Ahhhh-CHOO!

OK ... I know ... I have been remiss in updating this thing, but I have a good reason.

I was sick.

No, really.

Nothing serious, just my first cold in about three years. I am not the best patient in the world. I am irritable. I am cranky. I am bitter. And that's when I am healthy!

Combine that with my poor sleeping habits and you have quite the combination. I think this has something to do with the crazy hours that I work, but every now and then I get into these cycles ... I'll feel like I slept all night, but it turns out to be about three hours. Then I will be up for 20 or so. When I get back to sleep, I'll get another two to four hours and be up 24 easy.

Sometimes it lasts a couple of days. The longest stretch was three months. I am in the midst of one of these stretches right now. The only thing I can only hope is that this ends soon.

Other than that -- and this is for a fan in Kansas -- I see the Royals signed second baseman Mark Grudzielanek and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. Hope the needles don't break from overuse when making up those jerseys. Who's next? Garciaparra?

Terrell Owens tells GQ magazine he felt "used" by the Eagles. Funny how nothing is ever his fault. I wonder if he has ever considered therapy. I would love to be a fly on the wall for that.

Henrik Lundqvist is my choice for NHL rookie of the year. Don't know him? Watch the Rangers on MSG or OLN when you can and you will him get better with each game. If he keeps his head on straight, he will become one of the league's all-time best.

What do you think? I would like to know.

Even the Worldwide Leader is due for a fall

I wanted to call your attention to this Web site (and if you have to copy and paste it, well, Life is hard, now isn't it ...): http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/?p=1406

Let it never be said that I am not one for taking a dim view of the industry that I work in. Don't get me wrong: I love sports. More often than not, I show up to work early because I thrive on the energy in a newsroom and if it is a sports newsroom, so much the better.

The words of co-worker Chris Altruda come to mind: "We get paid for this??" Yes, we do. I mean, to have a job where I can have five hockey/baseball/football games around me cannot be all that bad, no?

But there institution that seemed to start the sports revolution has become way too big and has always been way too full of itself. I am talking about ESPN, the pride of Bristol, Conn.

(As an aside, having worked briefly in nearby New Britain, Conn., I chuckle when I hear those contests that say you can way a trip to the campus of Bristol University ... there is nothing in Bristol worth seeing -- period.)

When ESPN started some 26 years ago, it was a great idea. An all-sports network. Seems like a match made in heaven for the all-around fan. Now, it has been something of a joke, and the blog -- to which I hope you have now seen -- simply points this out: ESPN is EVIL.

Here are some things to consider, courtesy of the Everyday Should Be Saturday blog ...

3. Stuart Scott. His poetry slam two days ago didn't happen, because if we did admit it, then we'd wake up crying in a ball in the corner struck by the sadness of what has become Sportscenter.

My take: I call Stuart Scott "DJ Stewie Stew," but let's be realistic -- Stewie is employed by ESPN to relate to those in tha' Hood regardless of race. I have never seen him do anything that remotely resembles journalism. And making "Boo-YAH!" a catch phrase doesn't count either.

34. Mark May. The youngest disciple of the (Mike) Gottfried school of broadcasting, a nasty, choleric presence on the screen whose vagina-pelt-looking goatee only added to his dislikeable on-air demeanor. Makes pure evil presence of Lou Holtz seem agreeable in comparison.

My take: This is what happens when you let former players/coaches/executives become members of the media. The thinking may be, "Well he (or she) can get us information we would never have access to otherwise."

This, plantively, is bullshit, and makes me think of another line, this from the character Al Giardello, played by Yaphet Kotto, is the old "Homicide: Life of the Street" show on NBC -- "JUST DO YOUR JOB!" In journalism, that sometimes means beating the bushes to get your story and not relying on cronies and the like.

40. ESPNU. Not even sure what this is, but it's unknown and strange -- therefore by instinct we must hate it.

My take: Has anyone even seen this on their cable systems? I believe it is a portion of the network dedicated to college athletics -- you know, like the pros, but without the multimillion dollar deals in the open?

The network has evolved and eventually morphed into something that wouldn't even recognize what it once was. ESPN2. ESPN News. ESPN the Magazine. ESPNU. What's next? ESPN the water? ESPN the contraceptive? ESPN the floor covering? It has become slightly comedic. OK, make that very comedic.

I used to work for a division of ESPN called SportsTicker that was based in New Jersey. I often referred to Ticker as ESPN's bastard child, meaning it was acknowledged, but that was as far as the relationship went. I worked for some interesting characters: Jim Morganthaler, who once suspended me for 2 days because I laughed at him. Executive style is that of a cold brick. ... Anthony "Tony Miles" Mormile, a gangster wanna-be, and at about 500 pounds, I am still wondering 1) how he has not died of heart disease and 2) why anyone would put up with this asshole on any job. As racist as they come.

It takes a certain type of person to work for the mothership in Bristol. After two stints, it was clear I was not that kind of person. And for that, I am thankful.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Zoom, zoom

Sometimes, you just get so bogged down with stuff, you kind of forget to do this ... so at the prodding of a dear friend in Kansas (think like the rancher going to the pen with a cattle prod) ...

Last Monday may have the single best day in my life. In the space of seven hours, I bought a new car and had a really good date. Yes, gentle reader, you may close your mouth before the flies find their way in -- I said date.

But first, the auto-mo-byle ... some 14 months ago, I bought a Nissan Altima from a dealership in Norwich, Conn., but I never felt entirely comfortable with it -- I felt that from the moment I drove it off the lot, I was being hustled into something I never really wanted.

Todd down in Oklahoma recently bought a Mazda 3 and raved about it. I drove one and could see why. For a small car, it had some pretty good jump to it. So, I was set to trade in the Nissan for a 3, but we could not make the numbers work. They were able to make the numbers work on 2005 Mazda6 -- a car very similar in size to my Nissan.

The commercials are right -- they are fun to drive. A friend in New York also had one when they were still called the 626 and he had it for many years and said it was good. So, at about 6 p.m. last Monday, I drove away from Naperville Mazda the proud owner of a new car.

First place I go? On a date. How's that for making an entrance? Her name is Rebecca and she lives in Chicago. Met her through Match.com and we went to Starbucks for the "break-the-ice" coffee before going to Charlie's Ale House in the city's Andersonville section.

We shut down two places. We have also been spending a lot of time on the phone since. It's been a nice ride so far. I guess the best way to describe how things have been is comfortable ... I don't feel as anxious around her as I have around other women.

Yes, anxiety is a bitch.

So, maybe that's why I have been slacking off in this. Think it's a good reason?

What do you think? I'd like to know.

This old dog

The Montreal Canadiens retired Yvan Cournoyer's No. 12 Saturday night.

To 99 and 44/100ths of the free world, that would not seem like much of a big deal. To hockey fans, especially those of my generation, it is.

Actually, for the first time in the Canadiens' storied history, they retired a number for two players. Cournoyer -- nicknamed "The Roadrunner" -- played from 1963-79. Prior to that, Dickie Moore played pour les Habitants from 1951-63. Between them, they led Montreal to 16 Stanley Cups.

I also, for a moment anyway, realized my own mortality. I watched as the lights in the Bell Centre came up and Cournoyer walked to a podium to address the crowd. I was shocked at how old he was.

Now, I have to remind myself that Cournoyer was born in 1943 -- the year after the U.S. got involved in World War II. That would make him 62 today. Players I grew up watching -- the Cournoyers, Espositos, Orrs and the like -- are all bucking for Social Security now.

Should I be surprised? Not really. I'm 40 -- "old fart-ville" as someone in San Francisco said to me this week. It doesn't really bother me getting older ... I thought it would be worse. Finding another grey hair in the goatee or feeling the bones creak a little more when I get out of bed is in the worst thing in the world.

I could be Yvan Cournoyer. And soon enough, I will be that age.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Man in the mirror

442 am ... you'd think, I'd be able to sleep at some point. Too much tea. Too much coffee. Too much Diet Mountain Dew. Too much "Goodfellas" and "Slap Shot" overnight on HBO.

We all have problems. Some have addictions. Some think they know it all (thereby pissing off those of us who do.) I know there are many out there who will say I have my share of problems, and they would be right. I'll be the first to admit it ... for years I had a chip on my shoulder the size of, say, I don't know, Saskatchewan? ... for seven years I drank way too much, smoked too many cigarettes ... up until a couple years ago, I ate WAY too much.

My biggest problem, though, has always been self-perception. For the longest time -- and to this day -- I feel like I am damaged goods. Why do I feel like this? It's many of the same things I have some publicly and privately seemingly again and again: Never been married ... hardly date at all ... trust VERY few people; I have been screwed enough times to let many into my life ... feel like I'm largely forgotten by some ... no, not those in Kansas, Long Island, Oklahoma and a few others out there.

Anyway, it is a feeling that has affected my personal and professional lives. I have tried talk therapy. I have tried drug therapy. I did not do either of them particularly long term because I didn't see much if any progress. When I was in talk therapy one-on-one, it felt more like I was on stage doing stand-up.

Sorry, I don't like paying each week to make others laugh. Self-perception be damned.

But to anyone looking at my life right now, they may see a success: I have a nice place in Chicago, fast becoming a great city to live in ... I have a job I truly enjoy -- a co-worker said we're basically stealing money given what we do for a living. ... things are good; for the first time in a long time, things are good.

So why am I unhappy? I know some people who read this will try to explain why I feel this way, but this is something I need to deal with. I need to find a way to get past some events in my life that continue after years to nag in my mind long after, in some cases years and decades after they have happened.

Ray Liotta now realizes his last good drug score was flushed down the toilet, he looks to Paul Sorvino for forgiveness and Paulie turns his back on him. Time to try and get some sleep.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Growing pains

I did something today that I had never done before: bought furniture.

I'm not talking the Wal-Mart, Sauder, O'Sullivan disposable kind, either. And I started small: a loden, microfiber sofa from Value City of Niles, Ill. (Don Pardo voice -- total retail value, $599). Eventually, I will add an oversized chair to it, making it a living room set. I am also planning on a dinette set and bedroom set from there down the road.

This is uncharted territory for me. It also signals something I have pretty much surmised all along: I will know when the time is right to settle down.

I think the time is right, and I think Chicago and its suburbs will be my home from now on.

At 40, I can look back at the places I have lived in. Some were because I thought I would be able to start a new life there -- Minnesota (3 times!) Some were for work (Ardmore, Okla.; Joplin, Mo.; Pittsburgh; Norwich, Conn.) Some I still have now clue why (Perth Amboy, N.J.)

But the more I explore this area, the more I am liking it and the more I am seeing myself stay here. I've never really been able to say that with a lot of confidence. I'm even working on a plan to save money (ok, everyone can stop laughing now) to put money down on a place of my own. It will take several years, but it will happen.

So what is this? A new phase of life? Time to grow up finally? I'm open to suggestions.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Big smile, now

Somewhere, you know Shoeless Joe Jackson has a grin on his face.

Taking a look at the landscape

You know you all have been waiting for this ...

1. The Indianapolis Colts will lose one game this season, a Monday night affair Nov. 28 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is growing up as a football player before our eyes. Check out his game-winning touchdown pass Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

3. The Norwich Navigators are no more -- the San Francisco Giants' Double-A team will now be known as the Connecticut Defenders. Silly name, sillier logo.

4. Bird flu has made it to Britain. It will be in the U.S. before the year is over.

5. Professional football will no longer be played in New Orleans. The NFL for the longest time has wanted to put a pro team back in Southern California and Hurricane Katrina has given them the perfect out to do so.

6. If New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin thinks his city will get the "Cleveland plan" when it comes to the Saints, guess again. Sad to say, but I think it will be a long time, if ever again, before pro sports is seen in the Crescent City.

7. The NBA's Hornets will eventually end up in Oklahoma City or, more likely, Kansas City for good.

8. White Sox in six. Shoeless Joe Jackson can rest in peace when it happens.

9. Biggest fraud in college football: Texas Tech. Way for the Lubbock Leaches to show up against Texas Saturday.

10. How many days until Bush leaves?

Battle lines drawn

No miracles in St. Louis this year, I'm afraid. The Astros shook off Pujols' blast in Game Five to win the National League Championship Series in six games and face the White Sox in the World Series.

I grew up in New York watching both the Mets and Yankees -- and thanks to the advent of sports talk radio in the 1980s, listen to their fans explain why each other's teams suck.

Here in Chicago, from what I can tell anyway, the dislike between Cubs fans and White Sox fans is there, albeit in a silent sort of way.

My problem with Yankees fans is with 26 championships to their names -- and a mad owner willing to spend more than Zimbabwe's GNP on his players -- they all believe the World Series belongs to them as a matter of divine right.

In that case, baseball fans, the season will now end the first week of April. Did you all get the memo?

Mets fans -- not all of them, but a huge bunch of them -- whine about how they get no respect. They feel they get the short end in everything (ever been to Shea Stadium on say a cold Thursday night in September when the Mets are long out if it and facing a team like Pittsburgh or Milwaukee or Colorado? Think morgue.)

The Mets' ownership will say they spend responsibly -- which is a nice way of saying, "We have 'x' dollars in our budget and are not going to go past that regardless.' -- well. combine that and traffic on the Grand Central and it's a miracle anyone will play for them.

If both sides would just dial it back a little, baseball in New York might be fun again. It's a game. It's not life or death.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Phat Albert

"Man that ball got outta here in a hurry. I mean anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don't you think?" -- Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), "Bull Durham," 1988.

The Wizard. Gibby. Hendu. Add Phat Albert to the list.

It was one of those things that when someone asks me 40 years from now where I was when the Cardinals' Albert Pujols hit the home run that saved St. Louis' season. I'll know exactly when and where: I was sitting in the newsroom on the phone with one of my best friends -- and lunatic baseball fan -- watching Astros pitcher Brad Lidge get ready to deliver Houston's first pennant.

"Wouldn't it be funny if he hit it out," friend says from two time zones away.

"Nah. It's over," says me of no faith.

The Cardinals are cooked. Two out, bottom of the ninth inning, two on, there is no way they're coming back. A 100-win season shot to Hell in the NLCS.

I don't think I could duplicate the sound that came out of my mouth when Pujols turned on the pitch. I have walked outside Minute Maid Park in Houston, never been in it, but from what I can tell, there are train tracks that run above the left field stands and glass panels that stretch above that.

Pujols' shot slammed into the glass about two-thirds of the way up. I heard on the radio Tuesday that the three-run homer which forced Game Six of the NLCS later tonight, measured at 412 feet.

Damned if that ball was not still rising when it hit glass. No glass -- out of the park.

A tide-turner. Maybe. Smith's homer in '85 did it for the Cards. Dave Henderson in '86 put the Red Sox in the Fall Classic and forever doomed Donnie Moore's soul. Gibby on one half of one knee brought the Dodgers back from the brink in '88.

Who says miracles don't happen.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

The streakbuster

Last year at this time, I was in Norwich, Conn., listening to every Red Sawx fan cackle when they beat my Cardinals for their first World Series win since 1918.

This year, I am in Chicago where the White Sox -- yes, the Grinders, Pale Hose, South Siders, whatever -- have won the American League pennant. Is that Hell freezing over? Collective Cubs fans' hearts dropping into their stomachs?

Yeppers.

Now, the Cardinals are down three games to one and it looks like the White Sox will meet Houston in their first World Series appearance since 1959.

They are four wins from exorcising the ghosts of 1917 -- the last time Chicago has seen a World Series winner.

Think it's going to happen? Tell me what you think. I'd like to know.

A helluva ballot

And, no, I am not talking when G-Dub and the Cabal are replaced.

Brett Hull called it an NHL career this afternoon, one week after the Phoenix Coyotes "unretired" the No. 9 the old Winnipeg Jets raised to the rafters honoring "The Golden Jet," Bobby Hull.

Brett Hull was a brash kid when he broke into the league with the Calgary Flames in 1986. He was just as brash now 20 years down the road. He finishes third all-time in scoring behind Wayne Gretzky -- ironically, the last coach he plays for -- and Gordie Howe.

No question: "The Golden Brett" is headed to the Hall of Fame.

Four years from now, the NHL Hall of Fame class is shaping up as the best group to be enshrined at one time in ANY sport. Yes, you read that right.

Consider: Mark Messier -- Captain Clutch ... helped the New York Rangers put to bed the ghosts of 1940 when helped bring the Stanley Cup back to Manhattan ... a 6-time Cup winner.

Ron Francis -- one of the most consistent players of his era. ... 23 seasons with Hartford, Pittsburgh, Carolina and Toronto. ... 1,249 career assists ... two-time Stanley Cup winner.

Al MacInnis -- Perhaps the hardest slapshot in league history (I believe he broke Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Jocelyn Thibualt's finger with one of those drives) ... finished with 340 goals and 934 assists in his 23-year career. .. won a Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1986.

Scott Stevens -- Concussions ended his 22-year career with Washington, St. Louis and New Jersey ... Named MVP in 2000 ... blueliner led the Devils to three Stanley Cups and was considered the face of the franchise ... a 13-time All-Star.

Vincent Damphousse -- Spent 18 seasons with Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and San Jose .. finishes with 442 goals -- including 12 hat tricks -- and 773 assists ... helped the Canadiens in 1993 to their 23rd Stanley Cup. ... Played in 1,378 career games.

The lockout took a year away from these players. Except for Hull, it's too bad they will not get a chance to play in the new-look league.

See ya in Toronto in four years.

The Golden Brett

Apparently, Brett Hull will don No. 9 for the Phoenix Coyotes after all.

According to the team's Web site, Hull will wear the number that was retired by the Winnipeg Jets in honor of his father and NHL legend Bobby Hull.

"My brothers and sister and I grew up watching my dad, while wearing No. 9, have success and love life as an NHL player," said Brett Hull. "My children have seen those same images of their grandfather and his passion for the game. Thanks to my dad today, I look forward to my kids being able to see me play with that same passion while also wearing No. 9. I’ll wear it proudly."

Hull will unveil his new number Saturday when the Coyotes play host to Minnesota.

Opening night observations ...

Just some things I've noticed NHL-wise tonight ...

1. Brett Hull, now playing in Phoenix, wearing No. 16. His father, Hall of Famer Bobby, wore No. 9 for the Winnipeg Jets (for you kiddies, that's where the Desert Dogs were from originally) and the 'Yotes offered to unretire the number for Brett to wear. Classy move by the younger Hull, though.

2. Sure, it's only one game, but Washington's Alexander Ovechkin looked real good scoring twice in a win over Columbus -- a team expected to turn the corner this season.

3. Sidney Crosby had just one assist in Pittsburgh's 5-1 loss in New Jersey. I say he scores 55, adds 100 assists. Maybe a reach, but it will be fun to see him try.

4. Why hockey doesn't belong in New Jersey: they can't even sell out for one of the best prospects to come down the pike in a long time.

5. Maybe the Rangers' Jaromir Jagr is happy being 'the man' on a team. Two late goals against the Flyers is an impressive start.

6. Mmmmmm...shootouts.

7. Opening-night collapse anyone? L.A. squanders 4-goal lead, lose to Dallas, 5-4.

8. Classless move by Bruins fans, littering the ice with replica Stanley Cups after losing 2-1 to Montreal on a goal in the final minute. I don't think I have seen a sight as pathetic as goalie Andrew Raycroft crouched in the net waiting for fans to stop throwing the giveaways.

9. Nikolai Khabibulin may have gotten his ring and a big contract, but I think he's going to find success hard to come by in Chicago.

10. Potvin sucks.

Drop the puck

MORTON GROVE, Ill. -- You knew the boycott would not last long.

I know ... I swore up and down on a stack that when the NHL came back after the lockout, they would do so without me.

So what am I doing? Sitting in a new newsroom, a 13-inch television on my right hooked up to DirectTV with the Penguins-Devils game on.

If I am bored with watching the Sid & Marty Show, I can move on to the Red Wings-Blues game -- just in time for Pavel Datsyuk to light the lamp for the first time this season.

'Canes-Bolts. Caps-Jackets. Isles-Sabres. And anyone who knows me understand I will be watching the Edmontons, Vancouvers and Calgarys of the hockey world with much interest.

They're all back.

Yes, the 301-day lockout angered me, infuriated me because it took away one of the few things I actually care about.

But having it back, well, you know what they say ... bygones will be bygones. And it's a fairly safe bet that I will be going to games around the country -- San Jose almost certainly, maybe Denver and Edmonton as well. Living in Chicago now, there is almost no way I could say no to Detroit and St. Louis, too.

Welcome back, Hockey. Don't do this again.

Big Mac, fried

SKOKIE, Ill. -- Growing up in the shadows of both Shea and Yankee Stadiums, I felt the need to be different: I rooted for the Minnesota Twins. Hosken Powell. Lyman Bostock. Paul Thormosgard. Mike Cubbage. And so on.

Then there was the improbable World Series win in 1987 over the Cardinals. Gary Gaetti -- my favorite baseball player of all time from the moment he hit two homers to start the '82 season. Kent Hrbek -- everyone loves Herbie. Kirby Puckett, Tim Laudner, Tom Brunansky. And so on.

And just to show it was no fluke, fast forward to 1991 against Atlanta. Jack Morris' 10-inning thriller. Dan Gladden crossing home with the winning run. Both championship teams led by the dry-witted Tom Kelly. He's not a native Minnesotan, but the sense of humor is all White Bear Lake Avenue.

Suffice it to say there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the Twins, but the love affair lasted until 1998. I was tired of owner former Marquette Bank head Carl Pohlad -- net worth: at least $2 billion -- doing little to improve the team and Major League Baseball doing everything it could to kill off the team. Remember when 'contraction' was the buzzword around the majors?

I started following the Cardinals. My father has been a fan since the days of Pepper Martin and The Gashouse Gang in the 1930's. He would tell me of Enos Slaughter's mad dash home from first in the '46 Series. I think part of the reason I started following St. Louis was not just that the team was good, but the fans are amazingly loyal -- check out Busch Stadium anytime during the season and it's a sea of red. And while the team will do what it needs to improve, but they go about it the right way by building their farm system (Albert Pujols, anyone?) and making deals for integral parts (Larry Walker? Jim Edmonds?)

In the late 90's, there was Mark McGwire. In a midseason deal in 1997, Big Mac was picked up from the A's for some guys named Ludwick and Stein and a bag of balls, apparently. The stats don't lie: 51 games, 44 hits -- 24 homers.

History would be made a year later.

Remember 1998 and the back-and-forth march by Mac and Chicago's Sammy Sosa to break Roger Maris' single-season home run record? Talking about that was almost like talking in church during Mass -- spoken in quiet, hushed whispers.

I went to Montreal that season to see a pair of Cardinals-Expos games. Sitting behind the plate before batting practice, I watched players go through their routines. They all stopped when Mac stepped in the batting cage and he did not disappoint, parking six balls in the top deck of Olympic Stadium, each one seemingly longer than the last.

Ironically, the record-breaker was very un-Mac-like: a cue shot that barely made it over the left-field wall at Busch. He finished with 70 that season and followed that up with a 65-homer campaign in '99.

It was all a sham. Anyone who saw Mac at the Congressional hearings into steroids earlier this year -- remember, he was not there to discuss the past -- and the appearance Friday at Busch has to look at what's in front of their eyes. McGwire, who looked absolutely Bunyan-esque during his home-run binge, now looked like a man who would be at home in a nondescript office. Thank Steve Wilstein looking at a bottle of andro for Mac's downfall.

At the hearings, Mac would not admit the obvious. Was it andro? Stanozolol? Some other high-powered illegal drug? One person knows for sure, and you can bet he is not talking.

"I've moved on from it and I wish the media would," McGwire told The Associated Press. "I've made my statement in Washington, that's my statement, and when I left Washington that's the last time I was ever going to talk about it, and that's really about it."

McGwire told Congress he'd be interested in speaking out against steroid abuse. Now he said he isn't interested in discussing the steroids issue anymore.

Well, it seems the Cardinal Nation has moved on. With the closing of Busch coming up after this season, fans selected an All-time Cardinals team and silently convicted the man who for almost five seasons was the toast of the Gateway City.

Pujols -- just finishing up his fifth season -- got the nod at first.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

I've been everywhere, man ...

Goodbye, DC. Hello, Chicago.

This may be a new record even for me.

I will be leaving Washington DC after just four months to start a new job with a sports media company in Chicago's northern suburbs.

There is no delicate way to put this: it's all about the Benjamins. My new boss is someone I worked with at The Associated Press -- a good guy -- and the company made a very generous offer.

So don't be surprised if temporarily I stop writing. The next couple weeks is going to feature a lot of upheaval, but all in a good way.

Anyway, what do you think -- if you have any opinion -- I'd like to know.

One down, two to go

The Associated Press' Ron Fournier reported Monday something that should have happened a week ago.

Federal Emergency Management Agency director Mike Brown said he has resigned "in the best interest of the agency and best interest of the president," three days after losing his onsite command of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

"The focus has got to be on FEMA, what the people are trying to do down there," Brown told AP.

His decision was not a surprise. Brown was abruptly recalled to Washington on Friday, a clear vote of no confidence from his superiors at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security. Brown had been roundly criticized for FEMA's bearish response to the hurricane, which has caused political problem for Bush and fellow Republicans.

"I'm turning in my resignation today," Brown said. "I think it's in the best interest of the agency and the best interest of the president to do that and get the media focused on the good things that are going on, instead of me."

And not to keep the heat on him, presumably.

Your thoughts? I'd like to know.

Fool me once, shame on you ... fool me twice ...

So, the delayed response to the Katrina had nothing to do with race. The president said so, so it must be true.

According to a report by Jennifer Loven of The Associated Press, Bush denied Monday there was any racial component to people being left behind after Hurricane Katrina, despite suggestions from some critics that the response would have been quicker if so many of the victims hadn't been poor and black.

"The storm didn't discriminate and neither will the recovery effort," Bush said. "The rescue efforts were comprehensive. The recovery will be comprehensive.

(Just an aside here ... what does that mean, "the recovery will be comprehensive?")

Maybe the response -- or initial lack of one -- to Katrina was not race-related. You can bet, though, it was class-related.

The Bushes and their ilk have nothing -- zero -- in common with the poor people of the Gulf Coast. If it isn't the Gold Coast, Bush and his cabal want nothing to do with it.

That's the huge divide in this country.

Race relations are still a problem, but the class distinctions are the now-proverbial hurricane hitting New Orleans.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Banda Aceh, meet Bourbon Street

There's something about the city of New Orleans. Something mystical, magical, evil.

I drove through there almost two years ago, returning from a tryout with a small newspaper in suburban Houston. I got off
I-10 and filled up my gas tank in a predominantly black neighborhood.

I was always taught to have tolerance for people of other races, religions and nationalities, so black people do not scare me -- early on in my life, I went to school with them (as they were bused in from places with exotic-sounding names like Springfield Gardens and St. Albans.)

But as I stood at this gas station in New Orleans, I could feel eyes boring into me. Those eyes said, "Boy, what are you doing here?" Nothing happened. All I did was fill the tank, get back in the car and go.

Far from a nice tale of beignets, crawfish and the French Quarter, no?

Still, what Hurricane Katrina laid on the city of New Orleans and Gulf Coast communities across Louisiana and Mississippi -- in spite of it being a natural disaster -- was horrific.

It was also inexcusable.

The United States is not a third-world nation, but you would not have known that from this past week's events. The Superdome and later the Houston Astrodome both used as refugee centers. Lawlessness leading to people being shot and killed as a matter of survival. The old, the infirm, the helpless dying in the streets. Stephen King's "The Stand" seemingly come to life.

Banda Aceh, meet Bourbon Street.

George Bush. Michael Chertoff. Michael Brown. These are three people who should pay dearly.

Anyone for a recall to get G-Dub out of the White House? Our fearless leader sees nothing wrong with spending billions on a war that makes no sense, but cannot tend to matters in his own country. He proved that on Sept. 11, 2001 by not heeding advance warnings did it again with this tragedy.

That inane smirk and the look on his face that essentially says "oh, well" that we have come to expect is the best he can muster. That and saddling us with $3.40 a gallon gas prices, but that's a story for another day.

Chertoff? Clueless. According to the Editor & Publisher Web site, Chertoff told Tim Russert of "Meet The Press" that one reason for the delay in rushing federal aid to the Gulf Coast was that "everyone" thought the crisis had passed when the storm left town: "I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, 'New Orleans Dodged The Bullet.'"

Makes me long for the days of Tom Ridge and his color-coding alert system.

Brown -- also known as the head of FEMA ... the phrase to describe him right now during all this is "deer in the headlights." After all, being a former official with the International Arabian Horse Association clearly has readied him for dealing with the worst natural disaster to hit this country in a century.

All the so-called important people and those able to leave got out of Dodge. But New Orleans is perhaps the poorest major city in America. I don't think a family from one of New Orleans' poor sections was going to pack up their Lexus SUV and head for higher ground and a week's stay in the Holiday Inn to ride out the storm.

About 1 million got out of Louisiana. About 10,000 died. 9/11 times three.

We have become a throw-away society. I want to know when people became expendable.

Bad week

It was not exactly the best week for Bob Huggins or Lawrence Phillips, now was it?

Huggins will not forget the name Nancy Zimpher anytime soon. Zimpher, the president of the University of Cincinnati, apparently had enough of Coach Huggins. The fact that Huggins put Cincinnati hoops on the map notwithstanding, Zimpher had enough of subpar graduation rates and numerous arrests over the years -- including Huggins' own for DUI a year ago.

"We expect to recruit very strong students on the court and in the classroom," Zimpher said in a recent interview with the Cincinnati Post. "We expect our coaches to be role models, and we expect our students to be role models. I will not apologize for setting high standards."

I, for one, applaud her. It seems many other college presidents would not have looked at the low percentage of student-athletes graduating. They would have focused on the 399 career wins and the 14 straight NCAA appearances.

Zimpher had none of that. She left Huggins with two choices. Resign or be fired. No middle ground.

You go, girl.

Phillips ... now that's another story.

In March 1997, I wrote a column when I was working for a small paper in Oklahoma. In that piece, I referred to Phillips as a punk for humming as he was led away for a 30-day jail sentence for violating his probation stemming from the assault of a female basketball player at the University of Nebraska.

At the time, I said he should work in rehabilitating his life. Now 30 years old and as far away from a spot in the NFL as I am, it seems nothing has changed. The Associated Press reported this week Phillips -- already wanted for domestic violence (big shock, I know) -- allegedly ran a car into three teens after a pick-up football game.

Oh yeah, the car was reported stolen. Phillips also said he wouldn't be taken peacefully, the report said.

Maybe it's time for him to do some hard time. Perhaps a judge will do for Phillips what Zimpher did for Huggins.

For those curious enough to read the column, it's at: http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:rNv7opwC9XgJ:www.ardmoreite.com/stories/031397/sports/sports01.html+lefkowitz+%22Lawrence+Phillips%22&hl=en

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Royal flush

There's something about watching a team so bad -- make that so completely and utterly awful -- that it's like watching the aftermath of a horrific car wreck. You know you shouldn't rubberneck, but you just cannot help turning your head and taking in the spectacle.

Enter the Kansas City Royals.

Heading into Saturday's game at Oakland, the Royals have dropped 19 straight games -- baseball's longest losing streak since the '88 Orioles started the season 0-21.

I cannot help but think of the caption to a "Far Side" cartoon: Welcome to Hell ... Here's your accordion.

Manager Buddy Bell is only 53, but he looks like he has aged 20 years in a month. In fairness, not all of it has been baseball-related: his nephew was recently killed in Iraq.

"It's unexplainable, really,'' Bell said after Friday night's 4-0 loss in Oakland. "I don't think we're a playoff-contending team by any means, but I don't think we're this bad."

Oh, yes you are. Quick -- name four Royals. I know ... neither can I.

Let's try to put this in perspective:

--The Royals have not won a game since July 27 when they knocked off the first-place White Sox.
--They are 20 games behind fourth-place Detroit. Yes. 20. Yes. FOURTH-place.
--Here is the rest of the schedule for August: two more against Oakland, and three-game series against Boston, New York and Minnesota.

0-for-August anyone?

Anyway, what do you think? I'd like to know.

You don't say

Let's see if I got this right ... Randy Moss smokes marijuana?

What's next? Vince Vaughn is overrated? A pound of butter a day will kill you? William Shatner is a jackass?

Just checking ...

Checking in

I'm fine. I have been real busy with work, some additional responsibilities that have been taking up what little free time I have.

I promise ... there will be a post soon.

PC taken up -- or down -- to a new level?

Face it, folks: we screwed over the native Americans.

I am not going to go all chapter and verse how it was done. My problem is this ruling the NCAA came out with this week: it would prohibit teams with nicknames, symbols or mascots considered "hostile or abusive" from hosting NCAA postseason events.

The NCAA also will not allow such nicknames or symbols to be on team uniforms or clothing in NCAA postseason competition beginning Feb.1.

This is the most pressing thing on the NCAA's minds?? Please.

Max B. Osceola Jr. of the Seminole tribal council may have put it most succinctly in an article written by Steve Ellis of the Tallahassee Democrat

"It's like history -- they left the natives out," Osceola said. "They have non-natives telling natives what's good for them or how they should use their name. You have a committee made up of non-natives telling people that they can not use a native name when you have a native tribe -- a tribal government, duly elected and constituted - that said they agree with Florida State."

As far as I can tell, there is ONE offensive nickname in sports -- the Redskins. Yes, it is akin to calling a team the New York Negroes. (BTW, yes, the St. John's Redmen was an offensive name -- I'm just not sure Red Storm is much better.)

Ask yourself: are the Fighting Sioux from the University of North Dakota offensive? The University of Utah Utes? Last I checked, these were names of tribes. Proud names.

Florida State president T.K. Wetherell was livid over the decision.

"You're not going to put the name Seminoles on the scoreboard but you put the Hooters girls on it. That's just stupid.
... It's just frustrating that they don't deal with issues more important to the athletes (instead of) grandstanding on this," Wetherell said in the Democrat.

My guess is there will still be the Fightin' Illini, the Fighting Sioux, the Seminoles and the Rainbow Warriors come Feb. 1.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

When you have nothing to write about ...

I guess this is the equivalent of ad-libbing.

1. Given a choice of Brokaw, Rather or Jennings, give me the Canadian each time. Hard to believe he was 67.

2. I was driving to IKEA Monday when I was listening to "The Best of Tony Kornheiser" on a Washington sports radio station. Two words -- shut up. Listening to him prattle on to ESPN anchor Pam Ward during the past college football bowl season was nauseating at best.

3. IKEA's furniture is better than it was 13 years ago when I first bought a sofa and bed from them. And their prices are still very reasonable.

4. Rafael Palmeiro needs to retire.

5. At what point does it become to expensive to drive? I saw gas Sunday in Virginia for $2.70 a gallon.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

It's always the ones you least suspect

Rafael Palmeiro? Steroids?

Nahhhhhh.....

Of course that was the same thing many said when Marv Albert was accused of chowing down on a former lover.

No, Palmeiro didn't go Hannibal Lechter on someone. But he did test positive for stanozolol -- same thing that brought Ben Johnson down.

With more than 560 home runs and 3,000 hits, Palmeiro was a mortal lock for the Hall of Fame. This positive test kills that off.

He did do one thing Thursday -- a day when the Orioles canned manager Lee Mazzilli. Palmeiro requested the celebration for his 3,000th hit be canceled.

Classy gesture -- I wouldn't want to feel much like celebrating either.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Death knell, anyone?

Bread and pasta eaters, rejoice. Same for fruit and veggie folk. You are free once again.

The company started by the late nutrition guru Dr. Robert C. Atkins to promote a low-carb lifestyle filed for bankruptcy court protection Monday, a further sign of the waning popularity of the diet.

The company, Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., which sells Atkins-brand nutrition bars, shakes and candy as well as offering low-carb diet information, has been hurt by waning popularity of its namesake approach, which focuses on eliminating carbohydrates such as bread and pasta to shed weight.

According to an AP report, the diet became one of the most popular in U.S. history, spawning a virtual cottage industry of low-carb regimens — but also drew criticism from experts for its focus on fatty foods and low fruit and vegetable consumption.

About time, too. This craze went on far too long.

Has anyone out there had any success with this? Failure? Your thoughts?

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Washington Follies

Thinking of something a friend of mine said a couple weeks ago, and now I am starting to wonder ... maybe Bush is a war criminal. It's clear he is an idiot.

According to The Associated Press, Bush Monday morning sidestepped the Senate and installed embattled nominee John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations, ending a five-month impasse with Democrats who accused Bolton of abusing subordinates and twisting intelligence to fit his conservative ideology.

"This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about UN reform," Bush said. He said Bolton had his complete confidence.

Great ... so G-Dub has another of his men in place to bully and cow the rest of the world.

Can someone explain to me what this war is really about? Stopping terror? Oil? Osama? 21st Century colonialization?

What do you think? I'd like to know.

I must have missed this

Just curious: when did poker become a sport worthy of being televised?

I will be the first to admit this: gambling does nothing for me. When the Powerball or MegaMillions jackpot hits $100 million, I'll buy five plays. When the Kentucky Derby rolls around, I may put $20 on a horse.

Consider I lived 10 minutes from eastern Connecticut's two Indian casinos ... and I didn't go to them for the year I was there. Like I said: does nothing for me.

But as I sit here having made dinner -- curried rice with shrimp, bacon and peas for those keeping score -- I was watching ESPN news and saw yet another commercial for some poker tournament coming up.

Again -- poker is not a sport. It's a game of chance.

Then again, I do not consider horse racing, NASCAR and all its minions, and golf sports as well.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Just some things to think about ...

1. What is the big deal about Harry Potter? Am I missing something here?

2. Coke Zero is great except for one thing -- goes flat too quick. Then again, if it didn't, it would be Diet Coke again.

3. Two words for the New York Yankees: Next year.

4. The New York Mets may want Alfonso Soriano from the Texas Rangers. Don't start dealing prospect Lastings Milledge just yet.

5. I think the St. Louis Cardinals should take a run at Cincinnati's Adam Dunn. Lary Walker isn't going to be around forever.

6. Sarge -- remember one thing as you head to Wisconsin -- when you're in this business, it is NEVER about you. It's about your readers. No one gives a damn that you can run.

Factoid alert

Some sports feats just kind of make you sit up and take notice. Take what Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ryan Freel did Wednesday night.

Freel entered the game batting just .289 with two homers and nine RBI. Pretty inauspicious ... actually if the Reds were in the playoff race, Freel would likely be playing down in Triple-A Lousiville.

Freel stole five bases, a team record. A team that has played baseball since -- say it with me now -- 1869.

Not a bad way to be a footnote in team history.

Outta there!

Here's something baseball commissioner Bud Selig doesn't hear often: Way to go! (You thought I was going to say "No, that hair looks completely natural.")

Selig Wednesday denied Kenny Rogers' appeal of his 20-game suspension for shoving two cameramen. David Ginsburg of The Associated Press reported Selig "deemed the behavior of the Texas Rangers' pitcher to be 'wholly unacceptable.'"

The commissioner, who heard Rogers' appeal last Friday in Milwaukee, said the suspension would begin with Wednesday night's against Baltimore. Meanwhile, the players' association said it will pursue a grievance before an arbitrator to overturn the penalty.

What Rogers needs to remember in all this is he not only embarrassed himself with all this, but he embarrassed his employer -- who has been strangely quiet throughout. If you, I, or the average Joe Schmo did something egregious, like Rogers did, while representing our company, you can bet we would no longer have jobs.

Hmmmm ... I guess in trying to keep pace in the AL West, Texas is willing to overlook just about anything. With a 3-10 record since the All-Star break heading into Wednesday's matchup, it really wouldn't matter much for the Rangers now.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

It's just a bulb!

Someone explain something to me ... now, I like to cook and I like things like onions and garlic.

But when I watch Emeril (which isn't often -- he's about 5 minutes past his 15), someone PLEASE explain to me why the audience insists on hooting and hollering when he adds "gaah-lic" to everything.

And I mean everything: Confit. Pineapple. Coffee. Doesn't matter.

Just my two cents.

When do you think? I'd like to know.

Deep breaths

First thing to everyone who responded to my last post -- thank you.

Apart from those I consider close friends, others walked back into my life and perfect strangers -- people who know nothing of me and I nothing of them -- showed concern for my well being.

I have no plans of doing anything stupid. But that doesn't mean the problems that brought me to this meltdown have gone away. My voice is kind of hoarse from the silent screaming.

I need help. People who know me have told me this for years and, stubborn as I am, I resisted except for a brief time some four years ago. First thing I need to do is get health insurance from the new job and then plan some sort of strategy.

Again -- I am better than I was 48 or even 24 hours ago. Now I just need to get back on that long road. I'm not good at accepting help. I may have to change that attitude.

--Andy--

What to do ... what to do ...

Those who know me know I will go to the ends of the Earth to help those I care about when they need it.

I wish someone would do that for me. If there is anyone who probably needs an intervention, it's me.

When I was a kid -- a young one -- I used to be happy. I used to laugh. Now, I'm just miserable and its been going on far too long.

I am five weeks short of 40 years old and it's almost like a siren has gone off ... the last 10 years have passed me by and I blame no one but myself for that. Depression has been a huge part of my life, but the last decade has just been one inkset blur. One disappointment after another ... after another.

I was on anti-depressants a few years ago -- Paxil, 20 mg., once a day -- and it seemed to work, but the side effects were, shall we say, less than desirable. Earlier this year, I was back on meds -- a different kind, I don't even remember what they were -- and I craved every carb under the sun and gained about 10 pounds. There was talk therapy for awhile, but I felt more like I was onstage for 50 minutes, once a week.

This is my silent scream. I need help. I don't normally come right out and say it, but I need help. Now.

Bling Crosby

So much for the dream of Sidney Crosby playing on the biggest stage in the world. Instead, perhaps the best hockey player to come out of juniors in a couple decades -- barring any trades or just general stupidity -- will be playing in Pittsburgh.

Having been in Mellon Arena a few times, it's a step down from many junior rinks Sid the Kid played in.

Now, comes the problem for the Penguins. They need a new arena in the worst way possible or, plain and simple, they will move (Portland? Cincinnati? Houston? Milwaukee? Seattle? Dare I say Winnipeg??)

In an article by Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "The Penguins' prospects for a new arena are tied to the awarding of the license to operate a Downtown slots parlor. Whether adding Crosby to the roster will impress any bureaucrats in Harrisburg remains to be seen, but owner Mario Lemieux said, 'It's not going to hurt, obviously.'"

Judging from the crush of people calling in for tickets and soon donning black, white and Vegas gold jerseys with No. 87 on the back, Mellon will have regular sellouts again just like in the glory days of Lemieux, Jagr, etc.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Your serve, Mr, Bettman

The NHL will hold its weighted lottery Friday for the sport's newest prize, Sidney Crosby.

The Rangers are one of a handful of teams that will have three balls in the hopper. Any sports fan needs to think back to the first NBA draft in 1985 when Patrick Ewing was the prize coming from Georgetown.

To this day, any conspiracy theorist will say it was a slam dunk that the New York Knicks were getting Ewing. Of course it didn't result in any championships, but many years of very good play.

Could Crosby -- supposedly the greatest thing to hit the ice since Mario and Wayne -- be destined to start his career in the largest sports media market? A market that has not seen a playoff team yet this millennium?

We will know at 4 p.m. Friday. Then No. 87 may be as familiar as 66 or 99.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Oh, well

And so, it goes. I should know better: the caste system is alive and well after all.

Wow (!!!)

OK, I may come off sounding like a goof. Well, no more so than usual ... but I don't care.

I went out to dinner Friday night with a woman named Tracy who I met through an online site. Tracy is a lawyer who works in Washington, D.C. (I don't want to give too many details about where she works or exactly what she does for obvious reasons, OK? OK.)

It was a pleasant dinner with really good conversation. She is originally from Long Island -- even went to school a couple towns over from me when I lived in Queens, N.Y. She's very attractive, smart -- make that *scary* smart (there were times I didn't think I'd be able to keep up with her -- and I love a good challenge).

We've agreed to go out again -- another pleasant surprise.

So why, gentle reader, should you care about a first date? Think back to some of your first dates and not the ones that ended awkwardly -- or disastrously -- neither. Remember how you felt, how happy or excited you were.

It's an underrated feeling, as far as I'm concerned. And it's pretty damn nice too.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

This just in!

After 301 days, the NHL lockout is over, pending ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement.

Now, I can turn over and go back to sleep. The sad thing is I felt this need to read news of the Sprint-Nextel merger first.

I will write a longer post about the NHL in the coming days once things shake out. Stay tuned.

It's just sad ...

Exhibit No. 1 why Boston Red Sox pitcher David Wells may be the biggest jackass in the Major Leagues today.

According to an Associated Press report, Wells said he understood why Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers shoved two cameramen, comparing the situation to a sexual assault.

"Some guy's being aggressive with a woman, and she says no, and he keeps on doing it. Well, you know what's going to happen. No is no in anything, when it comes to sexual or you know, whatever it is. No is no," Wells said during an appearance on Rhode Island radio station WSKO on Friday. "And I'm sure Kenny said, 'Hey, get it out of my face, don't do it.' But no, they want the big story, they want the scoop, you know?"

Wells added: "I probably would have done the same thing."

Given his biker-bad boy image, is anyone surprised by this?

Wells' tough-guy act played well but burned out quickly in Toronto, Detroit, Cincinnati, Baltimore, New York, Chicago and San Diego. I'm sure Boston will be added to that list soon.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Sound off ...

1. Lance Armstrong? 55-second lead? Chill the bubbly and just give him the Tour de France now.

2. Is there any other food that is a better guilty pleasure than barbecue?

3. Free Judith Miller and stop slapping the First Amendment around.

4. Portland and Seattle are just 175 miles apart. New Blazers coach Nate McMillan will find them worlds apart.

5. Was there a more scripted, insincere attempt at an apology than what Kenny Rogers delivered Wednesday? Sounds like the Rangers' media relations department drew that one up.

6. Time's Matt Cooper folds up faster than a beach chair during a hurricane. You may want to reconsider that career choice.

7. Imagine William Wallace at the G-8 Summit going on now in Scotland. Claymore anyone?

8. The NHL is expected to have a new deal in place sometime next week. To quote Billy Crystal from "Running Scared" -- "Right, and I'm Walter Payton."

9. The NFL exhibition season starts in 30 days. I can hold out. Maybe.

10. Alton Brown is right ... there is nothing like the taste of a farmstand tomato.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Thanks, but ...

Live 8 has come and gone. Musicians around the world have focused the spotlight on Africa, how it is being suffocated by crushing debt, how HIV and AIDS are ravaging the continent.

Now, the question. Will all the posturing do any good?

I'm cynical: I doubt much more will be done after the concerts.

Consider this from -- of all people -- Muammar Qaddafi via The Associated Press: he told African nations to stop "begging" from the rich and to cooperate more in a blunt speech before a summit of the continents' leaders Monday.

"Pleading to the G-8 to lift debts won't make a future for Africa," Qaddafi, wearing his traditional robes, said.

Has the temperature dropped in Hell or am I just feeling a chill?

BTW, loyal reader(s), I'd like you to check out a fellow blogger's work. Todd of Broken Arrow, Okla. -- who I have known almost 20 years going back to Barnes & Noble in the pre-superstore era in Forest Hills, N.Y., can be read at http://secularmiddle.blogspot.com.

There is a link to the right along with a blog by Lyndy -- Topeka's favorite "shiksa" ... hey, if I can teach a Midwest gal the wonders of "Oy" and matzo ball soup, she can be an honorary member of the Tribe!

And -- as always -- let me know what you think. I'd like to know.

And the verdict is ...

ESPN.com reports Kenny Rogers was suspended for 20 games and fined $50,000 by commissioner Bug Selig for his incident this week involving two cameramen.

The funny thing is Rogers still gets to pitch in the All-Star game if selected.

Way to put some teeth in that punishment, Bud.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em ....

This was not a meltdown like Three Mile Island, but this one was pretty bad. And all aparently because another spoiled athlete did not get his way.

By now, you've likely seen the footage of Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers take out two cameras and at least one of the cameramen holding them. Bud Selig is personally going to review the case and mete out punishment -- 10-game suspension, he misses two starts is my call.

And why did Rogers melt down? It all stems back to cash.

According to The Associated Press, Rangers general manager John Hart said Rogers was upset of the perception that he missed his start Tuesday night for some reason other than the broken pinkie in his non-throwing hand, sustained in an angry outburst after a game two weeks ago.

Rogers has sought a contract extension from the Rangers, and some media and fans viewed his missing a start against the first-place Angels as a possible ploy in negotiations.

Rogers hasn't spoken to most media since before spring training, when the pitcher met with owner Tom Hicks and asked about an extension to his two-year contract that expires after this season. He denied a report that he threatened to retire and has since quit talking publicly.

Hart said there had been some recent talks with Rogers' agent, Scott Boras, about a new contract but that there would be no more discussion about a new deal until after the season.

Rogers is 9-3 with a 2.46 ERA, clearly one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. But he is also 40 years old and has a career mark of 185-126; not exactly Hall of Fame material, but pretty good nonetheless.

Still, time is running short on his career. He wants one last big payday before retirement. The Rangers are wise to wait.

Rogers is just added to the long list of athletes -- Randy Johnson (who took out a camerman in New York); Latrell Sprewell (who can't live on $14 million a year); Jeremy Roenick (who really doesn't need hockey fans to fill the building); Kellen Winslow Jr. (better not say too much about him or Daddy will berate me like he did the Cleveland media who wanted an update on Junior's condition after his Evel Knievel act) -- who just don't get it.

You sign the contract, are paid beyond handsomely and adored by many. You also become a public entity. That is not to say that people can egg your home a la Albert Belle several years ago, but you do lose some sense of anonymity.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Live and learn

To echo someone I know from Topeka ... here's what I don't get.

I used to be one for helping people down on their luck. If I passed a homeless person in New York City and they needed some spare change or a buck to get by, I would give it up, no questions asked.

That was until about 11 years when, walking down the stairs to the Continental Avenue subway station in Forest Hills, N.Y., some wiseguy tried to mug me because I wouldn't give him anything.

Note I said "tried." He pulled a jeweler's screwdriver out. I had my fists. Guess who won?

Fast forward to June 29, 2005. After my shift and a 90-minute workout in the building, I was walking back to my car when a woman, maybe my age or a little younger, literally came up to me begging for money. She said she was pregnant and hungry and thirsty and needed money. I explained to her I didn't have any money on me. She kept begging for cash though.

I did have something though in my car -- food and water from my old place that has just been sitting in my trunk. Nothing perishable, just cereal, some cans of soup. I offered her a box of cereal -- if nothing else, she would have had something to eat. Instead, she asked for water.

No problem. I gave her two 24-ounce bottles: Washington D.C. is a hot, humid city even at 1 a.m.

So, how should I feel when as she walked away, she threw one of the bottles of water into a tree garden outside a building? Stunned would be accurate. Disappointed another. Angry a third.

I understand circumstances can dictate what happens in a person's life. When it comes to the homeless -- and there are a lot of them in D.C. -- do not give them money. If you are pack-rattish like me, offer them food and/or water. If you feel the need to give money, give it to an organization that assists the homeless.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Who wants to shoot J.R.?

Jeremy Roenick
c/o Philadelphia Flyers hockey club
3601 S. Broad St.
Philadelphia, Pa.
19145

Dear Mr. Roenick:

I know you've enjoyed quite a career in the NHL with Chicago, Phoenix and Philadelphia. Two-time 50-goal scorer. Coming up on 500 career goals. Sounds like the making of a Hall of Famer.

Clearly, though you have taken one too many pucks to the head. That or the concussions you've endured in your career are clouding your judgment.

In an Associated Press story this past weekend, you weighed in on the season-long NHL lockout by saying, "we're going to try to make it better for everybody, period, end of subject."

How do you propose that? Please, by all means, enlighten us.

You followed that with this nugget of wisdom: "And if you don't realize that, then don't come. We don't want you at the rink, we don't want you in the stadium, we don't want you to watch hockey. I say personally, to everybody who called us 'spoiled,' you guys are just jealous ... we have tried so, so hard to get this game back on the ice."

Hey, J.R., you really need to watch who you're throwing under the bus. If there is something every player -- from Ramzi Abid to Andrei Zyuzin -- must do once this is settled is win back the dwindling fan base the NHL has.

There was a time in my life where I did not think I could survive without hockey, reading the boxscores, keeping up with my rotisserie teams. The lockout has changed that. I have written in the past about going to games across North America, but I suspect that is not going to happen anymore.

I still plan on staying away. This has nothing to do with jealousy, J.R. This has to do with two spoiled entities -- players and owners -- who have killed off the sport. Just because YOU have a problem with the agreement the players seem ready to sign, go bark at Bob Goodenow and leave the fans out of it.

Oh, and J.R, do me a favor. I know you have been paid handsomely throughout your career. Try working for mid-five figures a year. Try looking for a house with payments you can afford on that. Car payments. Insurance. Putting away something for retirement.

Still think it's easy to drop money for a couple tickets to see you? Guess again. It's hardly jealousy. Just a matter of priorities.

Sincerely,
Andy Lefkowitz

No freakin' kidding??

I don't watch a lot of television -- I'm more of a channel-hopper. But I really feel the need to weigh in on this ...

Commercials truly represent the dumbing-down of America.

There are two of them in particular. One is for Frank's Red-Hot, a sauce key to making the perfect order of Buffalo wings. The other is for Doritos -- you know, Saddam Hussein's guilty pleasure.

In the Frank's commercial, one chef blasts another with a fire extinguisher because the second one made wings with a sauce that's "more about heat than flavor." The Doritos commercial shows a college student trying to get bag of chips that doesn't quite make it out of the machine -- he crawls in the machine to get it.

Both commercials come with a warning: Don't try this at home.

REALLY?? If manufacturers think we are smart enough to use their products, how about giving us the credit NOT to mimic what we see on television.

Is anyone else annoyed by this or am I just blowing it out of proportion? Tell me what you think ... I'd like to know.

Take me out to the ballgame

Went to RFK Stadium in Washington Saturday night to see the Nationals and the Blue Jays.

It's good to see baseball is back in D.C. after a 34-year absence. And while I was sitting in last row of Sec. 517, next to a very young child who cried -- and cried, and cried some more -- because it was too loud, here were some observations.

1. Good to see enthusiasm when the Nats took the field and throughout the game. I wonder if it would be the same if the team was, say, 11 games under .500.

2. To the singer of the Canadian national anthem, it's "O, Canada," not "Whoa, Canada."

3. I know the Wave has not been seen in Washington. It's 20 years old. Stop doing it. Please.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Yankee haters, rejoice!

They're 37-36. They're one-half game ahead of Toronto.

I guess $200 million just doesn't go as far as it used to.

For those who hate the Yankees, this is definitely a summer a rejoice in.

My problem is not so much with the Yankees, but their fans, many of whom seem to think the World Series belongs to them as a matter of divine right.

That notwithstanding, let's examine what they are: Old (18 players have at least 10 years experience; eight have at least 14 years). Slow (Tony Womack and Derek Jeter have 27 stolen bases; the rest of the team, just 19). Brittle (Randy Johnson suddenly looks 41 years old. Carl Pavano is too inconsistent. Kevin Brown is still, well, Kevin Brown).

Add six losing streaks of at least three games and despite the skids, the questions are asked: Will they make the playoffs? When will the Yankees start to look like the Yankees?

Not this year. And given the contracts they're saddled with -- Jason Giambi's, Alex Rodriguez's, and, yes, even Jeter's -- the Yankees may be looking like nothing more than a .500 team -- or worse -- for many years.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

The death penalty is alive in Texas

The NCAA did the right thing Thursday coming down on the Baylor University men's basketball team for its handling of the Patrick Dennehy situation.

According to ESPN's Andy Katz, Baylor will only play 16 regular-season games, all in the Big 12, in 2005-06. The Bears are eligible for the conference tournament and postseason but probably can only earn an NCAA berth by winning the tournament, since an at-large berth would be highly unlikely.

Former coach Dave Bliss and assistant Doug Ash have been banned for 10 and five years respectively. If in the unlikely event some school somewhere would hire either of them, they must appear before the NCAA and explain themselves.

I doubt even my alma mater -- Queens College in beautiful Flushing, N.Y. -- would take a chance on either of them.

While what the NCAA has handed down to Baylor was bad, it's not quite what the SMU football team got in the 1980s, it's still bad. This will give time for Baylor to repair itself.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Brown-out

I was disappointed. I fully expected Larry Brown to tell Stuart "DJ Stewie Stew" Scott of ESPN he was leaving the Pistons to take the job as Cleveland Cavaliers president.

Instead, all we found out was Brown would be entering the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for three days after the June 28 NBA Draft.

Given his recent health issues, including a hip replacement, and his wanderlust, I'm guessing this Brown's last game for now. At least that was was he sounded like after the Pistons' 81-74 loss to San Antonio Thursday night in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

"I'm way ahead of the curve -- no matter what happens,'' Brown said in an interview with The Associated Press. "This game has given me so much that I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world.''

Either than, or he'll end up in New York with the Knicks.

What do you think? I'd like to know.

Even Iron rusts

To my legions of fans ... ok, all one of you ... I apologize for the delay, but with the move from Connecticut to Virginia, and starting the new job, its been pretty hectic and all sorts of crazy.

So without any further delay ...

Back in the 1980s when Mike Tyson used to enter the ring, you got the sense only one boxer was coming out alive. I'm not talking about the Tyson with the tattooed face.

Or the convicted rapist.

Or the man who decided to dine on Evander Holyfield's ear.

I'm talking about Iron Mike Tyson, the boxer who would come into the ring -- black shorts, black shoes, no socks, white towel framing most of his face -- with three things on his mind.

Destroy his opponent. Make him hurt. Make him remember the hurt.

So how sad was it to see Mike Tyson -- no long Iron Mike -- sitting on a stool, unwilling to come out for the seventh round against an honest-to-God tomato can named Kevin McBride (6'6" and 271 pounds notwithstanding)?

Somehow, given the way his professional and personal lives spiraled out of control, this was not that much of a surprise.

I did not watch the fight. I am not a boxing fan and there was no way I was going to drop $44.95 to watch this mess, regardless of the fact that it was Tyson. I think those who laid out the cash wanted to see an emotional train wreck.

What was he going to do? Kick McBride? Gnaw on him? Try to kill him -- literally?

Instead, viewers saw a shell of a man. A man whose life has backslid badly from the moment his best friend and trainer Cus D'Amato died.

Tyson will be back -- I'm guessing in a year, maybe 18 months. By then, will anyone really care?

One more thing -- Michael Jackson? Obviously all that surgery included an infusion of Teflon. There is no doubt in my mind he has done something not completely kosher to a child.

And for the second time, he got away with it.

His time will come, pardon the pun. Wait and see.

So, what do you think? I'd like to know.

Play ball -- just find somewhere else to do it

New York governor George Pataki may have done something right -- for once -- Wednesday when he postponed the vote on the West Side Stadium in New York City.

According to an Associated Press report from Albany, N.Y., the proposal was removed from the state Public Authorities Control Board agenda Tuesday night at the request of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and is likely to be rescheduled. A vote was to have taken place Wednesday.

Bruno said he didn't have enough information on the massive project that would require $300 million in state spending. Also, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, also wanted to delay the vote because of pending lawsuits against the plan, the report said.

Pataki, Bruno and Silver can control the board, and a vote against the project by either leaders' representative would kill the proposal. Pataki strongly supports the $2 billion stadium as an economic development tool for New York City and a revenue maker for the state. Bruno, an upstate Republican, and Silver haven't yet said if they will support or oppose the project, the report said.

The Sept. 11 (Sorry -- I can never call it 9/11) tragedy that brought down the World Trade Center was no question a turning point in the city's history, perhaps the biggest understatement ever written. Mohammed Atta and his gang did more than orchestrate the murder of some 3,000 people that day. They also did their best to make their mark on the world's most successful country.

The key word is success: It seems our enemies do not like America because of its success, but when our help is needed or offered, more often than not, it is accepted.

So, what does all this have to do with the West Side Stadium? Being from the City and visiting there often, I have seen and heard many radio and television commercials touting both the good and the bad of the project. Supporters say the project will be a rainmaker for the city, bring jobs and tax dollars back into the coffers -- items presumably lost when the Twin Towers came down. Opponents point to public opinion polls, stating many do not want the stadium built in the City.

I am a sports fan, and while the idea of having a brand new stadium for the Jets, a possible Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four tournaments, concerts and the like is appealing, I do not think it will be the Band-Aid many in positions of power speak of.

The Jets will play eight home games a year there. The Super Bowl is always rotated: case in point, this coming championship game, Super Bowl XL at Detroit's Ford Field. This will mark the first time the Motor City has had the Super Bowl since San Francisco and Cincinnati played in 1984 at the Silverdome.

Twenty-two years between games is a long time to wait. Can New York City afford or have the patience to wait that long? I doubt it. Also, will the average working person get the chance to go to the stadium to see the 2010 game? No, because Super Bowl tickets are perhaps the toughest to come by, unless you are well-heeled at a corporation.

Then there is the 2012 Olympics. Does anyone truly believe the City will get the games based the addition of a stadium to Manhattan? Furthermore, even if New York gets the games -- beating out Paris, London and Moscow in the process -- how much could the City truly expect to make. I'm no expert, but until someone can show or tell me otherwise, I don't think it will be as much as some politicians tout.

What would I do? Build a new football-only stadium for the Jets in Flushing, N.Y., next to or at the least near Shea Stadium. This sort of set-up is in Pittsburgh (PNC Park, Heinz Field), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park), Baltimore (Oriole Park at Camden Yards, M&T Stadium) and Cincinnati (Great American Ballpark, Paul Brown Stadium). There's no reason why the City cannot buy the junkyards east and southeast of Shea Stadium and build it there. It's not as glamorous as the West Side of Manhattan, but it more than gets the job done.

Tell me what you think, especially if you're from NYC. I'd like to know.

Run, run away

OK ... Let's see if I have this straight ... Jennifer Wilbanks, for all intents and purposes, is a very attractive woman. Seems to be brilliant ... Comes from what appears to be a good family ... Is seemingly quite popular -- any woman with 14 bridesmaids for her wedding must have something-something going on.

But there seems to be one thing holding her back: her own fail-safe mechanisms.

Deep in Jennifer Wilbanks' psyche, she knew her marriage to John Mason was probably not for her at this time. New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser wrote that in the part of the South were Wilbanks is from, a 32-year-old woman who is not married is either insane or gay.

With all due respects to Peyser, that may be a little too harsh. Jennifer Wilbanks was extremely selfish for bailing like she did, and you can bet the names Scott Peterson and Mark Hacking were floated more than once to Mason by the police, no matter if he is the son of a powerful family in Georgia.

Should Wilbanks pay for the overtime incurred when the police looked for her. Yes. Should she be prosecuted? No.

This is a woman who needs help. How much help remains to be seen, but her cross-country trek to Las Vegas (I thought what happened there, stayed there?) and then Albuquerque, N.M., was the final straw, the one braying cry to the world that says 'Help me.'

I hope Jennifer Wilbanks gets the help she needs and is able to change her life.

I can admire John Mason for standing by his woman and saying he will take her back regardless of all this. At the same time, however, I would also question it. Two sports radio talk-show hosts -- Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic of ESPN -- said its all about power, and now Wilbanks has all the power.

The next time sports clowns like "Greenie and Golic" offer marriage advice, it will be the first time. They sound like auto mechanics trying to explain open heart surgery. Stick to talking to Kwame Brown and the like, please.

That's what I think. What about you? I'd like to know.

On the move ... again

Ah, Spring ... time to look for a new job.

Luckily, this hasn't been as difficult a chore as in past years. On Thursday, I was offered and accepted a position with a business wire service in downtown Washington DC, and will be moving from eastern Connecticut sometime in the next three weeks.

My path into journalism has been kind of an odd one. I got into this almost 10 years ago when I turned 30 years old. Prior to that, I was in sales, selling business books to corporations, and I was pretty good it at, but I was also pretty miserable. When I got my first job in journalism, working for a division of ESPN in New Jersey, all I wanted to do, in my mind anyway, was be a sportswriter.

That was in 1995. Since then, I have been a sports editor, news writer, news editor and newsman with The Associated Press. I have lived in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Missouri. I have gone where I was needed and am ready to do it ... again. Now, I am getting ready to start another chapter in this new career. Wish me luck.

Now, would someone please help me up on my soapbox.

As I sit here wondering what to write about, nothing is really coming to mind. Finger in Wendy's chili? Nah. President Bush as a lying freak? No. Steriods in baseball and -- heaven, forbid! -- football? No, thats OK.

In Norwich, Conn., there was a recent incident where a student at a middle school, in repsonse to teasing by bullies, made an inappropriate comment by claiming he was going to shoot them. Not the best plan of action from a country that has seen shooting rampages in Colorado, Arkansas and Minnesota over the last six years.

The child who uttered the threat was suspended. I don't think this teen had any intention of shooting up his middle school. It sounds like, to me anyway, that he was being unmercifully teased by these bullies for whatever reason. My point is this ... its one thing to suspend the kid who makes a stupid statement, perhaps in the heat of the moment just to take some of the pressure off of him. It's another thing to do nothing to the kids who precipitated the teasing in the first place.

The junior high school and middle school years can be the worst for any kid growing up. Between trying to fit in and dealing with physical and emotional changes, it's hard to survive sometimes. If a child is perceived as different -- not fitting in because he or she looks different, acts different, things like that -- it can be devastating to a child's psyche and self-esteem.

I know. I lived it. For the most part, I'm OK ... there are still some things that I have issues with that I am working through, but things for the most part are good.

I guess what I am trying to get across is this ... if we're going to watch the actions of one school child, perhaps it is time to look at the ones around him or her as well. Things may not be as cut-and-dried as they seem.

Anyway, what do you think? ... I'd like to know.

Of eggs, Arnold and a papal pit bull

Well, that was quick.

In just 15 days after the death of Pope John Paul II, the Roman Catholic world has a new spiritual leader. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany Tuesday was elected the 265th pontiff in history.

Not being a Roman Catholic, I may not be the best person to weigh in on this, but here goes nothing ... I spoke with a friend today and said I thought Ratzinger -- now Benedict XVI -- was what I called a transitional pope. This is not a slight by any means. John Paul II was 58 years old when elected by the College of Cardinals. Ratzinger just celebrated his 78th birthday earlier this week.

John Paul II was the leader of 1.1 billion Roman Catholics for 26 years -- the third-longest tenure in papal history. Benedict XVI would be 104 years old to match that ... not likely.

Not everyone though was happy about the selection. According to a published report by Victor L. Simpson of The Associated Press, not everyone, including at least one of Ratzinger's own compatriots was less than enamored with the decision.

"Niels Hendrich, 40, of Hamburg, Germany, jumped up and down at the prospect of a new pope — but then gave only three halfhearted claps when he learned who it was," the report stated. "'I am not happy about this at all,' Hendrich said. 'Ratzinger will put the brakes on all the progressive movements in the church that I support.'"

John Paul II may not have been loved by all, but he was most definitely admired by many from a wide spectrum of faiths and cultures. Benedict XVI will have a hard time living up to that: A radio reporter for WCBS-AM in New York City referred to the German Cardinal as John Paul II's "papal enforcer."

Anyone who was looking for a more liberal clergy is not going to find it was Benedict XVI. I won't go so far as to say the opposite will happen, but I believe things will be tightened up.

One more thing about all this coverage. For those who can remember when John Paul I died suddenly -- at 33 days, you could say he was the William Henry Harrison of popes (and for those who don't know who W.H.H. was, check your American history books), Anyway, when the conclave last gathered in 1978, there was no Internet like there is today and 24-hour news channels weren't in existence.

Given the way the media -- thanks, my brothers -- has been carrying on through all this, you would almost have expected to hear sports announcer Brent Musberger bellow "You're looking LIVE at the Sistine Chapel ... "

Anyway, what do you think? ... I'd like to know.

What NHL season?

I suppose I should let the world know I am -- or was -- a huge hockey fan. When I was younger, I would watch SportsCenter just to get the late Vancouver-Winnipeg highlights.

Wednesday night was to be the first night of the postseason, a six-week sprint where any Tom, Dick or Jean-Sebastien could become the hot player that leads his team to the Stanley Cup.

A side note about Jean-Sebastien Giguere ... I once covered a game between the New York Rangers and Hartford Whalers (yes, there once was a team in Connecticut!) for ESPN SportsTicker. The Whalers announced in game notes that they recalled a goaltender from juniors. This big, skinny goof steps out on the ice dressed in Whalers dark blue and wearing No. 47. His pads were still the red and grey of whatever his junior team was. He didn't get into the game that night, but after unremarkable stops in Carolina and Calgary, J-S Giguere helped lead the Mighty Ducks to a Stanley Cup loss to the New Jersey Devils two years ago, emerging as a top-notch goaltender.

But I digress ... this season, there has been no NHL to speak of. All it has been is sporadic negotiating and a lot of backbiting. I thought I would miss it a lot more. Nope. If anything, I have been turned off by it all, frankly, I am not the type of fan the NHL can afford to lose.

I will be 40 later this year. I have been going to game since I was 6 -- my first game was the Rangers and the California Golden Seals in 1971. Since then, I have been to more games that I can count, and not just in the New York metropolitan area. I have been to outposts like Calgary and Vancouver as well as arenas nationwide in the states. It was nothing for me to decide, "Hey, I think I'll go to Denver this weekend to see the Avs."

No more. The NHL took away something from me because two boys couldn't decide how to play nice and so they decided to stand there, back to back, with their arms crossed. I understand the league wants to cultivate a new generation of fans. They need not do so at the expense of those like me.

Please let me know what you think ... I'd like to know.