I've Always Hated Brady Quinn. But Now, he Joins the Ranks of Mickelson, A-Rod, Jeter, and Kwan.

Draft day was a great day for me.

I remember when I attempted to go to the UT/Notre Dame game in South Bend in November of '05. Long story and a removed appendix short, I watched it at my parent's house. Aside from the fact that after tying the game with a two point conversion, we got hosed on a 3rd and 8 play which that Stovall guy picked Johnny Wade and the ugliest person ever took a drag route like 70 yards down field to set up a go ahead touchdown. There was no flag for pass interference.

After that, there was an interview with the mother of the Fighting Irish's quarterback. This mother was asked if her son would come back to play another year. Her response, "Yes, he wants to come back and with the Heisman...I mean, a National Title."

In continuing with a career motivated by self-preservation, Brady Quinn is not in training camp. Quinn, who recently was selected 23rd in the NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, is holding out as a contract is reportedly no where near complete.

Quinn, the former college player with "top 10 potential," is demanding money of a top 10 pick. In case he hasn't noticed, potential doesn't count for anything when it comes to rookie money. I don't think many will disagree with me when I say that D'Wayne Jarrett has the potential of being just as great if not greater than Quinn. Jarrett, a second rounder, isn't in the news, to my knowledge.

And even regardless of this potential that he claims to have, he was still selected 23rd overall! Get over yourself! NFL teams felt that there were 22 available players that better suited the needs of their clubs than Quinn. And what if the Browns didn't trade up to get him? Quinn could have fallen even into the second round! Would Quinn still be wanting the money that he apparently is as a second rounder? Seeing Quinn drop and drop and seeing his ego fade and fade was amazing. This kid and his big mouth deserved it. Thanks for winning bowl games. Remember when you thought you were better than JaMarcus Russell? How'd the Sugar Bowl turn out big guy?

Quinn has a shot at starting for the Browns. If he was smart, he would get into camp compete for the job, earn the respect of his teammates and take his money later if he proves to be a success. Now, he's not only losing cash, but reps to his quarterbacking competitors in Cleveland. Quinn, who talks so much about how he loves to play football, has a chance to be doing it right now in practice. Apparently he loves contracts more than football. Now, if he'd come out and say that, we'd be golden.

So, we get back to the title of this post. We all know how much I loathe Phil Mickelson. I can't stand A-Rod, we haven't really gotten to Jeter yet, and Michelle Kwan is just a winner of a life time. Brady Quinn has always been on the cusp. But as of today, Brady Quinn can be welcomed to the No Owens Circle of Most Hated Athletes. He doesn't want anything to do with this, but he has in fact brought it upon himself. Play the game, stop whining. No one cares how big your arms are.

Best part? He came back to win the Heisman. I'm pretty happy about how that turned out.

Random Note.

I thought I should bring this to everyone's attention.

As of 2:12 PM CDT, Home Depot stock is up 3.43%.

If that anything has to do with Tony Stewart winning yesterday, our economy is in serious trouble.

USA Today, Ridiculous

I think it was Friday, SI.com posted a list of of USA Today's top 25 NFL Players of the last 25 Years (1982-2007). Most of these lists, as you can imagine, aren't very different. Here is USA Today's list...with sweet descriptions of in one line why the players was chosen.

1
Joe Montana
Montana's Super success raised the bar
2
Jerry Rice
Rice ran away from the field with grace
3
Walter Payton
Payton did sweet work as rushing king
4
Lawrence Taylor
The original L.T. brought QBs to their knees
5
Reggie White
White administered rare level of play
6
John Elway
Elway left NFL as a winner
7
Emmitt Smith
Emmitt Smith surpassed all runners
8
Ronnie Lott
Lott made waves with hard-hitting style
9
Tom Brady
Brady climbed fast to Super heights
10
Barry Sanders
Sanders left them wanting more
11
Dan Marino
Marino re-wrote the NFL passing records
12
Peyton Manning
Peyton's place secure in NFL annals
13
Anthony Munoz
Munoz set standard on the O-line
14
Brett Favre
Favre made Green Bay important again
15
Bruce Smith
Smith sacked his way to the top
16
Deion Sanders
Deion played his way into 'Prime Time'
17
Mike Singletary
Singletary renowned for intimidating presence
18
Ray Lewis
The ultimate defender — Ray Lewis
19
Marshall Faulk
Faulk brought double threat to new level
20
Troy Aikman
Aikman rescued 'America's Team'
21
LaDainian Tomlinson
Tomlinson still climbing list of NFL greats
22
Rod Woodson
Woodson set new standard in backfield
23
Terry Bradshaw
Playoff success carried Bradshaw into Hall
24
Steve Young
After wait, Young made lasting run into NFL history
25
Eric Dickerson
Dickerson blazed early path to NFL immortality

Ok, the list has a few flaws. I'll try to stay away from the Brett Favre 14 thing as much as I humanly can. First of all, the top two need to be switched. Jerry Rice is the best player of the past 25 years. The stats prove it. He's blown just about every major receiving record out of the water, and his career touchdown mark is ridiculous.

This was a disclaimer on the list: • The list covers the past 25 seasons. Instructions to panelists stated that if a player competed in any one of those seasons, then the player's entire career could be considered for the rankings.• I think that's stupid. Here's why:

#23 is my personal favorite. Terry Bradshaw...who won Super Bowls in '74, '75, '78, and '79 played in only two of the years of this poll. In '83, his final year, he was 5-8...on the season. What's the purpose of this disclaimer, I mean, 5-8 is getting you a killer completion percentage, but seriously.

#6 John Elway has my favorite caption. "Left NFL a winner." So did Robert Brooks. I don't see him limping his way into the #7 spot.

#8 Ronnie Lott and #13 Anthony Munoz. First, their captions are...well, amazing. Second a safety and a tackle in the top 15. Offensive tackle. Though great players, is anyone trying to tell me they played a greater role than Marshall Faulk, the most unfavorably positioned player on this list? Should the two hall of famers be in the list? Of course. But they're way too high. And while we are talking about less glorifying positions, where is Shannon Sharpe on this list- the guy who really revolutionized the modern tight end position, along with Keith Jackson.

#9 Tom Brady. Luckiest man in the universe. The true test of Brady would be the following: Could he go to Dallas and win? If he could, then he'd be a better player than Drew Bledsoe. Today, I'd still take Drew Bledsoe as a football player over Brady. Oh, and in case we forgot, that first Super Bowl wouldn't have been an option if Bledsoe wasn't around. How come Kurt Warner didn't make this list? His wife probably wouldn't let him be on it.

#22 Rod Woodson. First, I'd like to go out and say that there are probably people reading this who don't know who Rod Woodson is. He was a dominant force in Madden 64 as an offensive player with his 98 speed rating. Don't get me wrong, Rod was a stand out, but was he really a better choice than Darrell Green?

Maybe some day I'll do my own list to dominate this one. The only problem is mine would probably have some sweet guys like Bryce Paup and Christian Okoye on it. At least it'd have character. All in all, the list isn't that bad and is one of the better one's that I've seen. I'm over the whole Brady is a greater QB than Favre thing...I've just come to accept it. Just like I've come to accept the fact that Tom Cruise is in fact from outer space. Now, if you did a poll on top 25 players you'd most like to watch, something tells me your list would come out something like this near the top:

1. Barry Sanders
2. Deion Sanders
3. Brett Favre
4. Walter Payton
5. Marshall Faulk.
6. Herman Moore.

Yeah, I went there. Brett Perriman was no where to be found.

Fall Couldn't Come Sooner

This has to be the worst summer in the history of sports. It could just be the worst two weeks...but either way this summer has been slaughtered with nothing but controversy and it's really getting old.

Vick, Bonds, Selig, Stern, Donaghy...Lohan. What worse things could we be talking about? Did anyone know before last night that the Cubs had the best record in baseball since June 3? All this A-Rod business, but he hit his 499th career yard shot last night? There aren't even any serious trade talks going on in the MLB.

College Football can not get here fast enough. I'd take the NFL right now. I think I'm more fired up about the Thursday night Vest Virginia-Louisville game sometime late in the season than anything else going on in sports right now...and I don't even care about the Big East! Even though I should, those two teams are going to tear some people up this year.

The other thing about college football is that the scandals are at least entertaining and not demoralizing. I mean, we all know the NBA was fixed. My mom has been saying it since '97 and I she's right. Goes to show, Jordan>Reggie Miller+Donaghy=Karl Malone+Donaghy. How amazing was the Peter Warrick Dillard's incident? Even Free Shoes U. Or SEC coaches ratting each other out. At least that stuff comes and goes.

The biggest loser in all of these fiascoes is Virginia Tech. They were going to get the "America's Team" tag after the tragic shooting on campus last spring. I however, and I know I'm not the only, associate Michael Vick mor eso with VT than the Falcons, or dogfighting syndicates for that matter.

Even a feel good NFL story this year would be nice. Something that people can be happy about as the media has turned all of these sports scenarios in the past month into soap operas. Where's Lance Armstrong winning the Tour when you need him? Oh that's right, the guy leading the Tour got kicked off his team for not cooperating with drug testing policies. Sweet.

While in Chicago, Lou Pinella Went to some State Championship Playoff Games

The Cubs are rolling.

As of right now, there aren't many teams that opponents want to see less that the Chicago Cubs. The starting pitching is good enough, the bullpen is good enough, and the hitting is good enough, nice and timely.

What's making the real difference you ask?

I played baseball in high school at Hinsdale Central. We won or shared our conference title my freshman, sophomore and senior year. We had good teams, solid pitching and we were well put together. We always had strong starts to the season but began fading some towards the end. This resulted in none of the great HC teams ever winning a regional championship in history until a not as hyped team won HC's first regional a few years back.

We would have pretty decent seeds going into the regional tournament. But we would lose to teams that sometimes we beat throughout the course of the year. Why? The coaches tinkered with their lineups, rotations, and batting orders as the season went on to prepare for the state tournament. Their goals were not to win conference, but win in the state tournament. This is where we got greedy looking back.

Other teams used the regular season more like spring training. Messing around, finding the right pieces of the puzzle so even when the great HC team of '99 with Brad Zimmer and Brendan Ford made it to the regional championship, they got beat by none other than a Hinsdale South team with high pre-season expectations that weren't lived up to in the regular season, but did the trick in the post season, where it counts.

Lou Pinella has treated the Cubs the same way. Look at the lineup now...Soriano has been hitting in the five spot off and on recently. Michael Barrett is gone, Matt Murton, last year's leading hitter is in Triple-A with Felix Pie and '06 opening day shortstop Ronny Cedeno. Up the middle is the 2000 LSU double play combo who have obviously had some time working together.

Pinella, along with a number of players, came to this new environment of Chicago never playing together before. It takes time to put something together, just like in high school when your players change every year. There is time that must be taken to evaluate what you have and where it fits. Pinella is doing that perfectly. Rumor has it that Kerry Wood threw 95 the other day. Not sure what that means, but it could be good. He may not be able to miss a bat. Who knows.

Even if Wood came back, Pinella might not want him. Why disturb the chemistry of the team that right now is playing outstanding ball? It seems that Lou will make the right call either way.

Pinella is managing for the future. Tomorrow, the next game, and the next series by finding the best combination of players he can put on the field and evaluating the results every day. He's doing and awfully good job right now of it. Moral of the story? If Lou Pinella was the Hinsdale Central baseball coach, we'd be rolling in the regionals championships right now.

A Few Notes on College Football

I was watching something on ESPN last night...I know that's surprising...and Fowler, Herbie and Corso were on. This quickly made me happier. The joys of college football season's approach, the countdown to our tailgate in my apartment's parking lot for the Cal game, and the newly planned road trip to Gainesville.

Herbie felt the need to talk about the Pac-10. Usually, we leave this to someone like Mark May, but today it was Herbie. He made mention that the second best conference in the country this year is going to be the Pac-10. Interesting comment, here's why.

We all know that USC is going to be the #1 team in the country until they lose, mostly thanks to ESPN. If they lose is another story. Recently, USC has pretty much walked through the Pac-10 regular season schedule. Matt Leinart lost one game in league play, his first career start...and I think last year they got beat by and Oregon State and a UCLA, but I could be wrong about the former. This year, they are stacked, again. USC's strength is not negotiable. Pete Carroll is a great coach, who recruits whoever he wants.

The strength of the Pac-10 comes from how many games USC loses. Arizona is supposed to have their breakout year...that they were really supposed to have last year. I don't care what anyone says, Oregon is slipping. Cal, has one of the best play makers in the country in DeSean Jackson, but we will see what happens on September 1, baby.

If USC wins the Pac-10, it means their conference hasn't changed. No one has offered a contest in league play. Speculations on the Pac-10 can be done mid-season, but as no one is expecting USC to lose, let's not worrying about the West Coast...no one does anyway.

The other note I am going to make is that rumors are going around that Urban Meyer is going to institutionalize a two quarterback system at the University of Florida. Isn't Noah Brindise in their organization to tell them this isn't a good play?

What does this mean for the Gators, the SEC, the nation, and those who are obsessed with Tim Tebow? It means one of two things: first, Tebow isn't ready to take over the offense on a full-time basis or second, the freshmen blue chippers that came in this off season are in fact better than Tebow. Either way, it makes the Gators less effective on offense this year than the year previous. A wonderful piece of news for us Vol fans.

Speaking of the SEC, this is why no other conference can be listed with the SEC. Any one of the following teams can win the conference this year: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee. Also, off the top of my head, Tennessee has to play three of the remaining five and if one of the others are lucky, extremely lucky, they might only get two, keeping in mind that Alabama and South Carolina have two of the best coaches in the past twenty years of college football. Any questions?

No One is Getting to it Yet...So I will.

The British Open was worth the price of Comcast yesterday. When Pad nailed that eagle putt, it was on. The announcers, without Ian Baker Finch, were talking about Pad and his look of determination. He really did have it. When he got on the roll, the tournament was his.

So we talk about the choke of Sergio. First of all, did anyone really expect him to hold on? He knows and we know he can't seal the deal. People are going to be talking about the choke for a long time, but could it be that Sergio got flat out beat by a better player?

They say it is tough to carry the weight of being the leader through three days play. I can understand this as Sergio could really only play so well for so long. On Saturday late in the round he made that great pitch shot from the left rough to give himself an easy par chance. He looked poised.

But numbers get back to you. Unless you're John Huston, you're going to put up your share of bogeys to even your score out some. That's just how golf works, pros just have a few more birdies than bogeys, and us am's are dominant on the side of the plus.

Harrington is consistently one of the best golfers in the world. His ranking shows that, but so to does his manor of play. He's a mechanic. He's so head strong and always seems to be able to position himself to play the right shot when he's in contention.

One man who usually does the same is Tiger Woods. What's my point? Remember when I talked about how much I love Tiger's comment of "I just want to win majors?" There's only one left for him to win as he has thrown up the goose-egg for the first three. Not to say that he hasn't played extremely well in the majors for the most part this year...but his comment has the all important word of "win" in it. Tiger, when it counts the most, hasn't seem to put it together yet. Why is this?

His game isn't right. His swing doesn't look like it used to. A lot of focus has been put on Tiger and his fitness and strength but his swing five years ago was a lot more solid that of today's. You want to know who has the best game right now in golf? I don't know who I would say, but other than the fact that Tiger has that gear he can throw it in to make shots come out of no where, I wouldn't say Tiger. And maybe, just maybe, right now he would say the same.

However, the best game in golf, yesterday, belonged to Padraig Harrington. He won the Open Championship, Sergio didn't lose it. But it's over now, and what comes next is the PGA...the player's favorite major. Who's the favorite? You've got me. You should know that the last three PGA champs were the following: Tiger, Mickelson (horrible day in my life), and Vijay. And then Rich Beem. The last time Tiger went a full year without winning a major was actually a 2 year drought from 2003 to the '05 Masters. Will he win the PGA? Not if he keeps playing B+ golf. But then again, it is Tiger.

Johnny Drama Chase and David Beckham. They Just Want the 90210, Bro.

Is anyone sick of the whole "Say Hello to America" thing?

Mistake #1. "Say Hello to..." is a much appreciated line when followed by the correct finisher. "Say Hello to Heaven" is a truly great piece of music courtesy of the then unknown (not to be confused with Superunknown) and now recognized supergroup of Temple of the Dog. We all know where "Say Hello to my li ill friend" comes from.

Don't bring David Beckham in on this. If anyone knows the origin of the word "soccer" please let me know as I cannot seem to come up with it at this point in time. However, I am going to make a statement.

There is a reason that soccer if football in every other country in the world. It's because the America doesn't care about soccer. Everyone else int he world does. Most every country has also outlawed the death penalty... Do you watch soccer? I mean, as a sportsfan, I watch the championship game of the World Cup. I watched that Frog headbutt that other guy. I mean, that was cool. That's the end of it.

The MLS is basically an amateur league. All of the great players play in Europe. We can all probably name more full names of Euro teams than we can of the MLS. Man U, Real Madrid...that's all I've got. I've got the Chicago Fire...? Where's Ronaldo at? Or that other guy who is supposed to be better and has like the same name? Exactly.

So what in the world is David Beckham doing here? In America, we were all told about how great of a player he was, so we believed it not seeing him play or anything, and not caring because he plays soccer. But when the Beckham bug started to hit America, he went to play with ole Ronaldo on Real Madrid for a monster contract. Not even coming close to being the best player on his team.

Beckham mania is a worldwide phenomenon. That we have proof of. The guy is about as big as Jordan was in his prime, mainly because he plays a sport that is recognized in every country, besides America. His endorsement deals are absurd. The guy has amassed an amazing amount of wealth and fame and he's a sex symbol to women throughout the world. Probably some dudes too. So again, what is he doing in America?

I remember when I first heard of Beckham. I remember watching the interview and him saying that he wanted to take over America and become bigger than Michael Jordan. This was just before he changed his number from 9 to 23. That's not a direct quote, but something along those lines. Now in his 30's he's not the player he once was. He plays a sport that isn't a big deal here. Does he want to take on America by himself? He can't do it, no matter what he thinks. Soccer is never going to be able to compete in America. First because it's too boring for Americans and secondly, look at how big the most popular sports are. Major League Baseball, Pro Basketball, NFL, college football, college basketball...the NHL can't even make it anymore. With the demand for these sports, there isn't even enough space to air soccer on TV even if people started caring!

I just don't get it. I would like to sit down with this Beckham character and find out what exactly he is thinking. His coming to America kills his international fame, as the LA Galaxy don't really have an international backing. I understand that he and his wife Posh live a movie star lifestyle. They are, I will say, from what it seems a classy couple. Not to mention, she's a looker. But if you pulled up MSN.com yesterday, you would have seen that she's already in the news for not being friends with Paris. I don't know if the Beckhams are really looking for more attention, but they sure got plenty abroad. They didn't need to come here to do it. Their house in the 90210 can't really be better than their castle in England. Well, it was in England.

What does this all come down to? Beckham isn't relying on his athletic ability to make a difference. He's relying on his star power. This is my problem with him. If this is something that he wants to do, bring soccer to America, he needs to do it on the field. And from what I'm told, he doesn't have the game to back that anymore. He also doesn't play a sport of dominance. Let's say that Jordan wanted to bring basketball to England. He plays a sport where he can dominate, control, and inspire. Soccer players spend half of the game walking. Beckham's plan is not designed for athletic excellence. The only thing going for Beckham is that he's playing against a bunch of amateurs.

I've never really been a Beckham fan. When he said the thing about wanting to be bigger than Jordan, it really turned me off. Why? Jordan hits home with me, but Jordan never came out and said how huge he wanted to be. He came out and he played basketball to an ability that has been unmatched in sports history. With that came his fame, admiration, and respect. He did it on the court, and earned the benefits. If Beckham wants to be Jordan, he needs to prove to the world where Jordan proved his greatness. On the field of battle...not at a photo-shoot or the salon.

Gary Player's Hunt for Justice

There's a report running around that Gary Player is afraid of the use of steroids in golf.

Well, are you really surprised?

Someone in every pro sport is doing it. I don't exactly see golf as being a steroid type sport, but you gotta do what you gotta do. He says that he has a source that told player the source had used the juice, and another person confirmed the source's usage. Player said it this way:

"I took an oath prior to him telling me -- I won't tell you where -- but he told me what he did, and I could see this massive change in him," Player said. "And somebody else told me something, that I also promised I wouldn't tell, that verified others had done it."

Lest we forget, Gary Player is getting old. His eyes could be going bad just like his golf game. I suppose it was just a matter of time before the juice made its way into golf. I remember when clubs like the Carbite putter came out with sales pitches of "Why pay $400 for a driver when half the putts you take are on a putting green?" I'll tell you why Mr. Carbite, it's because the closer you are to the green, the higher the likelihood of hitting a lower iron approach, resulting in an easier shot, resulting in an easier first putt, with or without a Carbite putter.

Distance in golf really is a huge advantage for the pros, and even for us mid-handicapping am's. So I can understand where the need for the juice would be? Let's look at possible candidates:

Mike Weir: Smallest guy on tour. If he puts on a pound, Gary Player will notice.

Vijay Singh: Always wears really baggy shirts. Thus, if he started to fill out some, no one would notice.

Justin Leonard: Like Vijay, if he started to fill out, no one would notice.

Phil Mickelson: Doesn't have balls to lose anyway.

Here's my favorite part about Player's comments, he said the following with regards to random testing:

"Whether it's HGH, whether it's Creatine or whether it's steroids, I know for a fact that some golfers are doing it," he said.

If high school athletics tested for Creatine, I can assure that 98% of my high school football team would not have been eligible for the '01 season. I represented the other 2%. Gary Player loves me.

I don't love him back. Creatine? Are you serious? Are we going to start testing for protein? Caffeine? Red Blood Cells? Seriously. Do they sell caffeine in South Africa?

This steroid thing is getting out of hand as we all know. But when people like Gary Player bring it up internationally and sound stupid about it, makes America look stupid for having Congressional Committees concerning it's use. Oh, wait, it's still golf though. If you really take performance enhancing drugs to play golf of all things, well, that says a lot about yourself anyway.

What's up Annika?

Recent News and Notes

Yesterday's post was boring and bad. I am sorry. I was tired, needed to do stuff and had to throw something together in a hurry. Today, I have to do stuff, but am not as tired. Winner.

First, this is the last time I will touch on a Mike Vick off the field incident. I said earlier that it doesn't matter what he does, he will always have a job. The Falcons are going to lose Vick after this year...if they were smart they'd go get the now available Daunte Culpepper since Vick isn't going to play much this year I don't believe...but he will sign a contract similar to the namesake of this blog with a low salary, high incentive package. Vick's absence won't hurt the Falcons, it won't hurt the NFL. Dogfighting is bad I suppose, but I have seen horses shot on a track because they broke a leg. I mean, seriously, where are the animal rights protesters at the Derby?

News is that Barry Bonds hasn't gotten a hit in over a week. Me neither. And I don't have the pressure of breaking the all-time home run record. I'd give Bonds the edge on getting a hit before me...4-1.

The People's Republic of China is not allowing that Yi guy to go play in Milwaukee. They fear his commercial development will not be as strong as if he was playing in a big city. Maybe they need to realize that all the big city teams picked all of the players in the draft better than Yi so he went to the best team available! Wait a second! Could it be true their player wasn't the best in the draft? Could it be true that our government doesn't control where players are drafted? Or doesn't control who people watch on the TV? The blasphome of democracy!

On that subject, have you noticed how respectfully, for the most part, Japanese teams are about losing their players to America and how much the Chinese go Ivan Drago on it? I mean, yeah, DICE-K cost the Red Sox quite the penny just to get the chance to have him, but it's all business for the most part. And the Japanese fans flock to see him pitch and even just the place he pitches at with his picture outside. The Japanese show some class. We've already talked about Drago. I won't go there. Neither will Paul Stankowski.

I hate Phil Mickelson.

Apparently, his poor little wrist is ready to go. Then he said this.

"I have really struggled in the past off the tee," he said. "But I have been working on those low drivers that have been able to keep it in play and not have the crosswinds blow it off line. That's the key. Missing out on the playoff by one shot at Royal Troon was a big point for me because I finally had a good performance where I felt I could win — and was inches away from doing it."

Blah blah I felt I could win, blah blah, I finally had a good performance, blah blah. Feel sorry for him. Go ahead and do it. I'm not going to. I don't play his sympathy game. "Inches away..." Give me a break.

Finally, did you notice the Tour de France is going on? You didn't? Oh.

Neither did anyone else. The lack of an American makes the Tour a non-event in the US. A lack of Lance makes it go away. Even with Lance, after the first couple I was like, "This is cool." Then I tried watching it and realized that I'm not European, so it's not cool. Then it just went back to being really boring. Kind of like it is now. Sorry EU.

Open Time

In case you haven't noticed, well, besides that this is the first post in a while, The Open Championship starts this week. I apologize for my lack of posts. I have been busy. And thus this is no excuse, I saw The Police last Saturday. That makes it OK.

The Open Championship starts this week. Note, it will only be referred to as The Open Championship. Anyone wanting to refer to it as something else, don't.

I like The Open because it offers the viewer a totally different style of play which we rarely see in the States. It also offers us the chance to see players we wouldn't normally see. Would we have seen Jean Van De Velde in the US? Didn't think so.

We also have to recall, when we see The Open, we see golf how it was originally meant to be played. The tradition is to be mentioned above all else. And the respect that the European fans show, throughout most of the day before the booze really starts to kick in, is unparalleled to most sporting events.

What I do enjoy most is the fact that anyone can win. No one person is really a links player. Anything can happen from anywhere. At the US Open, you know the course is just going to be flat out hard. But The Open can go either way with the change of cloud coverage.

Tiger is a favorite, as usual, because of his recent scrappy play and ability to scramble when needed. Call me crazy, but I'm not taking him. He's not play that well. He's not playing well enough to win a major. Who do I like? I like Furyk and I like Angel. However, I really like Jose Maria this time. So does Ian Baker Finch I'm sure. I am also going to throw out an oldie but goody - Justin Leonard. Don't know why, but I'm feeling it.

Rough work week starting starting Thursday with the unappreciative hours of the Europeans. This means however, we can watch some golf with breakfast, like you should have done with Wimbledon. When the time comes Thursday morning, I will of course be rooting for my favorite player, the course.

Breaking Records and Being a Man

I remember my swimming days. I don't know how to say this any more clearly, but I was a dominant force in the Dolphin Swim League from ages 5-13. Breaststroke was my specialty and I rarely lost a race. Only to a kid who was a year older than me from Butterfield CC. He'd beat everyone by at least a half a lap. He was on steroids. I only had to race him every other year though. Kind of like interleague play. Or facing Roger Clemens.

With my dominance came records. My favorite was my 7-8 Boys 100M Individual Medley record: 2:11.34. Let's face it, the only reason I had it was because I was the only boy of that age in Edgewood Valley CC history to do it...it was previously listed as "NO RECORD." I also held every breaststroke record for my age group as I continued to progress in age.

Today, none of those records still exist. It seems that EVCC has out of no where become a dominant for in the Dolphin Swim League - Aurora CC was pretty tough to beat. When my first records fell, obviously I was a little upset, knowing that the legacy of me dominance would no longer be documented on the famous record board at EVCC but only in the area behind the bar at my parent's house where all of my trophies are. We won't even get into my diving capabilities. The 7-8 IM record too has since fell. Tear.

In my later years with appreciation for sports...it's great to hold a record. You own it. But I started thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be Ryne Sandberg. I wanted to be the best second baseman ever for the Chicago Cubs. Though Sandberg was my hero, I still wanted to be the greatest. This is why we have heroes...people to look up to, be inspired by, people to respect.

I don't think anyone ever woke up one morning and said, "Mom, I want to tie the all time home run record." I am sure many of us have woken up and said, "Mom, I want to break the all time home run record." Barry Bonds has a goal and that is to surpass Hank Aaron. He is going to do it.

What bothers me is that Hank Aaron refuses to acknowledge the situation. He refuses to be there at the presence of the record being broken that he has held since April 8, 1974. He refuses to specifically state why.

One can infer that he is unhappy with the speculation surrounding Bonds and the BALCO incident. Should this be the case, I believe that Hank needs to come out and say it. He needs to stop beating around the bush and get it over with. Maybe coming from Hank, this is something that we all need to hear.

The Maris family was present for the McGwire 62 and he was supportive of their family. McGwire appreciated the record he was breaking and they to appreciated the fact that some day, 61 would fall. How have they been dealing with the McGwire steroid deal? They dealt with it. The fact of the matter is that even if Aaron's record wasn't broken in the next few weeks by Bonds, it's only got a few more years...say ten to be safe before A-Rod breaks it.

So for all of you Bonds haters out there, Bonds will be the shortest lived home run king since the 1920's. We have talked a lot about fazes in baseball. Players are getting bigger, stronger, faster with technology and education. How long was this really going to last? Hank Aaron had one of the greatest careers in baseball history. The other question I pose to you is...if you had to put an all time team together, would Aaron be in your outfield? Would Bonds? Think about it. I don't think either would be in mine...Bonds maybe as a DH...but I'd have Ted Williams, Willie Mays and the Babe left to right.

A great point was made this morning that I can't take credit for. Mike Golic said that the breaking of the record is just as much of a celebration of Aaron as it is for Bonds. I agree. Regardless of who hits 756, the celebration is the record. Past, present and future. I would like to see all of the great home run hitters still with us there to celebrate...McGwire, Mays, Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks, whoever. It's a special time not only for the guys directly involved, but also for the fans who not only are seeing history take place, but for those who remember when Aaron broke the record. The moment, like the Mays moment on Tuesday, and the Sosa McGwire moment is what people will remember. Cal Ripken taking the victory lap. Ricky Henderson holding the base in the air. The two guys running the bases with Aaron.

What I'm getting at is this. Aaron's pride isn't more important than baseball. Aaron's opinion isn't more important than baseball. His legacy will not be tarnished by Bonds. Do we think of Babe Ruth as a B Teamer? To me, I think Babe Ruth when I think of the definition of a home run hitter. Aaron needs to accept the fact his record was going to fall and celebrate his career. Just like I said earlier, we all have heroes growing up, dreams and ambitions. We also have rivals too. I got a hit off of every pitcher I faced in our conference in high school from freshman-senior year accept one: Dan Rodriguez. The kid owned me, he was in my head, and he had the sickest sinker I've ever seen. Senior year I was hitting .500 going into a double header against LT where he started the first game. For the two games I was 0-8 with 5 K's. I drank beers and took shots of tequila with D-Rod a month ago. Bury the Hatchet? Check.

In time, maybe Aaron will learn to deal with his adversary. Maybe he won't. Maybe he should get over all the animosity and show up to celebrate the record. It's not about having respect for Bonds, it's about having respect for the game of baseball. One would think that a guy who played for 23 years would have some, wouldn't you?

I guess we'll never know.

All-Star Game Notes

A friend of mine and I were talking about how much we hate the All-Star break. What is there to do without fantasy baseball? Three whole days of no fantasy? I found myself moving Xavier Nady from 1B to Utility and Dmitri Young from Utility to 1B just to keep myself sane. That's what it came to.

But watching the game yesterday wasn't bad. The Willie Mays thing was pretty good. Signing the ball for Jose Reyes was a great moment...not as good as him saying, "We're cutting into TV time" on camera. Aside from Chris Isaak and the other guy singing off key, the pre-game stuff was alright.

The game wasn't bad either. Serious excitement in the 9th. Ichiro, dominating with an inside the park homer while going 3-3. I believe I said he was the MVP of the AL yesterday...if only I picked up fantasy points for All-Stars.

Fonz's homer in the ninth was exciting...but I think we all wanted to see Albert Pujols come up with the shot to win the game. It's gotten a little much when a player blasts his own manager for not putting him in. Let's face it, Pujols shouldn't have been there anyway.

Did anyone see Sports Illustrated when they did the cover story, "Living with Barry?" I did. Half of it was about how so much of San Fransisco hates Barry Bonds. I was wondering where the boo's were yesterday? He was an outstanding host and was well appreciated by the home-town crowd. Bonds, as mentioned in one of the first posts, isn't the media darling that say, Derek Jeter is. However, Bonds also has been pushed away by the media. My theory about Bonds is just like the 2004 Presidential Election; Remember when John Kerry was leading in the polls going into the election and Bush ended up winning? The theory that was generated was that no one really wanted to admit that they thought Bush was the right choice, but in a voting booth, who's going to see you vote? Grant, it wasn't a runaway Bon Jovi style, but you see what I'm saying.

I think the same is true with Bonds. Everyone knows deep down that he is a great player. He will go down, regardless if you like it or not, as one of the greatest ever to play. Again, as I have written about before and go back and read my Bonds post in May, he has adapted his game to his ailments in his later years. No one's body can go 30-30 or 40-40 for their entire career. Look at Carlos Beltran...he's been playing this whole year with a bad leg. It just isn't possible.

Bonds is a great player, like it or not. And on the stage when those who had the shot at booing him out, he received a bigger standing ovation than his godfather Willie Mays. Ask Russell Martin about boo's.

Finally, I believe this is going to be the last year for Tony LaRussa in St. Louis. It's a bold prediction, but I am making it. He won his title in the NL. Now, he can't handle his best player. Or his best player can't handle him. Regardless, I have a feeling this is going to be it. Why not? What else does he have to prove?

The All-Star Game wasn't bad last night. What's most exciting is that we're gearing up for a big time second half. The home run record will be broken. Speaking of...yesterday on Mike and Mike in the morning, they did a deal on the most impressive records held in sports not involving home runs. They did a pretty good job with it, I may do a better job tomorrow. We will see. Anyway, the home run record, intriguing players coming back from injuries, the AL Central race, and the guaranteed surges from Oakland and Houston that we get every year are going to be there for us to give us a great second half.

Until then, I'm going to move Kenny Rogers from Pitcher to Starting Pitcher.

Blogspott Won't Let Me Put A Title In for Some Reason.
So It's the MLB Mid Year Awards...No Owens Style.


Seemingly everyone who thinks their voice should be heard in the sporting world seems to give a "Mid-Year Awards" deal. Well, I think I should be heard, so here at No Owens, you're not going to get anything else.


The difference is that chances are, you aren't going to get the same, "logical" choices that others give. You will get the "most logical" when you look at my reasoning. And as we all know, I'm always right.


American League Most Valuable Player.

Most people would say...A-Rod. Surprise surprise. If not A-Rod, Vlad. If not Vlad, Mags. What do all these guys have in common? They are all middle of the order guys on teams with some protection for them. Big numbers? Yes. Good teams? All besides A-Rod. But like I said, these are all middle of the order guys. I find more value when someone as dominant in their role in another spot. And no one has been anywhere near as close in dominance to Ichiro Suzuki in the leadoff spot. He's second in the league in hitting (behind Mags) and he's scored 62 runs with the biggest hitter in his lineup being all of Raul Ibanez. He's struck out 35 times in 357 AB's. That's not too bad, neither is his .410 OBP. Possibly the most important part? The once dismal Mariners are only 2.5 games back of the perenially dominant Vlad and the Angels. Ichiro is making the difference in a statement year for his team. I'm taking Ichiro.

Watch for: The reigning champ Morneau however. He is quietly putting together an season together that could equal last year's.


National League Most Valuable Player.

I've tried, I really have, but I can't give it to Matt Holliday. I can't do it. I tried giving it to Jake Peavy. Can't do it. And he makes great amplifiers. It's Prince Fielder. It just is. The guy's having a monster season. It's about the same as Ryan Howard's last year. And yes, Howard should have won it last year. The stats don't lie. The timeliness of his hits don't lie. It's him. Watch for: A Met in the second half. Beltran has been hurting and he doesn't hit for average. Wright and Delgado have been "quiet." Look out for a Met to come out in the second.


AL Cy Young.

Tough call. Not really. 12-2 with a 3.44 in 16 starts? Yeah, it's Josh Beckett. The only reason Haren is getting the start tonight is because it's in his backyard. Oh yeah, I traded josh Beckett in my fantasy league before the season began...for Pat Burrell. Love it.

Watch for: Johan Santana. He's got 10 wins before the break. He could end up with 25.


NL Cy Young.

I would like to just say...The Padres. But in order to not create a stir in the San Diego dugout with Greg Maddux beating out all the young guns...I'm going to select Brad Penny. Yes, that Brad Penny. Leading the league with 10 wins and a 2.39 is about as strong as anyone right now. And where did this electric stuff come from the past couple years? He's good.

Watch for: Roy Oswalt in the second. The Astros are going to go on a run. They always do. Cabayo is quietly leading the NL in RBI. That never happens.



Rookies of the League don't matter halfway through. Why? The guy who plays third for Milwaukee would be the guy. He gets called up, hits third. Hits like .380 something. Oh, and I don't know his name. This is why they don't matter until the end of the year.



NL Worst Player Ever.

This award could go to two places. DP Alou has had a pulled quad since May. (Double Play Alou that is...and he runs like a goose. It hurts.) But I'm going with the once dominant Mark Mulder. Last year? Horrible. This year. Has he pitched yet? Biggest waste of talent. Biggest waste of an Oakland A's starting spot. Second in the balloting? Barry Zito. At least Hudson is getting his act together...

AL Worst Player Ever.

It's Jermaine Dye. It has to be. I've yelled and yelled about Dye so many times. To this day, someone won a World Series with Jermaine Dye as their third hitter. Some may call that good managing. I call that ridiculous. He is terrible. At least the Sox announcer makes his name sound good. Thanks for hitting .214. Remember when he didn't exist...I mean, he played in Kansas City? I liked that a whole lot better.

Biggest Disappointment Award.

Most people would say Bob (whatever happened to the Bob Abreu thing) Abreu. I'm going with his teammate Rob Cano. This guy almost won a batting title last year. He hits 9th or whatever for the Yankees. That should produce some runs. He isn't. He's got a great swing and doing nothing with it. Thanks big nasty.

Shawn Merriman Award (Get away with anything).

It's Giambi. How does this guy get so little for all of his steroid usage? Where is he? I know he's hanging our with Mitchell and all that...but is he getting paid? How come no one cares? What if this was Bonds? Griffey? Pujols? A-ROD? This would be the biggest thing since sliced bread? His publicist needs to be hired by H Dub for G dub, asap.

George Jung Award.

Does anyone find it interesting that all of these guys getting in steroid trouble played in Oakland? Then, when rumors started surfacing about Pujols, he pulled an oblique? I'll lay it out for you to play out.


Matt Stairs Award.

This award goes to Matt Stairs. As long as he is in the league, he deserves an award. If Glenallen Hill was still in the league, he too would also get an award every waking moment.


Go Away Award.

This award goes to the player that just needs to quit and move on. This award goes to Fernando Vina on Baseball Tonight. Just walk away.


Learn Another Sport Award.

Richie Sexson - Basketball. This guy is really tall. He also can't hit. He also resembles Dirk. Put it together. "Sexson, from way downtown. BANG!"



That's it sportsfans. The mid-year MLB Awards. If you have an award you want to be added to the list, let me know. I'll come up with something.

For those of you waiting for a First Half of the MLB Season Winners, Losers, most worthless person, whatever, you're going to have to wait.

For today, you can imagine what I am going to preach at you about. In fact, if you don't know, you don't come around here very often. If you do and don't know, then you really haven't taken much from my aforementioned bulletin board concept.

Boys and Girls, the question is...did you get up yesterday morning for Breakfast at Wimbledon? I am going to assume that there is at least one person reading today who didn't. And for the rest of you, you have to suffer because of that one person who didn't. Because that person is a moron. MORON.

I haven't gone back to count, but I have written about the whole Federer thing, the Federer/Nadal thing plenty of times before. If you keep coming back to read, then something must be clicking. Well, if you didn't watch yesterday, nothing's clicking above your neck.

This was, one of the greatest matches I have ever seen. The Sampras/Agassi US Open was amazing but so too was yesterday's Wimbledon Gentleman's Singles Final. After Nadal fell down a break in the first, he fought back to force a tiebreak, won by Federer. The two great players split the next two sets and as Federer was getting more and more frustrated by the ridiculous and unnecessary Hawkeye electronic scoring system, Nadal was commanding the match with a 6-2 victory in the fourth set.

Throughout the entire match, Nadal seemed to have a shot for everything. I don't know what the stats ended up being, but seemingly every time Roger came to the net, Rafa had a blistering passing shot that Roger was no where close to.

Add all of Nadal's answers to Federer's technological frustration and mid-way through the fourth, Nadal seemed to be in command. Then he needed treatment for his right knee. The stoppage of play gave Federer a bit of time to re-group and though he lost the fourth set, he came out like a man on a mission in the fifth. Nadal, continued to put together unbelievable shots and his knee seemed to not faze him as he still played as hard as ever.

But in the end, Federer, the great champion, could still put it into another gear with the game on the line like we have seen so many great ones in other sports do. Up 5-2 in the fifth, in the longest game in the match on Nadal's serve, we could all see the Federer wanted to end the match with one swing. His return of Nadal's second serve was huge, but not perfect. After a few solid ground strokes Nadal forced up a desperation lob which Federer smashed to secure is fifth consecutive Wimbledon title.

For a moment, I'll get away from Federer's greatness. After the match, Nadal was absolutely exhausted. Nadal plays tennis the way Darrin Erstad plays baseball. Balls to the wall at all times, giving everything he possibly has on every point regardless the potential outcome. This is why we love watching Nadal. This is why we loved watching Erstad in Anaheim. And in Lincoln...he still is Nebraska's all time leading punter. But Nadal is the hardest working man in tennis, if not all of sports. He plays with an unrivaled passion, great will and heart. Oh, and not to mention, he's got some talent too. The level to which he pushes his opponents physically and mentally is amazing. The fact that Federer still has a losing record against him, is too a little amazing.

We will see at the US Open. Nadal isn't great on the speedy hard courts. He can't slide and dive and sit down to still hit winners like he can on grass and clay. Federer is alright on the hard stuff I would say. It's going to be interesting to see if Nadal can make a good run in New York because I think we all know Roger will. Keep in mind, Roger didn't play his best yesterday. We've seen him play better, play better against Nadal. I think Roger at the French played better in the final than he played yesterday.

But like the great ones, he kicked it into gear when he had to. He can dig deep and find that something extra that no one has. Nadal doesn't have it yet. He may some day, but not yet.

Watching truly great athletes is something not everyone appreciates, but they should. And if you're in fact that one guy. Start.

ESPN - Huh?

If you read daily, weekly, or know anything about what's going on here, you know about my usual distaste for ESPN. I mean, the concept is good, and the network used to be amazing. Now it's got a cheese factor well above ten and a monopoly on sportsfan viewing. We deal with it. Kind of like how Communists just deal with their governments.

Setting the beliefs of Vlad Lenin aside, I want to briefly mention a couple of the widely publicized events on the network. This shouldn't take but a moment.

First. This "Who's Now" thing. Who cares? If they really wanted to do a "bracket style tournament" of the modern athletes, and put them into four brackets of athletes that were once "Now," first of all, Billy Jean King doesn't fit the bill. I don't really think...Michael, Babe, Ali, BILLY...a female BILLY. Is this serious? I mean...they could have gone with like, Wayne Gretzky, arguably the most dominant athlete in any sport statistically. Or like, Pele if they wanted to diversify. Or like, a Dale Sr. No...BILLY JEAN KING. Don't get me wrong, Billy Jean King was great...but I don't exactly put her in the category of the others. Especially with all of the "Now" categories. Neither did ESPN when they did their Sports Century 100 Greatest Athletes gig.

But who really cares? The fans can vote on this thing. The fans also vote on the All-Star Games. These are the same fans that didn't select Matt Holliday to the starting lineup. The same fans that made Pudge Rodriguez the starting Catcher in the AL. Had this thing gone on 10 years ago...the two most "Now" athletes would have been Jordan and...Michael Schumacher. But would anyone have voted for Schumacher? Didn't think so. This "Now" thing is stupid. Disney needs to go away. Get back to ESPN when it was Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman. What's up Kilborn.

Round two just shows you how stupid these people are. You know that movie about the Yankees that ESPN is doing, mini-series, whatever. Rick Sutcliffe doesn't even really sound excited about? Well, it starts at 10 EST on Monday. You know what's on at 8? The Home Run Derby. The Home Run Derby is the most drawn out thing ever. That thing is going to last far longer than two hours. It always does. Berman gets bored. I don't even watch it anymore. Do they really expect that stupid mini-series to air on time? Maybe, just maybe, ESPN realized that no one cares about this Reggie Jackson series and how the Yankees saved New York (when only five people have ever saved New York...Giuliani and The Beatles) and they just don't want it to air. Regardless. Scheduling error. If that thing goes off on time, well, I will be for the first time, wrong.

ESPN has us by the you-know-whats. We can't do anything about it which is both bogus and sad. However, we have to deal with it because there isn't really another source for halfway decent sports entertainment on the tv. Fox Sports doesn't really matter I suppose. What happened to WGN being "America's #1 Sports Network?" Best of luck navigating ESPN for the next few weeks...I'm looking forward to seeing as much of the Transporter on FX as possible.

As Mentioned: The First Non Sports Post.

I said the other day that chances are, the next post would be about the new Velvet Revolver album, Libertad. I don't like to lie.

I went to pick up the album and Shooter (which was sold out at Target) after lunch Tuesday afternoon. We were at the Chinese Buffet. Needless to say, I need some headbanging afterwards.

When I got back to the office, I inserted Libertad into my CD drive. I realized I was at work, so I couldn't rock it that hard. Then I realized that no one on my floor had checked in given that the next day was a Holiday.It got louder.

The first song, "Let it Roll," is an in your face rocker. Strong riff, yelling, strong power chords, great opening song. Followed by "She Mine," "Get Out The Door" and the first single "She Builds Quick Machines," the first four songs on the album are all single material, all rock hard with delicately complex material. Not messing too much with the rockin' riffs, but adding just enough artistic flair to recognize that the guys who put this album together can still add the signatures that made their previous bands great to a band who's second album is groundbreaking in this time of music mostly comprised of computer beats.

Guns N' Roses (former band of VR's Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum) and Stone Temple Pilots (former band of VR's Scott Weiland) were known most for in your face, face melting, fist pumping rock. "Paradise City," "Welcome to the Jungle," and my favorite GNR song, "Nightrain," exemplify this, along with STP's "Plush," "Interstate Lovesong," "Big Bang Baby" and "Vasoline."

But the GNR songs that we most remember...the ballads. "Sweet Child O' Mine," "November Rain," "Patience." Libertad brings the Slash ballad back in a driving force. You know, that whole starts slow, ends up rockin' hard deal? "Last Fight" and "Gravedancer," I believe are the prizes of this album. Delicate riffs, meaningful vocals, huge solo, fantastic coda. It's the formula that Slash has made his name on and he absolutely nails it on Libertad.

I think that's what makes these guys different. After what they've been through professionally, socially and personally, they still look most at rock and roll artists, looking to blend their talents in a way that enhances those experiences but still generating a new form of music. You can hear some GNR in the album, but it's not a GNR album. There are times in the album where you totally feel a mid-90's vibe...with Slash.

People talk about Slash. Some people think he's the most overrated guitar player of all time. These people, frankly, are morons. He can play any style of music, and incorporate it into his own. His chops are as good as any one's out there. Can he play as fast as a Zakk Wylde? No. And he doesn't want to. The reason Slash is one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and the greatest guitarist of this generation is his taste. Regardless of the type of music, Slash finds the best note to play at all times and how to maneuver to the next, great note he hits. Not to mention, he has been doing this since the mid 80's...and still never letting go of rock and roll, and continues to produce great records, with his bandmates, most of which he's been with in the best and worst years.

Moral of the story...you need to by this record. It's the best piece of music I've bought in years. And be careful, this isn't Appetitite for Destruction. Nothing will ever be Appetite. It's, in my opinion, the second greatest album of all-time. But remember this, Velvet Revolver wasn't looking to recreate anything they'd already done. Libertad has blended the bands musical talent together to create their own sound and one great album.

The Ongoing Motivational Device that is No Owens Sports

I think that I should change the name of the blog to "The Bulletin Board." It seems that athletes use this blog as such material.

I talked about Soriano and my displeasure with his presence as a human being in the early stages of the blog. He got hot. He cooled off again and I bashed him some more. Eleven homers in June later, he's going to the All-Star Game.

In light of the post after this being the first musically inclined post with the release of Velvet Revolver's new album today (no I don't have it yet...someone is coming by the office anytime so I couldn't pick it up before coming in...I will after this visitor leaves) something about how amazing Slash is will probably be provoked for the next post.

All this being said...I watched the Yankees play last night. It was...not as painful as usual, but less painful than the latest episode of Super Nanny or Serena Williams in a full body suit. Serena isn't what you'd call a slender woman. White isn't really the best color for her frame. Anyway, you ask why the Yankee game wasn't that bad?

Well, A-Rod had to leave with an injury. That makes anyone feel good. I laughed when Derek Jeter was awarded a 2 RBI Single on a ball that if it had been hit by anyone else would have been an error on Jeff Cirillo. So I was entertained by my two least favorite players in baseball...but most by the #3 guy.

Roger Clemens looked outstanding last night. Remember earlier when I wrote about pitchers learning how to take themselves late into games? Taking the page out of the Pedro Martinez playbook and rely more on groundball outs than K's? Clemens did that last night. He pitched eight solid innings, heavily relying on the groundball out. He threw more splitters than I could count and it's still a nasty pitch, but he sets it up differently at this stage in his career and with his lesser velocity, you can touch it. You just can't touch enough of it to get it out of the infield.

Clemens looked like a pitcher last night. Not an overpowering machine that he has been famous for throughout the rest of his career. If I recall correctly, Sut said he was under 100 pitches last night as well. So too was Felix Hernandez after throwing eight innings for the Mariners. This fad is going around to power pitchers, and they are reaping the benefits.

Oh, and buy Libertad today. If not, Slash will kill you.

I Didn't View a Sporting Event All Weekend

It is possible. It can be done. It requires a lot of drinks, but it can be done.

You read correctly, I didn't watch any form of sporting event this weekend. I didn't watch a single highlight. How is this possible?

Well, I left work AFTER the Cubs game on Friday to drive to Knoxville. My girlfriend and I had to be in her hometown of Dayton, TN on Saturday for a wedding. Needless to say, my Blackjack doesn't get much of the 3G Network there.

Anyway, after dinner Friday, we went to Toddy's, say on the porch, hung out with some friends. No TV out there. After enough beers, it was time to go home, pass out.

Saturday, after pretty much just started with driving to Dayton. There, we just hung out before getting cleaned up for the wedding. This, one would assume would be prime TV viewing time. Well, though it was peaceful anyway out on the deck, her parents seemingly don't have ESPN. Which is both bogus and sad. Not wanting to push the issue, I said nothing, didn't force my way into a mid-afternoon Wimbledon replay, and caught the scores on my phone...at a not so rapid pace.

The wedding was out of doors, nice, very hot. I'm a sweat-er. Not to be confused with a sweater. I am not made out of wool. So I proceeded to sweat a lot outside, and then at the reception, outside. No TV.

However, the reception was a rockin' party. Lots of southern rock. Enough dancing. And lots of running to the front to headbang for no apparent reason other than they played "Can't You See" and they had a real flutist. They weren't Aqualung, the Ultimate Tribute to Jethro Tull, but they got the job done.

Needless to say, when we stumbled back to the ole parent's home, it wasn't really an option to grab the 2 AM Sportscenter. Not because I didn't want to wake up the girfriend's parents...but it just wasn't an option given cablistic capabilities. Caught the scores before going to bed.

More of the same on Sunday. Tried to go out on the lake...God had a different plan. He threw lightning at us. He won.

So we got back to Knoxville and went to dinner. Came back, cable, AC, all available. With Sunday Night Baseball being a definite possibility, what was on SPIKE last night? ROADHOUSE.

Some Tigers game? Roadhouse? Sorry, I went with Dalton. Sometimes you have to. Placido Polanco doesn't do a lot for me. Roadhouse also has the best exchange of lines in any movie:

Girl: You gotta name?
Dalton: Yeah.

Moral of the story is yes, it is possible to go through a weekend without sports. However, I got lucky...time was passed by driving, enjoyment by beer, and entertainment by Swayze.

Don't try it. I don't recommend it, but for all of you out there who depend so hard sports to get you through the days...make sure you go pick up Roadhouse on DVD for 99 cents and carry it in your car at all times.