The End of the Steroid Era?

Baseball needs to realize that the only way to end the steroid era is to put their money where there mouth is. There ought to be a clause in every player's contract that if they are caught using performance enhancing drugs that they can be immediately reduced to the league minimum salary for the term of their current contract and must pay any performance based or signing bonuses back to the club.

Oh, wait, the players union...well it was a thought.

Sit or Start?

The Fantasy Gods have given me favor this year. Aside from the early loss of Jake Delhomme, the injury bug has stayed away and Derek Anderson filled the void. Travis Henry was a bust, but Earnest Graham was gift wrapped on the waiver wire. Game day decisions where only difficult on the bye weeks, and I still don't have a loss in a non-bye week game. The most difficult decision I am faced with weekly is Derek Anderson or Matt Hasselbeck. Only once has either been a bad pick, and I nicely avoided those starts. But now, as a Championship hangs in the balance, I am forced to wonder how the ever conservative Colts will play it this week. I could start Addai. I could start Keith. I could roll the dice and go with Chester Taylor who will be running against the soft Redskins.

On paper it shouldn't matter. Hasselbeck will run his new pass first offense against Baltimore....no problems there. That gives Engram a good game and my other two receivers are number 1 and 3 among receivers this year. Oh, but T.J. is in a drought and Randy's team has clinched. Oh that my first tough decision in weeks were not on Championship week.

But then again, why am I crying. The Gods have smiled on me thus far, and I should be appreciative.

Fukudome!

The Cubs picked up Japanese baseball star, Kosuke Fukudome (KOH-skay foo-koo-DOUGH-may. He looks like a promising pick-up; he is left handed, has a career average of .305, and averages 29 dongs a year. Don't get too hopeful though, Fukudome sat half of last season with chips in his elbow...hey I thought we were trading Mark Prior. For more details check out the following stories:

Cubs Win Fukudome Sweepstakes

Here is and SI article on Fukudome before he decided to come to the U.S.

Why Fault Tinsley?

Jamal Tinsley's actions were not wrong because he chose to go to a club. No, not even Cloud 9 should be off limits to professional athletes or anyone else for that matter. Whatever a grown man wants to do with his time is his business. The problem is that I have read about him for the wrong reasons three times in the past 14 months. Plenty of NBA stars now and in years past have led very active social lives that included Cloud 9 and many other clubs like it without any headliners. The problem seems to be related to the choices he makes when he is out with his entourage. Something about the way Tinsley lives the club lifestyle gets him into the news, and he needs to evaluate that both for his public image and for his own life.

Last week the Washington Redskins put one of their players to rest. Sean Taylor's memory should inspire all professional athletes and people in general to evaluate their actions and the consequences of those actions. Jamal Tinsley is fortunate that he did not suffer a similar fate. This isn't about whether or not he, as a man, is free to do what he wants when he wants. It is about whether or not his freely chosen actions place his reputation, or more importantly, his life in jeopardy.

Ravens Dale?

This afternoon I enjoyed my weekly three hour listin in on the Drive with JMV on WNDE. I am only a little ashamed that my favorite part of the show is listening to Ravens Dale mouth off and give ridiculous take after ridiculous take. He never ceases to amaze me, but today may have topped them all.

Dale calls in, and of course he is backed into a corner because we smacked Baltimore this weekend; so, instead of his usual song and dance, he comes out with, "the Colts are the best team in the NFL without question". The most loyal Colts fan cannot grant this point. 13-0 including a win over our beloved Colts speaks for itself. After this ridiculous Colts love from a long time Colts hater confirms one of my long time suspicions. Ravens Dale assesses what is real in this world and then takes the opposite stand point. Given the Ravens tank job this year, Ravens Dale's newfound support for the home team is an insult to listeners. Does Ravens Dale really think we are the top dog? Of course not, but if he came on and spoke some sense about the caliber of team both New England and Indianapolis are this year, we would have no reason to continue speaking about his severe case of ignorance. But, what could we expect from someone who doesn't seem to know what it means to argue from the high side?

One Ref Does Not A Conspiracy Make

After watching this week's Monday Night Game, I was frustrated to hear all of the crying. While it was also frustrating to see three fourth down opportunities granted to New England on one set of downs, the calls that were made were the correct calls. Baltimore had opportunity after opportunity to salt this game away. Is Boller so bad that he can't complete a pass down field with 8 and sometimes 9 men in the box? After being gashed for three quarters, the New England 'D' sold out on the run. The simple response is to throw over the top to force them out of the box. Bad turnovers, shaky play calling, and a great opponent are the reasons for this Baltimore loss; not one way out of line ref.

Calling Sumari Rolle a 'boy' is completely out of line and if this is substantiated this ref should be fined, suspended, and put on probation. On the local radio station a college ref called in and said that he was taught that as a ref you should always keep in mind that "you can't quote silence". They teach refs this because we don't want to hear about refs. They are there to police the game, not to require policing. This said, the level of complaining, moaning, and griping seemed pretty high and might of tested those who are not strong of mind. I won't forgive this guy for losing his cool, but I don't want to exonerate his antagonists either.

This whole business of the NFL trying to sell their Network by keeping New England undefeated is a little ridiculous. Are they going to sing and dance on the way to the bank if this happens? Of course they are! But, to say that they are behind some sort of ridiculous conspiracy to allow New England to go undefeated is a more than a little crazy. The strongest point against this conspiracy theory is that if the NFL was going to affect the outcome of this game it would have chosen a much less abrasive method than having the refs taunt the opposing team. Come on!

However unfortunate it may be, New England is undefeated becasue they make plays when it counts and often when it doesn't.

Central Champs!

It is a glorious October day, and I can relax knowing that the Chicago Cubs are here to play another day. It hasn't been pretty, but we have arrived in the post season ready to vanquish the Goat for which this blog is named.

I can only relax for a day however; tomorrow begins the madness. In a weak NL, it appears that the Cubs are the most complete team, and should have a good shot at appearing in their first World Series since 1945. But it is the same Chicago Cubs franchise who boasted a 3-2 lead going into game six of the 2003 NLDS with Prior and Wood to start games 6 and 7: a virtual lock. What we have now is not near a 'virtual lock' yet we must try to climb the mountain again. Maybe Lou Piniella has what it takes to fire this thing into the Series, but tomorrow I will put down my lemonade and grab a beer. It's going to be a wild ride!