Sharky's blog: "Sports, sports and more sports"

This isn't something new, then again maybe it is. It seems that it's now vogue to bash those who cheat, have run-ins with the law, or use performance enhancing drugs. Suddenly all the talking heads are taking the supposed "high road". Dan Patrick, Steve Lyons, Jim Gray, Stuart Scott and Tony Kornheiser come to mind immediately. Within the last five years, these poor excuses for "journalists" have espoused the talents of Barry Bonds, Michael Vick, Jason Giambi and almost every young cornerback or wide receiver with a troubled background. Now they seem to be changing their tune. Steroids for baseball was the 500 pound elephant in the room you didn't talk about or mention. The broadcasters, owners and players all turned a blind eye, but now Dan Patrick through his nationally broadcast radio show is acting like he is the lone crusader towards cleaning up the game and that he had been fighting the good fight all this time. Between Mr. Patrick, Steve Lyons, Jim Gray and Stuart Scott there isn't sports news being presented, it's more like social commentary by jumping on the hot-button topic and taking the cheap shots. Where were they 5 years ago, bashing Pete Rose probably, but they certainly weren't addressing the issues, they were turning a blind eye. In my 2 year minor league baseball career I saw major league talent shooting crap into their veins. While I was content to hit .340, steal 40 bases and have 5 homeruns per year, other guys were juicing up hitting .300, stealing 20 bases and bashing 30 homers. At least I know my accomplishments were on talent. The fans finally got fed up, some beat reporters did enough digging and after a federal investigation this had to become a story. Now the NFL, they are the most popular sport and have established their own network, and pretty soon will be establishing their own prison system. Darryl Boston, Shawn Merriman, Michael Vick, Chris Henry, Adam "Pacman" Jones. There are about 5% of the players creating the negative publicity for the NFL. Roger Gooddell has to be the one to step in because the player's association tries to get the player's to step in line, uniform solidarity. But again the talking heads weren't doing much until lately, they may have touched on it, but none of them wanted to take on the NFL even with cold, hard facts until lately again. Wow, it must be difficult for all these "journalists" to pat themselves on the back, like they are the Lone Ranger, riding triumphantly into battle against drugs and crime. On a final note, Dan Patrick is a blow-hard, hot-button topic ESPN apologist who carries the company torch wherever they ask, and he does so without any integrity what so ever. Jim Gray is a two-faced, no account attack artist who has made his career out of being an antagonist and finger pointer who makes public attacks, then hides behind the guise of being a "journalist". Stuart Scott can take his "hugs and hand pounds" and shove them up his hypocritical ass. He has been a NFL and NBA apologist for his entire career. Steve Lyons is a back pedaler who needs to quit acting like he is without blame when it comes to woes that baseball is facing. Remember folks he was a union rep for some of the teams he was on. Tony Kornheiser is a blow-hard, bandwagon-jumper and a terrible commentator/analyst. I wouldn't let him commentate on a Pop Warner game if it was my decision.

I want all sports fans to consider the following with college football barely a month removed and with March Madness right around the corner. From Reggie Bush at USC, Corey Maggette at Duke, Chris Webber at Michigan, Nebraska football, and Lou Holtz at South Carolina just for examples. Over and over in college sports it's all about making it to the "next level". I would contend that most "major level" college programs have inherent problems with inappropriate gifts or contact between either boosters or agents and the athletes. The problem is the NCAA knows when and where to look and I suspect that they conduct their investigations after seasons are over, and not during seasons for the simple fact it is the athletes that help generate the money the NCAA uses. They aren't going to slit their own wrists, so they investigate afterwards and punish the school, when they know fully well that the athlete has moved on, but the coach and the booster/agent are still around. Most of the times when major sanctions come down on a school the coach either quits or is fired, I would think in this situation sanctions should follow the coach as well - case in point would be where Lou Holtz was guilty of inappropriate gifts and monies to athletes. Holtz left SC State, and the school had to endure a cut back on scholarships. In a fair system Holtz no matter where he went should have endured the same. In the case of boosters or agents providing inappropriate gifts, boosters should be banned from school activities, dinners and functions including the games if they are found to be guilty of the charges. Agents should lose their license and since most agents are lawyers they should be reported to the state bar association as well as being banned from any contact with the school as well. This is all just some rantings since we all know fully well that the NCAA won't do a thing because it needs the athletes to generate the money. So USC will go unchecked in football, Duke will go unchecked in basketball and Miami and Florida State will continue to recruit borderline criminals/athletes for their athletic programs. I used to watch college sports so I could see the up and coming atheletes, now I watch so I can see where the connections are in the programs. Look closely at the sidelines, the guys watch the scoreboard and their watches the most probably have "vested" interests.

Wow crazy things so far this early in 2007 if you're a sports fan. Boise State beats Oklahoma and now Nick Saban decides to leave the safe confines of the NFL to go back to college coaching. Let's start with the positives for Saban going to Alabama. Big payday and an 8 year contract means he can put his hand prints all over this program for years to come. Supposedly he missed teaching the "kids" too. He gets complete control of a program again. Negatives, this move shows that Saban doesn't care about putting down roots anywhere. 'Bama fans contract or no contract you better be prepared if in 4 or 5 years if he doesn't have the program going he might bolt. NFL teams in the future will be leary if Saban comes knocking on the door for future jobs. Saban is also going to find out how much interference 'Bama alums and boosters can interfere with a program. They weren't suspend and fined by the NCAA for putting an extra pudding cup in their kids' lunches. Wonder what the Dolphins are going to do? New coach and new approach, Wayne Huizenga is probably going to formally hire a GM and put a few more people in place so that the next coach doesn't have that much of a front office/managerial impact again. Huizenga is a smart business man and will take steps to correct for this. Possible head coaches to be hired, who knows, but understand this, Dennis Green has lost his coaching ability and shouldn't be considered for the post. The Dolphins will be best served by hiring an assistant from somewhere, it will be cheaper and provide the foundation for restructing the front office to assist them.

Yes again all you football junkies and college sports fanatics, year after year there seems to a few teams who help throw a monkey wrench in the works and prove that the BCS know-it-alls from ESPN and the BCS themselves know nothing about the programs that play in some of the bowl games. Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Chris Fowler off the bat picked Oklahoma to desimate, pound and by all accounts drive Boise State off the field in shame. Seems to me Lee, Kirk and Chris need to go on the air and spend 30 minutes singing the praises of Boise State after going pound for pound, point for point and showing the "Big Boys" that they belong there as much as them. Congrats Boise State!!!! You earned it. BTW - I had my money on Boise State. With what seems to be a pattern of non-BCS conferences laying the wood to the BCS schools and USC losing to Oregon State and then UCLA, but pounding Michigan in the Rose Bowl, I would like to see the pollsters vote strictly on record. Oh but wait Lee, Kirk and Chris say you have to account for heart and teamwork and gutsiness. Okay so where would that put Utah from '04, Louisville and Boise State from last year and Boise State, and Louisville this year. The talking heads of ESPN want it both ways so that they can continue to pump up the major conferences. With no possible way of the PAC-10 or Big East expanding teams like Boise State and Louisville have to remain in their conferences, ergo it comes down to their non-conference schedules. Note here that over the past 3 years Louisville, Utah and Boise State have had a harder time finding non-conference games than any other Div I schools. The "Big Boys" don't want to play these guys because point blank, it really is a toss-up - believe me people these teams and programs are that good. The non-BCS schools might not have "blue chippers" but they have talented and hardworking players who stay with the program for the most part for their 4 full years of eligibility. I would luv to see Florida win a squeaker by Ohio State and really throw the BCS into a mess for sure on who's #1. Maybe in the next few years we can get a 1+ schedule to determine the real champ. Just remember the BCS controls all that money, what you pay for tickets and the sponsors for commercials, etc. The conferences get a decent chunk of the money, but let's face it the "Old Boy" network is firmly entrenched and controlling those dollars. I just hope that every year there's a Cinderella that comes to the party and really keeps people making noise to the BCS heirarchy to make changes, so that the decision is made on the field, not in the ESPN booth.