SportsNetUSA Blogs

It is refreshing to hear that an athlete is not connected to talk of cheating on a spouse and now apologizes for the “indiscretion.” Indiscretion is not counting a stroke on the golf course when you happen to be playing by yourself. Cheating on your spouse is not an indiscretion, farting in the supermarket cereal aisle is an indiscretion. The problem though with this topic is that it wasn’t an athlete’s stupidity, it is a college basketball coach, a well respected family-man, devout Roman Catholic college basketball coach. A college basketball coach that happens to where white ice cream suits on the bench of my favorite college basketball program growing-up, the Louisville Cardinals.

Rick Pitino has Final Fours with Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville. He is one of the games great coaches. His resume speaks for itself and his assistants that moved into head coaching aren’t too shabby either. Now his resume can list one more thing, D.A. His affair wasn’t simply with a woman he met at a restaurant. His ‘indiscretion’ took place on a restaurant table. This is one reason that separates Pitino from other great coaches is his decisiveness. He is not going to wait for a recruit to come to him or if he doesn’t like a call, he will take the initiative. That’s what he did in that restaurant six years ago. He took initiative. Why try to run around discretely? No, Pitino was bold like his coaching and initiated an offensive full court press.

No coach Pitino realizes his indiscretion now but six years ago it was a good time. Now he realizes that the woman he had an affair with may or may not be telling the entire truth. Pitino says this has been “pure hell” for his family. The only reason the media is hounding him and the reason this situation has led to an extortion case, an abortion claim, and him receiving criticism for being unfaithful is because Rick Pitino was unfaithful and this whole circus is his fault and no one else. He has ascended to the realm of sports stupidity and will forever be a member. Another great acheivement for the Good Humor Man.

But let’s not forget the real important thing in this whole sordid affair. No, it is not his wife now knowing that her husband is a cheater. No, it is not his five children will read about his personal life in the media or that he is not as devout as he claims. Nor is the importance that the question can be asked, if he cheated on his wife, what stopped or is stopping him from cheating and committing NCAA rules violations. No the importance in all of this is what Pitino said about the Louisville program: Pitino said Louisville would continue to be a Top 10 program despite the scandal. “It has not hurt recruiting one bit. We will still bring in Top 10 players,” he said. This is what really matters, basketball. Pitino also said “Enough’s enough, everybody is tired of it”. “We need to get on with the important things in life like the economy and really some crucial things in life like basketball.”

And no Rick, everyone is not tired of this because this is entertainment. This is something out of a movie and you are lucky you don’t have rabbits. The information coming out of this whole affair will keep sports fans entertained because it keeps getting weirder and more bizarre each time you speak and the other woman speaks. And because she may be ordered to get a mental exam, who knows what will come out of her mouth, truth or not. It is your fault Pitino. We all will grab the popcorn and put down the remote when this comes on the screen as a made for television movie and then on Maury.

Okay, so maybe I fudged a little here with the headline. It may not be the greatest college football season ever. How does one go about determining the greatest of ever lists anyway? Do they ever convince you they are right or do they just make you mad. Have you ever sat through hours of those VH1 shows that count down the greatest rock artists and it ends up with someone like Tony Orlando being ahead of Elvis. Is Stairway to Heaven really the greatest rock song of all time? This upcoming season may not be the greatest of all time but I am more anxious for this season to start then any in recent memory.

I can never remember when three powers came back with the three top rated quarterbacks in the country. When has there been two Heisman Trophy Winners back along with a third that could have won and was runner up last season. Let’s start with Tim Tebow the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman. I know there are critics that say he will not make it in the NFL and he has not made Mel Kiper’s first round draft list, big deal. Please do not let what these gifted college players project to be in the NFL, keep you from enjoying their college talents. Tim Tebow has helped Florida win two NCAA championships and a Heisman Trophy. He has done it with his arm, his legs, his leadership and his humility. He talks of God and yet not many challenge his sincerity, a rarity among any athlete today. The guy is a legend and yet he comes back for his senior season. Tebow is also Florida’s’ all time leader in rushing touchdowns. Remember Emmit Smith played at Florida. Enjoy him.

Sam Bradford became the second sophomore to win the Heisman award last year. He threw for 50 touchdowns and his offense set a record as they scored 716 points on the season. Did you see any of those Sooner games last year? They often looked as if it was seven on seven passing drills as Bradford called out the plays from the shotgun formation. Yes, I know people claim that they do not play defense in the Big 12 but it could be argued that the defenses from the SEC do not have to face as many great passers either. Sam Bradford is a junior so he could go high in the draft or come back for another year. Oklahoma’s coach Bob Stoops could only be so lucky. The Sooners start off with BYU on September 5th.

Colt McCoy from Texas was the Heisman runner up last year as he completed 76.7% of his passes last year. Come on now, it is nearly impossible to do that even in practice or warming up on the sideline! He passed Vince Young last year as the winningest quarterback in Texas history. Do you remember when Vince ran all over USC for the Rose Bowl and the National Championship? The question was, how would Mack Brown find a replacement? So Colt replaced a legend and in my opinion Texas should have been in the final against Florida. He was also the leading rusher for the Longhorns last year. I am personally pulling for this guy to win the Heisman trophy as he has been too great for college football not to win it. So the big three will be in the hunt and led by three great college quarterbacks.

Pete Carroll and USC would argue that they are in the top three. Will it be an Orange County high school quarterback stepping in this year? That is quite a pipeline that Pete has from the OC. Rob Johnson, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez and now maybe Aaron Corp or Matt Barkley. Let’s continue on with the year of the quarterbacks. This is definitely the story for this fall.

Watch Zac Robinson from Oklahoma State work his magic. I love this guys game and he may step out of the McCoy-Bradford shadow this year. He never seems to get rattled. The Cowboys open up with Georgia on Sept. 5th, they get Texas at home and end the season at Oklahoma.

Greg Paulus will be running the offensive huddle at Syracuse. You probably know his story by now as he was a point guard for the Duke basketball team the last four years. Paulus found a loophole that allows him another year of eligibility in another sport at another school. He was a great high school quarterback but chose basketball over football. He may be the only reason to watch the Cuse this year.

These are only some of the interesting stories in this year of the quarterback. Locally there is a rumor that Nate Montanna( Joe’s son)will be playing for Pasadena City College. We know USC will be great, they definitely just reload for Pete no matter how many guys go on to the NFL. Many are thinking Cal may challenge for the Pac 10 title with running back Jahvid Best back. I do not think so. Will Rick Neuheisel make any progress at UCLA? Well Rick says they are.

Locally here in Northern Cal I wish for continued improvement for Sacramento State and head coach Marshall Sperbeck. Best of luck to the Aggies of UC Davis. I can not wait for the community college season to begin as well. The best to American River College and Sacramento City College. Down south best of luck to Goldenwest, Fullerton and Cerritos College. I hope that has it covered. It is the best time of the year and football is the reason why. There is only one thing wrong with Division One Football and I will leave you to guess at that for now. Enjoy the season and let me know what it is that you are most looking forward to in the upcoming college football season.

If you forgot to turn on the television this past weekend you most likely missed the most exciting team event of the year for women. Most of you who listen to Friday Nite Mics realize that we seem to tilt a little to the left in sports gender discussions. We are all very large supporters of women sports and three of us are huge followers of the LPGA.

Let us congratulate our American team for winning the Solheim cup, it doesn’t matter if the European team did not have the best golfer in the world on their team or that their team was not shored up by quality golfers from other parts of the world. It was a competition that the Americans needed to win and a stage for many of the loveliest athletes in the world to prove they were true competitors. It was also a competition where it was time for some of the more publicized golfers in the LPGA to put up or shut up.

So I guess it is time for me to shut up. Well for the moment, because the “circus” took down its tent and decided that it was time to show the world that all the hoopla in the past may have a basis for reality.

That’s right Michelle Wie looked as “if” she is ready to claim her throne at the top of the LPGA. As Juli Inkster put it: “I would bet you a large amount of money that Michelle will win before the year is out,” Juli Inkster said after the Americans won their third straight Solheim Cup with a 16-12 decision over Europe.

And what of Juli Inkster the senior citizen playing most likely her last Solheim cup for the American Team? For those of us whom have ever played match play golf, to be in the position Juli was in, we could relate to her words that kept chiming through her head: “I just kept chattering to myself to say, `This is an important match, you’ve got to get at least a half a point here. It’s two holes. If you can’t win two holes, then you don’t deserve to be out here.’” said Inkster. I know that every match play golfer has had similar thoughts during a match.

Plus, for those of us who play as often as we can and get just a little too juiced up when something goes right, there was Christina Kim for the Americans. What is fun about Christina is that “yes” she does play the game like a lot of us occasional “duffers”. She is loud and, like one Friday Nite Mic contributor said, obnoxious. But how many of us when we are doing well don’t smile, talk too much or in some way, somehow, let everyone in our group know we are playing better than everyone else. And when things go bad there are those of us who pout, scream, throw clubs or sulk.

As for how the match ended, well for me it ended on a high note with the shortest driver of the golf ball clinching the cup for the Americans, Morgan Pressel. Pressel defies the modern day long ball philosophy in golf, she is one of the shortest drivers of the golf ball and many times can be thirty or forty yards behind those she plays against, yet she drives it straight, hits great approach shots and putts above average. She plays the game the way most of us wish we could play.

Throw in the other young guns, Paul Creamer (pavlovich), Natalie Gulbis and we see why Juli Inskter stated that the only disappointment there was when it came to the Solhiem was that not everyone could experience LPGA golf at its finest

Yes women’s golf stepped up to the plateau it is suppose to be by the number of records broken this year at the Solheim Cup-By the numbers:
8 – players who retained an undefeated Singles record on Sunday:　 Paula Creamer (USA), 3-0-0; Natalie Gulbis (USA), 2-0-1; Christina Kim (USA), 2-0-0; Brittany Lang (USA), 0-0-1; Diana Luna (EUR), 1-0-0; Janice Moodie (EUR), 2-0-1; Morgan Pressel (USA), 2-0-0; Michelle Wie (USA), 0-0-1
120,000 – attendance this week at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
5 – matches played by Maria Hjorth and Suzann Pettersen – the only players to play every match
0 – losses by Europeans Gwladys Nocera and Diana Luna and Americans Michelle Wie, Brittany Lang and Morgan Pressel – the only undefeated players this week

More records set.　

The 2009 edition of The Solheim Cup was not only exciting and brought down to the wire before the U.S. Team defeated the European Team 16-12, but records were set.　 A few by Laura Davies, of Europe, include being the only player to compete in all stagings of The Solheim Cup (11), but also is the player who has competed in the most number of matches (43 of 48) and foursome matches (17 of 18).　

The 2009 NFL season is a couple of weeks away. Every year we talk about which players are great, which players are overrated, who is underrated, and who is the next big star. As we anticipate the regular season, it was only couple weeks ago that the new members of the NFL Hall of Fame were inducted. So now I would like to play a game we play here at SportsNetUSA.net, the Hall of Fame Game.

This is usually played on road trips while we are driving to Bakersfield, Jackson, TN and any place else we travel. The rules are simple; we give a name and decide if the player is a lock for the Hall or name a team and try to name potential Hall of Famers on that team, also players that should be in, will get in but shouldn’t and which players do not deserve to get into the Hall of Fame. I will only list the players I think deserve to get inducted. Since we play on freestyle format of the top of the head, some names may be forgotten; this list is for current players on rosters only.

No dispute locks for the Hall of Fame:

Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Walter Jones,  Adam Vinatieri, Ray Lewis, Tony Gonzalez, Ladanian Tomlinson, Randy Moss, Ronde Barber, Kurt Warner, Orlando Pace

The rest that should be inducted including young players that simply need to stay healthy:

Steve Hutchinson, Kevin Mawae, Terrell Owens, Julius Peppers, Champ Bailey,  Olin Kruetz, Brian Urlacher, Dallas Clark, Mike Vrabel, Jason Taylor, Matt Light, Tedy Bruschi, Alan Faneca, Shane Lechler, Asante Samuels, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Ben Rothlisberger, Larry Fitzgerald, Joe Thomas, Andre Johnson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Jamal Williams, Torry Holt, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis

Let the arguments and omissions begin.

Oh that season of bickering and buffoons has fallen on us once again; yes the smell of football is in the air. It is that time of season where we watch players who are too young to relate to, too old to remember and those we never knew existed. Ah yes, that time of year where we see our first, punt, pass, kickoff return and say,” did you ever see (FILL IN THE BLANK) play? Now there was a football player”.Of course, before, during and after the game we argue for hours about who has seen the best and how nobody could ever touch one of our heroes. The sad aspect of these arguments is that most young people believe that the NFL started with the Super Bowl and that ever game, player, coach that came before it has no relevance to professional football today. SO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN hold on to your hats and programs because the Buddha of Babble is going to give you his top 10 quarterbacks of all-time:

WARREN MOON: joined the Canadian Football League in 1978, and promptly led his Edmonton Eskimos to the Grey Cup title in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982. In 1983, he set the single season passing yards record, and won the Most Outstanding Player award. Warren Moon, 9-time Pro Bowler and NFL Hall of Famer. He still ranks in the top five in NFL history in completions. Moon was a classic thrower, not a runner, and showed that black quarterbacks could run any offense — including the Run ‘N Shoot. In 1990 and 1991, Moon threw for an incredible 9,379 yards.

BRETT FAVRE: He holds every single passing record in the NFL and if he doesn’t hold them now he will when he ends his career. Plus he has a Super Bowl ring, something that seems to go unmentioned when people talk about his accomplishments in the NFL.

ROGER STAUBACH; People keep forgetting that roger the dodger started his career in the NFL late because of his duty to the UNITED STATES NAVY. He won titles for America’s team in 1971 and 1977 and also won passing titles in 1973, 1978, and 1979. Plus, this was another noted QB who could run, he rushed for over 2300 yards and 20 touchdowns, not bad for a Vietnam Veteran.

TOM BRADY: Yes Big E, this one is for you, and I am sure he is not far enough down on my list for you. Yes I know he has won multiple Super Bowl Titles and if it was not for him Bill Belichick wouldn’t be coaching in the NFL today. Before Brady, Belichick was 48-52, after Brady he looks like an absolute genius, plus there’s also been one clutch fourth-quarter performance after another, almost single-handedly capturing victory from what appeared to be certain defeat time and again.

JOHNNY UNITAS: I guess when football fans talk of all time greats they think of Johnny U and for some younger fans they remember the Unitas Colt team as the first NFL team to lose to the AFL before the merger. His 1959 is thought of as one of the all time best, 32 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in a 12 game season. Those 32 touchdowns that year set a new NFL record.

STEVE YOUNG:　　Okay Rahshaun you get the first taste of your double dip in my top 10. Nothing can be tougher than following a legend especially a legend who knew how to win world championships, Steve Young not only followed Joe Montana but he had to live with the fact that Montana brought the Super Bowl trophy home to San Francisco. Not only did Steve Young accomplish that task, he may have been the better in Super Bowl performances. The greatest Super Bowl performance in history: a 67-percent, 325 yard, 6-TD, 0 INT explosions in a 49-26 victory over overwhelmed San Diego in Super Bowl XXIX.

PEYTON MANNING: Peyton might be the quarterback who breaks all of Brett Favre’s records. Manning so far is that quarterback who seems to rack up more impressive stats at a quicker pace than any other quarterback before him. If you were compare Peyton to Dan Marino (whom at least I know a few that thinks he should be on this list) you will find that Peyton is far ahead of the legendary Dolphin quarterback. The knock on Peyton was he was great during the regular season, but did nothing during the post season, but that changed when he picked up his Super Bowl title and was named MVP of the Super Bowl. If Brett ever retires, this may be the quarterback that would break Brett’s consecutive game record. Peyton, the new IronMan.

OTTO GRAHAM: This quarterback might have been the Tom Brady of my dad’s generation. As a matter of fact, in his 10 year career, Graham played in a Championship game in every one of those years; he won 7 of them in two different leagues. Otto Graham also led his team to 6 consecutive appearances in the NFL Championship game from 1950-1955 a record that still stands today.

JOE MONTANA: Corey/Rahshaun/Erik, guys I got him as close to the top of the heap as I could. In the era that most young fans can relate to, the Super Bowl Era, Joe Montana is deemed untouchable. He won four Super bowls and in three out of the four he was named the MVP and if that is not enough his passer rating in the biggest game combined is an outrageous 127.8. Plus Joe is known for one of the more spectacular drives in a Super Bowl, a 92 yard drive against the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII which ended in a pass to John Taylor with 34 clicks remaining on the clock. Not only was he spectacular in great post season games but in 1989 he completed over 70% of his passes and threw 26 touchdowns to 8 interceptions.

*Sammy Baugh: you have to put him in here some place, but I’ll leave it to you to decide where.

BART STARR: Year after year I have to listen to “who is the greatest?” and the answer varies and in all those answers, do I ever here the name BART STARR? No, not from the so-called experts. I guess it was best said by a sports writer and I quote: “History has done a grave disservice to the legacy of Starr, the 17th-round draft pick out of pre-Bear Bryant Alabama who turned into the most clutch and most cruelly efficient passing assassin of his or any other generation.” If you want to talk stats, then I guess we will have to see how Mr. Starr would match up: He led the NFL in passer rating five times. Johnny Unitas led the league in passer rating just twice. Ditto for Joe Montana. Only Steve Young surpassed Starr’s mark with six. Starr averaged a remarkable 7.85 YPA over the course of his entire career better than that of a slate of quarterbacks who are generally regarded as the best passers in history, including Dan Marino (7.37), Joe Montana (7.52), Roger Staubach (7.67), Dan Fouts (7.68), Sonny Jurgensen (7.56), Fran Tarkenton (7.27), Y.A. Tittle (7.52), Terry Bradshaw (7.17) and Joe Namath (7.35). Plus do not forget that Bart Starr was the quarterback in one of the most shown championship games in NFL history, the ICE BOWL. He also was the 1st NFL quarterback to win a Championship ring (5) for each digit on his throwing hand not to mention that three of those championships came in a row, still an NFL record.

Did I leave off many quarterbacks that could have been listed? Yes. Did I list everyone’s stats? No. But once again I have given fodder to all of us who are sports fans that will cause us hours of pain, constant complaining, whining and dissertations about WHO IS THE NUMBER 1 GREATEST QUARTERBACK of ALL TIME, I guess that is why I am the Buddha of Babble

I was going to write about college football then I was going to write about the NFL, I just could not make up my mind.  Oh no I thought, did I just do a Favre?  Gosh, this is kind of fun, being like the big media boys and using Favre’s name as a target and punch line.  When I heard number four was coming back and would be wearing people I knew I had to write about Brett and his comeback.

I wrote a blog entry about that it should be Favre’s choice when he would retire and not be made by the fans.  We all should hope to have the freedom to decide when we are done and ready for the porch rocker.  Brett was lucky, he had a team that in the Vikings that really needed him and wanted him.  Let’s not forget that is really the decisive factor always, the demand for your services.  If the Vikings do not come calling, Brett is left to throwing passes to high schoolers, mowing his lawn and seeking wisdom from his youngest daughter on the back porch. Andy and Opie could not have done it better.

It was so interesting to me to watch how this played out and how it was covered.  Forgive me if I often find the coverage of an event more entertaining than the actual story.  I was surprised by how much anger some covering the story had.  One of my favorite reporters, Dan Patrick seemed to me to be very upset by it all.  Dan usually has much more humor about these things.  He mocked Brett’s story and his time line and thinks Favre should come out and say he really wants to stick it to the Packers.  Really?  Can Brett Favre really come out and say that?  Maybe he has not handled all of this in the best manner but he utters those words and he sets himself up to be the butt of all jokes.  I watched as reporters put on their mystery solvers glasses and debated what was said and when everyone said it.  I heard some call Viking coach Brad Childress, a liar.  They said he could never have the locker room.  There was the debate about which QB was the odd man  out now.  Let’s face it, for all of the talk about being sick of Favre, he knocked Michael Vick, Donte Stallworth, Tom Brady, Tony Romo and Jessica and Thumping Tom Cable right off the front page.

Everyone needs to relax and get ready for a season that just got a whole lot more interesting.  I have not watched a Minnesota game for years because other than Adrian Peterson, they were not very interesting.  You know that I will watch at least two Viking games this year.  The Vikings are now on the hottest of seats, Super Bowl or bust.  They are shelling out $25 million for a forty year old quarterback and second place is last.  So how good would a Vikings-Jets Super Bowl be?  How about a Vikings-Packers Championship in Lambeau?  The NFL is the league that always captures the country’s attention and heart now has as many intriguing story lines as one can imagine.  Heck I may even watch some preseason games.

I defended Favre’s comeback and I still do however…however at this point in their careers I think Aaron Rodgers is a better quarterback than Favre.  I also admire the way Rodgers has handled the situation and I look for him to have a phenomenal year.  I also think the Packers will rebound this year and be one of the better teams in the league.  I also do not envy the heat Brad Childress will be taking because he had the look of a man that had just wagered his farm.  Everyone has said the Vikings have Super Bowl talent the last two years.  Childress was supposed to be an offensive guy and thought he had a winner in Tarvaris Jackson.  Two years and three weeks of training camp obviously convinced him otherwise.  Childress has been a .500 coach and knows full well what Jerry Glanville said the NFL stands for.  You remember that right, Not For Long, he told an official, you keep making calls like that and I will be bagging groceries. For Brad and Brett then it is win the Super Bowl or the next question is, paper or plastic?  It does not get any better!

The College sporting season has once again opened up for all of us at SportsNetUSA.net and as a pre-cursor to college football my partner behind the microphone Corey Neyland and I travelled to the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas. We went there to broadcast a game between the South bay Skulls and the Vegas Kings, two team that are part of the Labelle Community Football league, a minor league for Professional football. During our five hour road trip to the game we discussed how exciting it was to have this professional game of minor league football in the city of Las Vegas with the documentarian Pat Haddix. During our conversation we discussed everything about football and sports in general and even that ugly word associated with Las Vegas and Sports: BETTING.

“Sports wagering cuts at the very fabric of intercollegiate athletics,” said Bill Saum, the director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities for the NCAA. “It’s not good for the welfare and the safety of our athletes and it has no place in our game.” Yet everyone of us, the average and not so average sports fans, can’t wait for the college season to start so we can show our friends, families and colleagues how bright we are when it comes to our knowledge of sports.

But how does legalized gambling affect the college sporting world we love so much? In the past twenty years there have been numerous gambling scandals at major universities, Northwestern, Maine, Alabama, Boston College and Arizona State. A University study stated that over eighty-five percent of student athletes have gambled in one form or another during their college careers. And that just under eight-seven percent of all male students at division I schools gamble on college sporting events. With all this money floating around on a variety of college sports does not the integrity of the sports come into question? Yes it has with numerous point shaving scandals in the past two decades.

So what does one do, stop legalized gambling on sports? On sports in general, no. If the federal government passed a bill outlawing gambling on college sports tomorrow, everyone wouldn’t suddenly say “Sorry can’t bet on the USC vs UCLA game or Ohio State, Michigan game. It’s illegal.” But we could educate those involved with college sports that gambling and college sports do not mix. The NCAA in the past has set up programs on college campuses and has had speaking engagements by convicted point shavers like Kenneth Dion Lee and Kevin Prendergast. College campuses can educate all students about the possible downfalls of gambling and try to get those athletes in all sports to say student body support of a sport is much more important than placing a bet on the team. Practical, no, probable very unlikely because gambling on college sports runs rampant on campuses across the country, and the NCAA and its member schools have done little to stop it. One would be hard pressed to find an explicit punishment for gambling in a student handbook at a major university. Plus, if you’re set on trying to stop the legalized gambling on college sports, realize that some believe that 95% of gambling on college sports is illegal gambling (bookies, etc.).

The thought of Las Vegas stopping the betting on college sports is a numbing thought for their local sport’s books. 1 billion dollars is a hefty cash cow to lose and the idea of stopping 110 million dollars just on March Madness is enough to make the sequins drop off a dancer’s costume.

Congress has even tried to get involved in the act when they proposed: the Student-Athlete Protection Act and the Amateur Sports Integrity Act. Congress thought the passing of these acts would, start by eliminating the only legal share of gambling on college sports serves two purposes. First, it sends a message to the athletes and protects the integrity of the sport. And secondly, prohibiting gambling nationwide sends a message to those gambling illegally on college campuses. Otherwise, the theory goes, students might not know what they are doing is against the law.It might have been a good idea except for the 10th amendment, which delegates certain powers not granted to the federal government to the states, therefore any state that currently had legalized gambling in their state could challenge the Protection Student-Athlete Act and the Amateur Sports Integrity Act.So the fact of the matter is that betting is always going to be here and if you’re going to follow sports try to do the following:

1.  Don’t put it all on the line for one game to try to make up for a losing season. If you win, you’ll be somewhat relieved, but if you lose, you’ll be twice as miserable. Problem gamblers think only about winning and minimize the consequences of losing.

2.  If you need to place a bet to make the game “make it interesting”

3.  Don’t use the game as an excuse to get drunk. If you do, you probably won’t enjoy the game, your friends, the half time show and the funny commercials, especially the funny commercials. You may not even remember the game.

4.  Consider not betting

We’ve been inundated throughout these years with all kinds of factoids regarding Tiger Woods in Major Tournaments.  He’s never lost after having a 36-hole lead.  He was unblemished on American soil when leading by more than one shot. He’s a perfect 14 of 14 when leading heading into the final round of a major.  Well, make that 14 of 15 now after not being able to make putts Sunday at Hazeltine.  We all know about the 20 come-from-behind wins, none of which have come in a Major.
 
Can anyone explain what happened yesterday?  I was listening to someone recap the event, and they mentioned yesterday’s final round was just a carryover of Saturday’s third round.  On Saturday, Tiger played an extremely conservative round of golf.  I concur.  Not many birdies.  He played it safe …or so it appeared.  Maybe just maybe the misreads on the greens resulted in what we viewed as Tiger playing a “safe” round of golf were actually just the beginning of his demise.  Honestly, have we ever seen Tiger play it “safe?”  I don’t recall.  I want to say of course not!  Tiger is like Kobe and Michael Jordan in that regard.  One of the greatest competitors in the world.  If he smells blood, he attacks and attacks some more. The ‘never let up’ approach. 
 
What was more out of the ordinary, Tiger missing the cut at The Open or blowing it in the final round of the PGA?  Both so uncustomary of the greatest golfer in the world today.  Tiger came out swinging last weekend.  It was his tournament from the beginning til nearly the end. 
 
Two weeks ago we talked about it on Friday Nite Mics, how Tiger’s focus was changing and how he was making an effort to not to put too much pressure on himself to attain more Major Championships.  Tiger was ..well, vintage Tiger through the first 36 holes at Hazeltine.  He held on to take the lead into the final round.  All of a sudden, dare we mention the ‘C’ word and Tiger in the same sentence, but did he choke? Is it safe to say that the world’s best golfer folded under pressure?  Is it fair for us to say that one of the greatest competitors the game of golf has ever seen, in his red shirt, in the final pairing of a Major on a Sunday, succumbed to the pressures of the then 110th ranked player in the world?
 
Dare any of you say Y.E.(S).  Regardless, of how you view it, if there’s a tournament tomorrow, I’m taking Tiger.  The next time Tiger steps foot in another Major Tournament, you already know my prediction on FNM.  Eldrick all the way.  However, give credit to where credit is due.  Y.E. Yang did not back down.  He took it to Mr. Woods, in superb fashion on his way to becoming the first Asian-born player to win a Major. 
 
So many have tried, yet so many have failed.  So how did Mr. Yang get it done?  Through his interpreter he summed it up saying, “It’s not like you’re in an octagon where you’re fighting against Tiger and he’s going to bite you, or swing at you with his 9-iron, ….The worst that I could do was just lose to Tiger. So I really had nothing much at stake.”
 
Au contraire Mr. Yang, there was a lot at stake, you just played it cool.

“I pretty much lobbied to get him here.”  These were words uttered by Donovan McNabb on the Eagles signing his new teammate, Michael Vick.  A move that sent shockwaves through the NFL.  No one imagined the Eagles as a possible taker for Vick’s services.  How could McNabb actually be on board for this move, considering if not for the improbable run to the NFC Championship in ‘08, he would have been on the move.  It speaks volumes of McNabb to think he would reach out for someone who might possibly replace him in the future. Despite that notion, McNabb welcomed his new teammate, and friend, with open arms. 
 
The new Eagle was introduced Friday.  Vick sounded remorseful.  He sounded contrite.  Yes, words at this point don’t mean much of anything.  But its the first step.  Owner, Jeffrey Lurie called his crime “horrific behavior” and said it would be a terrible mistake if this was just about football.  Its more than that.  Vick has a responsibility to go out into the community and speak about his past and tell others about his mistakes and how he was in the wrong.  Make no mistake about it, Michael put himself in this position.  Those were his actions, his choices, and today he acknowledged that.  Not making any excuse.  Not hiding behind a prepared statement.  Not hiding behind an Eagles P.R. rep calling the shots.
 
“I think he deserves a second chance” says McNabb of his new teammate.  This is that chance.  Don’t act like no one is deserving of a second chance.  Don’t act like you’ve never done anything wrong in your life.  We all have said and done things that we aren’t proud of.  We all have made mistakes.  But the most important part is how we bounced back from the particular situation.  How did we respond to the circumstances we put ourselves in?  Hopefully we’ve come out as better people because of it.  This is Vick’s chance to do that.
 
There are some people who will never forgive him for the crime.  There are some fans that will never cheer for him again.  On the flip side, there are others that are willing to turn the page, and yet there are still others that because Vick now plays for “there team,” will cheer like they never cheered before the first time he steps foot onto the field. 
 
If you listen to Friday Nite Mics, its me that has been labeled as one of the “Vick Backers” per se.  I think one of the most interesting things I heard this past week, was actor/comedian Chris Rock in all seriousness say “the NFL is a priveledge not a right to you and me.” Meaning, to us fans with little or no athletic ability, yes to play professionally or even collegiately would be a priveledge.  But to someone like a Michael Vick, a Terrell Owens, a Kobe Bryant, an Albert Pujols, its their right because they are here to do just what they’re doing and that’s play ball and entertain us as fans.  Not that I completely agree with this but it makes sense.  There are so many people out there that feel they were one injury, one coach’s dislike for them, or one “something” away from a collegiate or professional career.  While that may be true for some, lets be honest, we’re not even close to some of the things that those guys can do on the court or on the field.  Even there “peers” are in awe by the performances those guys turn in on a nightly basis. 
 
This is about dogfighting, but its also about a man who people feel like threw his life and his career away by commiting the act.  Why? Because a lot of us would love to be in his position; a freak athlete, who at the time was the face of the National Football League. 
 
Of course PETA knew that and they went after him.  Vick became a target.  You don’t see or hear about PETA protesting and holding up sign in neighborhoods where dogfighting is prevalent and still going on today.  Why?  Because they’re going after the big name.  Vick, nearly three years removed from football is still a big name.   
 
I said it once.  I’ll say it again.  I am NOT condoning what he did.  Hearing stories and seeing pictures, I can’t fathom how someone can participate in such acts.  With that being said, he did his time.  He’s serving his suspension.  “Everyone deserves a second chance, as long as you’re willing to come back and do it the right way” said Vick earlier today.  Its now up to Vick to get his life and his career back together.  Commisioner Goodell said it best, “Michael’s success is up to him and the decisions he makes.”  Currently Vick has McNabb and the rest of the Eagles organization in his corner.  Along with Tony Dungy, his advisor, and even Commissioner Goodell to a certain degree.  It would be less than smart for Vick to not do it “the right way.”  Let’s allow him to continue taking steps before we determine rather he’s learned his lesson or not.

Amazing one of my counter parts at SportsNetUSA.net made a statement in a blog that rules are not fair. He also stated that life isn’t fair and then proceeded to tell those individuals who are mistreated by collegiate rules to suck it up.

So my big question would be, “would he tell Tiger and Paddy to suck it up, rules and life aren’t fair and just play on …?”, most likely not. Then again, why would he? We don’t always play by the rules when we are on the golf course.

So what do rules really mean today? Well by dictionary standards the word rule is just stated as jurisdiction, regulation, edict, order, not pick and choose what fits your needs during a competition.

You see I am quite confused listening to sporting fans all over the country. If it is okay to cheat, to break the rules, then this means Ken Lay and Bernie Madoff shouldn’t be vilified. They were simply taking every advantage so they could to get ahead.

This means you shouldn’t be angry at Wall Street fat cats. And when your loans come due on your home don’t even try to be upset about mortgage lenders. No whining about republicans, democrats or independents taking money from lobbyists. Stop complaining about all the CEO’s and numerous types of fraud. Get comfortable with colleagues sleeping their way to the top.

These people are all just trying to gain an extra advantage, so what if they bent this rule or that rule. They were all just doing for the great mighty dollar.

If you accept cheating in sports, you accept it everywhere. You abdicate your outrage and muddy your ethical discernment. So spare me the ‘hypocritical’ tripe.

In retrospect, most in-game cheating is viewed with a tip of the hat, a nod — even a chuckle. TitleIX and The Franchise can laugh about espionage in their beloved sports. Spitball pitchers and steroid users are considered a colorful part of the game. Same with floppers in basketball, stick benders in hockey, divers in soccer and football players who specialize in holding.

Yes you fans have always talked a good game about wanting our athletes to be fair and honorable. You grew up believing in the world of sports, and in the premise of trying to compete the right way. Winners never cheat, and cheaters never win. But somewhere you, the preachers of the rules, got lost in your own convoluted game; “rules should be for everyone but not necessarily for the team I root for, at least not today.”

So sports fans please do me a favor and pick a side, watch the game with a rulebook sitting next to you and choose which rules apply to that game you are watching that day and stick by them for both teams. If you are that fan that is looking at the real world and how all the outside influences effects all athletes, high school, college, pro, take a hard look at yourself. Ask yourself if you were put in the same positions as some of your favorite athletes, not so favorite athletes, young, old or indifferent, what would you do? Would you live and die by the rules, or would you break the rules for your own benefit or the benefit of your team? Make a choice, and when you do, realize it should be a choice that would be acceptable to everyone ….be it cheating, then it’s cheating, if not, then it’s not, but what is fair for one is fair for all. Rules are rules.

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITES CHEATERS ESPECIALLY THOSE YOU TURNED A BLIND EYES TO, these might start your mind thinking:

1. Danny Almonte: Anyone who watched the 2001 Little League World Series will recall the way Almonte dominated the international competition, whiffing guys over and over with unprecedented heat. We overlooked the fact that he pretty much had a mustache and instead focused on that rocket arm…until about a week after the Series when SI let us all know that Almonte was actually 14 years old.

2. The 2000 Spanish Paralympics Team: This story never got much attention, but it’s pretty outrageous. At the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, the team from Spain cleaned up, winning several gold medals including a blow-out of Russia in the gold medal basketball game. Unfortunately, it turned out many of the team members weren’t actually disabled at all. Perhaps having Johnny Knoxville starting at shooting guard should have tipped us off.

3. Rosie Ruiz: Just 23 years old at the time, Ruiz won the women’s division of the 1980 Boston Marathon in a scorching time of just over two and half hours. This was surprising to pretty much everyone involved with the Boston Marathon, as nobody had seen her running until the final mile. As it turned out, this was because she only ran the final half-mile.

4. Joe Niekro: This was probably my favorite cheating scandal of all time, just because it happened so publicly. After being a dominant pitcher in the late ’70s — he finished second in the 1979 Cy Young voting — Niekro’s career was on the downside in 1987. While pitching for the Minnesota Twins, Niekro was accused of doctoring the baseball. The umps came to the mound, checked his glove and then asked him to empty his pockets.

5. Ben Johnson: During the 1988 Summer Olympics, I was caught up in the hysteria, cheering hard for the American athletes to do their best. I was a particularly big fan of Carl Lewis, who seemed to be able to run and jump past everyone else involved. Then, in the 100 meter finals, a buff Canadian named Ben Johnson sprinted past everyone to win the title and set a world record. Then he peed in a cup and everything changed. He now has a clothing line with the motto “Catch Me.” They already did, Ben.