating hippies, the NCAA's way of saying, "Thanks for knocking out our big teams over the years. First we had you arrested for the shrooms and now this. Wait 'til we announce Ronny Turiaf was a polygimist."

-If Duke can take out VCU and Pitt, they'd probably play UCLA. Say what you will, but THE programs playing each other? Bet that'd get no hype.

-My biggest reach is probably Creighton over Nevada. I know they don't fit the upset mold, but both they and Gonzaga can't lose, can they?

-Notre Dame and Oregon could play each other in the second round. Worst aesthetic matchup possible. Possible jersey colors include Green, Blue, Yellow, Gold and White.

-Staying with uniform colors, Pittsburgh taking out Wright State and Duke could meet UCLA (Weber St., Indiana) in a confusing blue, yellow/gold and white blur.

-By the way, is everyone really picking Notre Dame over Winthrop? I'm not.

-North Carolina vs. Texas should be awesome. I've got UNC in the Final Four, remember.

Please let this happen

So I just got done filling out my NCAA tourney bracket and can't wait to bore you with it. Now, I don't do NCAA tourney brackets for money, just for fun with the guys in my fantasy leagues. There are some intruiging possiblities in this year's tourment, but this is a real humdinger.

I've missed all the hype for this storyline, if there is any, but Florida vs. OSU in the final? Oh hell yea! Please, please, PLEASE let this happen! Urban Meyer will kick the shit out of them again! Don't ask me how, but it'll happen. I can't wait.

Marvin Miller would be pissed

As much as it pains me to write this post, duty calls. What was once America's national pastime has indeed slipped to, at best, the third most popular sport in the country. Baseball is no longer the favorite of the masses, we know, but it finally hit me that it's no longer even number 2. Why do I feel this to be true?

Today in the 'burgh, the temperature reached nearly 70 degrees which brought everyone out of their houses (seriously, most of you should turn around and go right back in) to do things they couldn't do in months (such as shower...). Some guys from work and I had been planning on playing basketball today for almost a week, then when we saw the weather forecast, we knew we'd have a tough time getting on a court. For more than an hour we drove to all the courts we knew, only to come up completely unsuccessful in our quest.

We probably checked out 15+ courts and not a single one was open. Now, given the level of competition, we could have easily played our way on, but we didn't want to play like that all day. So, we saw all these courts full up of people, gave up and headed home. It was on the way back to my apartment that I realized I had seen hundreds of people playing basketball today, but how many did I see on the baseball diamonds at some of the parks? None.

This is a trend which has been dissected more and more over the past decade or two; why is baseball's popularity decreasing amongst the youth in this country? To stay sort of on point, I'm not going too far into this debate, but my favorite argument is that the space required for baseball is so large that today's urban populations simply don't have places to play, whereas a single basketball court is no larger than 94' by 50' and usually much less - plus one can play/practice basketball alone. Baseball's blight is a product of city living (and MANY other causes).

No, I'm not making such a sweeping generalization on the game's popularity based on one day in a crappy city, but basketball is most likely the favorite or second favorite sport of the majority of urban residents. This country has been making a transition to up pace music, sports, hell everything for a while now and baseball's length and short bursts of action have traditionally been turnoffs.

What follows is a rudimentary guess at the most popular sports in the country today:
1. Football
2. Basketball
3. Baseball
4. Soccer - I am not okay with this
5. Jogging - I think it's a soft "J", apparently you just run for an extended period of time - kind of like soccer, except you can substitute dogs and small children for the ball
6. Bicycling in any form
7. Weightlifting - if you want to call it a sport
8. Anything including a frisbee
9. Hockey - I'll let any other basement dwellers tackle this one if they want
10. Tennis
12. Golf

*Disqualified - NASCAR: not a sport

(Don't hate me for including jogging and weightlifting, but when working out is more exciting than one of your events, well, that's not good.

I for one don't expect the order of this list to remain constant over the next few years; football may well hold onto its number one spot, but basketball is making a push. The real challenge may possibly come from soccer. Hockey should eventually return to its former glory, if not better. Major League Baseball's future seems bleak compared to other professional sports (for some there's kind of a "been there, done that" quality, like pro wrestling), with its leaders doing nothing but hastening its decline. Golf somehow squeeked onto the list, nearly suffering the same fate as NASCAR/auto racing.

And to call back to erm's post about Marvin Miller, he's dead on that the HOF has neglected entrance to a man who entirely deserves to be in, probably more so than anyone on the outside (lone exception: Albert Belle).

Welcome, Jamal Lewis

It was mentioned here earlier tonight that the Browns were looking at Jamal Lewis and now the team has signed him. I'm a little torn here, as he's blown up consistently against us in the past, even when he was struggling against everyone else. We're not going to reap the benefits of him rushing twice a year against an overwhelmed defense. I can't promise that I won't boo him out of revenge at least once, booing is still legal in Ohio, right? Also, as ESPN.com put it, "Lewis, the franchise's all-time leading rusher, broke away from the Ravens and agreed to a deal with the rival Cleveland Browns on Wednesday." It's difficult to say the beginning of that statement's wrong, but it sure ain't right.

Like erm, I also like Adrian Peterson, but have no man crush on him; I'd let him marry my sister, but that's about as far as it goes. I'd love to see the Browns take him #3. Get all the injury prone, but great when healthy running backs together and someones gotta be healthy, I love this theory. I tried it with my fantasy QBs this past year (Pennington, Brees & Roethlisberger) and it worked perfectly. Of course this'll work behind an unproven line. Now if only we had a quarterback.

Good to see that the team has finally given up on giving us the "character guys" crap to justify uninspiring signings and is becoming a bit more agressive with its acquisitions.

Perfect? How about marginally adequate?

How perfect was Mr. Perfect? He cut promos with the best of them, how exhausted he always looked in long matches with his hair down was classic and swatting his chewed gum into the crowd was cool, but kind of disgusting when you think about it. His biggest accomplishments were being the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion, dubbing Shawn Michaels "The Heartbreak Kid" and beating Ric Flair in the memorable match where the loser had to leave the WWF.

Things weren't as perfect for the man behind the character, Curt Hennig, as shown by the causes behind his 2003 death; cocaine, steroids and painkillers were found in his bloodstream. 9 months earlier, Hennig had gotten in a drunken shoot match with Brock Lesnar while on a plane coming back from a Pay Per View in the UK., which resulted in Hennig being released by the WWF.

If you haven't seen the promo that showcased his athletic (& otherwise) prowess, you are missing out. Here's the link to the video with commentary by wrestlers, etc. followed by, for some reason, my thoughts on it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=g2_y_bh-p0Y

The vignette starts off with him showing his, uh, diving ability. Wow, look how high he got! And off a board! Imagine if he'd used a trampoline, he'd have hit the ceiling. Man, what an athlete. Perfect.

What the hell? Is that Wade Boggs? Yes, my friends, it is. Boggs, fresh from KFC, wants to show us "the perfect hitter." (Ha, I get it.) Holy crap, did he get ahold of that one! Wow, Mr. Perfect just hit a home run in BP with a softball! Looks like he could easily bat 2nd through 7th in most Sunday morning softball leagues. Perfect.

Wow, I never knew the NHL employed middle schoolers, but there's Mike Modano. Mr. Perfect plays goalie in his free time, I guess. Now, I could just easily say that's someone else playing goalie, with the mask and all, but I won't. I'm here to say that if that one shot had been a few inches to the left, it'd have been one hell of a cup check. Perfect!

Now let's all get drunk and play ping-pong. Some stoolie sets up Mr. Perfect with a lob only to have it launched back at his chest at a ferocious velocity. Really redefining the term "athlete" here, huh? Either the pink pants date the video or he's not just perfect, he's fabulous!

On to some basketball. Obviously it's just his shooting talents on display. The guy looks like he'd be great at a 3 point contest, but little else. The set shot isn't going to cut it in a game. Unfortunately there's only one shot here. Didn't reserve the gym long enough, did ya? Perfect.

After sinking a 40 foot putt, we're apparently off to West Virginia or Pittsburgh for some bowling. A 300 game? Now if you could walk into a bowling alley and roll a perfect game, I'd be impressed. That ridiculous sweat on your back gives away that you've been in that place for a while, doing a lot more than bowling 13 times. Thanks for dressing up, though. Looks like you were out at the clubs when someone came up with the bowling idea. Perfect.

Ah, football. Steve Jordan picks up where Mike Modano left off, brilliant commentary. There's a reason none of these guys have gotten into broadcasting after retirement. What? Modano's still playing? Now that's an athlete. Anyway, Jordan watches as Perfect pumps twice and lets one fly. He waits before taking off to catch his own pass. He must be fast, but we never see it. The camera cuts to four other angles before showing a lob pass fall into a jogging Mr. Perfect. Exaggerated head nod for emphasis andddd cut. Perfect.

Good, more basketball. And holy shit, is that Sgt. Slaughter in a sweater vest? Possibly the highlight of this promo. Perfect looks like he's been hitting the banquet circuit as of late. Way to have confidence in your shot, good thing you stayed in tip top shape, chubs. Yea, about that dunk, what the hell was that? That doesn't count!

Horseshoes, which he'd naturally be good at since Brock Lesnar informs us that, "...he's always got a horseshoe up his ass", darts, billiards, is there no end to his dominance? We haven't really tested the limits of his athleticism here, just so you know. Since, presumably, you didn't follow that link to the YouTube video, here it is again.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=g2_y_bh-p0Y

There's really not much of a point to this post besides the video link, so there.

Running into Obscurity

How important is a great running back? More and more it doesn't seem to be that important. On second thought, its seems to have been historically overrated.

Lets take the maybe the five greatest running backs in history (in no order) Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, O.J. Simpson and for the sake of argument Emmitt Smith. That's a total of five titles between them. Not bad, but three belong to Smith and the Cowboys.

As and aside, I think Smith is wildly overrated. As he ran behind the greatest offensive line ever assembled and wasn't even the best running back of his generation (Sanders). But we'll throw him on here to keep from making the protracted argument of why he should not be here.

Take a look at those five names. How many carried their teams to a title, like the way a great quarterback or defense can? Maybe one. The Cowboys' titles in the 90's had more to do with the passing game and a great defense than it did Smith. Don't get me wrong there were surely games that Smith put those teams on his back but I wouldn't say he did it for long periods. Sanders and the Juice never sniffed a title and Payton won one on the backs of the greatest defense ever. Brown is the lone exception. Throughout his career he was the absolute star of great Browns' teams of the late 50's and 60's. And, in 1964 the Browns won their last title on his back.

Those are arguably the five greatest backs in the history of the game and only one carried his team to a title. Now look at it the other way. How many great, championship teams had really great running backs. There's a smattering of Hall of Famers, Franco Harris, Paul Hourning, Tony Dorsett, Marshall Faulk (when he gets in). But Harris and Hourning weren't all that good, Dorsett was but the Doomsday defense was better and Faulk was only a cog in the "Greatest Show on Turf".

There surely are good running backs who have won titles, but there are some not-so good ones. Maybe having a good running GAME is more important than a good running back. That's what won Denver two titles (I don't want to hear about Elway). Hell a running game may not be that important at all. Not to get all Moneyball on you, but there are statistics out there that suggest you have to throw the ball to set up the run and that rushing numbers for good teams are skewed because they are so often ahead and are running the ball to kill the clock.

I bring this up because the Browns may sign Jamal Lewis and pass on Adrian Peterson. Now, I think Peterson is going to be the next GREAT running in the league. I have a man crush on Peterson. But maybe this is a blessing for the Browns. Now they can focus on making the line better on both sides of the ball or drafting a QB.

A Man on the Outs

The most important figure in Professional Baseball of the past 60 years is not in the Hall of Fame.

On February 28th the Veterans Committee elected no new members to the Hall of Fame. Not Ron Santo, not Jim Katt, and not Marvin Miller. But what is so important about Marvin Miller? I think, without exception, he is the most influential person in baseball of the last half century.

Most casual baseball fans probably have no idea who Marvin Miller is, honestly most hardcore fans probably only have cursory knowledge of the man. There is even fans (especially older ones) who have utter disdain for the man.

To put Miller's importance in perspective; Sports Illustrated named the 40 Most Influential People in Sports for the magazine's fortieth anniversary. This was in 1994 and it covered the 40 years of the magazine's existence.

Now there hasn't been a host of influential baseball people over the last 12 plus years to compete with Miller. So its pretty safe to assume that Miller's importance hasn't been overshadowed in the intervening years. SI ranks Miller Sixth of their list. Ahead of such luminaries like Mark McCormick, Bird and Magic, and Pete Rozzelle. Here's what SI's Tom Verducci said about Miller:

Miller, more than anyone else in the past 40 years, changed baseball's very
structure, and he did so with logic of someone not hidebound by the mythology and
blind patriotism of the game.

His first major act was to raise baseball's minimum salary from $6000 to $10,000. This was in 1968, in 1947 the minimum salary was $5,000. This is small potatoes compared to Miller's involvement with the reserve clause.

The reserve clause allowed clubs to control players even after their contracts expired. Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause when the Cardinals traded him after his contract expired. Flood lost his case in front of the Supreme Court, but it would be Miller leading Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith into arbitration that would destroy the reserve clause. This in effect ushered in the ear of player movement and free agency.

A lot of fans have a problem with Curt Flood and free agency. They remember the times when players had to work jobs in the off season and showed "loyalty" to the home town team. But many don't realize what the reserve clause meant to the players. How would you like it if your employer transferred you to another location when your contract expired, and you had to go. People would be livid. Outraged.

Marvin Miller turned the MLBPA into the strongest Union in professional sports. Unions in the NFL, NBA and especially the NHL (don't get me started on how bad this Union's leadership is) don't stand a chance in the face of their respective leagues. But it was Marvin Miller who ushered in a change for players in all of these leagues and showed them how to protect themselves and to maximize their earning potential.

So why isn't Marvin Miller in the Hall of Fame? I know that the Baseball Hall of Fame is notoriously hard to get into but it shouldn't be for Miller. The doors should have opened to him the moment he was eligible. If I had to guess, I would say there is animosity towards Miller among the writers. I mean baseball writers are, on at least some level, fans of the game. Fans resent free agency and the money the players make. And the writers are the type of people who recognize that it was Marvin Miller who stirred this revolution in sport. And they hate him for it.

Miller has garnered more support as of late probably because the committee expanded to include all living hall members. He fell 10 votes short this year. But here's the problem the veteran's committee only votes on non-players every four years. Miller is 90 plus years old and there won't be another vote until 2011.

BOOOOOoooo Hall of Fame!