PRIDE FAILS TO REGISTER by ST

A common theme among those who deal with retail outlets is the lack of old school customer service. My dad calls it a lack of professional pride. Doesn't matter if you're stacking boxes at a supermarket, do it right, show the bosses and customers you're on top of it, even if you have to fake it a bit. Imagine getting the opportunity to live out a childhood dream of becoming a pro athlete. Then go up a few notches to one of the most well paid jocks on the planet. Ladies & germs I give you Albert Haynesworth of the Washington Redskins. Signed a 100 million dollar deal to play on the D-line prior to last year and truth be told he sucked. Missed 4 games and had his lowest production in 3 years. Then in May, after receiving a monster balloon payment of 21 million dollars, failed to report to a mini camp ticked off because they were switching from a standard 4-3 to a 3-4 style defense. Okay, that got worked out and he blessed us all by showed up for training camp in preparation for the 2010 season. On back to back days he's been denied the chance to take part in practice because his fat ass failed a conditioning test. What a freaking embarrassment! He needs a dad, uncle, or friend to show up at their facility in Ashburn, Virginia and smack him upside his head.
The more I think and read about it, the more livid I grow over this whole Jeremiah Masoli issue. The audacity of starting up a website(jeremiahmasoli.net) to pretty much point the finger of blame everywhere but in the mirror. This guy has issues and it starts with a complete and total failure to man up and accept responsibility for his many disgraceful actions. I will lose all respect for Mississippi coach Houston Nutt if he allows this clown to play Division 1 football this year at a prestigious SEC University. No way around it, the message is atrocious. Break the law, humiliate your teammates, community and program, get suspended then kicked out but still get to thumb your nose at the world. Disgusting. JM might have won some football games with his gift, but from my chair right now he's the definitive loser!

MASOLI, OWENS AND OSWALT by ST

It was Edmund Burke, a British statesman and philosopher who offered up the "ignore history/doomed to repeat" theory back in the mid 1700's. With that thought in mind I give you the Bengals signing Terrel Owens. Will we witness anything different beyond the usual bitter divorce? Cincy has a ton of great pieces in place for success. A top notch QB in Carson Palmer. This might be the most underrated line in the league with top 10 rankings in rush yards and protecting the QB. Cedric Benson resurrected his career with 1200 on the ground. You have Ochocinco, Antonio Bryant and TO as targets as well as rookie TE from Oklahoma Jermaine Gresham. It's a classic case of we don't really KNOW how this turns out, but we kind of KNOW how this turns out. Will be fun to watch either way.
You might want to visit the Sports Illustrated web site and read the 4 page story about Jeremiah Masoli and his possible venture to Mississippi. He offers up his side of the story to the many, many missteps that have littered his personal and football life since high school. Not to be completely cold, but I'm not buying a lot of it. I've dealt with people like this much of my life. They end up in trouble or bad situations time and time again and it's never truly their fault. These knuckleheads never get the one basic equation. What is the lone common factor or constant in each crime or rules violation? THEM! He's been a documented liar and I'm completely against his playing at the D-1 level this season.
So the 2 time NL Champion Phillies trade a true A+ pitcher in Cliff Lee then have to trade a high level young arm in J.A Happ for Roy Oswalt. I like Oswalt. Heck of a pitcher. He turns 33 in less a month. They did get Houston to pick up about half of the 23 million dollars he's due for the rest of 2010 and 2011 and they didn't have to commit to the 16 million dollar option for 2012. His last 3 years in no way can be considered as dominant as he was the middle of this decade. I still think he has a couple of years in his prime, but how they let Lee go and allowed things to arrive here remains a mystery.
Looking forward to another high octane 3 hours with you all today. It's a beautiful thing!

THE 2010 SEASON b

The new Phil Steele college football magazine arrived in my mail slot this morning. Remember last year when Duck fans were up in arms when he picked them 6th. Well this year he has Oregon 2nd, behind USC. He expects Darron Thomas to beat out Nate Costa for the starting quarterback position. Steele says if Masoli was returning he'd have picked them as the 4th best team in the nation. He feels Oregon State will run 5th with the 6th toughest schedule in the nation that includes a pair of Top 10 out of conference games against TCU and Boise State. The Beavs do pull Oregon & USC at home, along with Cal and Arizona State which should work in their favor.
I was really pleased to hear new Pac 10 commissioner Larry Scott say that when the league expands to the Pac 12 they favor keeping in tact playing 9 conference games. There will be a split into two, six team divisions and you play your divisional rivals each year. They're mulling multiple plans. We will discuss those on the show today.
Want to thank everyone who passed along some of the wacky injury stories. After Chris Coghlan tore his meniscus in his knee during a post game celebration, we gave it a mention and the flood gates opened. Pretty funny as well as some disturbing circumstances.

IS IT ME? by ST

Am I missing something? Didn't Mike Vick commit some of the most vile, despicable acts that led to a prison sentence, suspension from the NFL and a strict probation? I thought the commissioner and legal authorities pretty much made it clear he has no room for error. Apparently I'm the only one who heard this message loud and clear. The piece of dirt I will refer to as "a pee stain on the underwear of life" throws a public 30th birthday party at a club in Virginia Beach. Don't get me wrong, I know some folks who are familiar with VA Beach and like Miami it's a great place but a big city with crime problems. Let's face it, a thug like Vick is going to attract a very diverse crowd which means the good with the bad. His comment at yesterday's presser that he didn't think something like this could happen demonstrates how he doesn't get it. He still doesn't understand his choices are to be scrutinized to the point where they could cost him not only his career and freedom. Sorry, but I think this was in direct violation of his reinstatement deal and he should be forever kicked out of the league. Someone got shot based on another series of brilliant Michael Vick decisions. Shame on you Roger Goodell!
I know there is lot's of talk about the 5th no-hitter of the year with Matt Garza's no no last night. This was brilliant on many levels. Not the least of which was the game plan formulated with manager Joe Maddon, pitching coach Jim Hickey, catcher Kelly Shoppach and obviously Garza. He's not really a fast ball pitcher with his gas topping off in the low 90's. But his hard slider wasn't clicking so they decided to force feed the heater, especially early to get ahead in the count. He had 2 strikes on 18 of the 27 hitters he faced. Terrific approach, executed to near perfection. I watched the final few innings switching between Rays/Tigers and Yankes/Tribe and it was a thing of beauty.
Gotta offer up an R.I.P to Jack Tatum. At the heart of those great Raiders teams of the 1970's, "The Assassin" joined "Dr. Death" Skip Thomas and Willie Brown to form one of the more feared secondaries in history. I'm sure we'll touch on this many times today on Crunch Time & Sportstalk.

MONDAY, MONDAY by ST

A story making the rounds is Dallas Cowboy wide receiver Dez Bryant is not willing to play those rookie games. Pick up the tab, carry the vets pads, get taped to the goal posts and all those time honored traditions. He says he's after the starter(Roy Williams) job and none of those things play a role. Interesting case. He's right, but he's also a snot nosed rookie who has proven nothing and accomplished the same in the NFL.
Been hearing from some Blazer fans about the possibility of acquiring New Orleans stud point guard Chris Paul. Don't hold your breath. For openers, after a meeting with team brass today, I suspect he's not leaving. Then you must consider he wants to play for Orlando and if that wasn't a possibility, New York was next on his list. Portland was originally listed last week as a place he'd consider. I don't know the Blazers need to get locked into any kind of long term deal with a guy who has proven he can play, but is coming off an injury. Bad contracts and short sighted thinking by knuckleheads like Bob Whitsitt is what lead to the Jailblazer era.
We have an interesting guest on Crunch Time today at about 3:20. His name is Ron Higgins of the Commercial Appeal of Memphis. He has some thoughts about Jeremiah Masoli perhaps joining Ole Miss as their #2 QB has just transferred. We'll also get a read on what he thinks about this whole agent, $$, who is responsible mess.
Look forward to it.
I have passes to the US Senior Open golf championship just outside Seattle later this week. If you want in. Let me know via e-mail at stevetannen@live.com. They're courtesy of our buddies at Tokatee Golf course.

SPORTSWORLD JUSTICE by ST

I'm probably as big a Yankees fan as you'll find. I'm not one of those mindless puppet followers who thinks each guy who puts on the pinstripes is worthy. That said, I bring you Alex Rodriguez. He hit his 599th homer last nite. The next bomb puts him in that exclusive 600 Home Run club with Aaron, Ruth, Mays and fellow steroid kings, Bonds and Sosa. The great thing is even the New York media is downplaying the milestone because of the taint. I think that's awesome. This clown would have posted a monster total without the juice. He's a clown.
Was there anything better in college football during the 1980's than Notre Dame playing Miami. The Catholics versus the Convicts. Turns out Irish head coach Lou Holtz is a cheating, lying dirt bag, but the games themselves were worthy of our time. The series will be renewed starting in October of 2012. I'm already riding the Hurricaine bandwagon.
Michael Beasley was the 2nd overall pick in the 2008 draft out of Kansas State. His 2 seasons with the Heat were okay at best. He was just traded to Minnesota. Team president David Kahn told ESPN radio in the Twin Cities Mike's productivity was limited because he smoked too much weed. I guess we know the only way marijuana works as a performance enhancing drug is in the world of rock and roll and pizza eating contests. The kid is talented and just 21 years old as he played only a year in college. The T-Wolves gave up 2 second round draft picks. Seems like a pretty decent gamble for a franchise who rarely rolls a 7.
Enjoy the weekend. As we rally the troops on Monday, it's time to start getting a little more serious and focused on football season.

FINALLY TIME?

Alabama coach Nick Saban, known as Nick Satan in some circles, has had it. From USC to Florida to South Carolina to North Carolina, bad issues regarding sports agents. Nick's point is actually dead on the money. Why doesn't the NFL intervene? These sleazebag leaches hover around the campus looking to lock up some future cash cow regardless of rules. The schools faces the punishment. The player will reap the rewards of becoming a professional. The agent gets his cut. The NFL fills it's rosters. But when things sour there is no downside for the league, the agent or the player beyond the occasional wrist slap in college. An Alabama defensive end, Marcel Dareus, is being investigated for attending a party hosted by an agent. No $$ involved or extra benefits, just being there. I'd love to see NFL commish Roger Goodel announce a year suspension for any agent involved in sanctions or a punishment brought against any player where that particular agent played a role. Sounds simple doesn't it?
Been watching baseball for going on 45 years and saw a first last night in the Dodgers versus Giants. LA is nursing a 1 run lead with the bases loaded in the 9th with closer Jonathan Broxton hoping to shut the door. Earlier, during a mini bean ball fest, Dodger manager Joe Torre and his bench coach got thrown out so hitting coach Donnie Mattingly was running the show. Don paid a visit to the mound, turn to leave, but got called back and returned to speak with his pitcher and James Loney. Frisco skipper Bruce Bochy came out of the dugout to claim that constituted a 2nd visit meaning the pitcher had to go. Enter George Sherill who serves up a game winning hit to Andres Torres. It's baseball rule, 8.06D. There will be a quiz later on.
If you want to see the US Senior Open Golf Championship next week outside Seattle, drop me a line at stevetannen@live.com and I'll put your name in the drawing.

HYSTERIA & EXTREMISM by ST

We live in a hysterical society. One extreme group thinks if you want a ban on AK 47's in kindergarten classes you're a step away from losing their right to own a gun. Another thinks if you cut down a plant to build affordable housing, we're one step away from clear cutting the planet. It's spilled over to the insanity of talk radio and of course our coverage of sports. Dwayne Wade mistakenly makes a World Trade Center reference in discussing this very issue and in some circles gets lambasted. With the opening of the new Yankee Stadium in April of 2008, the lack of a Joe Torre presence rubbed some the wrong way. Over the weekend, FOX analyst Tim McCarver says it's similar to how Fascist Germany erased pictures of certain generals and leaders who were either killed or fell out of favor with those in power. Some have taken it as an over the top rip on the late George Steinbrenner. What they're forgetting is Big George relinquished control of the team to his sons, Hank and Hal the year before and it was they who allowed Torre to leave. We can't be sure George had his faculties together enough to render this kind of decision. More on this during today's programs for sure.
We'll also revisit the discussion Justin & I had about Michael Jordan's comments on Miami Thrice. Turns out MJ's thoughts, though in no way malicious, didn't really take some critical information into account, like even the remote chance he could have joined forces with Magic & Larry Bird. I'll explain.
Okay, the good folks at Tokatee are hooking 2 of you up with 2 passes to this week's US Senior Open at Sahalee which is just East of Seattle. Just drop me the correct answer to this question to stevetannen@live.com
Who won the initial U.S Senior Open, played in late June of 1980. Good Luck!

FEAR OF THE NOW by ST

It seems that every time a major event happens or a new champion is crowned, after a few hours we completely dismiss what just happened and try to figure out the future. With a dominating, unflappable performance, Louis Oosthuizen rolled to the British Open title. Already commentators are talking about his being the next to challenge Tiger & Phil and the game's elite. Really? None of us even knew the guy existed 5 days ago and now he's challenging world order in golf? Personally I found myself rooting for the guy. What we saw on the 12th hole usually happens in reverse. The unknown leader in a major like this has the tendency to be on the bad end of a 4 shot swing. Not this time. Not this day. Oosty makes birdie while Paul Casey, who had just cut the lead to 3 shots, exploded with a triple bogey and that was that. I truly admired the winner's speech where he acknowledged the 92nd birthday of Nelson Mandela, the former South African president as well as show his appreciation for St. Andrews. He's just an easy guy to root for.
The Trailblazers have hired a new General Manager. It's Rich Cho, who has been the assistant GM for the Thunder, formerly the Sonics for the past 9 years. The obvious connection is Portland coach Nate McMillian who worked for that franchise up until taking the Blazer gig 5 years ago. Gotta admit, while I think firing Kevin Pritchard was idiotic and short sighted, Cho has a terrific rep and has been hotly sought after by multiple franchises in recent years. This might work out after all.

A LITTLE OF THIS AND SOME OF THAT by ST

So we have a new athletic director at the University of Oregon. Comes here after an 8 year run in Lexington at Kentucky. Nice that we can get a first hand evaluation from a guy like Rich Brooks who has worked at UK during the entire time Rob Mullens was there. I'll categorize Brooks' evaluation of Mullens as filled with "praise". Cool. He's only 40 years old and according to current Wildcat and former Oregon State A.D Mitch Barnhart he's a numbers whiz so critical in these days of massive operating budgets. Duck coach Chip Kelly was on the committee that hired the new guy says he was impressed by those willing to provide a killer recommendation for Mullens. These are all people I've long admired and whose opinion I value, so I'm on board. Also, I'm not the type of person who delves too deeply so I'll concede to those more in the know.
Quite the day at St. Andrews. The South African Louis Oosthuizen(ooost-hoozen)has the big lead heading into the weekend. Guy has missed 9 of 15 cuts in the previous PGA events he's participated in. He's 12 under. Ties the 36 hole record for the The Open Championship. Last year it was 60 year old Tom Watson, a 5 time winner who nearly stole the title. Here in 2010, the 89 champ, Mark Calcavecchia in the hunt after following yesterday's 70 with a dazzling 67 to sit 2nd. He just turned 50 last month and obviously would be the oldest major winner ever. FYI, it's still Jack at age 46 when he won the 1986 Masters. Tiger and the 1st round leader, Rory McIlroy are still out on the course. The 21 year old McIlroy went in the tank under the conditions. His 63 tied the record for the best round ever at any major. Right now he's +8 on the day with just 3 holes to go. Ouch! Woods is even for the round, and while 7 behind Ooosty, just 2 out of 2nd place and a possible slot in the final pairing tomorrow.

RIGHT AS USUAL by ST

One of my all time fave movies is "Blazing Saddles". Mel Brooks is the Gov and his right hand man is Harvey Korman, aka Hedley LaMarr. In one scene Mel is struggling with one of those old toys where you hit the ball stapled to a wooden paddle. He whines that his isn't working because it's warped. LaMarr grabs it, goes into a smooth, repetitive paddling roll and says "Right as usual sir". Great sarcasm and perfectly describes my analysis of the British Open. On yesterday's show I mentioned a bit of surprise that 21 year old Rory McIlroy was one of the favorites as he'd missed the cut at the season's biggest events, the Masters, US Open and Players Championship. He tied a record for the best score in the history of major golf with a 63. I did semi-qualify by saying as a native of Northern Ireland he might benefit from a traditional links style, coastal course like St. Andrews. I did say Tiger was the guy to beat having won there the last 2 times it hosted The Open and he's right there. John Daly, the enigmatic 95 champ at this very locale had a huge round and is in the hunt. We'll cover the gamut on the show this afternoon.
Hip Hip hooray, baseball is back. I read that the TV ratings for the All Star game were the lowest ever. Not one bit surprised. Doesn't matter what that knucklehead Bud Selig does, it's a freaking exhibition. Put it this way, how many of you know much BIGGER baseball fans than me? I didn't watch. Putting a value on this game is idiotic. They refer to events like this as "showcase" events. Wrong! The regular season and playoffs are what it's all about.
I have 2 pair of tickets to Toby Keith at the Sleep Country Ampitheater in Ridgefield, Washington on Friday July 23rd. Send your response to the follow to my e-mail at stevetannen@live.com
According to Wikipedia, a single from Toby's 1st album was the most played country song of the 1990's. What was it?

THE BIG PLAN by ST

Being a sports junkie, we see life through a different set of eyes. Each year there are 2 days when we're guaranteed to have no NFL or college football, NBA or college hoops, MLB or NHL action that counts. The day before baseball's all-star game and today, the day after. Occasionally, depending on the day it falls, we'll get nothing on December 24th. It's why I pushed to get my wedding set for July 8th back in 1995. I did not offer an explanation but pulled it off. While the sports world grinded to a hault, I was sailing through the Carribean on a Carinval Cruise line more concerned with cocktails and the floating casino instead of the Yankee middle relief. So today is all about survival and counting down until the first guys tee it up at St. Andrews very early tomorrow morning.
Interesting trade in the majors today. Braves send Yunel Escobar to Toronto for Alex Gonzales, swapping shortstops. Escobar has clearly outperformed A-Gone the past 3 years but this season, Gonzo has been raking to the tune of 17 dingers already and he has a much better glove. The bottom line is this. When the opportunity is there to win now, teams will roll the dice. Escobar is 6 years younger but they have a legit shot to make a World Series run here in 2010. I'll further my case why this is a smart move on today's show.
I mentioned The Open Championship and despite his personal issues, don't sell Mr. Woods short this week. St. Andrews is a bombers course and Tiger has won the last 2 times the event was held at the legendary venue. John Daly won the time before. Jack Nicklaus, one of the long hitters of his generation captured 2 of his 3 Open titles at St. Andrews. He's a knucklehead and a philandering cheat, but Woods is the guy to beat.

BEYOND EXPLANATION by ST

Obviously the big national story in sports is the passing of George Steinbrenner. No need to say who he is as his presence since purchasing the Yankees in 1973 has loomed like an oncoming monsoon. In a lot of ways he represents the best and worst in us all. At times generous to a fault but under certain circumstances he could be a petty, vindictive ass. It's impossible to explain what it meant to pick up a New York paper during the mid to late 70's, through the 80's during baseball season. Would there be a new manager? What kind of rant was The Boss on? Nothing tells this story better than a simple look at Sports Illusrated's 1985 Baseball Preview issue. It was a picture of manager Yogi Berra from behind with the caption "Yogi's Back". 16 games into the season, with a 6 & 10 record, George canned Yogi. In a now infamous meeting, Berra cussed Steinbrenner out, threw a pack of cigarettes in his face and disappeared from Yankee Stadium until the successful Joe Torre era when George pleaded for Yogi's forgiveness. Over his first 23 years of ownership there were 20 managerial changes until the stability of Joe Torre upon his hiring before the 1996 season. Looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on the show today.
Let's give-a-way another pair of tickets to Friday's Snoop Dogg/Ice Cube show. E-mail your answer to me at stevetannen@live.com
In the past 5 years, Snoop has appeared on a few of my favorite non-traditional network TV shows. One is on HBO, another on Showtime and the other on USA Network.
Name the three shows I'm referring to. Hint, one has finished it's run. The other just had it's season premiere and the other will begin next month. Good luck!

PART OF A CHILDHOOD by ST

This news likely means nothing to most reading this post, but longtime Yankee Stadium P/A announcer Bob Sheppard passed away at age 99. From the debut of Mickey Mantle in 1951 through the latter part of the 2007 season he was the voice who welcomed you to the stadium and introduced the players. This past May when my dad, wife, some friends and I attended Yanks/Bosox in the Bronx, it dawned on me it was the 1st time I'd been to a home game without Sheppard as the P/A guy. I got to hear him announce my 4 favorite Yankees of all time from Jeter working back to Mattingly, Reggie and from 1966 until 1968, Mantle. Duck fans know how special our voice is with Don Essig who has been behind the mic since 1967, a sweet 42 going on 43 years. A big chunk of us have never attended a game at Autzen or The Pit without his unique touch.
Gotta put the wraps on the Lebron situation. Look, it was handled poorly. I think he could have let Cleveland in on the decision before he ripped out their hearts on national TV. But how about dealing with some facts. Remove the names and city. A teenager leaps directly to the pros from high school to play for his hometown team. He takes them to unprecedented heights. The franchise is pretty much a joke until his arrival. Now they are a player. He really does all he can but the city is simply not attractive to high level players who have an option as to where to play. It becomes obvious they are not going to win a title. The player leaves as a free agent. It happens. I'm not more embarassed for Cav owner Dan Gilbert using terms like "traitor". Did James ever say he was staying for sure? No! Everyone in C-town needs to grow up and face reality. Boo the hell out of him when he shows in that Miami uni, but to treat him like a pariah who killed dogs or abused women is stupid.
I have a pair of Snoop Dog & Ice Cube tickets to give a way. The show is this Friday at the Cuthbert. E-mail your answer to stevetannen@live.com to get into tonight's drawing. It's generally recognized that Snoop was discovered by one of the true pioneers of hip hop/rap or in his case, G-funk. Hint, he does a national ad for a very popular soft drink. Good luck.

IN THE GUTTER by ST

I understand that a lot of the TV shows I watch are pretty much for idiots. Check your brain at the door, sit back and enjoy some mindless entertainment. CSI Miami. Everyone looks like they jumped off the pages from Glamour Magazine. Flowing hair, high heels and cleavage would most likely corrupt the average crime scene, but it's a guilty pleasure. Last night's Lebron James announcement on ESPN was about as pathetic and embarrassing as TV gets. Interviewer Jim Gray has lost all credibility in my book. With fans sitting on pins and needles, already strung along for an extra 20 minutes or so, he's actually asking questions about James' nail biting and preference for vitamin water. Paris Hilton on any moronic reality program is more credible and less pathetic that what was witnessed last night. Happy to report I only caught about 4-5 minutes as it took me about 15 minutes to arrive at home after SportsTalk wrapped at 6pm. Once Mr. Self Involved made his choice to play for Miami I clicked the station and headed out to dinner with my wife. As a Knicks fan this makes my life as an NBA fan easy, just tack on a bit more hate for the Heat, but they're still a distant second to the Celtics. What a freaking disgrace. I'm out!

DID YOU HEAR? by ST

Rumour has it Lebron James will announce his decision just past 6pm our time. The specifics are shady because it hasn't received enough media coverage. What a circus. I do like the fact some serious cash will be raised for the Boys & Girls Clubs. My dad was instrumental in building a sweet Boys Club building in my hometown of Wayne, New Jersey in the mid 1970's so it's near & dear to my heart. I know the new favorite for his landing spot is Miami but I'll always believe the best fit is Chicago. Dwayne Wade and he are A-players, Bosh is an A-. I'll give Michael Beasley a B. The rest, including a nice point guard in Mario Chalmers would now be role players. With the Bulls you'd have an elite front liner in Boozer, Lebron, and a great, great point guard in Derek Rose. Add in 3 other B to B+ talents in Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng who averages 18 points & 7 boards. Great young coach in the new hire, Tom Thibodeau who has learned at the side of Doc Rivers in Boston the last few years. The fit in Chicago just seems tailor made for success. I also don't buy this fear of playing in the shadow of Michael Jordan. Free agents flock to the Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and LA Lakers who have multiple hall of famer shadows to walk in. I think with James' ego he'd jump at the chance to add to the 6 titles MJ & Phil won and carve out a 2nd great period of Windy City hoops in the NBA.
Anyone catch what's been happening the past 2 nights in that Cardinal/Rockies series at Coors Field. Colorado has won both games on walk off taters and on each occasion has overcome a 5 run deficit. On Tuesday they scored 9 in the 9th. Last night they posted 3 in the 8th to tie, then Chris Iannetta greeted St. Looey's Evan Maclane, making his major league debut, with a bomb to end it. Very quietly, Colorado is now tied for 2nd in the NL West and just a half game back of the Mets in the wild card race. The post all star game pennant race looks like it could be one of the all time greats in both leagues.
Just heard an interview with Tony Dungy and obviously the subject of that pig Michael Vick surfaced. What does this guy have on Dungy that he continually defends whatever he does and keeps referring to his murderous, despicable dog fighting as a "mistake". Dungy said Vick showed bad judgement having a public birthday party which ended in a shooting. He claimed Vick would not make this kind of decision again. Really? Based on what. I've pretty much lost all respect for Dungy at this point and it's painful because I'm empathetic to someone who lost a son like he did, but he's way, way off base here. His time is better spent with young people who truly need guidance and who have NOT been afforded the opportunities Vick has pissed away.

FAILURE TO REGISTER by ST

Remember when the NBA's free agency period was approaching? Lunatics on national tv & radio talking about altering the landscape of the league. I have news, with the announcement that Chris Bosh is joining Dwayne Wade in Miami pretty much eliminates that possibility. Certainly a major ripple might happen with the ridiculous hour long ESPN special tomorrow night where Lebron James will choose his next employer. We all knew there was zero shot Bosh would return to Toronto and he didn't. No one really expected Stoudamire to go back to Phoenix once he opted out of his deal and he didn't. Dirk Nowitzki is staying in Dallas, ditto Joe Johnson in Atlanta. We just covered the Big 6 of free agency with nothing happening that would make the editor race into the room with machines buzzing to scream "Stop The Presses". Still out there is a terrific player in Carlos Boozer and one of the Knick's lone bright spots, 20 point 10 board David Lee. Once again the hype has seriously outdone the reality. For heaven's sake, even though he wasn't a free agent, Oklahoma City signed stud Kevin Durant to a monster contract extension. At this point I think Lebron is 50/50 to stay in Cleveland with Chicago a legit option and at the outside, either New York or New Jersey are in play.
With no general manager after dismissing a successful guy like Kevin Pritchard, things are pretty quiet on the Blazer front though it's believed they might be pursuing a trade to bring in Miami point guard Mario Chalmers. The fact they're considering hiring Kiki Vandeweigh as new GM shows how clueless Paul Allen and management are. He's done nothing to make him stand out as a front office guy. This is brutal!

GONE IN A FLASH by ST

Roger Federer would get a bunch of votes for the greatest male singles player in tennis history. He holds the record for most singles titles in the majors at 16. He's going to turn 29 in about a month. Tennis burns out it's studs pretty quickly. Not quite at the rate of NFL running backs, but the rate can be alarming. For example, Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon over the weekend. He's 24. He's now halfway to Roger. Let's see if he can keep up the pace. He's yet to win the US Open, the next Grand Slam set for September.
Tiger Woods got a taste of what to expect next week at the British Open. Beyond the occasional heckler at certain events in the colonies, he's been let off the hook by fans and the American media. That AIN'T gonna happen across the pond. They invented tabloid journalism. At a charity event in Ireland e last couple of days he was peppered with some incredibly direct and personal questions. One reporter flat out asked him if his indiscretions which cost him millions and millions in endorsements and apparently his marriage was "worth it". Another inquired about his infidelities negatively impacting his play. TV has done a decent job of weeding out some of the comments coming from the gallery in the U.S events we've watched, but according to a recent piece in Sports Illustrated, some have been nasty. Over there, on a sattelite feed, you wonder what will escape the filters. They tee it up at St. Andrews a week from Thursday. Might make for some reality style TV.

FREE? AGENCY by ST

Is anything in the world of sport we follow more inappropriately named than "free" agency. It began with baseball in 1976. After many years of legal wrangling, players were no longer deemed property and upon the completion of the current contract, they could negotiate a deal with the highest bidder. Dodger pitcher Andy Messersmith signed with the Braves in April of 1976. Pitched one full season, got injured, kicked around for a couple more years and was out of baseball. Think the teams who sign Lebron or Chris Bosh will see the irony in the term "FREE"? By the by, the Nets have become the 1st team to meet and pitch James. Do not discount their ability with co-owner Jay Z and a trillionaire owner to land this guy!
I know I'm becoming a bitter, broken record, but I'm delighted that Virginia police have not dismissed the idea Michael Vick might be involved in the shooting outside the club where his recent 30th birthday party was held. Here's hoping this lying lowlife has to pay the piper.
I really do miss the sound of those vuvuzelas at the World Cup. Not a big soccer fan, but I've truly enjoyed the entire scene, not just the action. Seeing refs incompetency on an international scale, the fans, the drama, all of it. Plus as a student of history I get how sweet the games between Germany & Argentina or the Netherlands and Brazil are. I don't watch all 90 minutes, but do the combo, check in/Comcast DVR in case something exciting happens.
The Prefontaine is this Saturday at Hayward Field. I have a couple of pair of tickets to give a way on tonight's show. If you are interested, e-mail the answer to the following my way at stevetannen@live.com
Who won the men's 100 meter dash at last year's Pre? Good luck.