What's Going on in College Football - 11/14

I haven't updated in a while, because honestly, I don't like writing negative things, and UofL has had a pretty bad season. But here are some other happenings and observations.

• Cincinnati has had a couple close games recently. One against UConn last Saturday night, and then one Friday night against West Virginia. After the UConn game, they fell in the rankings. While TCU and Boise State had bigger margin of victories, their competition wasn't all that greater. I also believe that a USC or Ohio State would not have been punished for a close victory. I distinctly remember Ohio State having many close games against inferior competition on their championship run during the 2002 season. Of course, if Florida and Texas wins out, it doesn't matter if Cincinnati, TCU or Boise State finishes undefeated.
  

• Speaking of the BCS, I am tired of hearing the complaints. I like the bowl games. Winning a bowl game allows for a nice celebration at the end of the season that does not exist in a playoff format unless you win the championship. When you lose a playoff game, it feels bad regardless of when it occurred. Winning a bowl game is an enjoyable experience that allows for an enjoyable time afterwards.

• It would appear that USC's loss to Washington was not a fluke, and the win against Ohio State was. USC has now loss handily to Oregon and Stanford. What's particularly surprising about those two losses was that it was the defense that gave up the games. Coming into the season, the question was the quarterback, and those fears seemed to be true in the loss to Washington, but now USC is giving up more points than I have ever seen them give up.
  

• Notre Dame may lose the last four games of the season and finish 6-6. This will certainly make the extension they game Weiss a few years ago as a reward for doing nothing really look foolish. Currently, Notre Dame is 6-4, having just lost games to Navy and Pitt. Remaining on the schedule is UConn, who is playing everyone close, and Stanford, who just beat up on USC.

• In Louisville related news, they did finally win their first Big East game today, beating Syracuse. It's nice to know they aren't the worse team in the league. Although, it should be noted that this was an ugly, painful game to watch. Both teams are that bad. Tied 3-3, Syracuse scored a touchdown and missed the extra point. This allowed Louisville to win the game on the extra point when they finally scored a touchdown. It should also be noted that both touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. Now, I don't follow the belief that the score is a true justification of the quality of the game, but trust me, this one was ugly. Kragthorpe is gone. Monday after the season, it will be announced. No, I have nothing official like other people claim, just common sense. Jurich has to fire him. attendance is poor, and the expansion is opening next season. It just doesn't make sense to fire him during the season. It's not going to improve things. An interim coach is pointless.
  

UofL vs. Indiana State -- 9/5/09

In Kragthorpe's first season, the offense was able to keep the team in most games, but the defense was not able to stop anyone. (There was also this thing about a UConn punt returner running a punt back for a touchdown after signaling for a fair catch.) In his second season, the defense kept the game close, while the offense couldn't score. What's in store for this season? It's difficult to say. A game against a 1-AA school, excuse me, a Football Championship Series, will not really show you what your team can do. It will show things to be worried about.

1. Penalties. UofL committed 14 penalties tonight. That is way too many penalties to be committing in any game, even the first one of the season. The more acceptable range would be 5-7. If they continue to play in the 10+ range, then this is going to be a very, very long season, with very few wins.
2. Kicking game. UofL's place kicking was an issue all last year. While Payne was able to make 3 of 4 field goals, his kick-offs were fairly short. This field position disadvantage will wear on the defense, and good offenses don't need any help.
3. Burke's decision making. While his first interception was an errant pass in his wild first quarter, his second interception was a stupid mistake, and worries me about his instincts as a quarterback. With 6 seconds left, there is time for one quick pass into the the end zone. If that pass is not there, throw the ball out the back of the end zone quickly so you can then kick a field goal. Burke's instinct was to scramble and then try to dump the ball off with his left hand. That type of decision-making and game management worries me.
4. Burke's arm. His deep passes need a lot of work. Once he settled down, he became fairly accurate with his shorter passes, but his deep passes were still off. I pin this on Burke because the receivers were open downfield, often wide open. If he can't stretch out the defense, then that is going to make life rough on the running backs, which are the highlight of the offense.

Kentucky is in two weeks, and that is when we'll be able to see more clearly how the rest of the season is going to progress. Right now, I'll admit I'm not very hopeful. But right now, UofL did win tonight, and a win is a win. Better to be 1-0 than 0-1. Just ask Oklahoma who just saw their national championship hopes take a major hit after losing their starting quarterback, and get upset by BYU.

The Pitino Thing--My Two Cents Worth

For those of you that do not know what is going with the Rick Pitino/Karen Sypher scandal, quit living under a rock, and Google it. I am a blogger, not a journalist. Now, here is my opinion on the matter.

First, let's start with the actual act, sex in a restaurant. I agree with the police that this was likely not rape. But the fact remains that there was still sex at a place where people eat. That is just gross. I will not be eating at this place. Well, if I could afford it, I would choose not to eat here. While sex between two adults is not a big deal, Pitino is married. And to some people, adultery is a big deal. Okay, to most people, it's a big deal. But is it an issue to lose your job for? Well, that depends on who you are, and how good you are at your job. Pitino is coming off his first Big East championship, and back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. Yes, there is a "morality clause" in his contract that says the university may fire him for actions that are detrimental to the university. But honestly, you are a fool if you think that this clause is really there to fire people because of scandals. These clauses are there to provide an easy out for the university if they feel the need to fire the coach before their contract expires. The university can find conduct that is detrimental, and fire him without having to buyout his contract. As I mentioned earlier, Pitino is coming off a couple good seasons. Winning coaches don't get fired. Now, if this was Kragthorpe, the university would have thrown a party, and kicked him quickly to the curb.

Another issue at hand is whether or not Pitino paid Sypher to have an abortion. Right now some groups are protesting the university, and it'll likely come up again when UofL plays at Notre Dame. Here, I could just copy and paste my reasons Pitino won't get fired from this. Winning coaches don't get fired for non-NCAA scandals.

So, do I think Pitino should be fired? No, not really. I'm not one that thinks a person should be fired for non-job related issues if it is not effecting their job performance. Kind of like random drug tests at work. If you're a good employee, it shouldn't matter to the employer. I do hear some say that this will discourage parents from letting their kids play for Pitino, but this is naive. Good players are drawn to winning program. They want to go to someone that can get them to the NBA, and Pitino has shown he can do that. A sex scandal is not going to change that. So , long as Pitino keeps winning, and stays out of any NCAA trouble, he will remain with UofL for as long as he wants to.

Hat Trick - 2/7/09

1) The way NHL hands down suspensions confounds me. One person gets a 1 game suspension for leaving the bench to join in on a fight, someone gets a 2 game suspension for fighting, someone gets a fine for hitting someone in the head with a stick, and yet someone else gets 6 games for saying some players are getting his sloppy seconds because they are dating his. Now, I am fairly new to really following hockey, so my memory is shaky as to who did what, with the exception of the last person, but I wanted to be consistent.

2) Both of my rooting interests in hockey, Columbus ("local") and Pittsburgh (first NHL time I discovered) are currently on the outside of the playoff picture, but not by much. I find the Pittsburgh situation confusing, in that they have the top two scorers in the NHL, but still have trouble scoring goals consistently. (For better coverage of Pittsburgh, go to Pensburgh.) With the March 4 trade deadline a few weeks away, I will be keeping track of who is buying, and who is selling.

3) The Las Vegas Wranglers, an AHL team, had quite possibly the greatest promotion ever on Wednesday night, Blagojevich night. In recognition of governor, everyone involved in the game wore prison uniforms. The home team had the black stripe jerseys, the away team wore solid orange jerseys, and the officials wore prison guard uniforms. This is probably my favorite quote about the story, taken from channel KTNV's website. "Over the years we've asked our players to not look so tough for a cause," Johnson said. "Once they had a lot of chirping from opposing players when we've dressed them in pink for cancer research. We owe them a game of looking a little more sketchy. G-Rod helps us with that." Below are pictures of the uniforms.

3-Pointer

1) I have two words of advice of UofL fans, don't panic. Sure UConn came in on Monday night and absolutely destroyed UofL in Freedom Hall. Sure, no one besides T-Will could do anything in that game, but remember, it was just one game. Bad nights happen. Now, if UofL loses at St. John's, at Notre Dame, and against DePaul, then you can start panicing.

2) On Wednesday, IU beat Iowa 68-60 to gain their first Big Ten win of the season (6-15, 1-8). To say that Tom Crean has had a rough first season at IU would be an understatement, but this has not been unexpected. When Crean came into the program during the offseason, he did quite a bit of house cleaning. After the Mike Davis firing, and the Kelvin Sampson debacle, the program was in an awful predicament. However, I do have confidence that Crean will be able to restore IU to the type of program it used to be, and more importantly, I believe that the President and AD at IU understand the problem, and will give Crean time to do the job.

3) On Wednesday, LeBron James had a triple-double (52 points, 11 assits, 10 rebounds) against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, following up on Kobe's record setting 61 points earlier in the week. Well, correction, no he didn't. On Friday, NBA officials took away one of his rebounds, and said that it should have gone to Ben Wallace. Stupid staticticians and their stupid counting.

Strikeout - 1/29/09

In attempt to motivate myself to update more, I am going to try to implement a new column series. Since I rarely have the time to write a long piece, these will be a series of 3 quick points regarding a particular sport, and will be titled as such. Baseball = Strikeout, football = 3 Point Stance, hockey = Hat Trick, and basketball = 3 Pointer.

1. Now, I have never been a big supporter of a salary cap in baseball, but during this off-season, the New York Yankees are making me believe something needs to be done. So far, they have spent over $441 million on free agents. The second place buyer is the Cubs at slightly over $87 million. The total expenditure of the other 29 teams is $557.2 million, with the mean being $19.2 million, and the median (#15 on the list) $11.55 million. To me, this represents a problem. While I still do not favor an overall salary cap (although I am leaning more in that direction every year), I do not think a cap on free agency expenditure is not unreasonable. Maybe set a per year limit so teams have to build gradually, or a 2-3 year average mark that forces teams to choose whether they want a slow build, or throw all of their eggs into one basket.

2. The Reds have not done a lot in the free agent market, but I do like the moves they have made. I think signing Willy Taveras was a good move. It gives them a decent lead-off hitter and fills an unsure centerfield. If he can have a season somewhere between his very good 2007 season and his poor 2008 season, the Reds will be in good shape.

3. It sucks that Detroit plays at St. Louis instead of at Cincinnati. Maybe I will be able to convince my Tigers fan friend to go to a game against the Indians or Royals so he can boo those division foes.

UofL vs UK, Basketball

UofL won this game 74-71, on a 30-foot 3-point shot by Edgar Sosa with 2.8 seconds remaining. The game was tied at 71 with 16 seconds left, after UofL gave up a 4 point lead on two Earl Clark turnovers. Meeks and Patterson had wonderful games for Kentucky. Any success UK is to see this season will hinge on the performance of these two players.

With UofL, the key to playing well is emotion. Specifically, the players emotional state of mind. Sosa is a great example of this. He's been in a slide ever since he missed what would have been the game-winning shot against Texas A&M in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Overall, his confidence was shaken, and he plays better if he is confident in what he is doing. He will have a good game if he can hit an early shot. If he does not, then usually he will have a bad game. Hopefully, this game-winning shot will last in his mind a while.

But Sosa is not the only player who's performance depends on his mindset. Clark and Samuels are also like this. Clarks shot has been off, and you can see it in his body language and his expression. Same thing with Samuels. There are times when he is having a difficult time adjusting to college ball. Now, this is not a critique of anyone's work ethic. I have not felt like any player has given up on a game.

It's Been A While

It has been a long while since I have updated this blog, but it is difficult to write on topics when the teams you are following absolutely stink.

• UofL football had an abysmal year, going 5-7. This 5-7 was reached after being 5-2 at one point in the season. Jurich is standing behind Kragthorpe, but I expect some changes to be made on the offensive side of things. Namely a change in Offensive Coordinators. Jeff Brohm is a fine Quarterbacks coach, but his offensive playcalling leaves something to be desired. On the defensive side of the ball, Ron English had greatly improved the defense, for most of the season. If they show nearly as much improvement next year, then the defense will be fine.
• The Cincinnati Bengals have had an even worse season, but thankfully not as bad as the Detroit Lions. The season has not been helped by the injury to Carson Palmer, but things were destined to be bad before the season began. You can't release two starters, an offensive lineman and running back, and expect things to go well on offense.
• Free agency signing is in full swing for the MLB, and it looks like the Yankees are trying to buy their way back into the playoffs, but what else would you expect. They have already signed A. J. Burnett, a starting pitcher rated as the fourth best player in free agency, and are in talks with C. C. Sabathia, the second rated player in free agency. The Reds have not had a lot of movement in the free agent market, but no key players are up for free agency this year.
  

Phillie Phanatic.......Terrorist

In this time of turmoil, coming across an article like this is always enjoyable. This story is proof that you cannot tell who is a possible terrorist by their looks. Tell me, does this......thing look like a terrorist?


Apparently, someone forgot to clean up their foil wrapped hot dogs after filming a commercial. Someone thought they looked suspicious, so the police department disposed of them. I know bomb scares are no laughing matter, but a police department blowing up hot dogs is pretty funny. And that night's game was not delayed.

Saturday Commentary: No Sport Is Boring

As I sit here and watch the morning foursomes at the Ryder Cup, watching the momentum of the matches swing back and forth, I wondered how people could possibly find this boring. But that got me thinking on the larger scale. What makes one think a particular sport is boring?

I believe one answer is the personality of person watching the sport. The type of person that needs constant action of some sort is not going to be entertained by a methodical sport such as golf. But likewise, someone that likes to take things slow may not be interested in a fast paced game of basketball. Also, the personality of the society plays an important role. Everyone around the world is interested in football, but for Americans, it is a different type of football than the rest of the world plays.

Another factor contributing to the judgment of boring is that people may simply not understand the what is involved in the sport. I use hockey as a good example of this. There is continuous action, but people complain that there is not enough scoring. However, a 28-21 game of football is comparable in scoring to a 4-3 game of hockey. Both would have the same number of scores, but more Americans grew up with football, and know the game better than they know hockey. So, that lack of knowledge about the sport affects their opinion on it. I believe this also happens with golf and soccer. People do not understand how much skill and effort is required to succeed, so they dismiss them.

Ultimately, I view someone declaring a sport boring the same way I view reviews. It is all opinion. So, when someone says that a sport is boring, all they are really saying is that they think that sport is boring.

UofL vs. Tenn. Tech, College Football Week 2

The looked much better in this 51-10 victory. Yes, the level of competition was not very high, no offense, but the execution was there. The Receivers were not dropping passes, thus allowing the running game to get open. If only they could have remembered how to catch against UK. Another change in the offense was that is seemed like Cantwell rolled out of the pocket more. This might have been a response to him have several balls tipped last week, or just a product of gameplanning against Tenn. Tech. Either way, it appears to have been successful.

Once again, the defense looked good. This defense is not getting fooled on plays, and is not missing tackles. With last year's defense, this game would have been much closer.

In other news, Ohio State did not look good without their starting running back. It could be a long day next week against USC if he is not healthy. Whoever threw the flag for excessive celebration against Washington should be slapped. It is unreasonable to expect a team that has been on hard times to not celebrate when they score a touchdown as time was expiring to give them a chance to tie the game with the extra point, against a ranked team. The penalty made a simple 20 yard field goal into a more difficult 35 yard field goal. BYU blocked the kick, and won the game by 1. A shorter field goal would have allowed the kicker to get under the ball more, and put more of an arc on it.

Saturday Commentary: Brett Favre the Captain

Brett Favre, before playing in an actual game for the New York Jets, has been named the captain for the team. He says that he has not earned it. Sports commentators that I have heard say he should be captain because who else on the team should get it. Favre is their best player. It should be noted that the players voted on this, and the last captain, Chad Pennington, was released when Favre came in. Since this is my blog, here is what I think.

I agree with Favre in that he has not earned the title of captain. Simply put, he has not had time to do anything. He has only been with the team for around a month. I have not looked at the Jets roster, but I am pretty certain that someone on the roster has been with the team longer than Favre has. Surely, someone else has leadership ability. But of course, the players did vote for this. I just find it very self-depricating.

I completely disagree that the best player on the team should be captain. Yes, in many instances the best player on the team is the leader in the clubhouse, and therefore the captain, but this does not have to be the case. Jason Veritek is the captain of the Boston Red Sox, but he is not their best player. However, he is the leader of the team. It takes the respect of the team and ability to lead to be captain, not skill on the playing field.

I would not call it wrong that Favre is the captain, just not entirely right. I am sure Favre has the respect of the Jets players from his time in the league, but this does seem like more of a marketing decision.

Chad Johnson No More

Chad Johnson changes his name.

I do not know what to say. Chad Ocho Cinco might have replaced The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as the dumbest name in sports. I am sure this will be listed as just another distraction for the Bengals if they have the type of season people are predicting they well.

UofL vs. UK: 2008 Football Edition

Wow. I was not expecting UofL's offense to just not show up today. Granted, they did lose the starting quarterback, their top 3 wide receivers, and 2 of their top 3 running backs, so it should not be that big of a surprise. Cantwell did not have a good game, and with the exception of Beaumont, the receivers did not help him out at all. The last time UofL was shutout was Sept. 23, 2000 at Florida State. I know that they were not technically shut out here, it might as well have been.

The offense lost this game. If someone had told me that the deffense was only going to give up 6 points today, I would have been ecstatic. (I do not blame the defense for a rushing touchdown given up immediately after a turnover.) I was really pleased with how the defense played today. They were able to contain UK's rushing attack, which is what I was worried about heading into today. If they play like that for the rest of the season, this team will have chances to win, if the offense shows up.

I can hear the calls for Jurich to fire Kragthorpe coming from the message boards, which I do not read anymore. I say, not so fast. Yes, Petrino was winning, but he did not leave the program in good shape. There were numerous disiplinary issues that Petrino ignored, and Kragthorpe would not. I would imagine that Kragthorpe will have one more year, regardless of how this season goes. This is a rebuilding process, and it does not happen immediately. To bad people have no idea what patience is.

News Items

This article about the LPGA caught my attention. Basically, it says that all players on the tour have to be able to speak English starting next year. Not a lot of time for those that do not speak English. Bob Harig on ESPN.com has a good opinion piece on this topic.

Baseball will start using instant replays on some plays starting Thursday. To recap, the plan went from testing it a little in Fall ball, and in Arizona during Spring Training to being implemented before September. I like it, but if only Major League Baseball moved this fast on all issues.

The college football season starts this week. I would do a preview, but that requires effort. Also, I generally do not like preseason previews or predictions. I believe they fall into the the "useless things in sports" category.

Live Blog: 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies

7:57 P.M. - Well, here is my blog about the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics. I am prepared for a weird showing. Dignitaries coming to their seats, including our honorable President and his wife. A discussion on the debate on if he should have boycotted the Olympics. I agree with him being there.

8:00 - Cool light drum thingys. A lot of them. A whole lot of them. This is going to be weird.

8:02 - Neat countdown with the lit drums.

8:03 - Wow, awesome opening. It looked like the stadium exploded.

8:05 - This is an amazingly precise performance to open things. Reciting words, followed by a drumbeat. I cannot even estimate how many people are on the field doing this.

8:07 - And now they have sticks. Where the hell did they get sticks. Announcers made a comment that the performers were told to smile more, so it would not be intimidating. And the lights on the drums and stadium went off, to only show the sticks glowing. That was an amazing opening. Announcers said that there were 2,008 performers. Heh...clever.

8:13 - And now we have flying people.

8:14 - I wish the announcers would shut up.

8:16 - It has just been invaded by ethnic kids. Seriously. 56 kids dressed as each of the 56 ethnic groups in China. And oh look, Bush is talking to Putin. Uhg. Please do not show him again. This is about the Olympics, not politics, and announcers, please do not analyze meanings.

8:19 - Ummm...NBC, this is a taped event. Why are you cutting off fireworks to go to a commercial?

8:22 - Dancers painting on a large sheet of paper by dancing. Neat.

8:24 - The floor they are performing on is an LED screen?! Damn!

8:30 - They are going through some of Confusous' teachings. I wish I could describe it.

8:32 - There are these blocks moving in intricate patterns. Then sometimes forming Chinese symbols.

8:35 - Holy shit! There were people moving the blocks. The precision of this show has been amazing. I know they have headsets on, but that is still a lot of people to get together.

8:39 - Dancer being carried out on the paper that was printed on earlier, then lifted into the sky. We're going through Chinese history. We are at the period when China would trade with everyone. Silk roads, that sort of thing.

8:41 - A lot of people waving around large paddles that make images of boats on them. Did I mention that this is amazingly precise? Just said 15,000 performers. No one does more than one thing. Director was asked if they could have this many, and he joked that they had enough people in China.

8:43 - We are getting way too many commercials.

8:51 - Okay, NBCs commercial breaks are pissing me off now. They are cutting stuff off. It is a previously recorded thing. There is no need to do that. Now things have gotten weird. People in green jumpsuits. Wait, green jumpsuits with lights on them.

8:53 - The guy playing piano is pretty good. Some star in China whose name I did not catch.

8:54 - I know marching bands that would sell their souls to Satan for this kind of precision.

8:55 - Little girl flying through the stadium, flying a kite. Nifty.

8:59 - Now we have Tai Chi demonstrators.

9:02 - Now 2,008 Tai Chi masters performing a demonstration together surrounding kids. Wow, they are in a perfect circle, without floor markings.

9:04 - Damn. If you are not watching this, I pity you.

9:06 - I like the touch of having all the performers wave to the crowd before they leave. Even the people inside the boxes earlier got to wave.

9;11 - This is a trippy sequence recognizing Chinese astronauts. A globe rose up from the ground, and it has people running around on it. Some are sideways, and others are on the bottom.

9:13 - I seriously do not understand how they are projecting images onto all of the things that they are. It is just mind boggling.

9:16 - There are fireworks all over the city going off.

9:20 - And now we have the parade of athletes.

11:30 - Not surprised Yao Ming is carrying the Chinese flag. The kid walking beside him, an earthquake survivor, is a sweet touch. I am happy that Yao was able to return from his injury in time for the Olympics. He is the biggest (no pun intended) Chinese athlete, known around the world. Also wanted to note that having the athletes step on a color and walk across the painting from earlier was a wonderful idea.

11:42 - Cute. Yao is holding the kid that walked in with him so he can see what is going on.

11:52 - Holy shit! They lifted the final torch bearer and he is running around the top rim of the stadium. This is utterly amazing.

11:55 - Wow. How the hell did they put the torch there? It has not been there the entire time. I am happy that I decided to watch the ceremony this year. It was incredible.

Thank You Favre

Thank you, Favre, for showing that you are still the same quarterback we have come to know and love. I admit, after last season, I was worried. Last season, you played very unlike yourself. You appeared to actually be thinking and making decisions on the field instead of just throwing caution to the wind, except for the NFC Championship game. However, this past month has shown that you are still the same reckless decision maker that you have always been.

I admit, I was fooled by your tear-filled retirement. I thought you were actually going to retire. I should have known better, my roommate did. I should have known that after years of being wishy-washy on the topic, you could not have possibly come to a finite decision now. You are not the type that will bow out gracefully.

So, now you have been reinstated, and are reporting to training camp to "compete" for the starting job. Does anyone actually think there will be a competition for the starting job? It cannot happen. Even if Aaron Rodgers wins the starting job, there is no way he can suceed. He was already getting booed at home during a preseason game. In order to get and keep fan support, he would have to set every single season record, and go undefeated. Anything less, and he will forever be labeled as "not Brett Favre." Thanks Brett.

Here are Rick Reilly's thoughts on the matter.

Trade Deadline

That's All You Can Get?
Well, the Reds traded Griffey to the White Sox for pitcher Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar. Do not be ashamed if you have no idea who these players are, I did not either. Nick Masset has appeared in 32 games this season with a 4.63 ERA. Nick Masset is hitting .262 in Triple-A Charlotte. Also, the Reds will split Griffey's remaining salary and the buyout on next year's option with the White Sox. So, to recap the deal, in return for a future Hall of Famer, the Reds get a mediocre relief pitcher, a mediocre minor league infielder, and have to pay half of his remaining salary. This deal does not look good. Even if they wanted to just get rid of his salary, surely they could have gotten more. Also, will what they save in payroll offset a possible drop in revenue from ticket sales and merchandise.

Manny's Out Of Boston
Manny Ramierez has been traded to the Dodgers in a 3 team deal that also includes the Pirates. The Dodgers get Manny, Boston gets Jason Bay from the Pirates, and the Pirates get four prospects.

Double Standard Much?

Earlier today, Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw admitted that he used steroids in the '70s. I had seen the headline scroll on ESPN. I come on ESPN.com tonight to read the article, and do not see it on the front page. Perplexed, I decided to go to MSNBC.com, and lo and behold, it was not in there main page sports headlines. Why is this? Why is it ignored when a 4-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame football player admits using steroids?

Today, speculation is enough to destroy the Hall of Fame hopes for a baseball player. Is it possible the Bradshaw admission is being ignored because he is a former player? I would believe this if there had not been a similar apathy toward Shawn Marrion or Rodney Harrison. I would write more, but this issue infuriates me. All athletes should be held to the same scrutiny. Taking steroids to "heal faster" is the same as taking them to become stronger.

Saturday Commentary: Can A Position Be Cursed, And Other Questions

Jolbert Cabrera severely dislocated a finger in last night's win against the Yankees. He joins Alex Gonzalez, Jeff Keppinger, and Jerry Harriston Jr. as Reds shortstops currently on the disabled list this year. Is it possible that someone within the organization angered a witch doctor in Florida during training camp, and they put a curse on the position? It is as if it were the professor of dark arts position at Hogwarts. Perhaps the Reds should bring back Barry Larkin to perform an exorcism on the position.

Has a pitcher on a team with a losing record ever had a 20-win season, started the All-Star game, or won the Cy Young Award? Last night, Edinson Volquez pick up his 10th win of the season, bringing his record to 10-2. He also leads the league in the majors with an 1.71 ERA and 110 strikeouts. Unfortunately, I doubt he will be considered by many for the Cy Young. These type of awards usually go to the best pitcher on a good team. I just hope he fares better than Harang did a couple years ago, where he became the first pitcher ever to lead the league in strikeouts and not receive a single vote.

Are people in the New York Mets' organization complete jackasses? Based on the way they handled the Willie Randolf situation, I would say yes. Well, not all of them, but whoever decided to fire Randolf at 3 a.m., while he is on a road trip to Los Angeles definately is. And people that did not stand up and say that they thought it was a bad idea.

When is Griffey going to be traded? After listening to one of the out-of-town Fox announcers during last saturday's game, one would come away from it thinking that it was already a done deal. I am not so certain that he will be traded. He has a no-trade clause in his contract, and can veto any trade he does not like. There is also still the sentimental fact that he grew up in Cincinatti. Yes, Griffey is in the the last year of his contract, with it being unlikely that the Reds will pick up next year's option and pay him $16.5 million. However, a new contract is not out of the question.

Should baseball start using instant replay? Hell yes. Actually, let me clarify that. Baseball should start using it in close plays to determine if a ball is a home run or not. They should not use it to determine if a player was out or safe at a base. And they should absolutely not use it to determine balls and strikes. Let those decisions stay with the umpires on the field. Fortunately, after a breakout this season of hard to determine home runs, the MLB is going to test it in fall ball leagues and possibly Spring Training. Hopefully, it will work out.