*Alex Sanchez, an outfielder for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, has become the first player to be suspended in baseball’s new drug policy. He will be suspended 10 days beginning Monday when the D-Rays season starts. What a month for Sanchez. A few weeks ago, he was reunited with his mother and brother who he had not seen in 11 years since fleeing Cuba on a raft. A few days later, the Detroit Tigers cut him loose. He caught on with Tampa....then this happens.
*How great is it to see a women’s Final Four without UConn! Nothing against the university....but I’m tired of seeing them winning. This is the first championship they won't win since 2001....and the first Final Four they've missed since 1999. Now, if we can just get those Lady Vols out of there too. They lost in Arizona-style against Michigan State on Sunday....so we get to see Baylor-Michigan State championship game....they first women's title game that didn't involve the Vols or Huskies [or both] since 2001.
*How about North Carolina winning the NCAA tournament and South Carolina winning the NIT tournament??
*Jim Calhoun and Jim Boeheim will be announced as the 2005 inductees to the Basketball Hall Of Fame. Both are deserving....as both have won the last two NCAA championships. However, the spotlight may be on who wasn’t elected: Dominique Wilkins. Nique scored over 26,000 points in his career...which he went to 9-All Star games and averaged 24.8 ppg. Nique suffers from "second-tier sydrome" and "never won it itis". During his career, Wilkins’ Hawks were always second stringto the Milwaukee Bucks or Jordan?s Chicago Bulls. Not to mention that not only did he never win an NBA title....he never even got to the Finals. That isn?t his fault. During his prime, the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls were cleaning up the Eastern titles. He could be the most overlooked player of our time....which is quite a shame.
*Monday marks the beginning of the MLB season....and the end of the NCAA basketball season. It will also mark the 200th day of the NHL Lockout. The NHL should be in its closing weeks of the season and gearing up for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Instead, the league is shelved with no talks in sight and no reason to hope. However, the real issue is the fact that they haven?t realized that no one misses it. The AHL and ECHL has boomed....so it is showing that it isn?t so much NHL action they want to see....but just any hockey. Not to mention the launch of ESPN-U has brought the college hockey playoffs to us. Also, with no hockey....ESPNhas more opportunities to show NBA, NCAA and MLB games....which further helps those sports and will hinder the NHL?s television relevance. Truth be told, I?d be willing to bet that ESPN would rather televise the World Series Of Poker than the NHL regular season.
*Speaking of the NHL Lockout....it seems the player's union is having a bit of problem. The leadership is trying to de-certify agents and take away their lockout stipend if they become replacement players. Already, the membership is showing some cracks. The NHL already cancelled the Entry Draft. Buffalo is experimenting with blue ice with orange lines so action can be seen better. GMs are thinking about making a bigger net. There is even some sentiment to find a way to settle ties...the worst thing [and most pointless] in all of sports. It shows that the problems aren't just the labor issues...but the product. I like hockey at this time of year. The Stanley Cup playoffs. But everything in between is a bore. Hockey is slowly becoming soccer. Yeah, you can say "how American of you" but the Euros play a much more exciting game with the simplest of all changes....bigger ice. But that would involve dropping those expensive lower level seats which, right now, are empty anyway.
*As I said, Monday night will end a great NCAA hoops season. It will end with #1 Illinois vs #2 North Carolina....the first matchup of the top two rated teams since 1975. Amazing, since the March Madness has blossomed into probably the second biggest sporting event in America...right behind the Super Bowl. Do the football people even notice this??? While the BCS gets tweaked every year, ABC elected not to keep the BCS games and undefeated teams go home empty handed.....the NCAA tournament thrives on one network and even has spawned "bracketology" in which just evaluating who gets into the tournament has become an event. Every spring I see this...and it reminds me how stale the BCS and college football itself is.
*I've never been to Michigan....but I hear bad things. We all saw the Pistons-Pacers brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills....then the bomb threats that delayed their rematch. Now, after Michigan State LOSES in the Final Four....the Spartans fans got a little rowdy in East Lansing. In all, there were more than 60 arrests. There were 15 fires [a Michigan staple]. The sad thing is that MSU officials are saying "hey, this isn't as bad as it usually is. I guess we are making progress!" WHAT??? Back in 1999 when the Spartans lost to Duke in the Final Four...fans spilled into downtown and smashed up windows, turned over cars and set some more fires. God knows what may happen there if the Michigan State women's team wins the title Tuesday night! Maybe they'd behave as they did when MSU won the men's title in 2000. I guess they really are sore losers.
3 comments:
Why are steroids being used in Baseball?? Last time I checked, and correct me if I'm wrong, this is a game of skill. You hold a stick and try to hit a ball that is going 90 mph. Steroids aren't going to help here. Anabolic Steroids are used primarily for one thing - larger muscles. "I can hit the ball harder". Babe Ruth never used steroids. Okay, he didnt have access to them. He hit how many Home Runs in one season?? His record stood for how long?? His record was broken by Roger Maris, followed by Mickey Mantle. The record was broken in the summer of 1961. Steroid use was limited to Olympic Weightlifters and maybe a few other athletes. Given their size, they probably weren't using. Why risk your health so you can "hit it harder". Once it's past the fence, its a Home Run. Steroids only make the muscles larger. Tendons and ligaments aren't affected by the steroids, so they don't grow as fast. Because of this, you are at greater risk of injury. Steroids also tend to "mask" injuries. After so long, something has to give. A shoulder maybe. There is a risk of Blood Pressure problems, possible Liver trouble. You can become more aggressive. This could become "Roid rage". Come on guys, lay off the juice. Is it really worth it just to "hit it harder"??
"Steroids also tend to "mask" injuries. After so long, something has to give. "
Exactly. It amazing how healthy Bonds has been in past years....yet when his steroid link was announced...he's having a tough time rehabbing his knee injury.
Coincidence?
Nothing worse than a Dirty Sanchez....
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