Thoughts On The World of Sports

Baseball has begun (who cares) and hockey is headed for the playoffs (so what).  Let's take a look at what is really going on in the world of sports.

BOBBY PETRINO

  

Nice job, Bobby Petrino.  You hire the 26 year old woman you are having an affair with to work in your football program but forget to tell your boss this.  Then the two of you hop on your motor cycle and crash it and again you forgot to tell your boss she was with you.  You claim you were only trying to protect your wife and kids who you happen to be cheating on and expect us to believe you.  And now you tell the public you are going to cooperate fully with the University of Arkansas and the police investigations of your accident.  Oh, and you just so happen to be the highest paid state employee in the state of Arkansas.  Congratulations, you managed to supplant Bill Clinton as the all time Arkansas Government Employee Tool.

TOM BOONEN'S GREATNESS

Those of you who follow professional bike racing in Europe know that Tom Boonen is having a terrific spring season.  Today he became only the second rider in history to win Paris-Roubaix for the fourth time and his margin of victory, 1:39, is the equivalent of a golfer winning the Masters by ten shots.

CANCERS

Doctors have discovered a rare form of cancer that appears to only strike young tall black men.  Known as Bynum-Howard's Carcinoma, it is believed to primarily strike only those who play center for either the Los Angeles Lakers or Orlando Magic.

STAYING PUT FOR NOW

Kentucky basketball coach John Callipari says he is not interested in a coaching job in the NBA.  Smart move.  He can make just as much money coaching at the University of Kentucky and know that his earnings will be more than what his players receive under the table from boosters.

ANOTHER EX JOCK BROKE

  Then there is week's broke athlete award winner, Warren Sapp, a player who made millions over the course of his playing career and who currently earns over 100 thousand dollars a month as an ex-jock.  Times are tough on the guy who can't make his alimony or child support payments.  Who is his ex, Octomom?  And why the 240 pairs of Jordan athletic shoes?  Warren only needs a left shoe to stick in his big mouth every time he opens it and says something unfounded and a right shoe to use to kick himself in the butt.  I am sure if he asks, Jeremy Shockey will gladly help with a much needed ass kicking.

SHOULDN'T HE BE A SAINT?

So Tim Tebow is now the Easter messenger too.  He might as well be the Easter Bunny for all the eggs he will drop in New York.  I see him as the face of the NFL Network in three years when he is a former NFL quarterback.

DEFENSIVE COACH VERY OFFENSIVE

Gregg Williams, right, the former defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints accused of placing bounties on opposing players may never coach again in the NFL now that audio has been released of him instructing his players to injure several members of the San Francisco 49ers.  It's not the end of the world for him.  The audio tape will come in handy if he ever decides to apply to the mob as a hit man.

KICKIN' IT WITH TIGER

  So Tiger Woods kicked his golf club out of frustration and now he faces discipline from PGA officials.  Somehow I think it will pale in comparison to his last incident with a golf club.  Of course, he was on the receiving end of his ex-wife's swings rather than dishing out the carnage.

Thoughts After A Winter Hybernation

After a nice winter nap, my brain has begun to thaw and out of it has emerged the following thoughts:

President Obama:  Yes, republicans can second guess the job he has done with our economy and other domestic issues but compared to his predecessor, Obama's foreign policy has been a great success.  My guess is if he is given another term in office he will do just as well on the home front.
Mitt Romney:  He can offer different solutions and approaches to improve our country but unless you are part of the one percent, Romney can not claim to be one of us.  He may even end up having as much trouble finding a decent running mate as he is having lock up his party's nomination.
Hillary Clinton:  I admit it, I hated her when she and Bill first came on to the scene twenty years ago.  However, I hope she sticks around another four years if Obama wins re election.  She has long escaped the shadow of her husband and proven herself to be a first rate Secretary of State.
Occupy Movement:  Funny how winter changes a person's priorities.  The real occupy protesters are those who braved winter's cold to keep the movement relevant.  Standing outside Wall Street on a nice fall afternoon is something anyone can do.  Doing it all winter is something only the true believers will do.
Syria:  An oppressive government that kills its citizens who protest its rule while we sit and watch is nothing new.  Remember Tienanmen Square?  The fact is we can not afford to get involved in another war.  If we could, and if human rights and suffering were the litmus test for our involvement, we would invade Mexico rather than allow it to be handed over to drug lords.
Bounty Gate:  Don't kid yourself, all football coaches who are successful will tell you if you knock out opposing players you greatly increase your chances of winning.  Most will stress that it is done within the rules of the game and not from dirty or cheap shots.  However, any coach or player dumb enough to lie to the NFL commissioner to cover up a bounty system is more than deserving of a one year suspension.
Whitney Houston:  While sad, her death should not surprise us any more.  Fame and fortune showered on the young is a recipe for an early exit from this world.  The list of those who went before her is a long one and the waiting list for those who will follow shows no end in sight.
Tiger Woods:  Good to see him back.  Golf is pointless without him and only watchable with him now that he is back to his winning ways.  We are about to see if all these young guns on the PGA tour can improve their game because if they can't, they don't stand a chance against the Woods who won two weeks ago.
Tim Tebow:  Enough!  He is nothing more than a mediocre quarterback who should be nothing more than a third stringer carrying a clipboard.  The Broncos did not win so much because of him as much as they did in spite of him.  Tebow may be the type of guy you hope your daughter will marry but I would much rather have Ben Rothlesberger quarterbacking my team.
The Masters:  What's all the fuss about?  The last time I checked, Augusta was a private club.  If it only wants wealthy white males as members, that's their right.  If we do not like it, it is our right not to watch their tournament or do business with those companies that sponsor it.  I don't recall seeing a line of men protesting the Red Hat Society.

Thoughts From A Vacation

After a nice two week vacation to Lake Tahoe, Chico, and the Bay Area, I realize the following:

1. July and August in Lake Tahoe are hard to top. You get perfect weather with plenty to do and it is tremendously affordable when you compare it to other popular vacation spots.


2. Congress and the debt ceiling issue shows us just how little our elected leaders do for us. They prefer to play a game of political chicken knowing the only losers will be the people they represent.


3. I may have to enter next year's Death Ride. 139 miles and five passes; each more than eight thousand feet above sea level now seems possible with my new bike.


4. Roger Goodell is not so honorable after all. How can he claim an agreement is in place when he has not run it past the people he is negotiating with? Al Davis and the Raiders were actually right for once by being the only team to not vote on the agreement.


5. This year's Tour de France is shaping up as one of the best ever in its history. Tomorrow's final time trial will determine the winner. The top three places are separated by a mere 57 seconds and that's after two thousand miles of racing.


6. I can't feel sorry for three tourists who ignore a posted sign and set foot in a raging river to get a photo taken only to be swept over Vernal Falls in Yosemite. How long before their families sue the National Parks for not preventing their act of stupidity?


7. The space shuttle flew its final flight and now what? Maybe we can make education, health care, job creation, and poverty our next frontiers.


8. U.S. women come up short against Japan in the Women's World Cup final but somehow I think there will be a lot of advertisers looking to sign Hope Solo to deals.


9. Breaking Bad began its newest season last Sunday and my DVR did not record the opener. I'm hoping it records a replay before this week's show.


10. I've said it before and will say it again: Do republicans really think they can win a presidential election next year with the group they have right now? Like many others, I am beginning to think they are doing everything they can to wreck a second term for Obama just so they can win the White House in 2016. Bipartisan politics is dead.


11. The NBA has a labor lockout too. No one cares. In fact, no one will care if it continues into next year. However, if the NFL does not start up in September, Americans will insist the president gets involved.


12. Back to the dept ceiling and the NFL. How uninformed are we? Most Americans can tell you how they feel about the NFL and its labor issues but don't have a clue as to the ramifications of what will happen if our debt ceiling is not raised.


13. A balanced federal budget sounds great but is not possible in our present form of government. When presidents have a line item veto to eliminate pork from bills; when we stop getting ourselves into so many costly wars; when we understand the difference between needs and wants; when we quit thinking we are entitled to everything we want; maybe then a balanced budget becomes possible.


14. I still do not like the idea of making the rich pay more taxes. Why? Because they are on the receiving end of almost all tax loop holes. Lets just make them pay their fair share like the rest of us. I still think a flat federal tax rate is in order and it is to be collected monthly and not yearly.


15. Tiger Woods fires his caddie. Why is this news? Are we so desperate for controversy that we can not let a golfer make a change as to who carries his clubs? The Giants fan who was beaten on opening day in the parking lot of Dodger stadium just had to have more surgery. Two more men were arrested and yet we make a bigger deal about Tiger looking for a new caddie.


16. Who do you find more repugnant, Casey Anthony or Nancy Grace?


17. I caught Justin Timberlake on Conan the other night. How can you not like this guy? He can sing, dance, act, and he more than held his own in the humor department with Coco. Now if only women found him good looking he'd have it made.


18. So Charlie Sheen will be getting a new television show based on the Jack Nicholson character in Anger Management. Lets hope this does for Charlie what the movie did for Jack. That way we won't have to listen to Charlie any more.


19. I caught Bristol Palin's interview with Dr. Drew last night. If she was an honor student in Alaska then that state is leaving a lot of its children behind. She has no business being a spokesperson for anything.


20. If you are a bicycle enthusiast like me, then South Lake Tahoe is the place to ride, especially if you enjoy climbs. Angora Lake Road, South Upper Truckee Road to the top of Luther Pass, Meyers Grade to Echo Lake, and Heavenly Valley will all leave you in awe while gasping for air. Also, not to be out done is the climb up Honey Run Road from Chico to Paradise. In two hours, I saw three cars and one deer.