The Ridiculous Mitchell Report

I want to thank the Mitchell report for ruining players' lives and careers with minimal to no evidence. Without any positive test results, these players have been trashed in the media and court of public opinion. I can now never look at Roger Clemens again, even though I know the evidence is so flimsy it would not stand up in court.
The Mitchell report did absolutely nothing for baseball. What was the point of naming all those players we already knew took steroids? What was the point of destroying kids' dreams of growing up to be Roger Clemens? Congratulations Senator Mitchell, you have unnecessarily killed the reputations of numerous retired and active players.
In all, the report told us mostly names we already knew, a few we could have figured out and about three surprises. And to accomplish what? His goal was not to punish players: he advised the commish not to punish anyone named in the report (probably because the evidence was incredibly weak). His goal wasn't to propose alternate ways of testing, or if it was, he failed miserably as he did not suggest any new methods. Perhaps Mitchell simply does not want Clemens in the Hall of Fame, because that is the only thing he may have achieved.
The report told us we had a steroid problem and the testing has improved the scenario. That is all the report needed to say. Why trash so many players? The report was unnecessary, ridiculous and accomplished next to nothing. Come to think of it, that also describes Bud Selig's reign as commissioner...

The Sugar Just Ain't as Sweet

The Big Guy here and the college football regular season is over. What a season it's been, it started with the boys from Boone giving the Big Blue Nation a case of the blues. It ended with the number 1 and 2 teams in the nation losing on center stage. Then we all sat by our computers, refreshing, surfing, trying to find the "experts" that agreed with our points of view and posting on as many message boards we could about why our team should be playing for the BCS Title. And now, not even an hour after we found out where our respective teams are playing, the taste and thirst for the title is unfulfilled. That's right, the untested Ohio State Buckeyes will be playing the elusive Tigers of Louisianna State. The kids from Columbus will get their redemption but the party will be hosted in the Bayou's backyard and the home team might be out numbered by the fans of the visitors. New Orleans, the Super Dome, two BCS games will be played there in a matter of a week; one being for the National Title and the other, well the other is being played for the Sugar Bowl trophy, but how sweet the sugar will that sugar be? I suppose it depends on which side of the ball you are on.

The beloved Bulldogs of our own University of Georgia will play host to the Rainbow...wait no just the Warriors of Hawaii led by Colt Brennan and orchestrated by June Jones. After last year's Cinderella team of Boise State beat the powerhouse of the Big 12 the Oklahoma Sooners, all eyes will be on the Warriors and the Bulldogs on New Year's Night. Here in lies the sweetness, or sourness, of that sugar. The Dawgs have nothing to gain, nothing except the money. Everyone expects Hawaii to lose, the Dawgs are expected to beat this sandlot, pass happy team from the islands. With all that expectation, what happens when we win? No extra respect will be given, we just fell a spot in the BCS standings while two teams above us lost and saw LSU jump from #7 to #2, and I do not expect any "expert" or analyst to say, "You have to look at the impressive win by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, they went up against a tough Hawaii team and were able to come away with a win in a hostile environment, maybe we underestimated this team from Athens." No, no one is going to say that, we (The Bulldogs and the Bulldog Nation) have everything to lose in this game! We will not do any better with a win, but oh boy will be the poster boys for the "David and Goliath" cliche for at least a year. Calling all sports writers, calling all sports writers, here is your story, the non-BCS conference Hawaii Warriors top Georgia, a team from the toughest conference in America.

Good, great, grand, wonderful. As actors often ask, "What's my motivation?" So too will the Bulldogs. Well, that's your motivation, to not be the cliche Goliath. Ridiculous. Hawaii? Waikiki? Hang lose? Aloha? The Sugar Bowl was the last place the Bulldog faithful thought that they would be traveling to, but now we find ourselves in a familiar setting. This time the Super Dome, so I ask the Dawgs and the faithful followers of the Bulldog Nation get up for this game, bust out the red, get ready for the Hurricanes, and show these "up and comers" what SEC football is all about. Let us not be Goliath and instead end the season with the hopes of the cards falling right and perhaps still be able to share a piece of the National Title. It wouldn't be the first time, 2003 LSU and USC shared the title and with so many two loss teams out there, who knows maybe we can get what we need to happen, to happen. God, it would have been nice though, 27 years later to travel with an explosive freshman running back into New Orleans and beat a "better" team from the north in the national title game. Well, at least Bourbon St will be fun, I just hope the hangover does not last an entire off season.