Taking a real stand

It’s a tale of two football programs....

Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer should be commended for taking a stand and dismissing his starting quarterback, and now former Hokie, Marcus Vick from the team after Vick’s deplorable act of spiking Louisville’s Elvis Dumervil in Monday’s Gator Bowl....

Think about it, how many head coaches would take such a stand....one thing for sure, a coach along the Olentangy River in Columbus is not one of them...and there is proof to that claim....

Many Buckeye faithful like to forget about the unsportsmanlike act by former Buckeye linebacker Robert Reynolds in the 2003 game against Wisconsin....to refresh some memories, the defending national champion Buckeyes were playing at Wisconsin on ESPN’s Saturday Night Game of the Week on national television....
With the Badgers taking control of the game behind the play of quarterback Jim Sorgi, Reynolds took it upon himself to try and slow down the Wisky offense....after hitting Sorgi on a play, Reynolds deliberately and blatantly tried to choke Sorgi by sticking his fingers into Sorgi’s windpipe and throat....ultimately, Reynolds succeeded as Sorgi was knocked out of the game....in the end, Wisconsin won the game....

The national media were in an uproar about this classless, thuglike act.....after the game OSU head coach Jim Tressel smoothly said he had to review the tape because he did not see the play....as the media criticism did not stop in the days following the game, Tressel decided to take a hard stand and show the nation that this was unacceptable for anyone wearing the scarlet and gray of THE Ohio State University....

Tressel gave his starting linebacker a one game suspension.....yes, one game!!!!.....

Tressel said, "However, after getting a firsthand look at the tape and seeing what took place, I feel that the apology by itself is not enough. Robert's conduct was totally unacceptable and has no place in intercollegiate athletics."

Then to add insult, the "classy" Ohio State football players used Reynolds’ one game suspension as motivation for their next game against Iowa.....they wanted to win for their hoodlum teammate who had to sit out one stinking game....

Thank goodness some coaches like Frank Beamer will not stand for this thuglike behavior on the playing field....Vick was planning on coming back for his senior season and was a possible candidate for the Heisman Trophy....so it is not like Beamer bounced some bench warmer..... at least he had the guts to do the right thing.....

Marcus Vick and Wildcard Weekend

Before giving my NFL wildcard predictions, I have to give a fast comment on the stupidity of now former Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick....after purposely stomping his spikes into the thigh of Louisville’s Elvis Dumervil during Monday’s Gator Bowl, Tech head coach Frank Beamer dismissed Vick from the team.....Vick has now decided to forgo his senior season and become eligible for the NFL draft....

ESPN’s Chris Mortenson reported that Vick will probably be drafted between round 4-6 because of the baggage he brings with him.....when will these athletes learn that they have the talent to make a good living, but they continue to act like thugs and morons.....

This is not the first time Michael Vick’s little brother has been in trouble and sure seems like it will not be the last either....this kid thinks the world owes him something just like Maurice Clarett and Lawrence Phillips.....personally, I think Vick has raw talent, but lacks the discipline and mental toughness during big games....defenses can get into his head and frustrate him....sure he carved up teams like Duke or North Carolina....but Vick had lackluster games against Miami and Florida State.....good luck to whichever NFL team decides to roll the dice on this knucklehead.....

Now to this weekend’s games.....

Washington @ Tampa Bay (- 3) - here is my upset pick of the week.....these teams meet for the second time this year....the Bucs won the first one in a controversial donnybrook.....but not this time....Redskins 21-13

Jacksonville @ New England (-7) - the Patriots lost on Sunday as Coach Bill rested many of his starters....the Jags have a nice team and a good defense and will take an early lead in this game, but the Patriots will win in the end.....Patriots 27-17

Carolina @ N.Y. Giants (-3) - this is going to be one of those "muscle games" in which the winning team is going to have to use its power game....many think the Giants are ripe to get picked off here.....but the G-men win this one because of the home field.....NY Football Giants 21-20

Pittsburgh (-3) @ Cincinnati - the Steelers are the only road favorite this weekend....the Bengals have sputtered the last four weeks (barely beating the Browns, then losing to Buffalo and KC).....the Steelers defense wins this one.....Steelers 31-16

Best coach to never win a championship

This past week I finally got the dreaded "monkey off my back" and joined the names of Lombardi, Shula, and Noll.....after 11 long years, I finally won my first championship -- fantasy football league championship that is....

After winning the title, I came to ponder who is currently the best head coach in sports to not win a championship.....I flipped through the college ranks, baseball, and basketball and did not come up with a top name.....(Texas’ Mack Brown shed that horrible monkey last night)....

However, the NFL had three coaches who have yet to "win it all".....they are Marty Schottenheimer, Tony Dungy, and Bill Cowher.....but which of these three truly deserves to finally win a Super Bowl....let’s take a deeper look....

Poor Tony Dungy got robbed when he was the head man at Tampa Bay.....after bringing this once putrid franchise to respectability and then to the brink of a championship, owner Malcolm Glazer fired Dungy.....as Dungy headed off to Indianapolis, ole’ smiley face Jon Gruden swooped into Tampa and won the Super Bowl in his first year.....Dungy has some impressive numbers during his 10 years as a head coach....he is 102-58 but a sub-par 5-7 mark in the playoffs including an 0-2 record in League Championship games.....despite getting jobbed in Tampa, Dungy misses the mark as "the best coach to never win a title"...

Browns fans love to take cheap shots at Marty Schottenheimer because he could never get them to the Super Bowl in the 1980s.....but Marty has been the best coach the Browns have ever had whose last name is not Brown.....after leaving Cleveland, Marty made stops in Kansas City, Washington, and now San Diego.....he has the most wins of any current head coaches with a 186-124-1 record.....but much like Dungy, Marty is only 5-12 in the playoffs including an 0-3 mark in League Championship games....Marty truly deserves a title, but somehow it will not happen for him -- partly because of his conservative playcalling late in big games.... but one day, when he finally dies, hopefully Marty gets to coach in a "big game" up there, but hopefully he remembers not to play the prevent defense with less than 3 minutes left in the game....

That brings up "The Jaw".....Bill Cowher is truly an incredible coach and not fully appreciated by the football world.....since becoming the Steelers head coach in 1992, Cowher’s teams have posted a 141-82-1 mark which is the best in the NFL over that timespan.....as much as Browns fans hate him, each and every Browns fan wishes Cowher was the head coach of the brown and orange....unlike Dungy and Marty, Cowher has an 8-9 playoff record including one Super Bowl appearance.....at least he has felt what it is like to coach in a Super Bowl.....but there should have been more than just one appearance.....five times the Steelers hosted the AFC title game, only to have their heart stomped on four out of those five times.....

Like I said earlier, all three of these coaches deserve to win a Super Bowl.....but I believe Bill Cowher deserves it a tad more because of one simple stat that I was unaware of until just a few weeks ago....since taking over in Pittsburgh, Cowher has a record of 100-1-1 whenever his team gets at least at 10 point lead during the course of a game.....

Think about it, once the Steelers get a 10 point or more lead at any time during the game, they have 100 of those 102 games.....that is truly astonishing and just shows Cowher’s greatness.....also, unlike Dungy and Marty, Cowher has been with the Steelers his entire career.....he is the face (and jaw) of the Pittsburgh Steelers.....

So in the end, I believe that Bill Cowher is the best head coach in sports to not win a championship.....sorry Browns fans, but even you have to take off those dawg masks and acknowledge Cowher.....

Texas Longhorns

THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU



HOOK 'EM

Quick Hits - Fiesta Bowl Thoughts

Charlie Weis may have four Super Bowl rings on his fingers, but Ohio State’s Jim Tressel schooled the old NFL assistant about the college game in Monday’s Fiesta Bowl....somehow, someway Tressel always finds a way to win his games....and on Monday, he simply outcoached Weis....

- The talk has already started again about Ted Ginn for the 2006 Heisman.....not so fast....just because he ran crazy against an unprepared and undermanned Irish defense, that does not mean he will continue that success next season....after bursting onto the scene mid-way through the 2004 season, Ginn surprised the Big Ten coaches with his speed and took the nation by storm.....however, this season the Big Ten was prepared for Ginn as they lassoed him....just because Ginn chopped up a poor Notre Dame defense, doesn’t mean he will run crazy next season and win the Heisman....

- There are going to be as many as 8 NFL head coaching vacancies during the next month....why isn’t Tressel mentioned for any of these jobs?.....the guy has a knack of winning games, so why not take a chance on him?.....instead the NFL will give failures like Norv Turner and Mike Tice another opportunity....

- Give Miami (Fla) coach Larry Coker credit for making changes on his coaching staff....Coker will clearly be under fire next season.....he has been a disappointment after winning the National Championship with Butch Davis’ players.....

- By the way, where will Butch Davis end up next season???.....

- Unlike Coker, Michigan’s Lloyd Carr continues to be stubborn and not make changes with his coaching staff – specifically defensive coordinator Jim Hermann.....for the last 8 years Michigan fans have had to endure watching the Wolverines defense continually collapse late in games....Hermann has been living off of Michigan’s 1997 defense which was led by Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson.....Woodson made Jim Hermann.....since Woodson left after the 1997 season, Michigan has lacked a dominating defense....at the start of the 1998 season, without Woodson, Michigan was whipped by Notre Dame and carved up by a Syracuse team led by Donovan McNabb....and who could forget the infamous game against Northwestern when Drew Henson helped Michigan rack up 51 points only to lose because the defense gave up 54....I could go on and on and on.....Hermann has to go – right now!!!....

- Everyone knows the story of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn’s sister, Laurie, dating Ohio State’s A.J. Hawk.....Laurie Quinn is definitely a babe, but she has poor taste in men....before the Buckeye faithful get upset, let me say that Hawk is a dominating player.....but let’s be truthful, he looks like the son of Frankenstein.....come on Laurie, you could do better!!!.....

- After the Rose Bowl game, we won’t see Lee Corso until August – I already miss him....

Until next time, the beat goes on . . .

Bowled Over - I'm back

It’s been a while, but I’m back at the keyboard and what better way to start off Stiles Points than by predicting the BCS bowl games....

Sugar Bowl - Georgia (-6.5) vs. West Virginia - the Mountaineers will be a team to reckon with next year as they have two good young players in White and Slaton....head coach Rich Rodriguez knows this is a coming out game for West Virginia so expect this team not to quit....however I have liked the Dawgs all years with D.J. Shockley as their quarterback.....Georgia 26-17

Orange Bowl - Penn State (-10) vs. Florida State - the matchup of the all-time winning coaches....the Seminoles struggled late in the season but came up big against Va Tech in the ACC title game....Joe PaPa has been the story of the year in college football and should rightfully be 11-0 if not for that last second loss in Ann Arbor....Penn State is rock tough on defense, just ask Troy Smith and the Buckeyes....the Nittany Lions roar....Penn State 27-13

Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State (-4.5) vs. Notre Dame - in any other year, this would be the dream matchup game....Charlie Weis showed what a little good coaching can do....with basically the same team that former coach Ty Willingham had, Weis transformed the anemic Irish offense into a force....the Buckeyes have a solid defense, but they can be picked apart which was apparent when the vanilla flavored Michigan offense scored on them in the second half of their game....Notre Dame wins a tough battle....Notre Dame 34-31

Rose Bowl - Southern Cal (-8) vs. Texas - Southern Cal has the best offense in the last 25 years....this year all the attention has gone to Reggie Bush, and rightfully so....but people forget that it was Matt Leinert who came up big in the Notre Dame game with that precision pass on fourth down to Dwayne Jarrett....there is no doubt that the Trojans have the best offense, but the Longhorns have the best team.....the Horns offense is not that bad either with Vincent Young running the show and Billy Pittman and Limas Sweed at wideouts....but the Horns clearly have the better defense with Rod Wright anchoring the line and Michael Huff patrolling the secondary....plus the Horns are on a mission this season....Texas 37-28

It’s good to be back!!!!

NFL Predictions

Okay, it’s been awhile since I posted anything . . . but the time is right with the NFL season coming up this week and two big college football games . . . so hold onto your hats . . .

NFL Predictions
AFC Playoff Teams
East - Patriots - until someone beats them
North - Bengals - this is the toughest division; surprise, surprise
South - Colts - Manning to Harrison is like bread and butter
West - Raiders - bad defense, but super offense
Wildcard
Ravens - finally has a few decent receivers
Jets - somehow this team just gets it done

NFC Playoff Teams
East - Giants - if Eli develops just a bit, this team will surprise
North - Packers - this is their last hurrah
South - Panthers - solid defense and a good coach
West - Cardinals - why not, they are the "sexy" pick
Wildcard
Falcons - they will tie Carolina for the division but lose out on the tiebreaker
Cowboys - Parcells edges Eagles out of playoffs

AFC Championship
Colts over the Patriots

NFC Championship
Falcons over the Panters

Super Bowl
Falcons over the Colts

Now for this weeks 2 big college games
Notre Dame @ Michigan - the Wolverines were not impressive in their opening win over NIU while the Irish smoked Pitt . . . I’m telling you right now, in two years, Charlie Weiss will have the Irish in the national title hunt . . . I just love this guy . . . the graduated from Notre Dame but never played football there . . . he’s fat and overweight . . . he looks like someone sitting at the end of the bar at your local saloon . . . Weiss will exploit Michigan’s defense . . . but luckily Michigan’s offense can also put up points . . . this is a tight one but Michigan wins 27-24

Texas @ Ohio State - flash back 3 years ago when the Buckeyes were going to play Miami for the national title, Ohio State fans and players were complaining that Miami was arrogant and talking trash before the game . . . now back to 2005, which team opened its mouth first in this match-up? . . Ohio State’s Bobby Carpenter guaranteed the Texas quarterback Vincent Young will leave Columbus on Saturday no longer in the Heisman hunt . . . bit arrogant don’t you think? . . . Texas will outplay the Buckeyes, but Ohio State will get a turnover late in the game and pull one out of their asses . . . Ohio State 21-20

Too all the Buckeye fans I have two words for you
HOOK ‘EM!!

Random Thoughts - 7/17 - Tiger is Back

And the beat goes on . . .

The Cleveland Indians have dropped nine of their last 10 games . . . after firing hitting coach Eddie Murray, at the beginning of June, the Tribe’s bats heated up and The Plain Dealer began insinuating that Murray may have been the cause for Cleveland’s slump at the plate . . . well, in their last 10 games, the bats have cooled down . . . the Chicago White Sox swept the Tribe four in a row since the All-Star break . . . In fact, the White Sox never trailed in any of the games and shut out the Indians in two of the four games . . . how come The Plain Dealer is not responding about that? . . . somewhere a rare event is happening – Eddie Murray smiling . . .

The Plain Dealer’s Roger Brown reported in Sunday’s paper that the Cincinnati Reds may trade outfield slugger Adam Dunn to Cleveland for Chi Chi Sabathia . . . if the Indians brass had any brains, they would make the deal . . . Sabathia has brought nothing to help the team this year . . . In my weekly Chi Chi watch, Sabathia got rocked on Friday night to bring his season record to 6-6 with a 4.63 ERA . . . he is 1-2 since opening his mouth and stating that he "is back and ready to dominate the rest of the season" . . .

Don’t be surprised if the Indians unload catcher Victor Martinez in the off-season in order to get a true starter . . . after his All-Star season last year and new long-term contract, Martinez has dropped off considerable as he is batting .243 and has not been effective behind the plate . . . he has been the Indians biggest disappointment . . .

The Yankees pitching staff is depleted . . . rookie Chien Meng Wang has been lost for the season with a rotator cuff injury . . . that has forced New York to trade for 39-year-old Al Leiter . . . besides starting pitching, the Yankees need to reinforce its middle relieves being that the starting pitchers are very old and can no longer pitch seven innings . . . the Yankees should consider acquiring 37-year-old Hideo Nomo who was released this weekend by Tampa Bay . . . Nomo is done as a starter, but he may prove effective as a middle reliever who can pitch one inning . . . its something the Yankees should consider . . .

I think it is safe to say "Tiger is Back!!" . . . Watch out! . . .

NFL training camps will be opening next week . . .

I already saw the first "Back to School" commercial . . .

A nice article appeared in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post about the Big 33 Football Classic that is played every summer between the Ohio and Pennsylvania All-Stars . . .

Big 33 Article

It is amazing that every Super Bowl had at least one player who participated in the Big 33 game . . . here is the link to learn more about the game:

Big 33

On a personal note, Friday I had a meeting in Boardman near the Southern Park Mall . . . so I stopped in the mall’s food court to have lunch – first big mistake!!! . . . first off it was like a daycare/pre-school . . . there were more double seated baby strollers than there are taxi cabs in Manhattan . . . there were so many kids and young mothers . . . with all the noise, I decided to get something quick, so I decided to get a Big Mac at McDonald’s – second big mistake!!! . . . for being a "fast food" place, I waited a good 5 minutes for my food along with a mother and her screaming child in a stroller . . . the entire time waiting, this kid kept screaming while the mother did nothing . . . after finally getting my meal, I barely found a table where there were less populated kids . . . through all this chaos, I noticed an elderly woman sitting peacefully eating ice cream from Dairy Queen . . . my only thought was that this woman had to be hard of hearing . . . overall, I learned never to eat a mall food court . . .
I went grocery shopping this past week and picked up a bag of Doritos . . . before tossing it in the cart, I noticed written on the front of the bag was "improved taste" . . . does that mean for the last 20 years I was eating not good tasting Doritos . . .

Speaking of Doritos, the last issue of Vanity Fair had a story of the U.S. soldiers who had to guard Saddam Hussein . . . the soldiers stated that Saddam loved Doritos . . . in fact they said he could eat a family bag of Doritos in about 15 minutes . . . I could just picture what Saddam looked like after that – he probably had cheese stains, from the chips, all over his face and mustache . . .

Until next time . . . the beat goes on . . .

Random Thoughts - 4/10 - Missed it by a "Wie" bit

And the beat goes on . . .

I want to spend a few seconds on the Olympics . . . it was unfortunate that New York City did not get the call to host the 2012 Olympics . . . however, congratulations to London in surprising the arrogant French in winning the bid . . . Paris was a heavy favorite and all the French were ready to celebrate . . . but all for not . . .

One more note about the Olympics . . . how could the International Olympic Committee (IOC) vote to not have baseball and softball in the 2012 Games? . . . for many Central American nations, especially Cuba, Olympic baseball is an important sport . . . give the IOC two Errors on this . .

Why isn’t golf in the Olympics? . . . it’s played worldwide and it would be interesting to see the professional men and women represent their countries . . .

Talking about golf, 15-year-old Michelle Wie choked on the last four holes in the 2nd round of the John Deere Classic which is a stop on the PGA Tour . . . it’s just a matter of time though before Wie starts to make the cut and one day win a PGA event . . .

I read recently read an article in The Plain Dealer about Wie . . . she is a prodigy . . . she was able to read when she was like 2-years-old . . . Wie’s goal is to play and win the Master’s someday . . . with her determination and rare ability there is no doubt that she will indeed accomplish this goal within the next 20 years . . .

Also, I believe she has that natural swing that will enable her to compete with the men . . . when I watch her swing, I see Tiger Woods . . . plus, for being only 15-years-old, she is already six feet tall and wears a size 10 men’s shoe . . . to put it simply, I am a big fan of Michelle Wie . . .

Last Friday, Chi Chi Sabathia pitched seven strong innings against the Baltimore Orioles and proclaimed that "he was back" and that he was going to dominate the rest of the season . . . five days later Chi Chi and his fat ass could not make it out of the fifth inning as the Detroit Tigers tattooed him for five runs . . .

The "ace" has a record of 6-5 and an ERA of 4.50 . . . when will the Indians front office realize this man is not a number one starter . . . in fact, Jake Westbrook, Kevin Millwood, and Scott Elarton are all better pitchers than "the ace" . . .

Why is the Detroit Tigers Jeremy Bonderman not on the All-Star team especially with the game being played in Motown? . . . Bonderman is 11-5 with a 3.99 ERA . . .

The San Francisco Giants organization notched its 9,999 team victory on Saturday when they down the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 . . . the winning pitcher was former Youngstown State University pitcher, Brad Hennessey who gave up only three hits in seven shut-out innings . . . Hennessey is 3-2 with a 5.23 ERA . . .

Major League Baseball handed down a 20 game suspension for Texas pitcher Kenny Rogers after he deliberately shoved a cameraman during batting practice . . . with Rogers being a starting pitcher, it means he only plays every five games . . . so basically this turned out to be a four game suspension which is nothing . . . Bud Selig needed to suspend Rogers at least 35 games which is equivalent to seven games . . .

Rogers made a mistake and has apologized for it . . . and he should be given a second chance after he serves his suspension . . . however, there is no place in sports for that type of behavior from an athlete . . . the cameraman was not following Rogers by sticking the camera directly in his face . . . the guy was doing his job – that’s all . . . the same job that helps jerks, like Rogers, get their mug on television so they can sign those million dollars contracts . . .

I pick the American League to win Tuesday’s All-Star Game . . .

Even though Tiger is the favorite, my surprise pick to win next week’s British Open is Peter Lonard . . . I’m also putting money on Ernie Els . . .

I’d like to see President Bush select an African-American female to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court . . . interestingly, it is not the Democrats, but the Republicans that may balk if he nominates current Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez . . . the conservatives are worried that ‘Berto may be a tad moderate . . .

Why isn’t an Asian-American being considered for the position on the high court . . . remember, the president can nominate anyone he wants – there is not a prerequisite that the nominee has to have experience on the bench . . .

Finally, our country’s prayers should go out to our friends in London after the dastardly act of cowardness by terrorists this week . . . sometimes we all forget that we are fighting "the good war" . . .

God Save the Queen

Until next time . . . the beat goes on . . .

Random Thoughts - 7/3 - Someone stole my idea

And the beat goes on . . .

For years my friend, John Valentine, and I talked about producing a fantasy football magazine . . . our magazine was going to be different from others . . . instead of just football, we were also going to have articles about beer, gambling, and of course chicks . . . and to differentiate our publication from all the other fantasy football mags, we were not going to have a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady on the cover . . . instead we were going to have chicks in skimpy football jerseys . . . . our publication was going to be called T.A.G. Fantasy Football Guide . . . T.A.G. stood for "Two Average Guys" . . .

But someone has beaten us to that idea . . . the other days I was looking through the magazine rack at my local Giant Eagle when I came across this hot chick on a fantasy football book . . . I knew right then and there that our idea was shot . . .

So remember, if you ever have an idea for something – go for it before it is too late . . .

The Boston Red Sox will not win the World Series this season if they keep Keith Foulke as their closer . . . Foulke has a whopping 5.82 ERA . . . the Sox need to get a closer before the trading deadline if they want to repeat as champions . . . it takes 11 playoff games to win the World Series, and your closer is going to be needed in at least seven of those wins . . . it ain’t happening for Boston if Foulke remains the closer . . .

That’s it, the American League Cy Young Award race is over . . . this year’s winner is going to be Cleveland’s Chi Chi Sabathia . . . after an impressive performance on Friday night in Baltimore, Chi Chi proclaimed that "he is back" and he has turned around his season . . . okay, he opened his mouth, so we will have to keep track of his record beginning with Friday night’s win . . .

A few weeks ago it looked like Bob Wickman was going to be the Tribe’s lone All-Star representative . . . Travis Hafner is sure working his way toward a spot on the team . . . Pronk is swinging a hot bat once again . . .

It was reported in The Plain Dealer that the Indians are looking at the Reds’ Joe Randa, the Royals’ Mike Sweeney, and the Giants’ Moises Alou for a possible trade by the end of July . . . it is doubtful the Tribe will acquire Sweeney or Alou being that they make $11 million and $7 million a year . . .

What do you get for $17 million these days . . . for that price the Yankees got themselves a 41-year-old "has been ace" who is 7-6 with a 4.24 ERA and who got shelled this week in Detroit . . .

Whatever happened to Jimmy Key? . . .

The Milwaukee Brewers Rickie Weeks is showing that he may be the real deal . . . the rookie second baseman has been instrumental in a couple of the Brewers wins of late . . .

At Wimbledon, I knew Lindsay Davenport was cooked after she blew a championship point against Venus Williams . . . never let a match or championship point slip by when you are playing the Williams sisters . . . they will make you pay . . .

Davenport, who has won three Grand Slam titles, will be nothing but a footnote in women’s tennis history because her prime came at the same time as the Williams sisters . . . that is unfortunate for Lindsay . . .

I pity whoever President Bush nominates to fill the seat on the Supreme Court . . . it will be a brutal nomination hearing in which their personal life will be scrutinized more than any other nominee. . .

On the local beat, the second coming of East High School will occur in 2007 with the opening of the soon to be constructed new high school . . . of course, nothing happens in Youngstown without some controversy . . . the new East High will not be known as the Golden Bears with the colors of blue and gold . . . no, the YCS Board has chosen to name the school the Panthers with the colors of light blue and silver . . . the East High alumni are upset . . . and rightfully so . . .

Finally, Happy Fourth of July to all . . . and God Bless America . . .

Until next time . . . the beat goes on . . .

Random Thoughts - 6/25 - Indians come crashing down

And the beat goes on . . .

Shhhh, what’s that noise? . . . listen real close, you can hear it . . . it’s all the Indians bandwagons rolling out of town after the Tribe’s nine game winning streak came to a screeching halt this week . . . they now have a four game losing streak . . .

Like I said last week, the Indians have improved, but that nine game winning streak was an aberration because it came against inferior opponents . . .

When will the Indians front office come to the realization that Chi Chi Sabathia is NOT a number one starter . . . time after time this season, the "ace" has come up empty when he had to come across with a win . . .

Sabathia is not a pitcher – he is a thrower . . . he rears back and tries to pump the ball in there 100 mph . . . and once someone taps him for a home run, he becomes increasingly frustrated and loses his control . . . Sabathia has to learn to be a pitcher, not a thrower if he is ever going to live up to his potential . . .

The one current pitcher who comes to mind who transformed from a thrower to a pitcher is Pedro Martinez . . . back in the day, Pedro used to come with the gas . . . but now he has an entire repertoire of pitches . . .

Another pitcher who has come up empty when needed is the Small Unit - Randy Johnson . . . even though the Yankees came back to win the game 20-11, Johnson got shelled by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Tuesday . . .
After sweeping the Pirates and Cubs, the Yankees had an opportunity to make up even more ground as the lowly Devil Rays and Mets rolled into "The Stadium" . . . instead the Yankees have lost four of five . . . it just ain’t happening this year . . .

Did anyone see the great catch Nationals outfielder Ryan Church made on Wednesday in Pittsburgh? . . . Church, a former Mahoning Valley Scrapper, is my new "boy" . . .

Talking about the Steel City, the Pittsburgh Steeler games will not be the same anymore after longtime analyst Myron Cope announced his retirement this year . . . opposing fans, especially the Browns, detested Cope’s screeching rants about his beloved Black and Gold . . . but Cope was something special . . . whether you liked him or not, he was funny and entertaining . . .

What most people don’t know is that he was an accomplished sports journalist . . . before jumping into the broadcast booth, Cope was one of the premier writers for Sports Illustrated . . .

Guys like Cope do not come around everyday . . . I will miss hearing him . . . Yoi, it won’t be the same . . .

Tonight is the battle between Arturo "Thunder" Gatti and Floyd Mayweather Jr. . . . Mayweather is a heavy favorite to win the fight which will take place in Atlantic City . . . Gatti is most famous for his exciting bloodbath fights between Mickey Ward . . . Gatti was like Boom Boom Mancini - a brawler, not a boxer . . . but that has changed . . . in watching Gatti fight over the last year or so, I have noticed that he is now a boxer . . . his fights are not that exciting anymore, however he has learned how to fight with his brain instead of his face . . . I say Gatti pulls an upset tonight and beats Mayweather . . .

Whatever happened to "The Hawk" Aaron Pryor? . . .

I’ve been watching the College World Series this past week . . . there have been some very good games . . . the championship series begins tonight between Texas and Florida in a best of three . . . Hook ‘Em!!! . . .

I just love the Red Stripe beer commercials . . . Hooray Beer!!! . . .

Sunday, August 28th is the day . . . my annual fantasy football draft . . . did I tell you I have the first pick? . . .

I almost was correct about the Detroit Pistons . . . . when will teams learn never ever leave Robert Horry unguarded in the last 10 seconds of a big game . . . NEVER!!! . . .

I can’t believe how down the media were on the Spurs after losing game six . . . the national sports shows were like, "the Pistons will win game seven" . . . "Tim Duncan looks lethargic" . . . "the Spurs don’t have the momentum anymore" . . . blah blah blah . . .

The Spurs don’t have the momentum anymore????? . . . so, they lost game six – big deal!!! . . .

I took Maria Sharapova to win Wimbledon . . .

This is the best time of the year to just sit back and read all the pro, college, and fantasy football magazines . . .

Sometimes you have to rattle the cage when you are at work . . .

I bought that new men’s body spray, Tag . . . I haven’t had any women jumping on me like it shows in the commercial . . .

Well, until next time . . . the beat goes on . . .

Random Thoughts - 6/19

And the beat goes on . . .

The Cleveland Indians have been hot and it hasn’t taken the Cleveland media long to once again show its lack of class . . .

On June 4th the Tribe fired hitting coach Eddie Murray . . . since his departure the Indians have been swinging a hotter stick - and The Plain Dealer is making sure the public knows it . . . they now have a box inside the sports section showing the players batting average under Murray and since Murray was fired . . . yes the statistics have improved, however it has been only 15 days since Murray has been gone . . . are the Tribe hitters going to keep this up for the remainder of June, July, August, September, and of course October when the Tribe goes to the World Series? . . .

My only question is this – when the Indians bats begin to cool down, will The Plain Dealer run a special box showing the decrease in batting averages? . . . I highly doubt it . . .

Here is something else to chew on, bench coach Buddy Bell left around the same time as Murray to take over as manager of the Kansas City Royals . . . maybe the Indians are playing better ball now that Bell is gone . . .

Take it easy Tribe fans . . . the Indians have won eight in a row and are the hottest team in baseball . . . however, the majority of these wins have come against a weaker opponent such as San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies . . . starting Monday, the Indians begin playing teams a few levels higher, such as Boston, Detroit, New York, and Cincinnati, than the roadkill they have just splattered . . .

Back in May, the Yankees went on a hot streak however it was a bit deceiving as they piled on the wins against the likes of Seattle and Oakland . . .

Now don’t get your wigwam all upset Indians fans . . . I will say, the Tribe has improved since April . . .

By the way, whatever happened to Albert Belle? . . .

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers open its season on Tuesday night at Eastwood Field . . . the Scrappers are the defending New York-Penn League Champions . . .

One former Scrapper who is playing some good ball is Ryan Church . . . Church is now with the Washington Nationals . . .

Like I said last week, even if the Pistons go down 2-0 against the Spurs, they were still not out of the series . . .
Phil Jackson could spin it all he wants, the fact is that he rejoined the Lakers because of: 1) money; and 2) Jeanie Buss . . .

Why isn’t the NBA as exciting as it was during the 1980s and 90s? . . .

Michael Jackson is one lucky person . . . he was fortunate enough that the alleged victim’s family was not credible . . .

What are the odds of the NHL playing next year? . . .

John Madden hit for the cycle this week when it was announced he will be the analyst for Sunday Night football on NBC starting in 2006 . . . Madden has worked for CBS, FOX, ABC, and now NBC . . .

How many days until the start of the NFL? . . .

I rolled into the City of Brotherly Love this past week for a conference . . . nice city but poor service at restaurants . . . we waited, on average, of at least 25 minutes from the time we placed our order until we received our food . . .

The best service was at Pat’s Cheesesteaks . . . Pat’s has been in business since 1930 . . . in fact, the establishment appeared in Rocky . . . the scene - Rocky just signed to fight Apollo Creed . . . so Rocky meets Gozzo outside of Pat’s and Gozzo gives him $500 to use for training . . .

Looks like William Rehnquist is going to announce his retirement next week . . . the Washington Post has a story of the three possible replacements . . . Washington Post

Finally, Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there and especially to my dad who is the best . . .

Until next time . . . the beat goes on . . .

Remembering Tom Holden

This past weekend the Mahoning Valley lost an icon -- Tom Holden, news anchor for TV-27 died on Saturday night . . . Holden may have been one of the most, if not the most, respected man in Youngstown . . . he anchored the news desk for 30 years . . .

I was fortunate enough to have him for a journalism class at YSU . . . he was an outstanding teacher and like everyone has said, he was a nice guy . . . think about it, how many of today's news people act like their "crap doesn't stink" when out in the public . . . not Tom Holden . . . Holden would talk to anyone and always had a smile or nod when passing by . . .

As a young kid, my family always watched TV-27 news with Tom Holden and Don Gardner on sports . . . Holden was one of the "good guys" who stayed loyal to the Valley . . . he was a staple of this area . . . there was no doubt that he could have moved on to a bigger city, but he was content doing the news at TV-27 and living on the southside of Youngstown . . .

I interviewed him for an article and he said that he was fortunate to have a good job . . . think about it, most people today want to keep moving up in the job market in order to show they are successful . . . Holden wasn't like that -- he was a simple person . . . he loved his Mahoning Valley and especially his Youngstown . . .

What I also think made Holden unique is that he had his flaws just like the rest of us . . . it was widely known that "back in the days" Holden would like to have a nice cold one or two . . . but that is what made him real . . . he was not some plastic glamour wonk hired to attract viewers . . . he wasn't too good to sit next to the average Joe and have a beer . . .

This Valley needs more people like Holden in order to improve . . .

Tom Holden will be missed . . .

Random Thoughts - 6/12

And the beat goes on . . .

Will Mike Tyson just go away already . . .

Anyone who spent $50 to watch the Tyson fight on Pay-Per-View has to be either: a) filthy stinking rich; or b) a moron . . .

Tyson was done after he lost to that tomato can in his last fight . . . but the hype continued for last night’s fight . . . during the pre-fight conference, Tyson was talking how he was going to "kilt (instead of kill) Kevin McBride . . .

After reading the post-fight story, Tyson was a cheap shot artist in the fight . . . he blatantly head butted McBride and then tried to break his arm out of desperation . . .

The sports world needs to turn its back on Tyson . . . it’s over for him . . . and the media should no longer cover his fights . . . .

If it wasn't for that third place finish in the Kentucky Derby, Afleet Alex would have won the Triple Crown . . . this horse would have taken the nation by storm if he would have won the Derby . . . yesterday's Belmont Stakes was a beautiful ride by jockey Jeremy Rose . . .

These are the hardest working teams in baseball: Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates . .

Pirate manager Lloyd McClendon has taken his share of flak over the last few years, but he always has his team playing hard every game . . . and don’t look now, but the Pirates are at the .500 mark . . .

Sports Illustrated reported this week that Jim Leyland is interested in returning as a manager . . . the magazine reported that Leyland may end up with the Rockies or Indians . . . hmmmm, what’s going on within the wigwam up in Cleveland . . .

Did you know that 10 current Major League Baseball managers never had minor league managing experience? . . . they are: Dusty Baker (Cubs), Phil Garner (Astros), Ozzie Guillen (White Sox), Lloyd McClendon (Pirates), Bob Melvin (D’backs), Lou Piniella (Devil Rays), Willie Randolph (Mets), Frank Robinson (Nationals), Joe Torre (Yankees), and Alan Trammell (Tigers) . . .

Who should be the manager of the United States team next spring in the first ever World Cup of baseball? . . . early favorites are: Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, or Ron Gardenhire . . .

Which team would Manny Ramirez play on? . . . Baseball America lists him as part of the Puerto Rican team, but Ramirez is now an American citizen . . . so shouldn’t he be playing for the U.S. team? . . . where’s the rule book????

Supposedly Phil Jackson is going to announce if and where he is going to coach next season . . . all reports indicate he will go back to the Los Angeles Lakers . . . I guess Phil’s girl, Jeannie Buss, (who’s father owns the Lakers) has a greater pull if Phil is wanting to put up with Kobe Bryant once again . . .

Whatever happened to Paul Westhead? . . .

Even if the Pistons lose tonight and go down 2-0, I still think they have a good chance at winning it all . . .

Pre-draft rumors indicate that the Milwaukee Bucks may take former North Carolina six man Marvin Williams with the first pick in the draft instead of Utah’s Andrew Bogut . . .

Donald Trump turns 59 this week . . .

Everyone remembers Joe Namath’s famous guarantee before Super Bowl III . . . however, during the regular season, Namath threw only 15 touchdowns and 17 interceptions . . .

Until next time . . . the beat goes on . . .

Quick hits

- The Michigan softball team became the first Big Ten team to win the title . . . the Wolverines upended two-time defending champion UCLA on Wednesday night

- I have never been a big fan of Angelina Jolie, but dang, she looks incredible in her new movie with Brad "Arm" Pitt

- If Natalie Gulbis ever starts winning consistently on the LPGA, she will be a huge star

- Imagine if Anna Kournakova ever won the U.S. Open or Wimbledon . . . her star power would have tripled

- Former Chicago White Sox Ron "Ma and Pa" Kittle has a new book out . . . in the book, Kittle claims that Barry Bonds refused to sign some merchandise that Kittle was going to put up for auction at a charity event . . . Kittle claims Bonds said, "I don't sign for white people" . . . true or not, imagine if someone claimed that a white star such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Roger Clemens said, "I don't sign for black people" . . . hmmmm, imagine the uproar

- Talking about Tom Brady, how about his new contract . . . Brady didn't squeeze every last dime out of the Patriots . . . instead he gave the Pats some wiggle room with the salary cap in order to sign another player or two to keep winning

- Imagine if Ohio State had a freshman quarterback who went 9-3 and led the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl in his first year . . . Ohio State fans would be clamoring that this kid is a Heisman Trophy front runner . . . hmmm, didn't Chad Henne do that for Michigan last year?

Quick hits

- Tonight is the deciding game in women's softball between UCLA and Michigan

- I'm still undecided on my prediction for the NBA title . . . I like both teams and their emphasis on "team" play

- The Yankees may be done this time . . . after a losing streak early in the season, the Yanks erupted in early May behind the hot stick of Tino Martinez . . . suddenly the Bronx Bummers are 2 games under .500 and have lost nine of ten . . . if this continues the ax may fall on Joe Torre which is something that I dread

- A great site for Ohio high school football is www.jjhuddle.com . . . however, let me warn you right now -- if you log-on to the college football forum section, DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING REMOTELY CRITICAL OF THE OHIO STATE FOOTBALL PROGRAM . . . trust me . . . even the slightest hint of questioning St. James and his band of hoodlums will get you a one month boot . . .

Random Thoughts - 6/5

It's been a while, but here are some thoughts that have been going around in my head . . .

Kellen Winslow Jr. made a boneheaded mistake by goofing off and getting hurt on a motorcycle . . . okay, the kid made a mistake -- it's time for the media to lay off him already. . .

I sure wish the Cleveland media would get after the criminal activities going on with the Buckeye football program with the same gusto they have with Winslow . . .

I still say Winslow is going to be a beast in the NFL . . .

It was disappointing to see former Buckeye standout Mike Doss get charged with various violations including discharging a gun outside of Canal Park in Akron . . . Doss was the leader of the 2002 National Championship team. . .

Face it Ohio State fans, the Buckeye football program has the criminal reputation of the Miami Hurricanes of the 1980s . . .

Speaking of the Canes, if you ask me, I think head coach Larry Coker needs to have a big season . . . I don't have any inside information, but I get the feeling the pressure is starting to mount on him . . .

Does the island of Hawaii have any slums or housing developments? . . .

If the baseball playoff began today, here would be your match-ups:
American League
Anaheim vs. Chicago
Minnesota vs. Baltimore

National League
Atlanta vs. St. Louis
Chicago vs. San Diego

Before the season began, how many people predicted San Diego, Baltimore, and the White Sox in the playoff race . . ..

Honestly now, how many people predicted that the Yankees and Red Sox would not make the playoffs? . . .

Derek Lee for the Triple Crown? . . .

The Cleveland Indians finally dumped Eddie Murray as a hitting coach . . . Murray better change his attitude if he wants to get back into Major League Baseball . . .

The Michigan softball team may be the first Big Ten team to ever win the college softball World Series . . .

NFL training camp is coming up fast . . .

I got the first pick in my fantasy football draft . . . I leaning toward LaDainian Tomlinson . . .

Great article in last week's Washington Post sports section about Redskins rookie quarterback Jason Campbell . . . he is a good kid . . .

Calling coach Tressel, it's 9:46 a.m., do you know where your star players are? . . .

Whatever happened to former Buckeye tight end John Frank? . . .

I know there are people out there who don't like Shaq, but when was the last time you heard his name in the news linked to drugs, DUI, assault, rape, etc. . . . it was reported that the Big Aristotle is going to pay for the funeral of former Minneapolis Laker great George Mikan . . . Shaq is a good person. . . you gotta love the giant . . .

My money is going on the Miami Heat in Monday night's game seven battle with the defending champion Detroit Pistons . . .

Is Mike Brown the real deal as a head coach? . . .

I say Giacomo will win the Belmont Stakes on Saturday . . .

Remember Thunder Gulch? . . .

What has Smarty Jones been up to lately . . .

Until next time, the beat goes on . . .

College Football Home Records

College Football Home Records....some interesting stuff

Last 5 years.....
1. Oklahoma: 31-1 (.968)
2. Michigan: 30-2 (.937)
3. Miami: 28-3 (.903)
4. LSU: 30-5 (.857)
5. Nebraska: 29-5 (.852)
5. Ohio State: 29-5 (.852)
7. Florida State: 25-5 (.833)
8. Florida: 24-7 (.774)
8. Southern Cal: 24-7 (.774)
10. Tennessee: 25-8 (.757)
11. Oregon: 24-8 (.750)
12. Texas A&M: 21-11 (.656)

Last 10 years.......
1. Florida State: 54-5 (.915)
2. Michigan: 58-6 (.906)
3. Nebraska: 60-7 (.895)
4. Ohio State: 57-9 (.863)
5. Tennessee: 56-9 (.861)
6. Florida: 52-9 (.852)
7. Miami: 49-12 (.803)
8. Oregon: 48-14 (.774)
9. Oklahoma: 45-14 (.762)
10. Texas A&M: 47-15 (.758)
11. LSU: 49-17 (.742)
12. Southern Cal: 44-16 (.733)

Last 15 years......
1. Florida State 81-6-1 (.926)
2. Nebraska 90-9 (.909)
3. Florida 81-11 (.880)
4. Miami 78-13 (.857)
5. Michigan 80-15 (.842)
6. Ohio State 81-15-1 (.840)
7. Tennessee:81-16 (.835)
8. Texas A&M: 76-16-1 (.822)
9. Oklahoma: 67-21 (.761)
10. Oregon 69-24 (.741)
11. Southern Cal: 59-26-2 (.689)
12. LSU 63-33 (.656)

Last 20 years......
1. Florida State: 105-11-1 (.901)
2. Nebraska: 118-13 (.900)
3. Miami: 107-15 (.877)
4. Michigan: 106-20-1 (.841)
5. Texas A&M: 103-21-1 (.828)
6. Florida: 101-21-1 (.825)
7. Ohio State: 103-23-1 (.814)
8. Tennessee: 105-23-3 (.812)
9. Oklahoma: 91-24 (.791)
10. Southern Cal: 83-31-3 (.722)
11. Oregon: 84-33 (.717)
12. LSU: 84-42-2 (.664)

Last 25 years.....
1. Nebraska: 144-20 (.878)
2. Miami: 127-23 (.863)
3. Florida State: 126-21-1 (.854)
4. Michigan: 131-26-1 (.834)
5. Florida: 127-25-2 (.831)
6. Ohio State: 129-29-1 (.814)
7. Oklahoma: 112-30-1 (.786)
8. Tennessee: 126-34-4 (.780)
9. Texas A&M: 119-35-1 (.770)
10. Southern Cal: 103-38-4 (.724)
11. Oregon: 95-48-4 (.659)
12. LSU: 104-54-3 (.655)

Last 30 years........
1. Nebraska: 169-26 (.866)
2. Michigan: 158-30-3 (.835)
3. Florida State: 144-30-1 (.825)
4. Miami: 140-31 (.818)
5. Ohio State: 153-34-2 (.814)
6. Oklahoma: 138-32-1 (.809)
7. Florida: 142-33-4 (.804)
8. Texas A&M: 138-41-1 (.769)
9. Tennessee: 146-46-5 (.753)
10. Southern Cal: 128-42-5 (.745)
11. LSU: 126-64-4 (.659)
12. Oregon: 104-65-4 (.612)

Last 35 years.....
1. Nebraska: 197-30 (.867)
2. Michigan: 189-30-4 (.856)
3. Ohio State: 179-37-3 (.824)
4. Oklahoma: 163-35-1 (.821)
5. Florida: 159-40-5 (.791)
6. Florida State: 158-44-1 (.780)
7. Tennessee: 173-50-6 (.768)
8. Miami: 154-48 (.762)
9. Southern Cal: 147-46-5 (.750)
10. Texas A&M: 151-53-1 (.739)
11. LSU: 155-68-4 (.691)
12. Oregon: 117-78-4 (.597)

College Football

It’s only May, but five ESPN college football analysts gave their early bird look at this year’s top teams:

Ivan Maisel - 1. USC; 2. Texas; 3. Michigan; 4. Iowa; 5. Florida

Pat Forde - 1. USC; 2. Michigan; 3. Texas; 4. Tennessee; 5. Iowa

Bob Davie - 1. USC; 2. Texas; 3. Va. Tech; 4. Tennessee; 5. Ohio State

Mike Gottfried - 1. USC; 2. Ohio State; 3. Texas; 4. Florida; 5. Miami (Fla)

Mark May - 1. USC; 2. Texas; 3. LSU; 4. Iowa; 5. Miami (Fla)

Baseball - A look at April

One month does not make a season . . .

It’s a marathon, not a sprint . . .

What blooms in the spring will wilt in the fall . . .

Well, actually the last saying I just made up, but my point is clear – one month of the baseball season is complete and there are some things that many people would not have expected, such as:
- the New York Yankees 10-14 including a dismal 7-9 at home
- the Cleveland Indians 9-14 with a 3-7 record at home
- the World Champion Red Sox with a 12-11 mark
- the Los Angeles Dodger, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox leading their divisions
- the Washington Nationals with a winning record

There are still five months left in the season, but it is time for some teams to start to make a little move so they don’t drop too far back from the pack . . . here are my thoughts on the Yankees and Indians:

New York Yankees
The Yanks look old . . . they have not been consistent at the plate . . . they scored 19 runs in one game only to come back with a two run clunker the very next day . . . just this past week, 11 and 12 runs against Texas and Anaheim only to score two runs in the next three games . . .

Tony Womack, Gary Sheffield, and Alex Rodriguez have been playing well . . . Derek Jeter has been hot and outspoken in the locker room trying to get his teammates to play better . . . however, the Yanks no longer get the key hits when they need it most as they did six-seven years ago . . .

The pitching staff sucks . . . the best thing to happen to the staff is that Jaret Wright got hurt . . . Steinbrenner and Cashman made a huge mistake by signing this lunkhead . . . Kevin Brown and Mike Mussina are inconsistent and always give up that one big inning that is costly . . . it finally looks like Randy Johnson is starting to come around a bit . . . the bullpen is atrocious . . . Tom Gordon must be let go before he costs the team any more games

The Yankees need to start bringing up their youngsters in the minors . . . the young kids could do just the same as Gordon, Sturtze, Wright, Stanton, etc and for a lesser price . . . the Yankees have issues that may be difficult to correct

Cleveland Indians
The famous line coming out of Cleveland, "it’s only April" . . . but so far, the Indians look like they have taken a few steps backward in what was supposed to be a division winning year . . . Cleveland played well last year as some of the "kids" such as Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, and Ben Broussard played well . . . but not so fast my friends . . .

After a decent 2004 season, the fans and organization believed the Indians would automatically make the next move in its progression – win the Central Division . . . but they forget what happened to the Kansas City Royals just two years ago . .

In 2003 the Royals played a lot of young kids and finished with a record of 83-79 . . . some predicted Kansas City to possibly win the division last year – instead, the Royals finished with a 58-104 mark . . . all the young talent fizzled last year – and that may be what is happening to Cleveland . . .

Who is to say that Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner didn’t have their career year last season? . . . sure Larry Dolan is signing all these young guys to three-to-four year contracts to keep them from going elsewhere, but who is to say these players are that good?

Bob Wickman is shot as a closer . . . let’s also face facts, Cliff Lee and Jason Davis are below average pitchers . . .
As far as the offense goes, Grady Sizemore was ballyhooed as the next great Indians star . . . instead he may be the next Jody Gerut, Russ Branyan, etc . . . Jhonny Peralta is struggling in the field and prize prospect Brandon Phillips hits well in Buffalo, but falters in the Big Show . . .

Rafael Bettancourt has been impressive out of the bullpen . . . and I like the hard nosed play of Casey Blake . . . Chi Chi has also gotten off to a good start . . .

The names have changed in Cleveland but the same ole public relations machine is at it again – all these young players are supposed to be the next Jim Thome or Albert Belle – instead they look like just ordinary average ball players

The Top 10
Here are the 10 best teams in baseball after the month of April
1. Marlins - I just like this team – they may just win it all again
2. Cardinals - this team will be on cruise control until playoff time
3. White Sox - the South Siders have something going
4. Twins - Santana is the best pitcher in baseball
5. Dodgers - who would have thunk it – the Dodgers are in first place without closer Gagne
6. Orioles - Angelos spent a little money and had a winning April
7. Braves - what would a top 10 list be without Bobby Cox and his new look Braves
8. Red Sox - the Champs have some issues with their pitching staff
9. Athletics - the A’s are hanging tough despite losing Hudson and Mulder in the off-season
10. Nationals - they are the inspirational story of the year – a change of scenery does a body good