LaRussa mulling future as Cardinals' manager

Just a couple of days removed from the St. Louis Cardinals' exit from the 2009 Playoffs, talks of Tony LaRussa's future as manager are starting to emerge.

LaRussa said he's not sure whether he wants to return for a 15th season with the Cardinals, where has has won seven division titles, two National League Pennants and the Cardinals' 10th franchise World Championship in 2006.

After pondering his team's play in the final two weeks of the season, which carried over to the Playoffs, LaRussa said he's been questioning his effectiveness as a manager.

But the management says they fully expect LaRussa to be back, and would welcome him back if he chooses to stay.

"The formula is still the same," La Russa said to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. "Do the guys still respond to your leadership? You've got to think about it. If the answer is yes, then you go to the next steps. I don't know. We'll see. I just started thinking about it, so I can't give you an answer. I know what the formula is."

General Manager John Mozeliak said LaRussa has a job if he still wants it, but said he has not yet spoken with him about the future.

"We need to sit down and talk," Mozeliak said in a story on ESPN.com. "We don't need to do it today because it's still pretty fresh, the wound."

LaRussa isn't the only member of the Cardinal family who could possibly be on the move this off-season. In fact, quite a number of Cardinals could depart before next season.

It's been well documented that pitching coach Dave Duncan could be on his way out of St. Louis. To say Duncan was upset about his son's departure and the fan's reaction to the trade would be an understatement. Also, other organization problems were cited regarding Duncan's situation. However, Mozeliak said he felt confident that Duncan would return next season as the pitching coach.

If Duncan leaves, St. Louis would lose one of the best pitching coaches in the league. Duncan has single-handedly revived many pitchers careers once they arrived in St. Louis. The success of the 2006 World Series Championship team's pitching staff was very much due the to work of Duncan. Jeff Weaver, Jason Marquis, and Jeff Suppan all saw their stats improve drastically during their time in St. Louis. This year, John Smoltz has seen his career revived by Duncan's abilities.

Smoltz is also among the list of players who could possibly be moving elsewhere. He is joined by third baseman Mark DeRosa, Joel Pineiro, Matt Holliday, Rick Ankiel and Todd Wellemeyer.

Smoltz and the Cardinals seem to share mutual interest in a one-year contract. They would also like to resign Mark DeRosa, who is the epitome of a utility man and is a perfect fit for Tony LaRussa's style of baseball.

However, it's almost a given that they will depart with injury-stricken third baseman Troy Glaus, as well as shortstop turned third basemen Khalil Greene, who's had his own set of problems.

It's also very unlikely that they will resign pitcher Joel Pineiro as they will look for a cheaper option. Pitchers like Pineiro are a dime a dozen in the Majors, so his departure wouldn't have as much impact as that of Matt Holliday.

Resigning Holliday will be the primary focus of the off-season for Mozeliak and the Cardinals management. After trading away two of the top prospects in the farm system for Holliday, Cardinals fans would be very disappointed if a deal doesn't get done involving Holliday returning to the club.

He's consistently stayed undecisive when questioned about his plans for next season, but my guess is that he will not return to the Cardinals.

Holliday will want more money, but Albert Pujols is also looking for a contract extension and more money. So that willl make it tough to sign Holliday, who will likely be a hot commodity for many teams looking for a big bat in the middle of their lineup. Since the Cardinals don't have an expandable amount of money like many of the bigger markets, it's going to be a tough task for Mozeliak and his team to convince Holliday to stick around.

Outfielder Ryan Ludwick said he would like to see Holliday return in 2010.

"If they get something done, they get something done," Ludwick said. "I think he knows everyone likes him."

Nevertheless, it's looking like the 2010 St. Louis Cardinals could be a very different team than this year's, but it's all depends on the wonderful game that is free agency.

This is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen

Browns' Edwards back at it again

Surprise, surprise. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards added to his long list of off the field problems this weekend.

Edwards allegedly punched a friend of Cavaliers star LeBron James at a Cleveland night club early Monday morning.

Basically what happened was Edwards showed up to this club with some teammates and saw James' friend Edward Givens and began degrading him.

Givens was quoted in a story on ESPN.com by saying "He said if it wasn't for LeBron [James] or the Four Horsemen [James' friends and business partners], I wouldn't have what I have, nor would I be able to get girls. Everyone knows Braylon has a problem with LeBron."

James called Edwards "childish" for his actions. Quite frankly, James is right.

"I've never crossed paths with Braylon before, but it seems like there's a little jealousy going on with Braylon and me and my friends," James said on the ESPN.com story. "I have no idea why. I've never said anything to Braylon at all. But for him to do that is very childish. My friend is 130 pounds. Seriously. It's like hitting one of my kids. It doesn't make sense."

Apparently Edwards had one too many Five Hour Energy drinks and decided to be up late after one of his worst performances in his career. If you recall, Edwards was also with Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth when Stallworth killed a man while driving drunk in Miami.

At least Edwards was sincere in his apology, tweeting that He has no problems with LeBron and admires and respects him. Yeah, right.

Come on Braylon. You just punched a guy who is probably 100 pounds lighter than you and several inches, and you're going to tweet the apology? You're pathetic. Man up, issue a statement, and admit that you messed up.

The Best All-Time College Basketball Programs

ESPN has released its new "ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia," and by all accounts it's an incredible read. But at the end is a listing by Jeff Sagarin of the greatest college basketball programs of all time and that ranking has prompted heated debate throughout the college basketball world.

For those unaware, Jeff Sagarin is arguably the most well-known sports statistician in the nation. His methodology uses only wins and losses, and teams gain higher ratings within the Sagarin system by winning games against stronger opponents, factoring in such things as home-venue advantage. Sagarin resides in Bloomington, Indiana and his rankings regularly appear in USA Today. His statistical rankings are considered so good that gamblers use them as a source of "Power Rankings," traditionally used as a way to determine the spread between two teams.

Thus, within each season Sagarin's rankings carry a fair amount of weight and should be respected as one of the most unbiased ranking systems. However, in turning his statistical expertise to the best college basketball programs of all-time, Sagarin has stirred up controversy. Pat Forde explains why in a well-reasoned column at ESPN.com.

(Indiana clocks in at 5th place, with Western Kentucky placing at a respectable 44th.)

Fantasy Watch: Week 4

Welcome back to my blog!

What better way to come back than to talk some Fantasy Football?

By now, it's easy to see who the key producers are so far this season Fantasy wise. However, there are still a few guys out there who are productive and may be going unnoticed.

Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee has been one of the most consistent kickers in the league in recent years and isn't slowing down this year.

I know what you're thinking. Why put too much thought in your kicker, right? Well, if you were smart enough to pick up Scobee as your kicker (like I was) at the beginning of the season, you would be the beneficiary of 10 extra point and seven field goals, including two over 50 yards.

If you have a kicker who can score you a lot of points each week (much like Scobee did today vs. Tennessee) it could mean the difference between a win and loss. And who wants to lose a game by just a few points? Not me.

Denver running back Correll Buckhalter has been pleasantly productive in filling in for rookie Knowshon Moreno when he was dealing with his injury at the beginning of the season. He has rushed for 230 yards and touchdown so far and is averaging 76.7 yards a game, a pretty respectable number. He can be trusted in deeper league's if you are in need of running back help.

With Moreno back, he'll likely split carries but still put up decent fantasy numbers

Jacksonville has another hidden gem in wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker. He has 19 catches for 278 yards so far, including a break-out week against the Titans where he caught seven passes for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sims-Walker appears to be the No. 1 targer it Jacksonville and is a tremendous young talent with a lot of upside.

If he's still available in your league, pick him up now.

Red Sox in the middle of active day in trading

It's been a rather busy day for the Boston Red Sox, to say the least.

Early Wednesday morning the Sox acquired 1B Adam LaRoche from the Pirates for Double-A shortstop Argenis Diaz and Class-A right-hander Hunter Strickland, an 18th-round draft pick two years ago.

Later on in the afternoon, after much speculation, the Cardinals and Red Sox agreed on deal that sent struggling OF/1B Chris Duncan and a player to be named later to Boston for aging SS Julio Lugo.

Everyone knew the Red Sox were going to add a bat, it was just a question as to who it would be and when. Adrian Gonzalez was also mentioned as a candidate.

I like the LaRoche deal for the Sox. They get an everyday guy who can hit and play very solid defense. His average is struggling a little bit this year, hitting just .247, but he's hit 12 HR and 40 RBI. Mike Lowell is coming off an injury, so he can't be trusted everyday just yet. This move will allow Kevin Youkilis to spend some time at third base and LaRoche get some time at first base. Also, they now have a bat that can slip in to the DH hole if David Ortiz needs a day off.

It was also reported that the Red Sox are still scouting Victor Martinez. Cleveland has shown a great interest in pitching prospect Clay Buchholz, so keep your eyes on that situation as something may unfold in days to come.

However, I don't understand the Duncan/Lugo deal at all. I don't see what either of these two teams gain from it. Duncan has struggled all season and has seen his playing time decrease significantly from Opening Day and was designated for assignment just before this trade went down . He's hitting a measely .227 with just 5 HR and 32 RBI. That's not at all the kind of production Tony LaRussa and the Cardinals were expecting out of him this season.

Boston is more than happy to part ways with Lugo, but I don't understand why any team would be interested in him at all. He's struggled in just about every opportunity he got this year in Boston, and though his average is high, he doesn't hit for power and doesn't have much speed. Also, his defense has been a little suspect at times.

The thing that sticks out in my mind most of all is that the Cardinals already have two young shortstops that are playing very well. Brendan Ryan is slowly becoming one of the best defensive shortstops in the National League, and is also hitting near .300. Also, Tyler Greene has shown positive signs on the defensive end.

The Cardinals made it clear that they wanted to add another bat, but if they thing Lugo is the answer, my gut feeling is that they will be thoroughly disappointed.

If they were that eager to trade Duncan, it would have made more sense for their team to go after a LHP of some sort, be it a reliever, or a starter. Todd Wellemeyer has to be the next guy out given his constant inconsistency throughout the course of this season.

Cardinals don't need Halladay

The Cardinals are among the list of teams that are interested in Roy Halladay.

However, they simply don't need him.

The Blue Jays have made it very clear what they want in return: A set of star prospects. In the case of the Cardinals that would likely mean Rookie of the Year candidate Colby Rasmus, future closer Jason Motte, and minor league star and future third baseman Brett Wallace, who is ranked the No. 21 best prospect by Baseball America.

In my opinion, giving up those guys for Halladay would possibly be one of the worst moves in Cardinals history.

Think about it.

These guys are the future of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. We all know what Rasmus is capable of, and he can only go up from here. Motte is arguably the next Eric Gagne (when he was good, of course), and Brett Wallace is simply a stud.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said "there's always a chance to make a deal." He also said he would call the Blue Jays, but suggests some in the organization would not consider dealing Wallace, a guy the Blue Jays wanted in last year's draft.

I'd rather see the Cardinals go after a low-end lefty, something they need in their all right handed rotation. Todd Wellemeyer might be the streakiest pitcher in baseball, and Chris Duncan doesn't bring much to the table when he's in the game. That being said, those two guys have to be the top guys to be traded as the deadline approaches.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Doug Davis has been rumored as a possible target for the Cardinals. However, I'd rather see them go after Jarrod Washburn of Seattle, or Paul Maholm of Pittsburgh. Washburn was rumored to be on the block, and since Pittsburgh is pretty much cleaning house, I don't see why Mozeliak wouldn't go after Maholm, a solid lefty who just needs a good offense to back him up.

The Cardinals will likely make at least one more move before the deadline, but dealing for Halladay should not be one of them. The asking price is just too high and in my opinion, the Cardinals would lose more than they would gain.

Braves getting more serious about trade talks

It was reported earlier last month that the Brewers had interest in Javier Vasquez.

After those initial discussions, trade talks revolving the Braves has diminished, until now.

Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that Vasquez and shortstop Yunel Escobar are possibly two players the Braves could part ways with by the July 31 deadline. They said they don't really want to get rid of Vasquez, but would consider it if it meant bringing in an "impact" player, presumably a bat. Escobar's contract is affordable for pretty much any team, and with the recent problems between manager Bobby Cox and the young shortstop, Escobar could be shipped away.

Escobar has hovered around the .300 mark all season, and is very serviceable with 7 HR and 40 RBI. Teams that could have some interest in him are the A's, Reds, Padres, and possibly the Pirates if they choose to deal Jack Wilson.

Teams getting very active as mid-season battles heat up

The Major League Baseball Trade Deadline isn't until July 31, but several teams are getting a head start on making moves.

After seeing early season trades that landed Ryan Freel in Chicago in exchange for Joey Gathwright, as well as a deal that put Nate McLouth in Atlanta, the past four days have seen plenty of action.

The Cardinals finally landed Mark DeRosa, something was heavily discussed among Cardinals fans and media. In exchange for the utilityman DeRosa the Indians receive relief pitcher Chris Perez and a player to be named later.

The Cardinals needed another strong bat to back up Pujols, as well as someone that could possibly be an everyday player at third base. However, DeRosa's versatility was the main thing that drew Tony La Russa to him. He can be used everyday and play pretty much anywhere on the field. With the injury to Troy Glaus and Khalil Greene's anxiety issues, this was a huge pickup. It also sends a message to the other teams in the Central that the Cardinals are making moves to stay atop the division.

DeRosa said he is excited to be in St. Louis and contend for a Championship.

The Pirates were very active today in making two deals. In the morning the Bucs moved Eric Hinske to the Yankees for two minor leaguers and in the afternoon they agreed to a deal that sent Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to the Nationals for relief pitcher Joel Hanrahan and Lastings Milledge.

The Pirates welcome two guys who have struggled in the past and give up what many see is an up and coming young prospect in Nyjer Morgan. Milledge has struggled to find consistency with the Mets and most recently the Nationals.

I'm having trouble seeing what benefits the Pirates saw in either of these trades. Their fans cannot be happy. At this time last year, their outfield consisted of Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, and Nate McLouth, three dynamic players. It's no secret why they're a consistent cellar dweller in the Central.

Staying in the Central, the Brewers have shown interest in one time stud Brandon Backe, a guy who was just put on waivers after a very bad start to this season in Houston. Backe has really only had one good season in his career, and would not likely make much of an impact for the Brewers.

The Brewers have also expressed some interest in Braves pitcher Javier Vasquez. He is 5-7 on the year with a 3.04 ERA and stellar strikeout count of 125. Any team would be grateful to have his services.

Fantasy baseball a good way for fans to stay engaged

As a baseball fan, it’s a must every year that I join at least one, and
often multiple, fantasy baseball leagues.

It’s the ultimate hobby for any baseball guru, like myself. It helps me
stay more engaged throughout the long and tiring 162 game season.

However, the fact that it makes fans feel like a part of the game and sometimes even
like a real Major League manager are major reasons fans are becoming addicted to the game.

I’m in a league where our teams have 34 men rosters. It really offers a realistic sense of being a manager.

Fans can put together their own unique set of players, rules, and scoring categories, Teams can be comprised of players from every team in the league and managers compete for a championship in a league with friends, family members, colleagues, or even people from clear across the world.

Fans also have the option of adopting an actual teams roster and managing it. and compete for a championship in a league with friends, family members, colleagues, or even people from clear across the world.

There’s really no better way to follow baseball and learn a lot about
certain players, and have fun while doing it.

Baseball loses three of its own in past week

They say bad things come in threes.

Major League Baseball proved that it is not immune to this, as three baseball figures past away just in this past week.

The first was Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. Andrew Thomas Gallo was reported to be nearly three times the legal limit when he collided with a car containing 4 people, including Adenhart. Two other passengers died, and one went to the hospital and was in critical, but stable, condition.

Adenahrt had just pitched the night before against the Oakland A’s, where he threw six scoreless innings in his season debut. The young pitchers life became just another tragic story of an irresponsible person taking a promising life.

Mark Fidrych, a former pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, past away Monday at the age of 54 in what appeared to be an accident on his Massachusetts farm.

Fidrych was known for his on-the-field antics, such as manicuring the mound or talking to the ball. He was only in the league five years, but won American League Rookie of the Year Honors and was named to the All-Star team.

On the same day as Fidrych’s death, Phillies long-time announcer Harry Kalas died at the age of 73.

Kalas collapsed in the broadast booth before the Phillies’ game against the Washington Nationals. He was the voice of the Phillies for nearly four decades, and also provided the voice over for NFL Films.

It was only fitting that the man whose wonderful captured so many memories in Philadelphia was able to see his team win the World Series in his last full season with them.

Fantasy baseball update: Players to watch for

TOR OF Adam Lind: Lind is currently one of the hottest players in league. He's gone 10-21 with 3 HR and 11 RBI in the first four games of the season. He recently switched to DH, so is only focusing on hitting. Lind is still available in a lot of leagues, so if you're in need of an OF don't hesitate to pick him up. He's only going to get better, and with the pace he's on, could very well earn a spot on the American League All-Star roster.

FLA 2B Emilio Bonifacio: Bonifacio has put up multi-hit games in each of the first four this season. According to CBSSportline, Bonifacio is the early front runner for the NL MVP. He is hitting .578 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, and 4 SB so far.

TB 3B Evan Longoria: Since failing to homer in the season opener, Longoria has homered in the last three games since then, including two in Friday's game. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year is hitting .444 with 4 HR and 8 RBI.

ARI 2B Felipe Lopez: Lopez is a very valuable player on any fantasy team because of his ability to play up to four positions. He's also a guy that is still available in a lot of leagues. He's hitting .313 with 2 HR and 4 RBI on the season so far.

Although it's still very early in the season, and still too early to tell trends in players, but these players are good early season additions in you're looking to jump out to an early lead in your leagues.

Jose Canseco throws out possibility of Ramirez using steroids

When Jose Canseco’s book “Juiced” came out in 2005 naming countless baseball players who were potentially connected to steroid use, many baseball figures doubted him.

Now it’s 2009, and Canseco has become a pretty credible source in this field. He admitted his own usage of steroids, and subsequently published his book naming roughly 104 players from around Major League Baseball.

Some of the names on his list were Miguel Tejada and Alex Rodriguez, who admitted just in this past year that they were in fact using steroids.

Canseco has now thrown another name out who could possibly be linked to steroids: Manny Ramirez. He says the reason Manny wasn’t given a contract extension was not because of his age, or the large amount of money he was wanting, but because his name is “most likely, 90%” on the list.

Although baseball fans don’t want to believe it anytime a player in linked to steroid use, one almost has to seriously consider the possibility nowadays when Canseco throws a name out there. Afterall, he does appear to have some inside knowledge on all of this.

Championship game features two hot teams

As a sports fan, I always want the championship of any sport to be a good match-up, and this year's Michigan State vs. North Carolina will be just that.

This game features two of the most storied college basketball programs, as well as two of the best coaches in college basketball.

Michigan State has had no easy time getting to this game. They came back from a huge deficit against defending champion Kansas, then beat the overall No. 1 seed Louisville in convincing fashion, and did the same thing to UConn, another No. 1 seed.

What they have been doing well it utilizing their strengths, and exploiting theire opponents' weakness. That may seem like an obvious thing that any team needs to do to win, but Michigan State has truly been definition of those phrases. They have made all of their opponents play at a slower tempo, and forced them to play "Big Ten basketball." They are not the biggest team, and rely heavily on their guard play. This just further proves that great guard play wins tournament games, more so than great big men.

This team is very young. Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers are both sophomores, and are the main offensive threats on this team. Another sophomore, Chris Allen, also provides solid minutes off the bench. Freshmen Korie Lucious and Delvon Roe are terrific freshmen that eat up a lot of minutes as well. The upperclassmen that the Spartans do have though, are solid. Raymar Morgan is another inside presence, to go along with Goran Suton, and Travis Walton is one of the best defenders in the nation.

To win, they're simply going to have to do what they have been doing: Making teams play their game. Travis Walton is a shut down defender, and will either be on Ty Lawson, or Wayne Ellington. The Spartans do not want to get in to a running game with UNC because they will have a tough time keeping up with Lawson and the Carolina backcourt.

The Tar Heels have some of the best inside options in Tyler Hansbrough, Ed Davis, and Tyler Zeller. Aside from Suton and Morgan, Dremond Green is really their only athletic big man that can hang with the Carolina front court.

The Spartans have surprised a lot of people this tournament, and pulled off some unlikely upsets, so this game is a toss-up as far as picking a winner. Michigan State doesn't make many mistakes, and utilize their strengths.

This kind of matchup is exactly what any fan wants to see in a championship game.

Remember, this game is being played in Detroit at Ford Field, essentially a home game for Michigan State. However, these two teams met earlier this season, a game that North Carolina won 98-63, also at Ford Field. However, both Tom Izzo and Roy Williams agreed that that game is no indication of how the title game will turn out. The Spartans had just played three games, and were without Goran Suton.

Stat to remember: Tom Izzo is 10-0 in the NCAA tournament as a No. 2 seed.

Final Four Preview

The Final Four tips off tonight at Ford Field in Detroit, but who is the favorite to win it?

Here's a little breakdown on the two games, and my prediction of how this Final Four will play out.

Michigan State vs. UConn: This may not look like an intriguing battle on paper, but if you have watched Michigan State play this season, you know what they're capable of. The Spartans completely took Louisville out of their own game plan in the Elite Eight, and made the Cardinals play Big Ten basketball. That's what this team is good at. They know they're not going to match up size-wise with UConn, so their shooting will have to be lights out. However, they are playing close to home, so that has to be taken in to consideration.

On the other end, UConn has played arguably the best basketball in the tournament so far, and it would be a belated April Fools joke to say they weren't the favorite in this one. Hasheem Thabeet is the most dominating defensive presence in the Final Four, and Michigan State has absolutely no answer for him. Goran Suton is not nearly as athletic as Thabeet, and will have a very tough time against him. Also, Jeff Adrien and Stanley Robinson have come up huge since Jerome Dyson's injury took him out of play for the remainder of the season.

The story in this game is going to be how much can Michigan State contain Jeff Adrien and Stanley Robinson down low, and how many three's and open jump shots can Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, and Chris Allen hit. The Spartans are going to try force UConn to shoot outside, because A.J. Price is their only real three-point threat.

However, in this one I have to give the edge to UConn. They're just playing too well right now, and Michigan State is still a young team.

Villanova vs. North Carolina: After getting blown out last year in the Final Four by Kansas, UNC has one mission: Win a National Championship. Tyler Hansbrough has basically done everything else a college basketball player can do, except win a national title.

With him comes arguably one of the best teams ever assembled at North Carolina. Ty Lawson has been nothing short of magnificent this whole season, and has been playing as well as anyone after coming off of his injury. Danny Green and Wayne Ellington come in to the game shooting the ball well and been playing great defense. Freshmen Ed Davis Davis compliment Hansbrough inside very well, along with Dion Thompson.

Villanova is no cupcake, though. Head coach Jay Wright has this team playing their best ball of the season at the right time. Scottie Reynolds' game winner over Pittsburgh in the Elite Eight is one of the iconic memories of this years tournament, and gave the Wildcats their first Final Four berth since 1985.

Reynolds is definitely a great guard, but Dante Cunningham and Corey Fisher are also outstanding players. Cunningam is the leading scorer on the team, but is really their only big presence inside.

The match-up everyone will have their eyes on in this one is without question Ty Lawson vs. Scottie Reynolds. However, aside from that, I don't really see Villanova matching up well with anyone on North Carolina's team. The Tar Heels are simply too good, and score too easily and efficiently for Villanova to stop them. They're a much deeper team, and have tremendous contribution from their bench, so I see North Carolina moving on in this one to face UConn in the Championship game.

Well Played

Cutler dealt to Bears

After a month or so of turmoil with new head coach Josh McDaniels, Jay Cutler was finally sent out of Denver Thursday.

The Broncos traded the unhappy quarterback to the Chicago Bears for quarterback Kyle Orton, two first-round picks in the 2009 and 2010, along with a third-round pick.

This is a absolutely a great pick-up for the Bears. For a team that has struggled to find their "franchise quarterback" for many years, this is huge. Cutler will be their quarterback of the future.

Josh McDaniels clearly screwed up on this one. Let me just recap what he did.

He leaves his spot in New England as the offensive coordination and takes over as head coach of the Denver Broncos after long-time coach Mike Shanahan is fired, which was a mistake by the way. But after he arrives in Denver, one of the first things he does as the new coach is he tries to bring his quarterback from New England, Matt Cassell, to Denver.

So what was the mistake here? Well, McDaniels made many here.

First, he comes to a team in which Jay Cutler is the established offensive leader on, and tries to remove him as the starting quarterback by bringing in Matt Cassell. After this, he wasn't truthful with Cutler at all about this whole situation.

Cutler had every reason to be upset with McDaniels and not to trust him. Why should he? I would be upset too if a young, first time head coach came to take over my team and go behind my back to replace me with a quarterback who just so happened to be the beneficiary of an injury to the leagues top quarterback.

Did McDaniels forget that Cutler was a Pro-Bowl selection and set the record for the most passing yards in Broncos history? Let's not forget that John Elway was once the quarterback for this team.

Throw out the fact that the Bears gave up a number of draft picks and their starting quarterback, because that doesn't matter. The Bears still got the better end of the deal on this one.

Traditionally, the Bears haven't done much with their drafts picks anyway, so picking up a guy like Cutler, a guy that franchises can be built around, was much more valuable than drafting an offensive or defensive lineman in the draft.

McDaniels will soon realize that he made a colossal rookie mistake, and the Bears have finally solved their long-term quarterback issues.

Calipari in at Kentucky, but was it too much money?

Kentucky introduced John Calipari as its new head basketball coach on Wednesday, but was he worth it?

Calipari agreed to an eight-year, $31.65 million deal with Kentucky, making him the highest paid coach in college basketball. He leaves a Memphis program that he had been at for nine seasons.

To me, I see this as an insult to coaches like Mike Kryzewski, Tom Izzo, and Roy Williams, who are clearly the top three coaches in the country. These coaches are going to be paid less than Calipari, a coach who has yet to win a national championship, or even coach in a major power conference like the SEC.

Calipari's success as a coach and recruiter is undeniable. However, he fell just short of his first championship last year at Memphis, losing in the title game to Kansas.

Next year looked promising for Calipari and his Memphis squad, who potentially has one of the top recruiting classes in the country, depending on what Xavier Henry and Demarcus Cousins decide to do with the news of Calipari departing for the Bluegrass state.

It's likely that Cousins will follow Calipari to UK, but Henry's future is still up in the air.

Calipari's first recruiting job at Kentucky may not be to a high school senior, though. Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson have expressed interest in enterring the NBA Draft, so convincing one of the top scorers in the nation and the team's main inside presence to stick around in Lexington should be at the top of his priority list.

First slate of games in the books

The morning/afternoon session of NCAA tournament games has come to an end, and was a good sign that this years tournament will be a dandy.

Butler and LSU went down to the wire, and Memphis survived a scare from fifteenth seeded Cal-State Northridge.

UCONN and North Carolina took care of business in their first round games, not being contested at all by their sixteenth seeded opponents. North Carolina's Ty Lawson missed the game due to his toe injury, but the Tar Heel's didn't need him at all.

In other games, Texas A&M beat BYU 79-66; Purdue escaped Northern Iowa 61-56, and Maryland pulled off the first upset of the tournament, beating California 84-71.

Four burning questions

With the NCAA tournament tipping off in a little less than two days, there are still some questions that need to be answered.

Which Louisville team will show up come tournament time? The Cardinals come in as over No. 1 seed after winning both the Big East regular season and conference tournament championship. But is that the same team that we will see when they take the court this weekend? Or will we see the team that lost to Western Kentucky by 14, Minnesota by six, and UNLV? They better bring their A game, or a Sweet 16 upset by Wake Forest is likely for the Cards.

Did Memphis deserve a No. 1 seed? You can argue that a team who wins 25 straight games and dominates their conference tournament deserves a No. 1 seed. That argument would be much more valid if they weren't in Conferene USA. This conference is one of the worst in the country in terms of teams competing for spots in the tournament. There was only one team, Memphis! Also, Memphis played only three ranked opponents this year, and lost two of those games! They lost to an unranked Xavier team at the beginning of the season, and also to then No. 19 Georgetown, and we all saw what happened to the Hoyas in Big East play. The Tigers also lost to Syracuse...AT HOME! The only quality win this team had was against Gonzaga. They are a solid two seed, and I do have them advancing to the Final Four, but a No. 1 seed, based solely on their "body of work," would have been unjust.

Who are the upset favorites in this year's tournament? In the East region, I like tenth-seeded USC to knock off seventh-seeded Boston College. The Trojans are coming off a Pac-10 tournament title, and are playing their best ball of the year. Also in the 10-7 matchups, I like No. 10 Maryland to upset No. 7 California, No. 10 Minnesota to beat Texas, and No. 10 Michigan to beat No. 7 Clemson.

Also, you have to like Western Kentucky's chances of upsetting fifth seeded Illinois. Don't be surprised if the Hilltoppers find themselves in the Sweet 16 for a second straight year.

Another 12-5 upset possibility is Wisconsin over Florida State. Florida State has one of the best guards in the tournament, but if he's having an off night, Wisconsin could light the Seminoles up from beyond the arc and steal a spot in the second round.

What is the marquee matchup in the first round? The VCU vs. UCLA game will be one to watch for tournament fans. VCU's Eric Maynor is arguably this year's version on Stephen Curry, and one of the top scorers in the country. Duke was upset by Maynor and his VCU Rams in 2007, and another upset like that is very likely against UCLA.

Bracketology special

March Madness is here, and it's time for me to break down each of the regions and give my predictions for this year's NCAA Tournament.

We'll start with the Midwest region. This bracket is loaded with talent, especially with the overall No. 1 seed Louisville in it. However, Louisville isn't the only team in this region that is going to be making some noise. I like West Virginia to make a run to the Sweet 16, upsetting the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks in the 2nd round. The Mountaineers have been playing the nation's heavyweights for the second half of the season, and are coming off a solid conference tournament with a convincing win over a much more physical Pittsburgh team.

The shocker in this region for me is going to be Wake Forest upsetting the top seeded Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16. Louisville has been subject to some shakey losses this seasons, despite being the overall top seed. I think Wake Forest matches up well with this Louisville team, and I think Jeff Teague will take over in this game and propel the Deamon Deacons to an Elite Eight matchup with Michigan State.

In that game, I like the Spartans, led by Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas, to move on to the Final Four in Detroit.

In the West region, Big East powerhouse UCONN comes in as the No. 1 seed. However, Memphis has something to prove, after being denied a No. 1 seed. For me, not too many surprises will come out of this bracket. However, I like Maryland over California in the first round as my big upset in this bracket. Purdue will ride their Big Ten tournament championship to the Sweet 16 before being knocked off by a much bigger and more physical UCONN team. Purdue just simply can't match up with the Huskies down low, and ultimately don't have the guard play to stop UCONN on the perimeter.

In the regional final, I like the fast and athletic Memphis Tigers to knock off Hasheem Thabeet and UCONN. This will set up an interesting semifinal game with Michigan State.

We move to the East region, where my pick to win it all, the Pittsburgh Panthers, are the No. 1 seed. Two of the first round's most intriguing games come out of this region. Oklahoma State and Tennessee play in the 8-9 game, which always proves to be a battle. These two teams are fairly similar to each other. They both shoot around 45% from the floor, and average about the same number of points and rebounds per game. However, guard play is the deciding factor in this tournament, and I think Byron Eaton will be too much for Tennessee to handle, and the Cowboys will move on in this one.

The other intriguing matchup in this region is the 11-6 matchup between VCU and UCLA. Eric Maynor leads VCU, and is one the nations top scorers at 22.4 points per game. He will go up against one of the Pac-10's best players in Darren Collison. This game will be a battle, but I predict the Bruins to move on in this one.

Look for the Panthers of Pittsburgh to defeat Duke in the regional final to advance to the Final Four.

The South region provides some very interesting matchups as well. North Carolina comes in as the top seed, and Blake Griffin and the Oklahoma Sooners come in as the two seed.

The games to watch in this region will be LSU vs. Butler, Western Kentucky vs. Illinois, and Michigan vs. Clemson.

I like Butler to knock off LSU before losing to North Carolina, a much bigger and physical team.

I think the Western Kentucky vs. Illinois matchup will be one of the most intriguing of the tournament. You can argue that I'm biased toward Western Kentucky, but just about every year there is a 12-5 upset. The Hilltoppers did it last year, as a 12 seed, and I believe it will happen again.

Illinois will be without defensive specialist Chester Frazier, so that works in the Hilltoppers' favor. Also backing me up on this upset is ESPN's Digger Phelps and Jay Bilas, who both predicted Western Kentucky to beat the Illini. I also have them finding their way to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year after knocking off Gonzaga.

Michigan will knock off Clemson in the always tough 10-7 matchup.

I also see Syracuse making a run to the Elite Eight before being knocked off by North Carolina.

So now my Final Four is set, with Michigan St. taking on Memphis, and Pittsburgh up against North Carolina.

I think Tom Izzo will rally his troops to get past Memphis, and will meet Pittsburgh in the title game.

DeJuan Blair, Levance Fields and Pittsburgh's size and physicality will be too much for the Spartans, and the Pittsburgh Panthers will be cutting down the nets come April 6 at Ford Field in Detroit.

Mid-majors make the tournament special

Today, as I was watching ESPN's 1st and 10, Doug Gottlieb and Skip Bayless debated on whether or not the NCAA tournament selection committee should change the selection process.

Bayless argued that the best 65 teams, regardless of conference, should be put in the tournament field. He said that mid-majors are an embarrassment to college basketball.

Wow, an embarrassment? Tell me how a miraculous upset and a game winning buzzer-beater over a much higher ranked team can be an embarrassment.

Gottlieb's argument was fundamentally different from Bayless'. He said that the tournament's magic is made from these mid-major schools.
I have to agree with Gottlieb.

As a student and avid sports fan at Western Kentucky, a mid-major school, it was very offensive to me when Bayless said that mid-majors were an embarrassment. Maybe he hasn't watched some of the most special moments in NCAA tournament history, most of which have been made by mid-major programs.

Does anyone remember George Mason's magical run to the Final Four? What about Steve Nash's Santa Clara, who pulled off the unfathomable 15 seed over the 2 seed victory? On the same lines, No. 15 seeded Hampton pulled off a first round shocker over No. 2 seeded Iowa St. Also, one of the most signature moments of last year's tournament was Western Kentucky's Ty Rogers' buzzer beater to knock off 5th seeded Drake in the first round, propelling the Hilltoppers to the Sweet 16.

It's moments like this that make March Madness the greatest sporting event in the world. Mid-majors are a must-have in the NCAA tournament. I understand that there will we be "better" teams in much bigger conferences, but there is no way that the NCAA tournament would be nearly as special of an event if mid-major programs were left out of the picture.

The NCAA tournament is easily my favorite sporting event to watch, mainly because of the upsets every year by mid-major schools.

If you take these teams out, the tournament would simply not be the same.

Three more tickets to be punched tonight

With nine teams already solitifying a spot in the tournament field, three more teams will be added to that list.

The Sun Belt, The Summit League, and the Horizon League will all crown their champions tonight.

Here is a breakdown of each matchup

Sun Belt: Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama

These two teams met twice this year, with the Hilltoppers winning both games. However, WKU only won these games by a combined 11 points.

The top seeded Hilltoppers are looking to defend their title as Sun Belt Conference tournament champions, and punch their ticket to the Big Dance, hoping to pull off another cinderella run like last season.

To do so, they will have to stop South Alabama's Dominic Tilford and Brandon Davis. Tilford is averaging 16.5 points per game this season, and is an 83% free-throw shooter. Davis comes in averaging 12.5 points per game, and is a 59% shooter from the field. He also averages 7.5 rebounds a game.

The Hilltoppers will look to Sun Belt Conference MVP Orlando Mendez-Valdez. The senior guard is averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this season. The Hilltoppers have three more players averaging in double figures, guards A.J. Slaughter and Sergio Kerusch, and forward Steffphon Pettigrew.

Kerusch is also averaging a double-double in the conference tournament.

The problem for WKU will be their lack of depth on the bench.

This should prove to be another classic battle between these two teams, and the winner could pull off some major upsets in the Big Dance.

My pick: Western Kentucky 73, South Alabama 66

Summit League: North Dakota St. vs. Oakland

This game could be another dandy, as we will see a new champion crowned, after defending champion Oral Roberts was ousted in the first round by South Dakota St.

These two teams split their matchups this season, both winning on their home floors

Neither of these were challenged in their first two games of the conference tournament.

North Dakota St. has three players averaging in double figures. Ben Woodside is averaging 23 points per game to go along with 6.4 assists. He is complemented by Brett Winkelman and Mike Nelson, who are averaging 19 points per game and 12 points per game respectively. Winkelman is also the teams leading rebounder at 7.3 boards per game.

Oakland also has three players averaging is double figures.

Erik Hangas is averaging 18.8 a game; Keith Benson is averaging 14.1 points a game and Jonathan Jones is averaging 13.5 a game.

North Dakota St. shoots the three ball slightly better than Oakland, averaging 41% compared to Oakland's 37%.

My pick: North Dakota St. 65, Oakland 59

Horizon League: Butler vs. Cleveland St.

Butler looks to defend their title as Horizon League champions in this rematch from last years conference tournament title game, a game that Butler won 70-55 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

These two teams met only once this season, on the last game of the regular season schedule. Butler won the game 58-56 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Tonight's game is also at Hinkle Fieldhouse, meaning it is essentially another home game for the Bulldogs, and sets up the same scenario of last years championship game.

Butler is led by young talent. Two of their three top scorers are freshmen, and the other is a sophomore. Matt Howard leads the team in scoring at 14.6 per game. Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack are averaging 13.4 and 11.5 a game respectively.

Cleveland St. is a little more experienced than Butler, in that two of their top scorers are seniors.
J'Nathan Bullock leads the team at 15.4 points per game. Norris Cole and Cedric Jackson put up 13.2 and 10.3 a game respectively.

The story tonight will be Butler getting the ball down to Gordon Hayward and getting points in the paint. The Bulldogs are a better shooting team overall, so look for a wide offense to help create open three's.

My pick: Butler 77, Cleveland St. 66

It's the most wonderful time of the year

I know I haven't been on here in a while, but there is a reason for that.

As a college student, my studies took up the bulk of my time the last month or so before spring break.

But nothing can stop the excitement of March, the best month of the year.

March Madness is arguably the most exciting time of the year for sports fans. Business owners have complained about declined production from workers due to their minds being preoccupied on the latest outcome, constantly checking their bracket predictions.

For me, there is no way I'm leaving my seat in front of the TV during the first four days of the tournament, which cover the first two rounds. I eat, sleep, and breathe college basketball during these four days.

I'm not kidding when I say it's like Christmas for me. Each game is like a new gift for me to open. Unless, of course, I get the game wrong on my bracket. Then that gift I was so excited about turns out to be a lump of coal.

But anyways, this is the time of the year when magic happens; dreams are made; and historic stories are written.

March is truly the most wonderful time of the year.

Saturday preview

Just about every team in top 25 will be in action on Saturday.

However, we're going to take a look at the games that I see as marquee matchups.

The Big East powerhouses will take the floor on Saturday, with No. 1 UCONN up against Seton Hall. Also, No. 12 Marquette takes on St. John's, and Georgetown and No. 22 Syracuse square off in a rivalry week game.

These games could alter the make up of the Big East. A loss by Marquette and a win by UCONN would help the Huskies get even closer to the season title. Also, Syracuse needs a win over Georgetown to help their tournament hopes.

The ACC also has important conference games this weekend. The best matchup of the weekend will be No. 25 Florida at No. 8 Wake Forest. Wake Forest has been struggling lately, dropping three out of their last four games. The Deamon Deacons suffered a 27 point to Miami, and are coming off an 82-76 loss to North Carolina State. If Wake Forest wants a top seed in the tournament, they must win this game.

Purdue and Iowa sqaure off in an always tough Big Ten game. Purdue comes in to the game ranked No. 23 in the nation, and essentially the favorite, but the Boilermakers can't let up at all against the Hawkeyes. Both teams like to shoot the three, so it will be interesting to see which team can catch fire. Purdue has a little edge in size, so they will have to exploit that as well.

Heels win round one

North Carolina was simply too much for Duke to handle.

The third ranked Tar Heels defeated the fifth ranked Blue Devils 101-87 in the first of two meetings for the rival schools this season.

Ty Lawson led all scorers with 25 points, and tacked on 5 assists to lead the Tar Heels past the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tyler Hansbrough had 17 points, and Wayne Ellington and Danny Green had 15 apiece. Kyle Singler led Duke with 22 points and six rebounds.

Duke was simply overmatched from the beginning. The Blue Devils had no answer for Hansbrough and the outside shooting of North Carolina. Lawson was nothing short of magnificent in this game, essentially taking over the second half, where he scored 21 points.

Duke took a 52-44 lead in to halftime, but was outscored 57-35 in the second half.

However, the difference in this game was free throws. North Carolina went to the line 31 times, converting 27 attempts, where Duke was only 11 of 18. Lawson was 9-9 from the stripe.

Hansbrough and Green became the first players in North Carolina history to never lose a game in Cameron Indoor.

This win shakes up the race for the ACC regular season title even more, now that Wake Forest has dropped two games that they were favored to win.

Duke and North Carolina meet again on March 8, this time in Chapel Hill. This game could be the deciding factor for the ACC regular season title.

Hoosier Follow-Up

Pat Forde's famous "Forde Minutes" today examines "Hoops schools vs. non-hoops schools". In the same vein as my previous post on the same subject, Forde focuses on Indiana, where average capacity is enormously larger than the winning percentage. Forde goes on to examine 15 other schools that are enjoying a lot of success on the court, but aren't always seeing that same success translate over to attendance. His conclusion? Indiana fans "are overachieving."

Rodriguez apologizes for steroid use

The truth has finally come out.

In an interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons, Alex Rodriguez openly admitted to using steroids during his time with the Texas Rangers.

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day," Rodriguez said.

This confirmation came less than two days since Sports Illustrated released a report that Rodriguez had tested positive for steroid use in 2003.

"Back then, baseball was a different culture," Rodriguez said. "It was very loose. I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. "I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful," Rodriguez added.

Following his blog post that I cited in my previous post, Curt Schilling praised Rodriguez for "manning up" and admitting his mistakes.

"Do whatever you want, speculate on whatever you want but the guy ‘manned up’, admitted his mistake, that’s enough for me," Schilling said. "Nothing we can do about it at this point but move on as fans and players."

Well here's my thoughts on that. Rodriguez was in no way "manning up." Come on, Curt. It took the guy six years to admit it. And this was after he publicly denied his use of banned substances. If he was truly "manning up," he would have came out long before now, at his own will. The only reason he came out now and admitted to it is because he got caught.

Who knows how long he had been doing it? He lied before about not taking steroids, so why should we believe that he only took them in Texas? Would he ever have admitted to it if he was not caught?

This is not "manning up" at all. He would have saved his image much more had he just come clean when he had his "wake up call," as he said in his interview with Gammons, rather than waiting until he was caught. He obviously was not that upset about it if he never admitted to it, and even denied it when he was asked on a nationally televised interview.

This whole situation upsets me greatly. As a baseball fan, I am deeply disappointed in Alex Rodriguez, a guy who appeared to be the epitemy of a clean baseball player. I can honestly say that I did not see this coming, and I feel betrayed as a baseball fan.

Schilling calls for names to be released

Curt Schilling has suggested that the remaing names on the list of 104 players linked to steroid use in 2003 should be released.

In Schilling's blog, he spoke out against the recent reports surrounding Alex Rodriguez and his alleged steroid use in his MVP season in 2003.

"I’d be all for the 104 positives being named, and the game moving on if that is at all possible," Schilling said. "In my opinion, if you don’t do that, then the other 600-700 players are going to be guilty by association, forever."

The sad thing about this is that is true. As fans, whether we want to admit it or not, we view players differently once they have been linked to steroid or HGH use, no matter how miniscule the issue is, or even if it ends up being untrue. In a country where someone is supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the sad fact is that American's are quick to presume people as guilty until they are proven innocent.

However, as fans, we want to see the integrity of the game upheld, and once someone's name, especially someone like Alex Rodriguez, is released and linked to steroid use, we cringe. We begin to wonder things like "How long has he been doing it?" "Should his stats be in question now?"

But in my opinion, Schilling hit the nail on the head. Since no names have been released, it's typical for many fans to just assume the worst and say things like "every baseball player takes steroids." Now, we know that is not the case, but what we do not know is exactly who it is that has been using performance enhancing drugs.

Also a sad reality, is that when a player emerges and has a good season, the first thought that comes to many fans mind's is not "Wow, he must have worked hard this offseason to get where he's at now. He must have tremendous work ethic." Instead, fans begin to think things like "Oh, he must have taken steroids or something."

But as for me, I'm with Schilling on this one. I think the names need to be released. Let the guys that aren't playing the game correctly get called out for it, and let everyone else who plays the game right be out of the doghouse with baseball fans. It's simply not fair that guys who need to cheat to have success end up ruining the integrity of the beautiful game of baseball.

The only way to move on from what has been called the "Steroid Era" in baseball, is to release the names of those using performance enhancing drugs. Baseball simply needs it to be done. I hate it that when I watch a baseball game nowadays, or any sports show such as Sportscenter, I have to sit and hear the words "steroids," "Human Growth Hormone," or "performance enhancing drugs," until I get sick to my stomach.

It's time for the game to move on and be played like it should be played.

Elbows continue in Big Ten

The Big Ten is officially the most violent conference in America.

In a span of two weeks, we have seen four incidents in the Big Ten involving elbows, all of which appear to have been deliberate. Michigan's Zack Novak was ejected from a game against Ohio State for throwing an elbow at P.J. Hill, and eventually suspended. Wisconsin's Joe Krabbenhoft was not ejected or even called for a foul, but appeared to have used his left elbow to knock Purdue's much smaller Keaton Grant to the ground when setting a screen. Michigan guard Manny Harris received a technical foul and an immediate ejection for his elbow on Purdue's Chris Kramer, knocking Kramer to the ground and breaking his nose on the play.

On Saturday, Indiana's Devan Dumes added his name to this list. Dumes was ejected in Indiana's game against Michigan State for throwing an elbow at center Tom Herzog. In the first half of the game, Dumes hit the Spartans' Travis Walton in the chin with his elbow when swinging a ball through, much like the Harris/Kramer incident, but was only called for a personal foul.

Also in the first half, Dumes appeared to have intentionally elbowed Michigan State's Guron Suton in the crotch, but referee Ed Hightower ruled that it was inadvertant, and that Dumes caught him in the running motion.

However, the third time was not the charm for Dumes, as he was ejected after throwing his third elbow of the game.

"After coming home and having the opportunity to review the game film, I believe that discipline is necessary and deserved in this matter," Crean said in a statement released by the athletic department. "A line was crossed that was unacceptable."

The Big Ten has been trying to crack down on the recent elbow incidents, and has issued a statement supporting Crean's action regarding Dumes' incident.

"The behavior of Devan Dumes during the Michigan State game is unacceptable," conference commissioner Jim Delany said. "Dumes' actions have no place in the sport of basketball or the Big Ten Conference, and we support his indefinite suspension."

"I truly regret my actions and I will learn from this situation," Dumes said. "I apologize to everyone involved for doing something that is uncharacteristic of how I play the game."

This is a big loss for the Hoosiers. Dumes has been one the team's best players, averaging 13.8 points a game, and has acted as a team leader, being an upperclassman among many freshmen.

"Devan is one of ours and, like with all of our players, we want them to learn and understand what it takes to be successful," Crean said.

Steriod era grabs another great

In 2003, Alex Rodriguez's monster season earned him the title of American League MVP.

After earning that honor, the Yankees were pushed to a breaking point and the front office decided that they just had to have this talented athlete, even if it meant trading second baseman Alfonso Soriano.

However, following this trade, Rodriguez did not quite live up to the hype. Many believed that the reasoning behind this mystery was due to the media-crazy New York. Others believed that it was because Rodriguez had little chemistry with his teammates. However, the true reason may have been revealed this weekend.
On Saturday, Sports Illustrated released an article claiming that Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, testosterone and Primobolan, in 2003. Testosterone is legal, but only with a prescription, while Primoblan, also known as methenolone, is an injected or orally taken drug with few side effects. Primobolan is not an approved drug in the United States now, nor was it in 2003.

Despite the fact that neither of these drugs were legally administered to Rodriguez, BALCO founder Victor Conte gave him the benefit of the doubt, saying that both of these drugs can be taken in shakes and drinks, and that it is quite possible that Rodriguez unknowingly took both.

With so many people siding for and against Rodriguez, only one thing is truly certain: Knowingly or not, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for these two drugs in 2003. No matter what happens next, this will stay true. However, this is just the beginning of the betrayal. Not only did Rodriguez take steriods, he repeatedly denied it to interviews, including once on 60 Minutes in December of 2007. This is what really hurts for Yankees fan. After his repetition, Rodriguez finally convinced all of baseball that he had never taken steriods. He convinced us that he was clean.

Alex Rodriguez was supposed to save baseball. He was expected to break Barry Bonds' 762 all-time home run record, and do so without cheating. This is no longer the fact, but rather the opposite. Alex Rodriguez will still likely break the all-time record, but who will actually consider him the all-time record holder? This breaking news has showed fans that Alex Rodriguez is a cheater, a liar, and, yes, "A-Fraud."

Hoosier pride

The sad reality for most sports programs is that fans are fickle.

When the wins are racking up, so is attendance. But once a team falls on hard times, fans will fall off the bandwagon and lose interest.

Yet not all programs are created equal. Some illustrious tradition-rich franchises garner such loyalty and passion from their fan base that they seem generally immune to such fluctations.

In college basketball, one such program is Indiana. Plagued with the youngest and most inexperienced team in Big Ten history, the Hoosiers are last in the conference and tied a program-record losing streak before finally beating Iowa. And yet, in spite of what most would consider an utter disaster by Indiana standards, attendance at games is actually increasing.

There's little doubt that the passion and work-ethic of the team itself engenders the same passion from the IU fan base. The growing pains this season are not necessarily easy to take, but the response and attitude through it all from the team and the fan base will be something to look back on with pride. IU athletic director Fred Glass may have said it best during an ESPN Game Day special today:

It's like in the movie Apollo-13 when they are bringing the module back to earth and somebody shakes their head and says 'This could be the worst disaster NASA's ever faced', to which somebody else replies 'With all do respect sir, I believe this will be our finest hour.'"

Colts hire new defensive coordinator

Looks like the Indianapolis Colts will have someone new controlling the NFL's worst run defense in the history of football in Larry Coyer today.

Coyer inherits the NFL's worst run defense ever assembled starting with the defensive line, where all the defensive tackles are 260lbs. "HELLO have you heard that was good back in the 1970's?" But nowadays most of the Defensive Tackles are 300 plus pounds. Coyer has been in the college ranks for most of his career, before going to the Denver Broncos for 4 years and then with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers for 2 years.

As a die hard Indianapolis Colts fan, I'm not holding judgement until Coyer tells GM Bill Polian to draft 330lb defensive tackles to help stuff the run. If they can stop the run, then Peyton can get on the field more often and win games and Super Bowls.

Overall, I want the Colts to get bigger on defense. Enough of the short guys playing unless it's Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders. If there's one thing the Colts need to do in the upcoming 2009 NFL Draft, it's draft two big hoss defensive tackles.

There are several candidates for the Colts to draft this year in the 2009 NFL Draft to stop the run. Ole Miss DT Peria Jerry, USC DT Fili Moloa, Missouri DT Evander Hood, Boston College DT Ron Brace could be good picks for the Colts. I would like to for the Colts to get Jerry and Moloa to plug up the gaps in the line. Let's just hope Coyer can get the Colts to stop the run and get bigger.

NBA implements 'H-O-R-S-E' to All-Star weekend, changes name to 'G-E-I-C-O'

The classic blacktop game has been given a new name.

"H-O-R-S-E." It's a game that any basketball player has played. This year, among the other festivities on NBA All-Star weekend, NBA stars will be seen playing this childhood game.

However, there are some catches to this. The event won't be featured with the Slam Dunk and 3-Point contests, but rather during an episode of Inside the NBA.

What's the other catch? According to ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, the name of the game is being changed to "G-E-I-C-O," in order to get the sponsors name in.

Hey, David Stern. Here's an idea. How about the winner gets a chance to take on the Geico ad lizard to decide the true winner. Or maybe, for his prize, you should give him a googley-eyed stack of five dollar bills.

Here's my thoughts. This is absolutely ridiculous and it infuriates me. I'm sick of seeing everything in sports being sold out to corporate sponsors and businesses. It takes away from the uniqueness of the sports, which include the names of stadiums, fields, arenas, and in this case, a classic backyard basketball game. I understand that the economy is down, and David Stern is trying to do the best he can with what he has, but do we really need to result to this?

Said Tony Kornheiser: "This is so stupid, not even a caveman would do it!"

SEC, Pac 10 see uncharacteristic seasons

This season has been full of surprises.

For me, two of the biggest surprises have been the SEC and the Pac 10. These two conferences generally combine for anywhere from 6 to 8 teams in top 25. This season, there are only three, all coming from the Pac 10.

The SEC is significantly down this season. Tennessee has dropped out of the top 25, just one season after being the number one team in the land. Vanderbilt, and both Kentucky and Florida are also struggling this season, depsite playing well as of late. LSU has also been playing well, atop the SEC West with a 6-1 record.

The Tigers are riding a three game winning streak in to the rest of their schedule, which has them in games against Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Florida, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. Also, a pesky Arkansas team could play spoiler to the Tigers, much like they did to Texas back on Jan. 6.

Florida's remaining schedule isn't much easier. The Gators still have to play Kentucky twice, Alabama, Vanderbilt, LSU, and Tennessee, who is still dangerous. The Gators lost to the Vols back on Jan. 31, 79-63.

After losing to Kentucky 90-72 on Jan. 13, Tennessee will get a redemption match-up against the Wildcats on Feb. 21. The Volunteers are essentially in a must win situation now throughout the rest of the conference schedule if they want any chance to win the regular season conference title.

With that being said, my pick is going to Florida. They're in great position right now, only a half game behind LSU for first place. They're riding the momentum of an exciting overtime win over South Carolina, and will need that momentum in their Feb. 24 meeting with LSU, which could potentially decide the champion.

Now, we head out west to the Pac 10.

After putting six teams in last year's NCAA tournament, the Pac 10 will likely only get three teams in this year.

UCLA is the clear favorite to win this conference, and is also my pick to take the season title. The Bruins sit atop the Pac 10 with an 8-2 record, suffering a loss to Washington, and an overtime loss to Arizona State.

Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and freshman Jrue Holiday are all averaging double figures in points, and are making their cases for a spot on the All-Conference first team. As a team, the Bruins are third in the nation, shooting just over 50%.

Look for the Bruins to come out firing when they enter their rematches with Arizona State and Washington. My predicition is that the leadership of Collison and Shipp will take over, and the Bruins will remain at the top of the conference and win the season title.

This is the only team from this conference that I see doing anything in this years tournament. However, I don't see them getting any farther than the Sweet 16, but we'll discuss that later on down the road.

Manny being Manny, or just the Dodgers being the Dodgers?

With only two weeks before spring training, Manny Ramirez has still not found a home.

It took less than 24 hours for Ramirez to reject the Dodgers second offer of the offseason, this time for 25 million for one year. Scott Boras has made it clear that Manny is wanting a long-term deal, possibly anywhere from four to five years.

With today's economy, things aren't looking too hot for the first ballot hall of famer and his agent, even though Boras has stated that the economy should not be a determining factor in where Ramirez plays next year.

It seems the Dodgers and Joe Torre have made it clear that they want to see Manny in Dodger blue next season.

"We are an entirely different ballclub with Manny," Joe Torre said. "He has shown our young players how to relax and have fun."

Without the presence of Ramirez, the Dodgers probably wouldn't have made the playoffs last season, and without him, the 2009 Dodgers will be in the same boat they were at the beginning of last season.

Dodgers chairman Frank McCourt has also told the public that signing Manny Ramirez is still the Dodgers main priority right now.

"Scott Boras is very difficult to work with. We've made three efforts and Boras has still not given us a specific number," McCourt said.

Boras has tried a few tricks already to try to speed up the process of signing Ramirez to a long-term deal. When Ramirez turn down the Dodgers first offer, Boras announced that the slugger would retire if he did not receive the contract he felt he deserved. This was later proven to be false about two days after that statement was made. The agent's second trick was reporting that there were other teams that were interested in Manny, besides the Dodgers, but he could not give any names.

The San Francisco Giants seem to be the only other team that is really interested in Manny, but they do not have the money to sign Ramirez. ESPN Radio reported today that Boras told Ned Colletti if the Dodgers want to play with fire, they might get burned. This is another game Boras tries to play with general managers to scare them into giving his client what he feels he deserves.
In my opinion, no Manny Ramirez in L.A. means no October for the defending NL West Champions. Although the Dodgers have many young and promising players, such as Andre Either, Russell Martin, James Loney, and Matt Kemp, it's not enough to get them to the playoffs. They need the presence and experience of Manny Ramirez to fuel their offense to the postseason.

It makes no sense to me why the Dodgers wouldn't give Ramirez a four year deal. Even if he doesn't end up producing the last year or two of his contract, it is still better to make the playoffs for the next two years rather than not making it the next four.

It's ridiculous for Ned Colletti and the rest of the organization to say they are not only looking at the present, but also the future of the club, because without a leader like Manny in the dugout and on the field, their future does not look very promising.

Ramirez turns 38 this year, which is probably the main reason why most teams are shying away from signing him to a long-term deal. Although, sometimes Ramirez might be portrayed as a player who doesn't hustle or doesn't seem to care, no one can overlook the numbers he has put up over his seventeen year career. He has a lifetime average of .314, 527 homeruns, 1725 RBI's, and 2393 hits. He also has 525 extra base hits, which means 44 percent (almost half) of his hits go for extra bases.

Three year, 62 million dollar contract. That's my prediction on what it will take to keep Manny in L.A.

New Jersey star chooses school on coin flip

Call it in the air: heads or tails.

No, this coin flip didn't decide who would kick or receive, but rather which university a highly recruited high school football player would attend next year.

Ka'Lial Glaud, from Winslow, NJ, was torn between going to West Virginia and Rutgers. So torn, that he left it up to the flip of a coin to decide his future. Heads, he was headed to West Virginia. Tails, he was on his way to Rutgers. The coin landed on tails, and the star recruit's future was set, to remain in state and play his college football at Rutgers.

"I really didn't know until I flipped the coin," Glaud said at the news conference in his high school cafeteria. "It's the hardest decision I ever made in my life."

Glaud's high school coach Mike McBride said that he had never seen a player make a decision on a coin flip.

"I think it's a credit to all the schools involved with Ka'Lial that it was such a difficult decision for him," said McBride.

Glaud's high school principal, Glen Jackson, knew this was going to be a tough decision for him.

"I asked him 'Want to flip a coin?' And he said said 'Yes.' I didn't think he was serious. But he was serious."

You could say it's destiny, or maybe just chance.

Glaud left the press conference yesterday, still holding the quarter that decided his future as a football player.

"I'm going to keep this quarter," he said, smiling. "This might be a collector's item."

Michigan State, Oklahoma lead way in 'Big' conferences

It's time to turn the focus to the Big Ten and the Big 12.

The Big Ten, as a whole, has been a pleasant surprise to any college basketball fan this season, and the Big 12 is still a tough conference, just like every year, with three teams in the top 25.

The pairity in the Big Ten this season is absolutely remarkable. This is one conference that I honestly believe every team, with the exception of a rebuilding Indiana team, has a chance to win the conference tournament come March. Also, there are nine teams fighting for spots in the NCAA Tournament.

However, I came here to discuss who will win the regular season title. In that case, only one team sticks out to me at this point, and that team is Michigan State. After an impressive 76-47 win over 19th ranked Minnesota, the Spartans remain atop the Big Ten standings with an 8-2 conference record.

The Spartans suffered losses to a surprising Northwestern team, and a very talented Penn State team. Their remaining schedule isn't all that easy, either. They have road games against Michigan, Purdue, Indiana, and Illinois, not to mention home games against Wisconsin and another battle with Purdue. Of these opponents, the Spartans have only played two of them so far, Illinois and Iowa, both of which they won. They also need to watch out for Purdue. The Boilermakers have struggled as of late with the injury to Robbie Hummel, and now Chris Kramer, but this team can still play, and is right in the thick of things in the race for the title.

However, Penn State and Illinois pose the biggest threats for the Spartans to lose their top spot in the conference, so the March 1 contest against the Illini will likely be the difference between an outright Big Ten championship, or a possible shared title.

The Big 12 has also been a fun conference to watch this season. Kansas and Oklahoma are both still unbeaten in conference play. The Sooners have impressive wins over Texas and Baylor, but had to survive a close one against Texas A&M. Right now, they are the strongest team in this conference, and ultimately one the strongest teams in the country, led by Player of the Year candidate Blake Griffin.

Texas had a slim chance at making a run at the title, but after the upset loss to Missouri, they will have to wait until the Big 12 tournament to have a chance at being conference champions. At this point, it really boils down to just Kansas and Oklahoma. Missouri is still hanging by a thread, and will get a crack at Oklahoma on March 4 and still have two meetings with Kansas.

My prediction is that Kansas will beat Missouri, and that it will come down to the February 23 showdown when the Jayhawks take on the Sooners in Norman.

My pick is going to Oklahoma. Blake Griffin is just too strong for Kansas to contain, and is, in my opinion, the favorite to win National Player of the Year. Oklahoma will win the conference, earn a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, and have a great chance at playing in the Final Four in Detroit.

National Signing Day 2009

As you may know, I'm a college football recruiting junkie. I can't go 2 hours without checking Rivals or Scout for the latest news in recruiting. That being said, Today, on a day called National Signing Day, the top prospects sign their Letters of Intent to attend the top programs in the country. Today is like Christmas for programs to get their toys to play with on the gridiron. I will be focusing on the top schools in the nation that had top classes in the nation. Also, with a profile of what to expect out of them in the coming years.

We start off with my beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who signed 17 recruits today. The Irish got the #1 rated Linebacker in the nation in Manti Te'o (The person in the picture) The 6-2, 225lb, 4.5 40 kid has got all the tools to be one of the finest linebackers ever to play in the "House That Knute Rockne Built." He provides the Irish with an immediate impact this year. He possesses the athletic ability, instincts, and tackling ability to be one of the best. The problem is, he has to take a Mormon Mission Trip sometime during his college career. But one thing is for certain. Manti will be on the field this year.

The same can be said for Cierre Wood, the 8th ranked running back in the country. But, personally, I think he's better than Miami commit Bryce Brown. Cierre uses his 4.4 40 speed to elude defenders all night long. He also has the the explosiveness to be dominant in college and in the NFL in 3 to 4 years. He possesses great hands coming out of the backfield. Look for Charlie Weis to get him on the field immediately. This kid will be a household name in the future. Also, Charlie got himself a burner at the wide reciever slot in Shaq Evans, who has tremendous speed with a 4.3 40. He has got the tools to be an All-American in the coming years. He can catch almost anything thrown his way, and is a threat to score everytime he touches the ball.

The Irish also got a heck of a roadgrader at the offensive guard spot in Chris Watt. The 6-3 280lb run blocking fool is the best guard in the nation in my mind. Look for him to open up holes for the running backs in the near future. They also got a heck of a nose tackle in Tyler Stockton, a 6-1 295lb mammoth of a man to clog up the middle to stop the run and get to the QB. He will be an offensive lineman's worst nightmare in the coming years. It's safe to say the Irish got one heck of a recruiting class. With the talent the Irish landed, they will be back in hunt for national championships and Heisman winners, just like the good 'ol days.

Of course it can't be a recruitng day if the U$C Condoms (Trojans I mean), have their fair share of talent to re-load every year. Looks like Pete "The Poodle" Carroll got some of his own weapons as well. As much as I hate to talk about the Condoms, I have to mention them. They got the #1 QB in the nation in Matt Barkeley, a guy who possesses the arm strength, accuracy, and awarness to be good in college. But looking at the Condoms depth chart, he's got stiff competition ahead of him. They also got some offensive firepower to keep "The Poodle's" offense to click, in athlete Patrick Hall, who is blazing fast and has good hands. The Condoms will most likely be using him to run up the score on teams as they normally do game by game. What a dirty program they are.

They also got their fair share on the defensive side of the football with Devon Kinnard, who is a pass rushing fool as a defensive end, and corner back T.J. McDonald, a shut down corner. Its safe to say the Condoms keep on re-loading every year. But I would like to say one thing: TO HELL WITH U$C CONDOMS and SCREW PETE "THE POODLE" CARROLL. I hope the U$C Condoms have a losing season every year 'til pigs can fly, as most Irish fans would say to their arch rival.

With the Irish and the Condoms in the fold, we have the National Champion Florida Gators. Urban Meyer and his staff re-loaded, big time to say the least, with a talented wide reciever in Andre DeBose, a guy who possesses the 4.4 speed to stretch the defense out and catch the football all day long. But it's on the defensive side of the ball where the Gators made their mark, signing outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins, a hard hitting, fast, athletic kid who brings the lumber. But he still needs to bulk up at 6-0 200lbs. Look for him to red-shirt this year, and come back next year strong in the SEC. They also landed a stud hoss Defensive Tackle in Gary Brown, who is both a pass rusher and a run stuffer at defensive tackle. Look for the Gators to be back in the National Title race almost every year.

There is another SEC school that had a heck of a recruiting class this year, the LSU Tigers. After a horrible season this year, by their standards, it's safe to say Les Miles will be playing a lot of freshmen this year to get talent on the field. Starting with athlete Russell Sheppard, who can play QB and WR. He has all the talent to be an All-American type when he graduates. He can provide the Tigers with a threat everytime he touches the ball. The Tigers signed the #1 rated reciever in Reuben Randle, who will be outstanding at the next level. The 6-3 190lb reciever will give the Tigers a desperately needed weapon on offense from the get-go.

They also got their fair share on defense with #1 safety Craig Loston, who is drawing comparisons to Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens as a ball hawking safety who can hit like a ton of bricks. Look for the Tigers to be playing a lot of young talent to get back in the SEC race.

If I didn't mention your team just let me know, and I will do my best to bring you the best recruiting news outside of Rivals and Scout.