Saturday Introductions

Hi, I'm Fiji, and I just prevailed in one of the all-time Rugby Union Classics over Wales. Probably the greatest achievement in Fijian sports, I dare say, reaching the RWC quarterfinals. Why is this good for the Bokke?
From a South African viewpoint it was the perfect result, for while the Fijians play some quite spectacular rugby at times, the Springboks are not physically inferior to the Fijians, which was the Welsh Achilles heel in this match. For a start, their pack should be no match for the Boks in the set-scrums.

After making the quarterfinals for the first time in their history, Fiji will probably also feel now that they have played their final, and they did have to dig deep to prevail in the Nantes thriller. It is hard to see them get up like that again for a quarterfinal just a week later, and they lost flyhalf Nicky Little, an influential player on the day, to an injury which looks serious enough to rule him out of the remainder of the tournament.


Hi, I'm Yossi Benayoun, and I rescued my Liverpool teammates for the second match in a row. I can't say enough about how much I love the addition of Yossi to the squad and would like nothing more than to see him get more regular starts on the wing, opposite Jermaine Pennant. Even if it was Wigan, an away league win is always an accomplishment.


Hi, I'm the NHL, and I have unceremoniously returned! I feel a bit ashamed of myself, quite honestly, because I love the NHL and, yet, (along with the rest of the nation) completely missed that the season began today. Maybe it's because the season opened in London with your Los Angeles Kings spanking defending champion Anaheim 4-1! Skreee! Welcome to the fold, goalie prodigy Jonathan Bernier. I still don't expect much from the Kings, this season, but this is a promising start and I'm excited to catch a few games at Staples Center. Go hockey!


Hi, I'm the Pac 10, and I'm AWESOME! The Cal-Oregon game lived up to the hype and more. What an electric second half. The Ducks really had every chance to win this game, aided in part by the highly dubious "missed field goal" by Cal in the third quarter (A kick the went over the top of the post -- which meant it was good. But just ask Oklahoma about that officiating in Eugene, OR.), but that bumbingly muffed kick return, a couple of 4th quarter picks by Dixon, and one of the most gutting fumbles in recent memory opened the door for Cal. Desean Jackson picked on heck of a time to have a breakout game. Sadly for Dennis Dixon, his Heisman candicacy took a severe hit. Cal had better hope Longshore's ankle problem isn't too serious, but the Bears are every bit a top-4 team. USC is still the class of this conference, but they'll have to deal with both the Bears and Ducks. Phew... I'd love it if Arizona could pick up a win tonight against Washington State.


Hi, I'm the Big 12, and I'm officially irrelevant. It takes a pretender to blow a 17-point lead to Colorado. I present to you: Oklahoma. And Texas was finally exposed for the overrated frauds that they are. Terribly overhyped by the national press thanks solely to their name, Kansas State smacked the hell out of them, Vince Young on the sideline and all. The Horns are K-State's new bitch. Don't worry about watching next weekend's Red River Shootout. It doesn't matter. Don't set the alarm, sleep in, catch the final score in the following morning's paper.


Hi, I'm South Florida, and you may as well give me the Big East title right the hell now. Beating West Virginia and seeing Rutgers proudly display their "pretender" logo by flopping against Maryland, there's no way the Bulls can blow this? Is there?


Hi, I'm Wisconsin, and I'm inspiring nobody. Even with the tight win over an unbeaten Michigan State, Wisconsin isn't looking too impressive. Isn't it funny to think that the only team that looks to have a shot at rattling Ohio State's tree in the Big Ten, this year, is a janky Michigan team? But wait... Here come the Ilini!


Hi, I'm the National League East, and I'm ridiculous! Pretty insane that the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins are going to decide this division and a bit of a shame that the Mets and Phillies weren't scheduled to play each other during the final weekend of the season. Even though the Mets have imploded over the last two weeks of the season, Philadelphia fans must have that awful feeling in the pits of their stomachs -- a feeling they're all too familiar with. 162 games and it comes down to the final day? Yeesh.

Selig muffs it again

For all the "crisis" and "scandal" and "cheapened image" and "tarnished past-time" babble that's clouded baseball during the steroid era, is anyone else stupified by this?

What happened to cleaning up baseball? What happened to the hard-line stance? What happened to having a little backbone? Oh wait -- I said "backbone" and forgot I was talking about Selig. This whole thing screams to me like Giambi was granted clemency for sitting down and chatting with George Mitchell and spilling all the juicy details on the rest of the league (sorry, I don't really believe that all this "good citizen" press from Giambi's camp affected Selig's decision). So what are we to make of that? Is everyone a special, unique snowflake who'll be shown mercy if they just 'fess up? Are we to believe that in earnest? Fans are already jaded enough as it is and now you come out saying that there'll be no repurcussions? How many more questions can I string in a row? My stance is this: if you're not going to punish Jason Giambi, then don't bother trying to hang Barry Bonds or Gary Sheffield or Sammy Sosa or Miguel Tejada or Roger Clemens or anyone else implicated in the steroids hubbub. The point of this investigation, I always assumed (and I'm sure I'm not alone) was to clean up baseball, not give it a mild talking-to. If the commissioner is really this concerned about another brush-up with the players' union, he may as well quit this witch hunt, right now.

I really wonder if Giambi struck some secret deal with the commissioner on the side. An island home in the Carribean away from his teammates' harsh eyes, some sort of MLB witness protection program. There must be! If the Mitchell Investigation doesn't reveal some information as a result of this sit-down, people are going to start wondering (more so) why they should even care about steroids in baseball.

Don't worry about it, Barry Bonds, you just keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about a thing. Apparently, nothing's going to happen to you.

All-Star games are stupid

It's true. They are. Especially MLB's (Pro Bowl not withstanding) because of that stupid stipulation where the winner of an exhibition game featured a slew of players whose teams have a very remote chance of reaching the World Series (read: players with nothing at stake) gets homefield advantage in the WS for their league. Imagine the gratitude that'll be expressed to Tony LaRussa by the eventual National League champion. I mean, why else would you leave Albert Pujols on the bench in favor of Aaron freaking Rowand with the bases loaded, down to your last out, unless you were convinced that the game meant absolutely nothing? You're dumb, MLB, and Tony La Russa just reiterated that fact last night by leaving one of the game's best hitters on the pine because he simply doesn't care who gets homefield advantage in the WS. It won't be the Cardinals, so who cares?! Although, I suppose it doesn't make much difference, this season, since any one of four teams in the American League will have the best record in baseball by season's end (you know, the standard indicator for homefield advantage).

Even further proof that baseball is a crap shoot

The Kansas City Royals just swept the Angels in Anaheim. This is just stupid. Baseball is ridiculous. Just ask the '06 Cardinals.

Oh, and to everyone geeked about the KG-to-the-Lakers nonsense, three words: Told. You. So.
No way that mess was ever going to happen.

Further proof that baseball is a crap shoot

The Washington Nationals just completed a sweep of the Cleveland Indians. Need I really say more?

Elsewhere, props to Ken Griffey Jr. for passing Big Mac on the all-time HR list. I know that just one post prior to this one I was ranting about how the numbers don't mean anything any more, but Griffey is so damn likable and you really feel like if he had been healthy at all over the last seven years, that he'd also be right in the spotlight for 755.

I've said it before and I'll say it again

It is absolute bullcrap that Mark McGwire won't go to the Hall of Fame this year. For that matter, it is also ridiculous that Pete Rose has yet to be placed in the Hall. A player should be judged by his accomplishments on the field and if we're going to ban "cheaters" from enshrinement, then we should recall Ty Cobb and Gaylord Perry from Cooperstown. For the love of all that is holy, I'm just asking for a little consistency, you stupid baseball world.

And with this, my feelings on the Hall of Fame continue to diminish, steadily approaching the point where I simply won't care who is in and who is out. I cannot stand, nor understand, people who thought that Rafael Palmeiro (pre-fall from grace) was ever HOF material.

I'll tell you what else, Barry Bonds should get 100% of the vote when his time comes. He was only the best player of his generation, perhaps of all time. No big deal.

One last thing. Jim Rice has been retired for several years, now, and still isn't in the HOF. Memo to anyone with a pulse, give it up already! It's over! He is not a HOFer. His numbers aren't getting any better. Jim Rice is yet another example of why the Baseball Hall of Fame doesn't work: you have multiple chances to get in. It's the "Hall of Fame," people, not the "Hall of Pretty Good." No one should need another year (or 15) to figure out whether someone merits enshrinement.