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You don't have to be a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team in order to be familiar with Jeff Samardzija and Tom Zbikowski. In fact, it's likely that just as many baseball and boxing fans have heard of these two seniors-to-be. That's because both Samardzija and Zbikowski have made names for themselves as two-sport stars on the South Bend campus and beyond.

Besides being roommates and best friends, Samardzija and Zbikowski have a lot in common. First of all, they are both key players on the football team, though it hasn't always been that way. Both guys played very limited roles in their freshmen and sophomore years with the team under former head coach Tyrone Willingham. But those roles expanded greatly in 2005 under current head coach Charlie Weis.

Another thing that both Samardzija and Zbikowski have in common is the fact that their passion and talent for sports covers more than just football. In this day and age of specialization, it's rare to see college football players divide their time between two different sports. Many of these athletes want to focus entirely on one sport in order to become as good as they can possibly be and perhaps score a coveted contract with a professional team. But Samardzija picks up a baseball glove as soon as football season is over, and Zbikowski heads to the boxing ring. Let's take a closer look at these two unique athletes.

Samardzija is easy to pick out on the football field, even if you don't know that he wears uniform #83. Just look for the tall, lanky receiver that has a penchant for getting open across the middle of the field and hauling in nearly every ball that quarterback Brady Quinn throws his way. Samardzija and Quinn have definitely established a connection in their three years together on the team. After being used primarily as the third or fourth receiver in his first two seasons, Samardzija enjoyed a breakout season last year. He made 77 receptions for 1,249 yards and 15 touchdowns and was a key force on the resurgent Notre Dame offense.

Samardzija's output surprised a lot of people, considering the fact that he only had 24 career receptions for the Irish prior to 2005. His success last year came with a lot of national recognition and he was even picked as one of the finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which is presented annually to the country's top collegiate wide receiver. Though he didn't win last year, he is one of the favorites to do so this year. In addition, Samardzija was a consensus first-team All-American, as voted by sportswriters around the country. Recently, he was recognized by Sports Illustrated as the 9th-best returning college football player in the country.

When Samardzija takes to the baseball field, he wears number 45 and is one of the better pitchers in the Notre Dame starting rotation. In fact, when Samardzija first entered college, he was a much better baseball player than football player, with many analysts predicting that the would be a high pick in the MLB entry draft once he decides to declare. This caused some speculation as to whether or not Samardzija would continue with football; but after the outstanding 2005 season he put together on the gridiron, Samardzija now has an excellent shot of getting selected in the NFL draft next April as well.

Samardzija has made 5 appearances for the Irish baseball team this season and has a 2-1 record so far. He has allowed 26 hits over 29 innings of work, striking out 10 batters and walking 14 in that span. He has also given up 14 earned runs for an ERA of 3.72. Notre Dame is currently 14-8 on the season, with a 2-1 record in their conference.

Zbikowski is another player that blossomed in Charlie Weis' first season as head coach of the football squad. Zbikowski didn't see the field at all as a freshman in 2003, but then came on and started all 11 games as a strong safety in 2004. It was his first year playing at the college level, so he had a steep learning curve to overcome. Zbikowski did reasonably well, and racked up 63 tackles on the season, which was good enough for fourth place on the team. Things really picked up for him in 2005. He started all 11 games during the regular season for the Irish, and also got in there for the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. He had 61 tackles as a junior, but also contributed two interception returns for touchdowns, one against Brigham Young University and one against the Tennessee Volunteers. In addition, Zbikowski emerged as a dependable punt return man for the Irish, with 20 returns for 345 and two touchdowns, including a long of 78 yards.

When he's not on the football field, Zbikowski likes to stay in shape by boxing. According to Zbikowski's father, Tom has a 75-15 all-time record as an amateur boxer. Recently, the younger Zbikowski made headlines by participating in a charity boxing match in Chicago earlier this month against fellow amateur Artese Plaire. Zbikowski was able to knock Plaire down a couple of times in the second round, prompting the referee to step in and stop the fight.

Unbeknownst to Zbikowski at the time, there was a boxing promoter in the crowd that night. After the promoter saw what Zbikowski did, he decided to make Zbikowski an offer to go pro. In what may be viewed as a surprise move to some, Zbikowski accepted the offer and will fight at Madison Square Garden on June 10. According to published reports, Zbikowski only accepted the offer after clearing it with the NCAA to make sure that going pro in boxing won't affect either his football eligibility or his scholarship.

While some Notre Dame fans might be worried that Zbikowski could really take a beating and get injured in the ring, he has been continually assuring people that that kind of scenario is far-fetched at best. Zbikowski contends that he has enough experience in the ring to ensure that he won't get hurt, and claims that he's more likely to suffer a serious injury out on the football field than in the ring. At any rate, the move to professional boxing apparently has met with Charlie Weis' approval, so now fans are just waiting to see how Zbikowski will handle himself in the Garden.

I don't know about you, but I think opposing players must find Zbikowski's boxing talents to be rather intimidating. Being able to stand in the ring and go toe to toe with guys who spend all their time focusing on boxing takes a certain kind of toughness that not every football player has. Wide receivers and running backs on other teams are probably going to flinch half a second early when they see the #9 jersey barreling their way on the football field, so that could work out to be a slight advantage for Notre Dame.

Either way, I think it's great that both Samardzija and Zbikowski are making names for themselves in other areas as well as in football. Being young and talented in a particular sport shouldn't mean that you have to close off all other areas of your life and concentrate only on one thing. It's good to see that both of these guys are driven to succeed without the tunnel vision that people tend to expect from elite athletes.

As a Notre Dame football fan, I am anxious for the September 2 season opener against Georgia Tech to get here so that I can watch one of my favorite teams in action once again. But in the meantime, it's nice to know that I can tune into baseball or boxing if I want to see the multitalented Jeff Samardzija or Tom Zbikowski in the offseason.

The NFL has long been known as the "No Fun League" because of all the rules and regulations that the players must abide by. Well, things are going to get even more bleak in the 2006 season, at least as far as end zone celebrations go. The league has recently approved a new policy that is designed to prevent players from engaging in "choreographed" or extended celebrations after they score a touchdown. The vote by the owners was overwhelmingly in favor of limiting these celebrations, with 29 current owners approving the new rule and only 3 owners opposing it.

Over the years, three players in particular have come to be known for their wild and unusual end zone celebrations: Terrell Owens, now of the Dallas Cowboys; Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals; and Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers. Owens is probably the most famous out of the three. Most football fans are familiar with some of his trademark celebrations. For example, one celebration that almost everyone knows by now is the time when Owens pulled a Sharpie marker out of his sock and autographed the football that he just scored with. A couple years ago while playing against the Dallas Cowboys, Owens celebrated not one, but two touchdowns by running to the center of the field and slamming the ball down on the Cowboy's star logo.

Johnson is becoming just as famous as Owens for his end zone celebrations. Some of his more outlandish ones include laying the ball on the ground and pretending to give it CPR, putting the ball with one of the end zone pylons, getting down on one knee to propose to a Cincinnati cheerleader, and holding up handwritten signs with personal messages on them in front of the TV cameras. Smith has also performed a few wacky celebrations, including pretending the football was a baby and changing its diaper and acting like a swashbuckling pirate fencing against imaginary foes when he scored a touchdown versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Fans will no longer be able to see these kinds of celebrations -- unless, of course, the player in question doesn't mind his team getting penalized an extra 15 yards on the kickoff. That's what the NFL has decided will be a fair punishment for violating the celebration rule.

That's not to say that all celebrating is banned. Players will be allowed to perform celebrations as long as they stay up on two feet. So Owens won't be able to do his sit-ups routine and other players won't be able to drop down and do pushups. But dancing, jumping, and spiking, spinning, flipping, or dunking the football are all ok.

Instead of just laying down the law on this issue, the NFL actually offered some reasons for their decisions. Mostly, the owners (who are notoriously conservative) are worried about the league's image. It has been whispered that the NFL owners don't want the league to be characterized in the same way that the NBA is. The NBA has had an image problem for years, which the commissioner has tried to address by instituting a dress code prior to the start of the 2005 season. Another reason that the NFL doesn't want these "creative" celebrations to continue is that youth league operators are saying that more and more young players choose to imitate their idols by performing similar antics when they score touchdowns in their Pop Warner leagues.

I personally do not like this new rule and don't think that it's necessary. Football is the most popular sport in America because of one simple reason: it's entertaining. The game action itself is entertaining, the players are entertaining, and yes, the end zone celebrations are entertaining. If opposing teams don't want to see guys like Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, and Steve Smith celebrating like that, then maybe they'll work twice as hard to keep them out of the end zone and prevent  the celebrations.

As long as the end zone celebrations don't hurt any one and don't cause extreme delays in game play, then I don't think the league should legislate against them. I'll still watch football in 2006, of course, but I have a feeling that the games won't be as entertaining as they were before. I guess we can say that the No Fun League strikes again.

It's been said thousands of times before, and yet bears repeating here: consistency is the key to winning championships. This holds true in all sports, including that of Supercross. This year, team Sobe Samsung Honda rider Josh Grant could be finding that out the hard way. Grant has strung together two consecutive wins in the East Coast SX Lites series and has won three events overall. In addition, he has finished in second place on two other occasions through six races thus far.

However, he still finds himself 22 points behind Davi Millsaps of the Factory Honda team, thanks to the DNF that Grant turned in at the opening round of the East series in St. Louis. A mishap like that is hard to come back from, especially in a series comprised of just seven events. By contrast, Millsaps has three race victories and three second-place finishes, which is just about as consistent as you can get in Supercross.

Besides that first race, Grant and Millsaps have been dueling and dicing with each other as well as with other riders in nearly every single round, which definitely gives the fans something to stand up and cheer about. For the most part, however, when Grant has been "on," he seems to have a lot more speed than the rest of the field. Last weekend at Ford Field in Detroit, Grant got off the gate in second place behind Team Motosport's Robert Kiniry. By lap two, Grant was in first place, and he wouldn't even be challenged much over the course of the next 14 laps as he rode to his third victory of the season. Meanwhile, Millsaps started the race in fourth place and wasn't able to get around Grant, settling for a second-place finish.

Although Grant and Millsaps have established themselves as the ones to beat in the series, it hasn't always been this way. Coming into the season, no one really knew what to expect from either of these two guys. Millsaps was on a new bike with a new team, and has been known in the past for getting bad starts and having at least one terrible race per season. For example, in 2005 Millsaps won two races, came in second three times, and finished fourth once. But he also turned in an 18th-place effort, which ultimately derailed his chances for the title.

Before this season, Grant was considered primarily a motocross rider, too. In 2005, Grant got off to a rocky start by finishing 15th, 7th, and 13th in his first three races before putting things together for a second-place effort at Daytona, which is considered to be the most outdoor-like track on the Supercross circuit. Grant then slipped back to 12th place in the following round before missing the Texas supercross entirely. He finished the season with a 9th-place result at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI, and ended up with 71 championship points -- less than half the total of eventual series champion Grant Langston, who finished with 143 points.

But is seems that a combination of maturity and experience is paying off big for both Grant and Millsaps this year. In fact, it's a mathematical certainty that one of these two young men will be crowned the champion after next week's race in Houston. Millsaps currently has 141 points to Grant's 119 points. So as long as Millsaps finishes in at least 17th place, which would earn him 4 points or finishes in front of Grant in any position, he will be the champion, since the most points that Grant can earn from the race is 25. If Millsaps crashes out or earns fewer than 4 points while Grant wins, the title will go to him. If something catastrophic happens and both riders end up getting a DNF, Millsaps would still win the title because the man in third place, Christopher Gosselaar, only has 114 points. The most Gosselaar could end up with is 139, which is not enough to overtake Millsaps even if Millsaps posts a zero.

Although things are certainly looking pretty good for Millsaps' first championship, nothing is guaranteed until the checkered flag flies on Saturday night. And as fans, we couldn't ask for anything more than the title being decided in the very last race of the series, which is exactly what we're going to get.

We are now three-quarters of the way through the AMA Supercross Series and the title is still within reach for all three top contenders. As things stand now, Team Makita Suzuki's Ricky Carmichael is in the lead with 259 total points. He is followed by Team Yamaha's Chad Reed, who sits just 10 points back, and by Team Kawasaki's James Stewart, who is 20 points off the pace. With four rounds left to go and a maximum of 100 championship points available to any one rider, things are still very much up in the air. This season has already featured a fuel penalty and subsequent reversal, freak mechanical failures, and nagging injuries, so we know that anything can happen in the next month of racing.

Just a few weeks ago, the series appeared to have settled into a two-man battle between Reed and Carmichael. Stewart, who definitely has the speed to be out front a majority of the time, had been mostly inconsistent. He has been plagued by mental mistakes out on the track that have caused him to hit the dirt, and has had to come back from dead last on several occasions. The fact that he is still in third place and still has an outside shot at the championship speaks volumes about Stewart's speed in relation to the rest of the pack.

But things have been changing for the better as far as Stewart is concerned. In the last two races (at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando and at Ford Field in Detroit), Stewart rode flawlessly, and as a result went wire to wire in both events for consecutive wins. The fact that Reed finished in fifth and third, respectively, meant that Stewart was able to gain 14 huge points on second place in the overall standings. Although the six points made up on Carmichael in the last two races barely puts a dent in the Suzuki rider's lead, it at least keeps him within Stewart's sights as far as the championship is concerned. And since Carmichael already has one DNF due to a mechanical problem this season, it's absolutely critical that Reed and Stewart remain within at least 25 points of the leader, just in case something like that happens again.

Speaking of Reed, he has been dealing with a shoulder separation recently and has pretty much been riding in an effort to salvage points. Of course, since he's so much faster than the rest of the field, that usually means he lands in third place even with his injury. At the Orlando round, Reed managed to nail down fifth place while barely being able to hold onto the bike, then he finished on the podium last week in Detroit right behind Stewart and Carmichael.

Since Carmichael has a 10-point lead on Reed, conventional wisdom says that he won't even concern himself with Stewart for the time being. Instead, Carmichael will just focus on finishing in front of Reed in the next four rounds, even if it means riding conservatively and letting Stewart run away with the wins. Carmichael is a fierce competitor, so that's probably tough for him to do, and he certainly doesn't want to let Stewart get too much momentum going into the outdoor series in May. But the important thing is to win the championship, so you can bet that Carmichael will do whatever it takes, even if it means he has to "settle" for second the rest of the way.

It's also worth mentioning here that Kevin Windham of the Sobe Samsung Honda team has returned to action after missing the first 10 weeks of the season with a broken arm. Prior to the season, Windham was expected to run at least in the top-5, along with Carmichael, Stewart, Reed, and Ivan Tedesco. But the fact that the other guys have been on their bikes for so long already while Windham is just now starting to build up his strength and endurance is really showing in the results: a 9th place in Orlando and a 12th in Detroit. Hopefully Windham will be back at full speed by the time the Nationals roll around.

Although there haven't been as many head-to-head battles as the fans have hoped for, at least the championship is still a tossup. That will help make the series even more exciting as we enter the final stretch.

As the Major League Baseball annual ritual of spring training winds down, the list of rookies set to make their mark during the upcoming season is substantial. Anyone of the following has the talent to be considered for rookie of the year come October.

The list of potential first year players with the tools to shine begins with some young, hard-throwing pitchers. Left-handed Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins is one such young arm that many are watching closely. Just 22 years of age, Liriano is a consensus choice of baseball gurus as potentially the top rookie pitcher this season. Yet as spring training winds down, there is talk that Liriano could wind up at Triple A or the bullpen.

Two right-handers look to be potential studs for the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander, 23, and Joel Zumaya, 21, have both reportedly reached 98 mph on the radar guns this spring. New manager Jim Leyland is thought to be leaning towards Verlander as the team's fifth starter and to perhaps have Zumaya come out of the bullpen.

Another pitcher set to make a roster and perhaps a likely rookie of the year candidate if he were to be given either a role in the starting rotation or as the team's closer is Jonathan Papelbon of the Red Sox. The hard-throwing, powerful right-hander reminds everyone in Boston of former Red Sox star Roger Clemens. Barring injury, Papelbon looms to be a setup man in the Sox bullpen but the youngster could see action as a starter should any in the Sox starting rotation struggle.

Yet another pitcher with a fastball in the 91-97 mph range is right-hander Matt Cain of the Giants. Barely 20 years of age, Cain was spectacular with the Giants in making seven starts a year ago. The youngster also reportedly has the classic 12-to-6 curveball to go with the 90 mph plus fastball. At 6-3, 230-pounds, Cain is a physical presence and just could be the future of the Giants when and if Barry Bonds calls it quits.

Among the many position players thought to have a chance to make a name for themselves is Ryan Zimmerman, the third baseman of the Washington Nationals. The fourth overall pick in last year's draft had the chance to get the taste of a pennant race last September, hitting .397 in 20 games during his time with the Nationals. His performance led the Nats to trade Vinny Castilla to open up the starting job for Zimmerman. Manager Frank Robinson likened the fielding talents of the third baseman to that of the manager's former Oriole teammate Brooks Robinson,

Florida Marlins outfield prospect Jeremy Hermida brings size and speed to the team's outfield. At 6-4, 200-pounds, Hermida has the size to go along with his ability to run the bases. The rookie started his big league career in truly grand fashion, hitting a grand slam homerun in his first big-league at-bat. Unlike many of the other top prospects who are coming from the college ranks, Hermida was drafted directly out of high school back in 2002.

Kenji Johjima was lured out of Japan with a three-year, 16.5 million contract by the Seattle Mariners. A catcher, the youngster has reportedly been a positive addition to the clubhouse with his personality and presence. Since Japan won the WBC, and with the likes of Ichiro and Matsui already making a name for themselves, the country now has to be thought of as a great training ground for major league prospects.

Yet another college player, Brian Anderson out of the University of Arizona is an outfield prospect for the defending champion White Sox. The development of Anderson led the Sox to swap Aaron Rowand to the Phillies for Jim Thome. The center fielder is not the prototypical fleet footed outfielder but he has a powerful arm and is thought to project to hit 25 home runs at the Big League level.

And finally, there is the youngster of baseball lineage who also qualifies for the all-name team, Prince Fielder. Fielder hopes to bring the same home run swing to the Brewers that his father brought to Detroit, especially the 51 homers Dad Cecil put up in 1990. At 21, Fielder appears to have lived through a great deal off the diamond, experiencing the messy divorce of his parents as well as his father propensity for gambling. Fielder has reportedly slimmed down from 300 pounds, his playing weight in high school.

Of course, this is the list of those with promise, each having the essential tools for success, at least on paper. Only by the end of the season will we know those that lived up to that promise, and who else may have stepped forward to stake a claim.

With Opening Day of the 2006 Major League Baseball season just five days away, Cubs fans aren't surprised to see the team's two aces in a familiar place: on the disabled list, with their returns to the lineup uncertain at best. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior were supposed to be the unstoppable 1-2 punch that would take the Cubs all the way to the World Series, much like the Randy Johnson-Curt Schilling duo did for the Arizona Diamondbacks franchise.

But so far, that obviously hasn't happened. In fact, it's getting more and more difficult to even determine when Wood and Prior will be in the lineup together, much less determine how they're going to help get the team back to its 2003 form, when it came oh-so-close to making it to the ultimate October series.

There probably hasn't been a more frustrating player for the Cubs in recent memory than Kerry Wood. No true Cubs fan will ever forget that fateful day in May 1998 when the then-20-year-old rookie struck out an incredible 20 Houston Astros batters. In a single game, Wood brought hope to millions. But over the last 8 years, that hope has slowly faded away and been replaced by frustration, disappointment, and even bitterness.

It seems that Wood has spent more time on the disabled list than on the mound. Even when he is pitching, you have to wonder if he's at a hundred percent or if he's still feeling the effects of his latest injury. Wood's best season was 2003, which just goes to show you how much of an effect he has on the Cubs' fortunes. In that year, Wood started 32 games, and went the distance in four of those. He pitched 211 innings, recording an incredible 266 strikeouts versus just 100 bases on balls en route to a 14-11 record. He yielded 152 hits and 75 earned runs in those 211 innings, for an ERA of 3.20.

In 2004, Wood fought through some injuries, but still managed to start 22 games. However, he only pitched 140 innings in those 22 games, for an average outing of six innings. Wood had 144 strikeouts and 51 walks, which was a good sign. Averaging more than a strikeout per inning showed that he still had his good stuff and was still able to overpower batters.

But then 2005 arrived and Wood experienced his most injury-riddled season as a professional. He appeared in a total of 21 games, but he only started 10 of those and worked just 66 innings the entire season. And now, he is on the disabled list again, and won't be in the Opening Day lineup for Chicago. This has prompted a couple of people formerly associated with the organization to criticize Wood's mechanics as being flawed. The reason that Wood is always on the disabled list is that the way he pitches leads to injuries. His motion and follow-through have been described as "violent." These critics believe Wood exerts too much force on his arm and shoulder (in the wrong way). As a result, the more he pitches, the more injuries he will sustain. I have no way of knowing how accurate this assessment is, but if it's on track, then I guess we'll never truly see Wood reach his full potential.

Mark Prior is another guy who is giving Cubs fans fits recently. Prior also had an excellent 2003 season as the second-half of the 1-2 punch that I alluded to earlier. In that year, he started 30 games and recorded 3 complete games on the season. He had 245 strikeouts and 50 walks in 211.1 innings of work. Prior gave up 183 hits and 57 earned runs in those 30 games, for an earned run average of 2.43. Like Wood, 2003 was Prior's best season thus far.

Then in 2004, Prior -- again like Wood -- had a mostly injury-filled year. He only worked 119.2 innings in 21 appearances and ended the season with a 6-4 record. 2005 saw Prior get a bit more work in during the year, but this was another season in which fans were left wondering just what the extent of Prior's injuries were. He appeared in 27 games, which is a good enough number, but worked an average of just over 6 innings per start.

The Cubs are pretty secretive about Prior's injuries, so it's difficult to get a read on what the nature of the problems are. He reportedly has shoulder problems, but that's about the extent of the details that I've been able to dig up. A knock on Prior (and his coaches, really) in the past has been that he simply throws too many innings. It sounds a bit unusual in this day and age, but I think most people would prefer to see manager Dusty Baker set limits on all of Prior's outings to bring both his pitch count and innings worked under control. Without knowing what's causing Prior's shoulder problems to begin with, however, it's hard to say if that's the right approach to take.

At any rate, while most fans will be looking forward to Opening Day in order to see what a new season brings for their favorite teams, Cub fans will be experiencing a strong sense of deja vu. The only thing to do now is sit back and hope that these two aces make it back into the lineup sooner rather than later.

Money and athletics have gone hand in hand for decades. Although huge multimillion dollar contracts in all of the big sports is a relatively recent phenomenon of the last 25 years or so, professional athletes have been making a comfortable living for much longer than that. It's no wonder then, that if you trace the personal histories of these athletes, you'll probably discover that they've been working hard at their sports for nearly their entire lives.

These days, it's safe to say that for many athletes, even the ones you'll never hear of in the professional ranks, the real drive starts in the early years of high school. I don't know about you, but I'm reading more about high school athletes today than ever before. Ever since the Internet became a part of everyday life, it seems that there's no shortage of information available about high school athletes. For example, there are numerous "scouting" websites that routinely track the top high school prospects in sports like football, basketball, and baseball. These services are probably available for other sports as well, but these are the ones I know of. And these sites aren't just talking about high school seniors, either. In many cases, especially for football, the focus is often on juniors as well. Just remember that we're talking about 16 and 17-year-old kids here!

When I went through high school, a journey that mercifully ended about 15 years ago, things were a lot different for athletes. The Internet was in its earliest stages as far as average people were concerned, and the Information Age was still a couple years away. So there wasn't nearly as much pressure on the good athletes back then as there is now. When I was in school, a top-notch athlete would be under extra pressure to perform well only if he or she knew that there would be college or pro scouts in the stands that day. Otherwise, the athletes could go about playing as usual, which is to say without much fanfare. Back then, a bad game once in a while didn't hurt an athlete's chances for a scholarship unless the cameras were rolling.

These days, the cameras are always rolling. The scouting services that I mentioned above often charge membership fees for fans to access their websites. Therefore, it's imperative for them to constantly monitor high school athletes in order to be able to bring members fresh news and updates. As a case in point, consider this: NCAA football has its national signing day in February. That's when a majority of the potential scholarship athletes announce their commitments to their chosen schools. It's only March now, but those recruiting websites have already replaced the 2005 lists of top recruits with the new 2006 lists. Again, the names on the 2006 list are high school juniors, and football season is still five months away.

This constant monitoring that the top athletes receive must be a huge distraction, to say the least. On the one hand, I can sort of understand why people would be thirsting for this information. After all, everyone wants to be in the know, and they probably feel that if they have an idea of which players their favorite colleges are going to bring in next season, that makes them smarter and more knowledgeable than all their buddies. On the other hand, I can't imagine a high school athlete garnering so much attention. It might be flattering and cool at first, but after a while, I'm sure it gets old. Kids, after all, just want to be kids most of the time.

I personally feel that these kids have enough at stake as it is. Many of them are trying to earn college scholarships, most of which are worth over $80,000 these days. That's a significant amount of money, and for many kids, it's the only chance they'll ever have to go to college. In other words, if they don't win a scholarship, they might not go to school at all.

Even kids in "fringe" sports such as lacrosse, field hockey, and cross country running can win scholarships, so this phenomenon is not just limited to football, basketball, baseball, and hockey players. Then there are those who are involved in extreme sports like snowboarding, motocross, and skateboarding. Though no one's going to win college scholarships in those disciplines, high school kids that excel at those sports are still competing for big stakes in the form of sponsorship dollars or berths on the Olympic team, which could in turn lead to lots of endorsement deals and prize money (the United States pays about $25,000 per gold medal, I believe).

My concern in all of this is the athletes themselves. When I was in school, playing sports was simply a release, a way to have fun and spend some extra time with my friends. No, I was never going to be a scholarship player, but that didn't bother me one bit. I was having fun. I think that element of fun might be missing in the lives of many of today's top players. It boggles my mind to think that high school kids have to deal with all of this constant pressure and seemingly unrealistic expectations. I think many of them probably haven't had truly carefree fun in their sports since their talents started to show in grade school or junior high. And that is truly a shame.

The first major question for the amateur bracketologists has to be: when you picked your Final Four for the NCAA tournament did any of you have George Mason going to the semis? For that matter, how many had any one of LSU, Florida or UCLA taking it to the house?

If you had even two of this year's Final Four you stand a great chance at winning your pool. And now that the dust has settled, there are some aspects that are clear. Crystal clear.

For one, say what you want about the Big East and the Big Ten but the strongest conference, hands down has to be the Southeastern Conference. With two teams in the Final Four, the SEC is the only conference with two teams still playing. But more importantly, consider the following.

Six SEC teams were selected for the tourney. Arkansas was one and done, losing to Bucknell but five other teams won their first round games, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky, along with LSU and Florida. Alabama, a tenth seed not only won in round one in an upset, but the Crimson Tide took UCLA to the final seconds in a three point loss.

Kentucky, an eight seed, won in round one, then gave Connecticut all it could handle before losing by six in round two. Only Tennessee did not live up to its billing, struggling in round one before being eliminated in round two by unheralded Wichita.

Meanwhile, LSU and Florida each have four wins and a spot in the Final Four. For the tournament, the six teams in the SEC have 11 wins already against just four losses. And in case you didn't notice, South Carolina, passed over for the NCAA tournament, is also in the semifinals of the NIT as well.

The Big East, for all its fan fare, sent eight teams to the Big Dance, almost 12% of the entire tournament roster. Though four teams made it to the Sweet Sixteen, three went out in the first round and even though the league had eight teams in the tourney, they still only managed to earn 11 victories against eight losses.

And the Big Ten, well they go down as the Big Bust. Given the pre-tournament designation as the best conference, the league had six teams in and all were eighth seeds or higher. Only three teams would manage a single win as the conference went 3-6 overall and could not send a single team to the round of sixteen.

One other thing is now clear. This year is not like that of any other in tourney history.

Getting back to the overall situation, this is the first time since the field expanded to 64 teams, or since 1985, that no team seeded first earned a spot in the Final Four. It was only the second time ever, all time, that no number one seed remained at this point in the tourney. And George Mason, at number 11, becomes just the second-ever team seeded that low to make the Final Four when LSU did it some 20 years ago.

Don't underestimate this George Mason team at this point even if this is the team that Billy Packer said should not have even been in the tourney. Shows what the big guys actually know.

Of course, amid the surprising George Mason and LSU teams, a number four seed, are two outstanding teams in Florida and UCLA. The Gators were a three seed and the Bruins a two seed, so both clubs were considered to be among the better teams in college basketball this year.

Watching UCLA knock off Memphis was not exactly an exciting way to spend an evening. But Ben Howland has UCLA playing defense at a phenomenal level, making UCLA an interesting pick to take it all. But then how about Florida and former tennis star Yannick Noah's son, Joakim Noah, he of the 21 points and 15 rebounds in the Elite Eight leading the way.

Count out George Mason like you did before? Best not. Then again, LSU, and the Big Baby could just sneak in and take it all.

The Final Four is set and it should be a dandy. And it could just be an all-SEC final between Florida and LSU.

But one last question remains, did anyone out there have three of these four teams in their picks? If you did, talk to CBS - the network just might consider it is time to send Billy Packer to join Dan Rather in retirement.

While the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament went from the Sweet Sixteen to the Elite Eight to the Final Four over the weekend amid great fan fare, the Men's Ice Hockey Championships also went from sixteen to four as well, even if it was with much less hoopla. And like the basketball version, the hockey tourney was also fraught with upsets.

In the West Regional, Holy Cross, the region's fourth seed got the upsets started with an overtime triumph over Minnesota, the region's top seed. Minnesota was not only the top seed in the region, but was considered the number two seed in the entire tournament.

However, second-seeded North Dakota put some perspective on the matter quickly. First the Fighting Sioux stopped third-seeded Michigan 5-1, then the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Sioux handled the upstart Crusaders of the ECAC 5-2 to emerge with a spot in the Frozen Four for the second straight year.

In the North-East Regional, third-seeded Boston College dominated cross-town rival Boston University, the region's number one seed, 5-0, to secure another spot in the Frozen Four. BC earned the spot in the regional finals by whitewashing number two seeded Miami of Ohio, also by a score of 5-0.

The win in the regional finals by Boston College avenged a loss the weekend before in the Hockey East finals where BU had prevailed 2-1 in overtime. The BU Terriers had set up the rematch with the BC Eagles by pummeling Nebraska-Omaha 9-2.

In the Eastern Regional, number three-seeded Maine, also of the Hockey East, earned the trip to next weekend's semifinals with two upsets. First the Black Bears man-handled second-seeded Harvard 6-1 while number one seed Michigan Sate was topping fourth-seeded New Hampshire, 1-0. The Maine Black Bears then jumped out to a 3-1 first period advantage on the Spartans and managed to hold on to a 5-4 victory.

Only in the Midwest Regional did form hold true for both the openers and the final. Wisconsin, the number one seed for the region and the number one seed for the entire tournament shut out the College Hockey America Champions, Bemidji State, 4-0, while number two seeded Cornell edged number three Colorado College 3-2.

Then Wisconsin, using three overtimes, topped the Big Red 1-0 in the regional finals and earned the final spot in the Frozen Four.

In the semifinals next weekend, the Boston College Eagles (25-12-3) will face North Dakota (27-10-2) in one game while Maine (28-11-2) takes on Wisconsin (28-10-3) in the other national semifinal. Wisconsin should have an emormous advantage as the home town favorites as both the semifinals and the finals are being held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Written by James Fohl

It seems that everyone who would call themselves a baseball fan has their favorite team, and of course their favorite baseball player. Being an avid baseball fan myself, I have my favorite team, which is of course my hometown team (the Pittsburgh Pirates). I also have a favorite player. The thing that is different about me and my favorite player however, is the fact that my favorite player is not one of the All-Stars such as Barry Bonds, Vladimir Guerrereo, or even the All Star of my favorite team (the Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder, Jason Bay).

In fact whenever I talk to other avid baseball fans about my favorite player, many of these avid fans actually have no idea of whom my favorite player is. My favorite player is Freddy Sanchez of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Although Freddy has been in the Major Leagues since 2002 (spent two years with the Boston Red Sox, before getting traded to the Pirates) he has seen very little action on the playing field until this season. This is due to the fact that the Red Sox only utilized Freddy as a pitch hitter, and after he was traded he wound up on the disabled list due to a foot injury that kept him from playing most of the 2004 Pirates baseball season.

After being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Freddy wanted to show the world what he was capable of doing on the baseball field, despite finding himself injured, Freddy still went and played in the 2004 Arizona Fall League to sharpen his skills.

Freddy Sanchez came back better than ever for the 2005 Pirates baseball season, and has pretty much become one of their very best players. Not only can Freddy hit the ball all over the field, but Freddy also has the ability to play a variety of infield positions. So far this season he has played third base, shortstop, second base, and it has even been rumored that he has also played first base during practice sessions. Given the fact that he is able to play around three of the four bags has made Freddy Sanchez the Pittsburgh Pirates ultimate utility player.

Freddy Sanchez is also making it to the baseball scene as a power hitter. In the 2005 Major League baseball season Freddy managed to only hit a single home run from April until September 2005. However, so far at the time of this writing, Freddy Sanchez has managed to hit four home runs in a mere seven games.

Just a few months ago, when I told everybody that Freddy Sanchez of the Pittsburgh Pirates was my favorite Major League Baseball player, I received quite a few laughs. However, as it is nearing the end of the 2005 Major League baseball season, a lot of the people who were laughing at me for my decision are now talking about how great a baseball player Freddy Sanchez will be for the 2006 Major League baseball season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Even though the Pirates have picked up Joe Randa to play third base for the 2006 Major League Baseball season, I still believe that Freddy Sanchez will be a important part of the 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates lineup.

Although he will not be able to play in every game like I had hoped, he will still be able to play every once in a while as a utility infielder. As I mentioned before, Freddy Sanchez has the ability to play a wide variety of positions, which makes him a fantastic utility fielder that could also step up to the plate as a pitch hitter.

I still think that Freddy Sanchez is a fantastic player, and even though he really does not have a permanent position on the Pittsburgh Pirates 2006 team yet, I still think he will be able to play in enough games that will warrant enough surprises that will eventually lead to Freddy Sanchez getting a permanent position in the 2007 Pittsburgh Pirates roster. I guess that until that happens, I will continue to support Freddy Sanchez by proclaiming him as my favorite Major League Baseball player, and collecting all of his baseball cards, waiting until the day that he lives up to his expectations.

Spring football workouts opened for colleges and universities across the country last week. Spring ball marks a one-month period during which teams are allowed to hold up to 15 NCAA-approved practices. This gives the coaching staff, media, and fans a chance to see how their favorite teams are handling all the changes that inevitably occur between the final regular season or bowl game of the previous year to the beginning of the workout period.

These are almost entirely personnel questions, as teams must fill holes left by graduating seniors and other players that decided to try their luck in the NFL draft. Such departures can decimate a team. One need only look at the USC Trojans to see a case in point. That team lost starting quarterback and former Heisman winner Matt Leinart, starting running back and Heisman winner Reggie Bush, tailback LenDale White, and tight end Dominique Byrd. Those are just the big names that left; several other seniors graduated as well.

Fortunately for Notre Dame fans, their beloved Irish don't have it so bad. The most significant players they lost are wide receiver Maurice Stovall, tight end Anthony Fasano, linebackers Corey Mays and Brandon Hoyte, and backup wide receiver Matt Shelton. Of those four, Fasano and Mays will be the most difficult to replace, but at least there's no shortage of candidates for the jobs.

Instead of focusing on the players that were lost, Notre Dame fans should turn their attention to those that are returning. Headlining the returnees is quarterback Brady Quinn. A senior-to-be, Quinn was recently named the second-best returning college football player in the country by Sports Illustrated magazine. Indeed, Quinn is already being talked about as a major Heisman contender, and the Fighting Irish have to like their chances to bring home the National Championship. With Quinn at the helm, anything can happen. The top-rated QB already owns no less than 30 individual school records, and will definitely be gunning for more in his final year.

Of course Quinn won't be able to do it alone, so it's a good thing that many other starters on both offense and defense are also returning to South Bend. For example, wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, who burst onto the national scene last year with a record-setting performance of his own, will be back and ready to make more acrobat, leaping catches for his personal highlight reel.

This consensus All-American will be paired up with 5th-year senior wide receiver Rhema McKnight, who received a medical hardship pass that will allow him to take advantage of a fifth year of eligibility. McKnight went down with a horrific knee injury in Notre Dame's second game of the season last year, and wasn't able to return. Prior to his injury, McKnight had been Notre Dame's leading receiver for two years in a row. The Irish will need him to get back on track to replace the 1,000 reception yards they're losing in Stovall. So far, things look good as far as McKnight is concerned. Head  coach Charlie Weis has been quoted as saying that McKnight seems to be every bit as fast as he was prior to the injury and hasn't shown any lingering effects thus far.

Things don't look as bright on the defensive side of the ball, at least not at linebacker. Even though Corey Mays didn't exhibit NFL-caliber talent, he was still the undisputed leader of the team on defense. When he was on the field, he made things happen and he fired up his teammates. Hoyte was also an excellent player whose contributions went beyond what showed up on paper. While there are plenty of linebackers still left on the roster, not many of them have logged the kind of playing time that you'd like to have at this position entering the regular season. Contenders for the two vacant starting roles include incumbents Maurice Crum, Nick Borseti, Joe Brockington, Mitchell Thomas, and Anthony Vernaglia, as well as new freshmen Steve Quinn, Scott Smith, and Kevin Washington.

The outlook in the secondary is a little better. The Fighting Irish will be returning all four defensive back starters from one year ago. Mike Richardson, Ambrose Wooden, Chinedum Ndukwe, and third-team All-American Tommy Zbikowski are all entering spring workouts intent on holding on to their starting jobs. While it's usually always better to have players with as much experience as these guys have, the Irish coaching staff will still be looking for significant improvement out of the secondary unit. In fact, Coach Weis has mentioned that limiting opponents' "big plays" is one of the things the defensive backs will have to work on improving.

The special teams unit is another area of concern for Notre Dame heading into the 2006 season. Gone is D.J. Fitzpatrick, who last year handled punts, kickoffs, field goals, and extra point tries for the Irish. A player with that kind of versatility will be extremely hard to replace. Although Fitzpatrick didn't have as high of a field goal conversion percentage as might be expected (66.7 percent success rate), you can't quibble about the 88 points that he scored last season. That's a significant contribution from the kicker, as evidenced by Fitzpatrick's 28th-place ranking in the nation in kicking points.

The Fighting Irish have three guys who will be contending for the kicking duties, and will probably end up using more than one guy to replace Fitzpatrick. Leading the way will be senior Carl Gioia, who has played in several games in his Notre Dame career. He has 20 kickoffs to his credit, and was able to notch the first field goal of his career in last season's Stanford game when he came on in relief of an ailing Fitzpatrick. Although Gioia's numbers aren't all that impressive, he's the only one of the Notre Dame kickers to have attempted a field goal in Division I-A ball.

Two other guys hope to challenge Gioia for a majority of the playing time next season. First up is Bobby Renkes, who was a walk-on a couple of years ago. He made several game appearances during the 2004 season and recorded 23 kickoffs. However, he didn't get into any games in 2005, so it's not clear how he will do in spring ball. Another guy that could challenge for the job is new recruit Ryan Burkhart. He was heavily recruited out of high school, and was rated the second-best kicking prospect in the country. His presence in the lineup should push both Gioia and Renkes, and will likely result in an excellent battle in the preseason. It will be interesting to see which of these guys comes out on top. This is a critical area that Irish fans should focus on because an extra field goal here or there can often make a big difference in games. In fact, looking back to last year, Notre Dame's two regular season losses were by a difference of 3 points each, and in both of those games (against Michigan State and USC), then-kicker Fitzpatrick missed a field goal attempt. If he had been able to convert those chances, then obviously the season would have been a whole lot different for the Fighting Irish.

Even with a bunch of question marks at several key positions, the Fighting Irish seemed very confident in the first few days of spring ball. The media were allowed into the practice facility, and all of the player interviews basically said the same thing: the Irish are not satisfied with last season's 9-3 record and will be looking to go all the way this year. There is a quiet confidence in their words. Just listen to a few of Brady Quinn's or Jeff Samardzija's interviews. They are confident without being cocky, and that's a combination that ought to have opponents worried. Fighting Irish fans, on the other hand, probably can't wait for the Georgia Tech game to get here!

For fans of professional football, there's nothing like the anticipation that comes with the annual entry draft held in April. That's the time when every team has the opportunity to get a little bit better by picking players that will help them round out their rosters. The teams that finished at the bottom of the league in the previous season get a huge consolation prize in the form of top draft picks. This can of course result in acquiring a player that can turn the entire franchise around. For example, quarterback Peyton Manning has emerged as exactly that kind of player. Drafted number one overall by the lowly Colts in 1998, Manning has elevated the team to a perennial playoff contender.

There's plenty at stake in this year's entry draft as well. Former USC star running back Reggie Bush will most likely be selected first overall, and he has shown that he can absolutely dominate games. If he makes a smooth transition to the NFL, watch for him to do some damage. There are also several quarterbacks, tight ends, and defensive backs in the mix that can improve a team's performance. So the fans are definitely anxious to see what draft day surprises their teams will pull off.

While most people might be content to just sit at home and watch draft day coverage on ESPN, a lot of NFL teams have recognized an opportunity to make the event much more fun for everyone involved. As a result, official Draft Day Parties are now the norm for many franchises.

Draft day parties are a relatively new concept. Here in Chicago, I believe they started just a few years ago; in Tampa Bay and Houston, the parties have been going on for just two years. Meanwhile, the New York Jets will be hosting their seventh annual draft day party. Other organizations probably fall within this range as well. What happens is the team will open up a portion of the stadium (usually a large party room) and sell a limited amount of tickets to fans. Once inside, there are multiple banks of televisions carrying the live draft proceedings for fans to watch. In addition, there are refreshments available so you can have a few beers and some grub while watching your team draft its future stars.

Televisions, food, and drinks probably wouldn't be enough to entice much of a crowd, so as an added bonus, most teams promise that several players and organizational members will be on hand as well. The players spend some time mingling with the crowd and doing the usual things that are expected when interacting with fans, such as signing autographs and posing for pictures. The organizational members are there to field questions from the audience regarding specific picks. They will also provide a bit of analysis as well, meaning that they'll explain why a certain player was selected and why others were passed over.

In addition to all of the above, there are usually contests, games, and giveaways during the course of the event. As you probably know, the draft can drag on a bit and isn't very exciting after the big-name guys in the first round are gone. So having contests gives attendees another reason to stick around and some more things to look forward to. Typical prizes include game day packages (featuring tickets to a particular event, free parking, sideline passes and more), trips to away games, officially licensed team merchandise, autographed products, and things like that.

I have never personally attended a draft day party, but it sounds like it would be a good time, especially if I went with a bunch of friends. From what I've found out, tickets are only $20 per person here in Chicago, and that rate drops to $17 per person if you buy the tickets in blocks of 10 or more. I would definitely pay that much to hear some immediate reaction from current players and see what other fans think of the Bears' newest picks.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing as well, I suggest you visit the website of your favorite team to see if they're having an official Draft Day Party. Better hurry though, because this year's draft is on April 29, and you never know when the tickets will be sold out!

For almost the entire offseason, Chicago Bears' General Manager Jerry Angelo has insisted that the team has very limited needs to fill through free agency and the draft. Tight end is one; cornerback is another. Those were the positions that Angelo acknowledged the team was looking at. Apparently, backup quarterback was a third.

The Bears announced that they had agreed to terms with free agent quarterback Brian Griese, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They signed Griese to a 5-year contract, despite the fact that Griese is currently hobbled from knee surgery he underwent last season after suffering an injury in Tampa Bay's fifth game of the season. Neither Griese nor the Bears are sure when he will be ready to play, but it might not be in July when training camp starts up in earnest.

The signing of Griese was seen as somewhat of a letdown by some fans, who thought that if the Bears were going to pursue a quarterback at all, it should have been someone like Josh McCown, now with the Detroit Lions. After all, McCown has experience as a starter in Arizona, has a lot of talent that can still be developed, and is five years younger than Griese. Or, some of the more wishful fans held out hopes that the Bears would make an effort to get Drew Brees, who was essentially released by the San Diego Chargers following an injury to his throwing shoulder that was sustained in the Chargers' final game of the season. But anyone who has followed the Bears for more than a few years knew that Brees wouldn't even be in the realm of possibility because of his price tag. The Bears would never cough up the $60 million package that Brees eventually accepted with the New Orleans Saints.

At any rate, the Bears got Griese, and the coaching staff have already anointed him Rex Grossman's backup. This means that Kyle Orton will slide to number three on the depth chart, and former third-string quarterback Jeff Blake will likely be looking for another job sometime soon. Blake must have expected something like this to happen because he didn't really contribute much to the squad last year. But Orton has got to be extremely disappointed in the lack of faith the Bears' organization is showing in him.

All Orton did as a rookie last season was win the starting job in training camp after Grossman went down with an injury, and then lead Chicago to a 9-4 record during the regular season. His best game came in Week Two against the Detroit Lions. He completed 14 out of 21 passes for 150 yards in guiding the Bears to their first win of the season (by a final score of 38-6), which was also his first career victory in the NFL. Orton also threw his first career touchdown pass in that game, a 28-yarder to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad in the 2nd Quarter.

But Orton failed to show any consistency under center, and he wasn't able to demonstrate that he was getting better despite gaining what should have been very valuable experience week after week. In fact, over the course of the next 12 games, Orton's QB rating was below 50 in five of those contests, including an embarrassingly low 14.7 rating against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week Three. His QB rating was below 70 in 8 of those games, and never got above 90, except in the Detroit game. Indeed, by the time the Atlanta game rolled around, Orton was pretty much just expected to hand the ball off to running back Thomas Jones.

With Rex Grossman fully dressed and healthy, head coach Lovie Smith had no choice but to yank the ineffective Orton after halftime against the Falcons. To that point, Orton was just 2-of-10 for 12 yards on the day. Grossman finished up the game with a win, and that pretty much spelled the end of Orton's stint as Chicago's starter. He would return to start the final game of the season against Minnesota, but that was just in an effort to preserve Grossman for the playoffs.

I fully agree with Bears' management that Orton is not yet good enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. His 9-5 record as a starter might say otherwise, but the wins and losses alone don't tell the whole story. He was just as jittery and uncertain in the final game against Minnesota as he was in the first game against Washington, and failed to show very much poise at any time during the season. Orton's low statistical ratings as a rookie were pretty much to be expected. After all, he was a fourth-round selection in the draft, not a highly touted prospect that was expected to come in and deliver right away.

What was alarming, however, was the fact that Orton never got comfortable even as the season progressed. The Bears' coaching staff did what they could to make things as easy on him as possible. They didn't call many passing plays, and kept things pretty basic. The coaches said all along that they didn't want Orton to have the pressure of carrying the team on his shoulders. So that burden fell to Thomas Jones and the defense. Even so, Orton couldn't be counted on to execute.

So a starter he is not. But I think that Orton is adequate as a backup. He has demonstrated that in a pinch, he can go out there and show enough presence of mind to get through a couple of games with a winning record. Being the number two guy for an entire season actually might have helped him out. He would have been able to get plenty of reps in practice, he would have been able to watch and learn from Grossman, and he wouldn't have any of the pressure of game-time situations to worry about. He would have been able to spend the year learning and developing. Orton has shown that he has a solid foundation to build on, and just needs time to smooth out the edges and get used to playing in the NFL. I think he at least earned that much during his stint as the emergency starter last year.

But the Bears apparently don't even have enough confidence in him to trust him with backup duties. Either that, or they don't think that Grossman will make it through a 16 game schedule without visiting the injured reserve list, so they decided to shop for a guy who is a proven starter. That's definitely what they got in Griese, but I think they overpaid for a position that isn't really a priority. Grossman has been identified as the starter by Coach Smith. Fine; he's got the resume for it, even if he doesn't have the experience. Orton should have been the backup, and I think he would have done fine in that role. So bringing Griese in at this point doesn't make any sense, unless the coach thinks he will actually be the starter. Then that would put Grossman at number two, and Orton would be at number three. That actually seems like a much more solid depth chart than having Grossman as a starter.

So far, the Bears have publicly proclaimed that Grossman will be the team's starter heading into training camp. But those who know Griese have said that the former University of Michigan quarterback wouldn't have gone to a team where he had no shot of winning the starting job. That means Bear fans could be treated to a fun show in training camp as these two guys battle it out.

And still Orton will be the odd man out. It hardly seems fair, considering that he has more NFL experience than Grossman and that he led the Bears to the playoffs last season. But it just goes to show how precarious jobs in the NFL are.

By Ed Jennett


The recent war of words between New York Knicks Head Coach Larry Brown and his best player, All-Star PG Stephon Marbury, seems to have come to an end, at least temporarily. Their embarrassing, ridiculous, and unprofessional feud has been covered ad nauseam by the media, but as usual, the most interesting aspects have been ignored.

Brown initiated the truce by pulling Marbury aside at practice and telling him that he did not want him traded, as had been speculated, and to try to do what was being asked of him. What Brown failed to mention in that brief conversation, and what has barely been acknowledged by the media, is that Brown only did this after having had a meeting with Knicks owner James Dolan and Knicks President/GM Isiah Thomas. During the meeting Brown was told by Dolan to end the feud.

The obvious reason for the intervention of Dolan was that he was tired of the apparent determination of the duo to make the Knicks disaster of a season even worse. It was also becoming quite apparent that they were not mature enough to end the bickering on their own. Even though both Brown and Marbury have been out of line, many observers felt that the team would suspend Marbury for his actions. However he did not even receive a fine or any sort of reprimand from the team.

No one seems to have picked up on it, but there is another huge reason that Dolan told Brown to keep quiet and that the Knicks did not punish Marbury. Kevin Garnett.

The Timberwolves superstar PF was furious recently that his teammates were relaxed and happy in the locker room after a loss. It is becoming more likely that Garnett will demand a trade out of Minnesota this offseason and New York is one of the teams that could put together an attractive enough package to acquire him.

There have been rumors all season that the Knicks were interested in acquiring Garnett. An early season rumor had New York trading Minnesota the expiring contracts of PF/C Antonio Davis and PG/SG/SF Anfernee Hardaway for Garnett, Long Island native SG/SF Wally Szczerbiak, and either PG Troy Hudson or SG Trenton Hassell. The elimination of those huge contracts would have saved the Timberwolves about $100 million and would have gotten them under the salary cap so they could begin rebuilding. That trade obviously never took place and Szczerbiak, who had been involved in numerous trade rumors was eventually traded to Boston.

Despite being friends with Dolan Szczerbiak would have most likely been a poor fit. Garnett and Szczerbiak supposedly despised one another. This would have also led to friction with Szczerbiak and Knicks PG Stephon Marbury, who had recently rekindled his friendship with Garnett following a long feud. Garnett was mad at Marbury for forcing his way out of Minnesota and abandoning him there. Marbury was mad at Garnett for not being happy for him getting to play close to home (Marbruy was traded to the New Jersey Nets).

Ironically Marbury now has his own problem with Szczerbiak. Marbury injured his left shoulder on a Szczerbiak pick in a January game against the Timberwolves and maintains that the pick was dirty because Szczerbiak leaned into it. Clean or dirty, the pick ruined the Knicks season. New York had just come off a loss to the Toronto Raptors following a six game winning streak. Marbury had led the resurgence by averaging 23 points and 9 assists during the six games. The Knicks quickly fell apart while their best player missed games and was ineffective in others due to the injury.

Right before the trade deadline a new rumor began that New York would trade Hardaway and rookie PF/C Channing Frye to Minnesota for Garnett. This obviously never materialized either, but a similar scenario could be revisited this offseason. The Knicks will be looking to trade the expiring contracts of PF Maurice Taylor and PG/SG/SF Jalen Rose. The Timberwolves will definitely be one of the teams that they are peddled to. It remains to be seen if Frye will be traded. He is considered to be virtually untouchable, and has been referred to as the future of the team and as a cornerstone by both Brown and Thomas.

If the Brown/Marbury feud renews it may not matter if Frye really is untouchable. If Thomas decides to trade Marbury Garnett will not have any interest in playing for New York. Not only is he friends with Marbury again, but Marbury is the Knicks best player. It is highly unlikely that Garnett would want to leave a horrible situation in Minnesota for a horrible situation in New York.

While it is still unclear if New York will be where he ends up next season, it is starting to become clear that Garnett will be leaving Minnesota. Despite agreeing with recent sentiments that the current Timberwolves roster needs more playing time together and also needs to go through a training camp, Garnett has also said that the team needs to add some major pieces. Besides Garnett the team does not have any assets that are in great demand. Because of that it will be very difficult for the club to make any major changes this offseason, unless the change is Garnett moving to another city.

While the NCAA men's basketball tournament dominates the sports pages and the office topics, the parallel women's edition continues to climb in prominence with games regularly on the ESPN 2. But a third such tourney, one that harbors enormous interest in the Midwest and Northeast, the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey, is also set to begin this weekend.

The less-ballyhooed Ice Hockey Selection Committee recently selected the 16 teams that will do battle for the chance to play in the Frozen Four and earn the trophy associated with winning the 2006 Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship.

Each year, the championship playoff format involves four regional sites, like the basketball tournament, with each site determined prior to the selection of the team's that will participate. At each region, four teams compete for the regional title and a chance at the Frozen Four at yet another predetermined site. Like the basketball version, the entire championship uses a single-elimination format.

Also as with basketball, many teams qualify automatically. Six conference champions earned automatic bids: Holy Cross of the Atlantic Hockey Association, Michigan State of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Bemidji State of College Hockey America, Harvard of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League, Boston University of the Hockey East Association, and North Dakota of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The remaining ten slots are filled by teams selected at large. Number one seeds in each of the regionals went to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the overall number one seed, the University of Minnesota, Boston University, and Michigan State University.

In addition to the Wisconsin and Minnesota, other at large bids went to Michigan, Nebraska-Omaha, Miami (Ohio), Boston College, New Hampshire, Maine, Cornell, and Colorado College. With Maine, New Hampshire, three teams from the Boston area (BU, BC, and Harvard) along with Holy Cross of Worcester, Massachusetts, New England is well represented once again at the tourney. Likewise, with Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Bemidjii State (Minnesota) and Miami (Ohio) the Midwest is also well represented.

Unbeknownst to many, the ESPN will air all 15 tournament games live. The sports network will produce the eight semifinal and four regional final games, but will be only syndicating games to local cable systems and regional sports networks and selected over-the-air stations.

ESPN2 is set to broadcast both semifinal games at the Frozen Four while the ESPN will televise the national championship game live. The semifinals are set for April 6th and the championship for April 8th, with all games set to be played at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

For many football teams, the position of place kicker is merely an afterthought, a position to be filled once all the big bucks have already been spent on marquee quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and linebackers. Sure, there are the occasional kickers like Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders who come in via the first round of the NFL draft, but those guys are few and far between. Instead, most are selected in later rounds of the draft or make it onto teams via tryouts. Then, once they have been in the league for a while, they can bounce from team to team through free agency.

This season, there happen to be two top place kickers on the market. Mike Vanderjagt, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts, and Adam Vinatieri, formerly of the New England Patriots. Both of the kickers were in rather similar positions. Vanderjagt has been in the league for eight years and is the highest-rated active kicker in terms of regular season games. Vinatieri has been in the league for 10 years, and is considered the best kicker in terms of playoff games. Both are coming from teams that seem to make it to the playoffs year after year. The difference is that Vinatieri won three Super Bowl rings as a member of the Patriots, while Vanderjagt and the rest of the Colts have always come up short.

After today's news, however, things are looking up for the Colts. That's because they've agreed to terms with Vinatieri and have reportedly signed the veteran kicker to a long-term deal. This is particularly noteworthy to Indianapolis fans because the Colts were ousted from the playoffs last season when Vanderjagt missed on a late 4th quarter field goal attempt against the Pittsburgh Steelers that would have sent the game into overtime. The miss sealed the victory for the Steelers, who then went on to crush the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

Vinatieri meanwhile, has forged a reputation of being one of the coolest kickers on the planet, especially when the game is on the line. He has two Super Bowl-clinching field goals to his name. The first came in the Patriots' first championship run in the 2001 season when Vinatieri drilled a 48-yarder as time ran out in the 4th quarter to lift the Patriots over the St. Louis Rams by a score of 20-17. Then, two years later, he did nearly the same thing in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Carolina Panthers by hitting a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left in the 4th quarter to put the Patriots on top by a score of 32-29.

Some might argue that, although those kicks were indeed "clutch," they weren't as pressure-packed as they could have been because even if Vinatieri had missed, the Patriots wouldn't have automatically lost either game; they would have just headed into overtime. Although I can see that point of view too, no team wants to roll the dice in overtime in the NFL because the sudden-death nature of the extra period means that the winner is often the team that wins the coin toss.

No matter how you slice it, Vinatieri is one of the premier kickers in the NFL right now, and will likely remain at the top of his game for many more years. He is going into a great situation in Indianapolis. The Colts are a hungry team with a group of seasoned veterans at the helm, led by league-leading quarterback Peyton Manning and All-Pro wide receiver Marvin Harrison. The team wants to win now, and they are making some moves that will help them do so.

From a kicker's standpoint, Vinatieri really couldn't ask for anything more. By joining the Colts, he will now play eight games per year in the kicker-friendly indoor environment of the RCA Dome instead of the often cold and windy conditions he faced at Gillette Stadium. When you combine this with the fact that the Colts average more points per game than just about anyone, it stands to reason that Vinatieri will have a chance to boost his field goal stats considerably.

Speaking of Vinatieri's stats, he has spent 10 years in the NFL, all of them with New England. He has converted 263 out of 321 field goal chances, for a career percentage of 81.9. Vinatieri is 8 out of 17 from 50 or more yards, 70 out of 99 from 40-49 yards out, 76 out of 92 from 30-39 yards, 103 out of 107 from 20-29 yards, and a perfect 6 out of 6 from 1-19 yards. In addition, he is 367 out of 374 in his career in point-after tries. Vinatieri has scored 1,156 points in his career.

His best season percentage-wise came in 2004 when he converted 31 out of 33 field goals and 48 out of 48 extra points, for a 93.9 percent mark on field goals and a perfect 100 percent on point-after tries. Vinatieri's worst season in terms of field goal percentage as a pro came in 2003, when he converted just 73.5 percent of his regular season kicks.

Overall, I think the Colts made an excellent choice in signing Vinatieri. It was obviously going to be a tough task to replace a kicker like Vanderjagt, but Vinatieri is definitely a guy who can do it. His exceptional postseason experience will give the Colts an edge this year if they make it to the playoffs. And even if it's just a psychological edge, I'm sure they'll take it!

One of the best things about the World Baseball Classic is that it gives fans a chance to check out the top talent from other countries around the world. While United States and the Dominican Republic teams both had rosters loaded with names already familiar to fans of Major League Baseball, most of the other teams did not. But there were definitely a couple of players who showed that they have what it takes to make it to the big leagues in the U.S., which is where most probably aspire to play at some point. One of those who really emerged during the tournament was Daisuke Matsuzaka of Japan.

Matsuzaka is only 25 years old, but he has been a big name in Japanese baseball for almost 10 years. In Japan, there's not really a minor league or college system to speak of. As a result, high school baseball garners as much attention as college or Triple A ball in the United States. In fact, the annual high school baseball tournament generates as much betting action in Japan as March Madness does here at home. At any rate, trust me when I say that Matsuzaka has been in the public eye in Japan for a long time.

Right out of high school, Matsuzaka was drafted by the Seibu Lions, one of the professional baseball teams in Japan. He was so good and dominant even as an 18-year-old that he immediately broke into the starting rotation. He put together an incredible 16-5 record in his rookie year, striking out 151 batters in 180 innings of work. His earned run average was a very respectable 2.60.

As Matsuzaka has matured in age, so has he matured as a pitcher. Before, he seemed to be content to just throw as hard as he could, with little regard to mechanics or control. Over the years, however, he has reigned in his fastball a bit in order to be able to get better placement on it. He has also added a couple of pitches to his repertoire, including something called a "shooto," which is a basically a double-spin pitch where the ball rotates one way, and then suddenly breaks back the other way. This pitch was highlighted in the 1992 movie "Mr. Baseball" and has been legendary in Japan for some time now. Most baseball players from Western countries have never seen this kind of pitch before. Matsuzaka is the universally acclaimed master of this pitch in Japan, and it's thought that this is one of the pitches that will help him dominate in the United States.

If there's a concern about Matsuzaka, it's his health. He throws so hard and works so many innings each year that there has been a lot of speculation as to just how much longer his arm will hold out. This is even more of a concern when you take into consideration the fact that Matsuzaka has been a workhorse since his high school days, when he reportedly once threw a mind-boggling 249 pitches over the course of an extra-inning game. Although he doesn't approach that kind of pitch count in Japan's big leagues, he does work plenty of innings each season.

Because of Japan's very strict free agency rules, Matsuzaka won't be allowed to try his luck in the U.S. until he has played at least 10 years in the Japanese league -- unless he gets a special dispensation from his team, which isn't likely to happen. That means he has three more seasons to go, and will be 28 by the time major league teams can start bidding for the right to negotiate with him. So he'll have even more mileage on his arm by then, and will be an even bigger risk for whichever team decides to take him on.

Nevertheless, he is such a skilled player that teams are already lining up to get a good look at him. Barring any serious injuries in the next three seasons, I think it's safe to say that we'll see Matsuzaka pitching in a major league uniform before his career is over. Hopefully, his best days as a pitcher won't be behind him by that point, because he really seems to be that rare player of exceptional skills that comes around only once in a generation.

Well, the first-ever World Baseball Classic is in the books, and the last team standing happened to be Japan. They defeated the Cuban team 10-6 in the championship game to bring home the title. But what I don't understand, and what many other people surely must be asking at this point, is how did Japan even advance that far in the tournament to begin with?

The rules regarding which teams advance and which teams have to go home are not very clear at all, and I'm wondering why it's necessary to make things so complicated. The basic format of the tournament is that it consists of two rounds of pool play, followed by a semi-final round, and then the championship game. Let's work backwards on this one and take a closer look at each round.

First of all, I want to say that I like the fact that there is a single, winner-take-all championship game. To me, that provides a lot more drama than a best of 3, best of 5, or best of 7 series format that is usually used in sports championships. Having the World Championship hinge on a single game makes it a lot more exciting for both the players and the fans. Just take a look at other sports for a comparison. The Super Bowl is the most-watched television event each and every year primarily because the NFL championship is decided by that one game. When you have a championship decided by a series, like in the NBA, NHL, and MLB, then casual fans would most likely tune in only for the deciding game rather than for the entire series.

The Semi-final round in the World Baseball Classic is also pretty straightforward and doesn't need any revision. Four teams make it to the semi-final games, and each game is single-elimination. That means that there's a lot of drama in this round as well, because each team knows that it's do or die time. The teams that made it to the semi-final round of this year's World Baseball Classic were of course Cuba and Japan, plus the Dominican Republic and Korea.

Now, the first and second round of pool play is where the rules get a bit murky and confusing for average fans such as myself. At the start, there are 16 teams divided into four separate pools of four teams each. So far so good. Within each pool, the teams play each other in a round-robin style, meaning that each team plays every other team one time. Since there are four teams in the pool, that means each team has to play 3 games. We're still clear so far, as that makes sense. However, because there are only four teams in each pool, it's very likely that there will be a couple of ties along the way. Sometimes the pools work out perfectly, like in Pool A in the first round. Korea had a 3-0 record, Japan had a 2-1 record, Chinese Taipei had a 1-2 record, and China had an 0-3 record. It's easy to see that Korea and Japan should advance.

Where things start to get sticky, however, is when there are ties, like in round two of this year's tournament. Pool One of round two featured the United States, Mexico, Japan, and Korea. Korea again went undefeated in this pool, posting another 3-0 record in round robin play. The United States and Japan ended up tied, with losing records at 1-2. Japan lost to Korea and the United States, while the U.S. lost to Korea and Mexico. So now that there was a tie, we have to have a tiebreaker. But instead of that tiebreaker being something simple to figure out, such as head-to-head play (in which case the U.S. would have won because they defeated Japan 4-3 in their matchup) or by total runs scored in the round (in which case Japan would have won because they scored 10 runs while the U.S. only scored 8), or even by a playoff (another head-to-head game between the tied teams), the tiebreaker involves mathematical calculations.

According to International Baseball Federation rules, which the World Baseball Classic follows, "tied teams shall be ranked for that round according to fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of innings (including partial innings) played in defense in the games in that round between the teams tied."

This is where I get lost because that just seems like such an odd thing to base a tiebreaker on. It's not something that casual fans would even know about, much less be able to calculate in the middle of a game. If the tiebreaker were based on any of the other scenarios I mentioned, then anyone would be able to figure out who will advance and who will stay home. As it was, however, I think most people didn't know what the outcome of the U.S. vs. Mexico game meant as far as the Japanese team was concerned until the announcers performed the calculations for us.

I know that IBF rules have been in place for a long time, and I'm not suggesting that those be changed. But I think it would help the World Baseball Classic become even more fan friendly if the format for this particular tournament was altered just a bit to make the tiebreakers more understandable to average fans. Other than that, I think the World Baseball Classic was a true success, and I'm looking forward to the next tournament!

As March Madness moves into the round now known as the "Sweet Sixteen," some very interesting story lines have been developing.

One is the somewhat shaky performance of the tournament selection and seeding committee. Though these folks generally do a decent job, many pointed early on to some glaring issues that have proven to be most prophetic.

Two seedings made absolutely no sense to any self-proclaimed bracketologist, Tennessee earning a number two slot and Syracuse a number five. The Volunteers headed into the tourney ranked 18-19th in the country in most polls - how the committee saw them as a number two was beyond everyone. Some how Tennessee managed a win in the first round, albeit on a last second shot, but the Volunteers were quickly eliminated in round two.

Also, most noted that Syracuse was a outside shot at being in the tourney before somehow winning the Big East Tournament Championship. Yet with just one hot week, the Orange somehow landed a number five seeding. The notion that they were completely overrated came to full fruition when the Orange were eliminated in the first round for the second year in a row.

Yet another error had to be the view the Big Ten was the strongest overall conference. Such a notion led to six teams being selected, all with relatively high seeds within the 65 team tournament.

Backed up by the so called RPI, the measure of overall team quality, the Big Ten had Ohio State at a two seed, Iowa at a three and Illinois at a four seed. Three more teams also were favored in the first round, Michigan State and Indiana, both at number six and Wisconsin at number eight.

The Big Ten not only did not have a single team make it to the Sweet 16, the league also was home to the biggest tourney shocker, No. 14 Northwestern State over No. 3 Iowa in round one. Six teams in, for a league that as a whole would go 3-6 in the tournament, was outrageous.

But then again, there were many the positive choices, although after day one, the eight teams selected from the Big East also looked like a major botch. The losses by Syracuse, Marquette, and Seton Hall would make the Big East 0-3 on the first day of the tourney, with both Syracuse and Marquette losing to lower seeds.

But on day two, the Big East would come back and run the table, with all five remaining teams making it to the round of 32. On the weekend, with Villanova, Connecticut, West Virginia and Georgetown winning, the Big East would run their tourney record to nine wins and four losses and send four teams on to the Sweet Sixteen.

Trailing the Big East are four other conferences. Powers like the ACC (Duke and Boston College, the SEC (Florida and LSU), and Pac 10 (UCLA and Washington) each have two teams while the lesser known Missouri Valley Conference also has two teams in Bradley and Wichita State.

Among the other great story lines is an incredible ninth straight trip to the Sweet Sixteen for the Duke Blue Devils. The Dukies are officially the modern equivalent of the UCLA Bruins and the legendary John Wooden.

Among the smaller schools, there was George Mason and head coach Jim Larranaga suspending Tony Skinn, the team's second-leading scorer, before the team's first round game with Michigan State. After knocking off the Spartans without Skinn, the youngster would return in time to help Mason knock off the demanding champions, North Carolina to make it to next weekend.

Then of course, there is Gonzaga, considered by many to be overrated, yet they are still playing. And though Adam Morrison has garnered most of the press during the season, this team has a great deal of talent in Sean Mallon, Derek Raivio, and the underrated J.P. Batista.

And finally, there is LSU and the latest Shaq reincarnation by the name of Glen Davis. Many hoop experts are drooling over the thought of Davis going head-to-head with the ACC inside force, Shelden Williams. Though Davis is quite the presence in the middle, many think he would be an even better tight end prospect in the NFL, especially given both his mobility and his soft hands.

The Sweet Sixteen is set, and if the first two rounds are any indication, many more story lines are likely to follow in the rounds ahead.

Our twelve-year-old daughter (our youngest) has been playing basketball since she was five-years-old. We enrolled her in the recreational league in our small New England town as soon as she was old enough, along with her older brother and sister. She played soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and ran cross-country in the spring. But sometime around the age of eight, unlike her brother and sister, our youngest daughter suddenly seemed to click with the game of basketball. While most of the many children on the recreational teams still had trouble dribbling and could not remember which hoop belonged to their team, our daughter, along with a select few, had a sudden awareness of the court and amazing ball-handling skills. It was nothing she had necessarily been taught; rather, it was a gift that finally showed itself. That year, as the skills and court-sense kicked in, we got another surprise; our daughter was invited to play on a competitive travel team.

Neither my husband nor I were particularly athletic - at least not since high school - so we were surprised and proud to watch our daughter excel on the travel team. We went to every game and cheered our hearts out. That first season, the team did not win one single game until tournament time when they suddenly went into over-drive and came in third in the tournament. After losing so much, and after being taught by their coach to have fun and lose gracefully, they were beside themselves with excitement at the win. Observers thought they acted like they'd won the NCAA championship.

The next year, however, the coach stepped down and a new coach took the travel league. Like most of the coaches in the league, this coach was the father of one of the girls on the team, and he was an all-around nice guy. At first, the girls did well and were still relatively bonded from the previous season. However, it soon became evident that their new nice-guy coach was inconsistent and afraid to enforce any discipline. Before long, many girls on the team were talking back, disobeying, and generally being rude to the coach and to each other. By the end of the season, our daughter was glad to put away her basketball shoes and pick up her cross-country running shoes. She still loved basketball, but was tired of all the back-biting and hassles with the team.

The following year, we were dismayed to see that the same coach had volunteered once again. As the girls were now older and most had entered middle school, we found that they still had the same lousy attitudes toward their coach, but adolescent hormones were now adding to the mix. The coach and his assistant began yelling at the girls and frustration could be seen in their eyes. As the weeks and the winter wore on, the team began to fall apart, with team members blaming one another and the coach's words always going un-heard. Having just turned eleven-years-old, our daughter ended the season wondering if she'd ever want to play basketball again.

But then something wonderful happened. The next season, as our daughter was beginning her sixth grade year, she was put on a slightly younger team with a different coach. This coach was an equally nice guy and yet another team member's dad, and he was just as knowledgeable about basketball as the other coaches. Yet this coach believed in discipline. No one talked back and the team was a team all the time. There were no stars and no one was ever allowed to be the least bit disrespectful to him or to each other. We watched, delighted, as our daughter went from being skeptical to once again loving the game of basketball as she had three years hence.

Now, as the season is coming to a close, with only one more local showcase tournament to play, our daughter is terribly sad that basketball is nearly over. At this point, after a year with a moderately successful team, but with a star-quality successful coach, she could probably play basketball all year long. We, and she, attribute it all to her new coach, whom we hear will be coaching her team again next season. What a difference a coach can make!

The old adage in baseball is you can never have too much pitching. With that premise in mind, the Boston Red Sox have continued their pursuit of Roger Clemens, hoping some how, some way to lure the former Red Sox ace back to baseball and to Boston.

Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein recently met with the seven-time Cy Young Award winner's agent, Alan Hendricks. But both Hendricks and Epstein categorized the visit as a typical spring training visit.

Whatever a typical spring visit is depends on who you talk to. But it appears the Red Sox have at least been trying to gaugeClemens's future plans. Among the free agent's many options are to retire at age 43, return to his hometown Houston Astros where he has pitched the last couple of seasons, or to consider apparent offers from the likes of the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rangers.

After theoretically retiring from the Yankees back in 2003, Clemens returned to major league baseball to pitch for his home town Houston Astros. In his two years with Houston, Clemens has led the team to the World Series last season and to Game 7 of the NLCS in 2004. His first year in Houston he agreed to pitch for a hometown discount of $5 million. But to get Clemens back onto the field a second year, the Astros ended up paying the Rocket $18 million.

Since the Astros did not make Clemens an offer previously, the pitcher is a free agent. Houston cannot re-sign him before May 1 according to league rules. That brief hiatus has led the Sox, Rangers and Yankees to come after Clemens hard.

Clemens has publicly stated his good byes after he lost the decision 2-1 in the World Baseball Classic to Mexico. Though Clemens still showed he had his stuff in the WBC, luring him back to the rigors of a 162 game season seem unlikely. In fact, his agent Hendricks has gone on the record to state that Clemens will not be available for at least two months, even if he is interested in returning.

Speculation abounds, especially the belief that if the right money is on the table, Clemens will return. But whether he is interested in leaving Texas for the high profile world of the Yanks or the Sox is a completely different story.

The possible thought of a Clemens' return to Boston has the Fenway faithful salivating. Of course, the Sox were the first of Clemens major league affiliations, 22 years ago.

Clemens currently ranks ninth all-time in wins with 341 and second all-time in strikeouts with 4,502. Clemens won 192 of those games during his time with the Sox, a number that ties him with Cy Young for most in Red Sox history. Folks in Boston believe he would like to return to take over top spot on the Sox victory list.

Already having Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling at the top of the rotation, along with veterans Bronson Arroyo and Tim Wakefield, the Sox had been set to go with Jon Papelbon as their fifth starter. Ironically, many are calling Papelbon a young Clemens, given a physical build that resembles Clemens and a fastball that reminds Sox brass of the man who twice struck out 20 major league hitters in a game while pitching for Boston.

But for everyone on the Sox, Papelbon included, the thought of Roger Clemens returning has become a hopeful possibility. If Clemens is interested in playing, then all signs point to Epstein making a pitch to bring the Rocket back to Fenway for another go round, perhaps this time leading the Red Sox to a World Series title at the same time.

Written by James Fohl

It is hard to believe, but the current Olympics have been around for quite some time now. No, I don't mean the original Olympics; I am talking about the games, such as the Winter Olympics that we were just watching on television last month.

If you did not know, the current Summer Olympics were started in the year 1896 by a French nobleman Pierre Frèdy. Pierre started his campaign in 1894 to try and organize an event that would take athletes from all over the year, and have them ultimately compete against each other. He wanted his campaign to ultimately restart the ancient Olympics, and ultimately he was given his wish, as the first Summer Olympics took place in Athens, Greece two years later.

While the first Olympic Summer Games was quite small, (around two hundred and fifty athletes were present) it was considered a success by Pierre Fredy, who then initiated the plan that the Olympics would be held every four years in a different location.

Unfortunately, the next couple Olympic Summer Games were unable to achieve the success as the first meet due to the fact that the Olympic Games were being presented in the same locations as the World Fairs. While the Olympic Games were still attracting many new athletess for every new competition, the fact that there were many other things to be seen at these World Fairs led to the reduced interest from the general public.

The Summer Olympic Games were able to bounce back in to the spotlight in the year 1906, when they were held in their original location, Athens, Greece. This time around, the popularity towards the Olympic Games surged, and finally brought the title of the most important sporting event to the Olympic Games.

With the Olympic Games gaining more attention with every following competition, a lot of speculation was introduced about winter sports, such as ice skating. While the 1908 Olympics, which took place in London, did have a skating rink, many athletes felt that the Olympics should be expanded to feature winter sports.

Finally it was proposed that the Winter Olympics should be a separate competition all together, and in 1924 the first Winter Olympic Games took place in Chamonix, a small French town. Just like the first Summer Olympic Games, only around two hundred athletes attended the week long event, however the games were still considered a success and continued with the Olympic tradition of taking place every four years.

With the exception of the World Wars, the Olympic games have been played every four years since the initial 1896 competition. That itself is quite an achievement, considering all of the things that have occurred over the past hundred years. The Olympic games have been able to overcome the Great Depression of the 1930's, terrorism in the 1972 Olympic games involving kidnapping, and even a bombing that occurred in the 1996 Olympic Summer Games, that took place in Atlanta, Georgia.

While the Olympic Games have been unable to stop any wars, (one of the goals of the Olympic Games) they have been able to show that they are able to overcome obstacles that would have closed many other sporting events.

The Olympic games are now more popular than ever. While the first Olympics competition of 1896 in Athens, Greece had roughly around two hundred and fifty athletes, the 2004 Olympics, which took place in Sydney had a massive eleven thousand one hundred estimated athletes competing. Not only are the Olympics still very popular with athletes, but also with the general public as well. It is estimated that there were an astonishing sixteen thousand news reporters in the 2000 Olympics. What is even more astonishing is the fact that it is estimated that a massive 3.8 billion people watched some of the Olympic games during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games that took place in Sydney, Australia.

What will happen in the future of the Olympics? They have been around for over a hundred years now, and through out those years the Olympics have been able to continue through out terrorism, kidnapping, and a state of depression; only being able to halt at a world war. As more nations, and more athletes enroll in to the Olympic games it is my best guess that the Olympic games are only going to keep getting more popular.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament falls directly at the time accountants associate with the IRS and tax time. But though the tourney may have substantial impact on workers in that field, Forbes Magazine has suggested that the opening round of games will cost the entire business sector $3.8 billion in lost productivity.

Yes, that's $3.8 BILLION - at least according to Forbes.

The reason for that improbable figure is two fold. First, virtually every office in America will offer some kind of pool, with many such pools allowing those entering the drawing to select the teams they think will make their way through the various brackets and on into the Final Four.

Second, every single game can be accessed online at no cost now to the user. In prior years, true bracket fanatics had to pony up some cash to keep up with all the scores via computer. And where in America today is there an office without a computer? In fact, where in America is their office personnel without their own computer connected to the Internet?

Of course, it is important to know that any office pool is actually breaking the law. But no one truly believes that they are risking the wrath of the FBI or that the Bureau. So today, eight offices out of ten reportedly organize some kind of pool.

Such office pools come in all types. In one type, there is no knowledge of the skills or talents of any respective team. In such a pool, you pay a fee and then draw a team name out of the hat. If that team makes it the final four, then you receive a payoff. If it wins it all, you receive some serious money.

In others, you must pick the winner of each game. It is in those type of pools that workers may be tempted to keep track of the latest data and insight by reviewing things on the computer.

A third issue that is directly affecting work productivity in addition to the office pools are the number of online betting online sites that now have exorbitant payoffs. For even a modest fee, fanatics can register their picks at an online site and win as much as ten to fifteen thousand dollars.

There are other sites that for $50 you can pick a bracket - if your bracket is picked perfectly, you could win a million bucks. For a lesser fee, you can still pick a bracket - in that case perfection could net you $100,000. In addition to cash prizes, one site offers a four-day trip to Costa Rica, an LCD television, or Hewlett Packard PDA. Of course, that site still offers some cold hard cash as well.

Given the interest and the business concerns about loss of productivity, there is now specific advice on the politically correct method for organizing an office pool at work. The first key is to see if your employer is OK with the concept of a pool. If the concept is OK, then check with the boss to see what is OK and what is not as the tournament plays out over the three plus week period.

The general thought today is that such pools get employees together, conversing and building camaraderie as the discussions center on the teams. Therefore, many workplaces encourage such drawings. But before making any assumptions, especially prior to setting up your pool, you should check to be sure that it is considered acceptable by your superiors.

After organizing, the general consensus is that checking in online during work hours is considered a no-no. Even if your team is making the run for a big payout, the computer should be focused on your work. Most experts state that while on break or having lunch some employers might OK the computer being tuned into the latest action. But once again, before doing so, check with your superiors.

And of course, hitting an online wager or betting site, at any time, from the office is definitely off limits.

Otherwise the $3.8 billion could actually be an underestimate of the loss in productivity.

Anyone who thought they had seen the last of Terrell Owens in the NFL when the Philadelphia Eagles told him to stay home midway through the 2005 season because of ongoing behavioral problems stemming from a contract dispute was mistaken. Similarly, anyone who thought that the outspoken wide receiver would never get paid the big bucks he was demanding was also mistaken. That's because according to recent published reports, Owens has signed a multi-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys and will be the featured receiver in "Big D" for the next several seasons, provided that Owens lives up to his end of the bargain.

Owens' new contract is for three years, and could end up netting him more money over those three years than his old deal with the Eagles would have. A good portion of the money Owens stands to earn comes in the form of roster bonuses, which means that Owens gets the money provided he is still on the team at certain dates in the future. These kinds of bonuses are easily attainable by players who perform well, remain injury-free, and don't make waves with team management. Ordinarily, most players would be able to achieve those kinds of bonuses, but with Owens, you just never know.

According to the terms of the contract, Owens can make a total of $10 million during the 2006 season, which would make him one of the highest paid wide receivers in the whole league. Five million of that would be in salary, with the other $5 million coming in the form of a bonus. Again, this is more money than he would have made with the Eagles, so Owens must be happy -- at least for the time being.

Right now, a lot of people must be wondering how Owens will do in Dallas. First of all, if you've been following the NFL for a while, you'll remember that Owens, who is known for his outrageous touchdown celebrations, once slammed the ball down on the Cowboys' star logo at midfield after scoring a TD as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. There's no love lost between the Cowboys and the 49ers anyway, and to have a visiting player come in and "disrespect" the logo in Texas Stadium really riled some fans up. I'm not sure if the fans will welcome Owens, or if some of them still hold a grudge against the guy. I'm guessing if T.O. goes in and starts scoring touchdowns like he's done for his entire career, then the Dallas fans will welcome him. If, on the other hand, he fizzles out and starts running his mouth about his teammates and coaches, then I think the fans will boo him every time he steps on the field.

A second concern that will follow Owens for the rest of his playing days is how well he will be able to get along with his teammates. For some reason, Owens always seems to take exception with his quarterback. When he was with San Francisco, Owens often made several derogatory remarks about then-QB Jeff Garcia. This appeared odd to an outsider such as myself because Garcia always seemed to be such a soft-spoken, non-confrontational sort of player. Then, in Philadelphia, Owens had an ongoing feud with quarterback Donovan McNabb during the two years that he spent with that team. Owens frequently questioned McNabb's heart and determination, and openly wondered if McNabb folded under the pressure of Super Bowl XXXIX. This obviously didn't sit well with McNabb or any of the other Eagles, and essentially served to alienate Owens from his teammates yet again.

Owens will be working with Drew Bledsoe in Dallas, and Bledsoe has been known to have accuracy problems at times and has been known to throw crucial interceptions at the most inopportune times in game situations. One can't help but wonder how long it will take before Owens publicly rips into Bledsoe next season.

Overall, I hope Owens can come into Dallas with a new attitude regarding football and his teammates. I personally think Owens is one of the best players in the NFL, and he's good for the league. But hearing him complain all the time gets tiresome. Just go out there and play some football!

The Detroit Lions have been busy during the free agency period, and have made it pretty clear that they are looking to go in a new direction in 2006. Another thing that they've made clear is that they don't want quarterback Joey Harrington along for the ride. That's because they've gone out and signed both Jon Kitna, who has spent the last few seasons in Cincinnati, and Josh McCown, who comes from the Arizona Cardinals organization. Both of these new quarterbacks were signed to multimillion dollar deals, and will battle it out for the starting job in training camp. That leaves very little room for Harrington.

Harrington was drafted by the Lions back in 2002 when they used the third overall pick on the former Oregon Ducks quarterback. At that time, Harrington was a highly regarded prospect who was viewed as a long-term answer to the Lions' quarterback questions. The Lions were just coming off a dismal 2-14 season with a second-year man named Mike McMahon as their starting QB. Harrington was obviously going to come in and have an excellent chance to take over immediately. And that's just what happened, to a certain extent.

After playing for only a few series in the Lions' first two games of 2002, Harrington assumed the starting role on September 22 at home against the Green Bay Packers. Despite losing to the Pack by a score of 37-31 and throwing four interceptions in the game, it seemed that Harrington really had the stuff to develop into a great pro-caliber quarterback in due time. That wasn't going to happen in Harrington's rookie year, however. He started 12 games in all, but was carted off the field in Tampa Bay early in the first quarter of the 12th start because of an irregular heartbeat. He would sit out the remaining two games of the season. By that time, Harrington was 3-9 as a starter, and had thrown for 2,294 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.

Things never really got better for Harrington after that rookie year. He started all 16 games in his second season, but was pulled out of two of them because he was so ineffective. The Lions stuck with Harrington through all 16 games in 2004, as well, but the results weren't any better. In fact, in Harrington's four-year career, he is just 18-37 as a starter. Some of that can be blamed on the team's effort as a whole, but many of those losses are simply the result of Harrington's own inaccuracy and inability to improve his game.

The Lions will likely cut Harrington rather than try to trade him because it's doubtful that any teams would be interested in giving up something of value for the very inconsistent quarterback. You can expect the Lions to make a move with Harrington sometime soon, because if he's still on their roster in June, he will have to be paid several million dollars in bonus money.

I think we have seen the last of Joey Harrington as a starter in the NFL. He might land with some other team as a backup or third-stringer, but nobody is going to pay him the money he would demand as a starter. Although many guys have bounced back from situations similar to this one in the past, I think Harrington will go the way of former Cleveland Browns' star and fellow first-round draft pick Tim Couch, which means he'll bounce around from team to team for a couple of years as a backup, then eventually just fade out of the league altogether. If there's anything we've learned about big, multimillion dollar contracts for first-round draft picks, it's that teams have very little patience for these players if they don't pan out. Then, their stock falls faster than Enron's, and other teams tend to steer clear of them as well.

Besides the Chicago Bears, I can't think of another team that has had so much trouble trying to find a decent quarterback that they can count on to lead the franchise for many years. Although Harrington's career started out full of hope and promise, he now joins the likes of Rodney Peete, Andre Ware, and Eric Hipple in the long line of QB busts in Detroit.

Much has been made of the New England Patriots ability to win three titles in four years during the salary cap era. But after a second straight year of losing key players in the off-season, the Patriots ability to stay on top of the professional football world will be sorely tested in 2006.

Much was made of the decimation of the Patriots defense a year ago. But the current off-season is about to set new lows for a team that had been previously able to keep key talent without having to overpay for their services.

Today, after spending 12 years in New England, Willie McGinest, one of the Patriots premiere linebackers, signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. The signing is believed to be providing the 34-year-old McGinest with $6 million in guarantees and bonuses.

The signing also reunites the linebacker with his former defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel. Now head coach of the Browns, Crennel spent seven seasons coaching McGinest in New England, including four years where Crennel served as defensive coordinator. It was during those four seasons that the Patriots would win their three Super Bowls.

McGinest brings enormous defensive credentials with him to the Browns. The linebacker has 78 career sacks, including six last season, and is the NFL's all-time, post-season sacks leader with 16.

Earlier in the week, the Patriots learned that they had lost the services of starting wide-receiver, David Givens. The Notre Dame graduate had been a key performer for the Patriots in recent years, developing into one of Tom Brady's favorite targets. The former Patriot receiver caught 59 passes for 738 yards last year, good for two touchdowns.

Givens signed a five-year, $24 million deal, with the Tennessee Titans on Monday. Givens is expected to the Titans a much needed veteran in the receiving corps, as the team had only one player on the roster with more than two years experience at that position a year ago.

Givens' deal was also loaded with guaranteed money. According to his agent, Bradley Blank, the Titans deal includes an $8 million signing bonus.

The Pats have also seen three other roster players move on to new teams in the NFL. Outside linebacker Matt Chatham recently agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Jets. Chatham had been more of a specialist for the Pats, playing six seasons primarily on special teams and in a reserve role. The 6 foot-4, 250-pounder hopes to find more playing time, perhaps becoming a regular on a team that struggled a year ago.

Chatham followed two more Tom Brady targets out of Foxboro. Receiver Andre Davis signed with the Bills and tight end Christian Fauria had agreed to terms with the Washington Redskins.

Though contributors to the team, the departure of those three players is thought to have little impact on the roster in the long run, though Davis could have seen more time next season with the departure of Givens.

But one other critical free agent remains for the Patriots, place kicker Adam Vinatieri. The Super Bowl and playoff hero, enormously successful with New England, is seen as perhaps the best clutch kicker in the game today. If the game is on the line, NFL coaches, to a man, say they would want Vinatieri to be the player in the position to take the kick.

Vinatieri is another of the Patriots' unrestricted free agents, but many indicate that with ten years in New England under his belt and his value at gut check time ensures that the Patriots will pony up the money necessary to keep him with the team.

That said, the Patriots earlier elected not to place the team's franchise tag on Vinatieri, leading many to speculate that coach Bill Belichick might also be drawing a line with his kicker as well. But talk in recent days has the team now ready to try and keep him, especially now that the dust has cleared and the Pats know that they will be unable to sign any of the free agents who have already signed elsewhere. Look for the clutch kicker to become the highest paid kicker in football very soon, more than likely resigning with the team he has spent his entire career with.

A year ago, the Pats saw the departure of numerous players and both its offensive and defensive coordinators. This year, they again lost their defensive coordinator and several key players on top of that.

Last year there was no run to the Super Bowl, only a playoff appearance and a second round loss. At this point, one has to wonder if the moves during the 2006 off-season will take such a toll that the Pats find themselves on the outside looking in next year when it comes to the post-season.

One of the most coveted free agents on the market has already found a new home. Quarterback Drew Brees will head down to Louisiana to play for the New Orleans Saints after the San Diego Chargers declined to tag Brees with either the franchise or transition player designations. Brees' deal is reportedly worth $60 million over the course of six years, with a signing bonus of approximately $10 million.

While there's no question that New Orleans desperately needs a new quarterback to replace the ineffective Aaron Brooks, the Brees deal is sure to raise some eyebrows. After all, the Saints own the number two pick in the draft and were pretty much universally expected to use that pick to draft top quarterback prospect Matt Leinart. Instead, the Saints defied all expectations and decided to go with a veteran like Brees.

At first glance, the stats Brees put up as a starter for the Chargers are pretty impressive. He has improved steadily over the course of his five-year career, and has thrown for a total of 12,348 yards and 80 touchdowns versus 53 interceptions thus far. His career passer rating is a respectable -- yet not quite outstanding -- 84.9.

However, when evaluating Brees' past performance and trying to make an accurate assessment of what he can do in the future, you have to take a couple of important factors into consideration. First of all, Brees was surrounded by talent in San Diego. Sure, the Chargers didn't go to the Super Bowl while he was there, and they didn't even make it to the playoffs last year. But the fact remains that their roster is one of the most talented in the league. Among their most notable stars are running back LaDainian Tomlinson and tight end Antonio Gates. Tomlinson was a triple threat that could tear opposing teams up by either running the ball, catching it, or throwing it on trick plays (he has a few touchdown passes to his name). Gates was pretty much the featured receiver in the Chargers' offense, and his ability to get open and make spectacular catches helped boost Brees' yardage and touchdown totals. Both Gates and Tomlinson are multi-time Pro Bowlers.

A second factor that you have to consider when looking at Brees is his shoulder. He sustained a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder in the Chargers' season finale against Denver last season. He had surgery to repair the damage, and has been rehabbing it since late January. Though Brees remains optimistic about being able to recover completely and regain his old form, the Chargers obviously weren't so sure. San Diego General Manager A.J. Smith was quoted as saying that the team had "medical concerns" about Brees, which is one of the reasons that they didn't offer him a longer-term contract in early February.

So the Saints are obviously taking a huge, $60 million gamble on Brees. Not only are they betting that Brees will not feel any ill effects from his injury once the season starts, but they're also betting that he will put up the same kind of numbers that he did in San Diego. But whereas Brees was surrounded by Pro Bowlers on the Chargers (the team sent six players to Honolulu this year), that isn't the case in New Orleans. Running back Deuce McAllister has the potential to be a solid back, but he's not going to be at the same level as Tomlinson. Plus, McAllister is coming off an injury of his own that limited him to five games last season. Wide receivers Joe Horn and Donte' Stallworth are solid, but didn't produce very much last season. If Brees doesn't have anyone to throw the ball to or doesn't have a running game to help open up the field, then he certainly won't be able to put together a decent season even if he fully recovers from his surgery.

Another component to the Brees deal is that the Saints are effectively passing on Matt Leinart in the draft. They will now either trade their second overall pick to another team that is interested in the former Heisman winner, or they will go ahead and use their pick to fill one of their other personnel needs. They probably will get more value out of trading the pick, so look for them to do that. Even so, the Saints will forever be evaluated in terms of how well (or how poorly) Leinart does in the NFL. For example, when the Colts drafted Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf, some people thought they made a huge mistake. But now everyone knows that was the right thing to do. On the other side of the coin, take a look at the 1984 NBA draft and how two teams (the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trailblazers) passed over Michael Jordan, leaving him to fall to the Chicago Bulls with the third overall pick. The Rockets and Trailblazers will probably never live that one down.

In the same manner, if Leinart goes on to have a highly successful career in the NFL, then everyone will talk about the huge mistake the Saints made in not taking a chance on him. However, if Leinart ends up being a mediocre player or a total bust, then obviously people will talk about how the Saints made a great move in signing Brees.

No matter how the Drew Brees deal plays out, the fans in New Orleans (and around the league) are going to have fun watching the drama unfold!

Today was a very busy day for NFL front office staff as several important transactions were announced. These are the types of transitions that effectively alter the landscape and power rankings of the teams involved. So far, however, none of these moves have necessarily been surprises. Then again, the ink is barely dry on the new labor agreement between the owners and the NFL Player's Association. That means there's still plenty of time for even more blockbuster deals to develop and come to light.

The first big trade announced today involved former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper, who was selected in the first round (11th overall) of the 1999 draft that also featured quarterback busts Tim Couch, Akili Smith, and Cade McNown, was sent to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a second round draft pick.

This brings to an end Culpepper's seven mercurial seasons in Minnesota, where he, for the most part, lived up to the high expectations placed on him. He took over the starting job for the Vikings in 2000 and immediately showed that he was likely going to be the most successful of the QB class of 1999. In addition to winning his first seven professional games as a starter, Culpepper threw for a whopping 3,937 yards and 33 touchdowns over the course of the entire season, for an overall passer rating of 98.0. Those totals would make 2000 the second-best year of his career, and convinced Minnesota fans that they had something special on their hands.

The best season of Culpepper's career came in 2004, where he kept pace with eventual NFL MVP Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts throughout much of the year. He completed 379 out of 548 passes for an incredible 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns. One of his more impressive stats of the '04 season was the fact that he only tossed 11 interceptions in 16 games, which translated to a passer rating of 110.9. That fantastic season had Minnesota fans on the edges of their seats waiting to see what Culpepper would bring to the table in the following year.

But the great 2005 season envisioned by fans and players alike never materialized for the Vikings. Instead, the team was rocked by trades, scandals, and injuries that detracted from their play on the field. Of primary importance was the deal that sent wide receiver Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders. Moss is one of the premier receivers in the league and had been a favorite target of Culpepper's throughout his career. In fact, the two players hooked up for a total of 62 touchdowns in the five seasons that they played together, making them one of the most prolific quarterback and wide receiver combos in the league. Analysts figured that Moss' departure would have an impact on Culpepper's passing stats, but the quarterback downplayed any conjecture by saying the Vikings had suitable replacements in receiving duo Marcus Robinson and Nate Burleson.

Next, word leaked out that Minnesota head coach Mike Tice had been reprimanded by the league for violating NFL policies regarding the resale of Super Bowl tickets. Apparently, each coach and player is allotted a certain number of Super Bowl tickets every year that they can use or distribute as they wish, with one exception: they are not allowed to sell them. Well, not only did Tice sell his tickets, but he also tried to profit even more from them by selling them at a price that was higher than their face value! This scandal plagued the team all through training camp and was a very disturbing distraction.

Finally, Vikings' players suffered a lot of injuries in the early going. One of the key injuries was to Burleson, who had quietly emerged as a valuable receiver and kickoff returner at the end of the 2004 season, went down in Week Two with a sprained knee. He would miss the next few games, and when he returned, it was clear that he wasn't 100 percent healthy. His season totals were disappointing, to say the least.

And of course, Culpepper himself suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the team's Week Eight game against the Carolina Panthers. Prior to the injury, Culpepper had been slugging through the hands-down worst season of his career. Coming into the Carolina game, Culpepper had thrown for 1,564 yards and just 6 touchdowns. Making things even more dire was the fact that he had thrown 12 big interceptions up to that point, including his horrible performance against the Bengals in which he was picked off five times.

Culpepper had surgery to repair his knee, and as he rehabbed, and as backup Brad Johnson did a serviceable job in his place, Culpepper didn't do much to try to hide his feelings of discontent toward the team. He felt under-appreciated by Vikings' management, and there were many trade rumors on the table. When the NFL's labor agreement was reached, many people expected Culpepper to be one of the first big names to change teams.

On the surface, the Miami Dolphins seem to be getting a bargain in this trade. They're only giving up a second round draft pick as compensation for a proven quarterback who has been to both the playoffs and the Pro Bowl multiple times in his career. Prior to last season's knee injury, Culpepper was also one of the most durable quarterbacks in the league. Since assuming the starting job in 2000, he missed only 7 games in the next five seasons. There's no question that he will be able to do some things in Miami, and his arrival pretty much makes the Dolphins the favorites to unseat the perennial champions New England Patriots in the AFC East division.

Of course, that's assuming that Culpepper returns from his injury in top form, which is certainly not a given. Some people bounce back from injuries and develop into even better players than they were before they went down. This is due to all the hard work and conditioning they have to put in during rehab, which is often more work than they would ordinarily do. Some players come back and play at the same level. Then there are those that never quite come all the way back. Their playing style becomes tentative because they're afraid of sustaining another, more serious injury. They lose a step. They lose their confidence.

Which kind of player will the post-surgery Culpepper be in Miami? We won't know for sure until the season gets underway. At least for now, however, Miami fans have to like their chances with Culpepper calling the signals next year.

After waiting patiently for the NFL's labor dispute to play out and get resolved, teams and players are now busy with all of the wheeling and dealing that goes along with trying to sign free agents. One of the biggest coups in the early going belongs to the Arizona Cardinals. They managed to greatly improve their offense by getting running back Edgerrin James, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts, to agree to a 4-year contract worth a reported $30 million.

James will be embarking on his 8th season in the NFL next year. He broke into the league as a first-round draft pick (4th overall) in 1999. Since that time, he has consistently ranked among the top running backs in the league. He rushed for 1,506 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, bringing his career totals to 9,226 and 64, respectively. He has averaged over 100 yards per game in three different seasons, and has a career yards-per-game average of 96.1, which, to say the least, is excellent.

According to several of the published reports that hit the Internet the day after James signed, there were two big reasons that the multi-time Pro Bowler decided to give the Cardinals a chance. First of all, he likes the potential he sees with the team. Arizona features former two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner at quarterback and has two of the best wide receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

The Cardinals led the NFL in passing last season by averaging 277.3 yards per game through the air. But that was more out of necessity than anything else. It seemed that if they didn't throw the ball, their offense would never move at all. That's because their running game, which previously featured veteran Marcel Shipp and rookie J.J. Arrington, was dead last in the league with a minuscule average of 71.1 yards per game. So even though the Cardinals were primarily a passing team last season, you can expect a running back like James to get a significant amount of carries in each game next year.

A second reason that James opted to sign with Arizona is the fact that a sizable amount of the total dollar value of his contract is actually guaranteed money. Unlike some other professional sports, football contracts aren't guaranteed from year to year. So just because a player signs a contract for "x" amount of dollars, that doesn't mean he'll receive all that money. Teams and players work around this by loading up on signing bonuses and first-year salary. For example, James' signing bonus with Arizona is reportedly worth more than $11 million.

With James in the backfield next season, the Cardinals will finally have the two-dimensional offense that has been sorely lacking the last couple of seasons. James has 49-career 100-yard rushing games so far, and he's sure to add to that total during his tenure in Arizona. With James presenting a real ground threat, opposing defenses will have to respect his ability and keep guys up on the line of scrimmage. This will open up the rest of the field for Warner, Boldin, and Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald had 10 receiving touchdowns last season while Boldin had 7, and you just know that they have an excellent chance of improving on those numbers now that the Cardinals have a running game.

Of course, the signing of a big-time free agent brings huge expectations. The Cardinals finished with a record of 5-11 last season, which left them in third place in the very weak NFC West division. With the addition of James to the lineup, I predict that the Cardinals will get at least 3 more wins and finish with a record of 8-8. This certainly won't be enough to unseat the Seattle Seahawks, who are the defending conference champs (especially since the Seahawks re-signed reigning NFL MVP Shaun Alexander to a multi-year deal). But the extra wins should be enough to allow the Cardinals to move up a spot and finish ahead of both the St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. Depending on how the rest of the conference plays out, an 8-8 record might even be enough to make it to the postseason with a Wild Card berth.

Now that the seeds for the NCAA Tournament have been announced, the second guessing has begun. Of course, the points of debate depend on who you talk to, but for this amateur, an independent assessment gives the selection committee a strong rating.

But a far from perfect one none-the-less.

First off, the selection committee handled the top four seeds right. Putting Duke at the very top was a no-brainer after the Blue Devils capped a stellar regular season by winning their seventh conference tournament championship in eight years. Other number ones were Connecticut, the only other team to be ranked first in the nation this season besides the Dukies, fellow Big East power Villanova, and Memphis, another team that capped a superb regular season by winning their conference tournament championship.

Two other schools seemingly had a shot at a number one slot going into their respective tourneys. Texas of the Big Twelve and Ohio State in the Big Ten each had the chance to move up and make the number one choices somewhat debatable with wins, but both succumbed in their conference finals.

After that, there has been some cause for criticism, some of it seemingly justified. Tennessee receiving a number two seeding appeared absurd. The Volunteers finished a modest 21-7 overall and lost four of their final six games, including a loss in the SEC tournament to South Carolina.

On the flip side, the committee dropped Boston College a No. 4 seed despite the Eagles taking Duke to the wire in ACC Championship game down on Tobacco Road. As Fox Sports pointed out, the recent coaches' poll has B.C. ranked seventh in the nation. Tennessee, on the other hand, is ranked 19th.

Perhaps as much of a disservice to the Eagles is the fourth seeding and how that plays out within the bracket. Villanova, the top seed, would have to beat B.C. to get to the elite eight, that is of course if both make it to the sweet sixteen.

Yet another surprise had to be the seeding of Gonzaga at number three. Given the team's regular season and tournament performance, the Zags have had a season to remember. But clearly the selection committee thought them overrated, dropping them from a potential number two seed.

In what had to be a great surprise even to Jim Boeheim, Syracuse was given a fifth seed after running the table at the Big East Tournament. The Orange somehow managed to top Cincinnati on a last minute shot, then shock UConn, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh. The loss by Cincy was extremely costly to the Bearcats who in losing were unable to give the Big East nine teams, that despite an 18-12 record against the 7th-toughest schedule in the country.

Critics immediately noted that Indiana was 18-11 against the 19th-toughest schedule in the country. One fewer loss got the Hoosiers a No. 6 seed while Cincinnati headed to the NIT. Ouch.

However, the most surprising omission had to be Missouri State. Now the lesser known Missouri Valley Conference is not exactly the same as the Big Ten or the ACC, yet the conference had four teams make the NCAA tourney, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Wichita State and Bradley. However, Missouri State finished 12-6 in that conference and had an Rating Percentage Index that ranked them 20th nationally. They were the highest RPI team omitted from the Big Dance while, Air Force with a computer-generated RPI ranking of 50, managed to get in.

The Ratings Percentage Index reportedly utilizes a formula that includes the teams' record, the records of its opponents, wins at home are weighed so as to be slightly devalued while wins on the road are weighed so as to be glorious. However, after many experts tried to replicate the NCAA's numbers, the committee appeared to move away from using them this year, especially in the case of Missouri State.

On a high note for a school, UCLA returned to a position of prominence, receiving what is considered the highest of the No. 2 seedings. Most importantly, the Bruins get to play in the Oakland Regional, and can make it all the way to the Final Four without ever having to leave California.

Over all the consensus has been that the Big East was the best conference this year, and the committee responded by handing out eight slots to the Big East. Surprising to many was that the Big Ten got six bids, a clear committee bias that the Big Ten was the second strongest conference this year. The other high profile leagues, the Pacific 10, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast conferences all got four bids, matching that of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Of course, only once we have made it to the sweet sixteen will we know for sure which teams were overrated and which conferences were truly the strongest. But all in all it appears the committee once again did decent work in a thankless job.

And most importantly, they did get the top part right. The only two teams to have been ranked No. 1 this year, Duke and Connecticut, would play for the National Championship, if they both get that far.

There's no question that football has transplanted baseball as America's number one pastime. It seems that fans just can't get enough their favorite sport, both at the college and professional levels. That might be because football seasons are so short compared to other sports. For example, a professional baseball team plays 162 games in a season. Basketball teams play 82. But professional football teams play just 16 games during the regular season. College teams play only 11 or 12, depending on the team's scheduling obligations and whether or not they qualify for a bowl game. That clearly leaves fans wanting more.

So it shouldn't really come as a surprise that an alternative would crop up to give fans something to look forward to during the professional football offseason. I'm talking about the National Indoor Football League.

The National Indoor Football League seems to be equivalent to minor league baseball. There are 28 teams in the league, and they serve cities in smaller markets such as Rapid City (South Dakota), Hammond (Louisiana), and Big Sky (Montana). The regular season runs for 17 weeks beginning in early March and continuing through early July. If you're keeping track, you'll see that this schedule perfectly complements the NFL schedule and gives fans something to do before professional football teams begin their training camps. The NIFL also has a playoff system and a championship game (called the Indoor Bowl).

There are significant differences in the rules of the indoor football league as compared to professional football. One of the most obvious differences is the size of the playing field. Since NIFL games take place in smaller cities, they usually have smaller venues to work with, mostly indoor hockey rinks that have been temporarily converted in order to host the game. As a result, the playing field is only 50 yards long and 28 yards wide. In addition, the end zones are only 8 yards deep. It is also interesting to note that not all fields need to conform precisely to these measurements. The official NIFL rulebook states that exceptions can be made if the venue is simply too small to accommodate a regulation-size field.

Because of the smaller field, teams are only allowed to have 8 players on offense and eight on defense during game play. This is in contrast to the 11 players allowed on each side in the NFL.

Another important difference in the rules is that teams are not allowed to punt in the National Indoor Football League. They still have four downs in which to try to move the ball 10 yards to get a fresh set of downs or score a touchdown or a field goal, but even if it's 4th and long, the team has to attempt a play. This makes sense because of the shorter field, and also serves to keep the game moving along at a fast and exciting pace.

There are many more instances of rule variations. A couple other ones worth noting include the fact that the goal posts are only 9 feet apart, which makes kicking field goals in the National Indoor Football League very difficult. This encourages teams to go for touchdowns more often, once again helping to create more exciting action during the games. Finally, three players on offense are allowed to go in motion before the ball is snapped. This tends to cause more confusion for opposing defenses and makes it more difficult to guard against the upcoming play.

I think this league sounds like a great idea. It not only gives the fans something to look forward to during the offseason, but it also gives players a chance to live out their dreams. I scanned the rosters of some of the teams, expecting to find a lot of recognizable names from guys who didn't quite make it in the NFL. To be perfectly honest, there weren't any names that jumped out at me. The only one I knew right away was Bam Morris, who used to be a fullback in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, and a couple of other teams.

The lack of former NFL players in the indoor football league might be due to the fact that the salaries are so low. I read a newspaper article that says most players make about $300 per game, which certainly won't go a long way towards paying the bills. As a result, almost all of them have regular jobs that they still go to during the week. I think this is actually a great situation for fans. There obviously won't be any huge contract disputes or Terrell Owens-like disputes over money during the season. Instead, fans will know that the players are out there giving it their all because they love the game. They're not after glory, fame, or fortune. In a time when a majority of professional athletes seem to make things all about money, the National Indoor Football League will most likely be viewed by fans as a breath of fresh air.

I have not had a chance to see an NIFL game in person because there aren't any teams in my area. But I've read a lot of positive things about the league, and will definitely try to take in a game whenever the opportunity arises. The league has been moderately successful so far, and is continuing to grow in popularity as more and more fans discover the action. The very first NIFL game was played in 2001, and since that time, the league has added new teams each year. It seems that people really appreciate the idea of being able to take in a semi-professional football game with their families for a fraction of the price that a similar outing for an NFL game would cost.

If you're interested in attending a National Indoor Football League game or even seeing one on TV via a local broadcasting affiliate, then browse through the following list and see if there's a team in a city near you.

Atlantic Conference

North Division: River City Rage (St. Charles, MO), Tennessee River Sharks (East Ridge, TN), Dayton Bulldogs (Dayton, OH), and Cincinnati Marshals (OH).

East Division: Montgomery Maulers (AL), Greensboro Revolution (North Carolina), Fayetteville Guard (North Carolina), and Charleston Sandsharks (South Carolina).

South Division: Osceola Football (FL), Lakeland Thunderbolts (FL), Florida Frenzy (FL), and Palm Beach Phantoms (FL).

Pacific Conference

North Division: Tri-Cities Fever (Pasco, WA), Big Sky Thunder (Bozeman, MT), and Billings Outlaws (MT).

West Division: Wyoming Cavalry (Casper, WY), Rapid City Flying Aces (South Dakota), and Lincoln Capitols (NE).

South Division: Katy Copperheads (TX), Beaumont Drillers (Alexandria, LA), Twin City Gators (Monroe, LA), and Arkansas Stars (Fayetteville, AK).

For the second time this season, the Duke Blue Devils and Boston College Eagles waged a collegiate basketball battle that was all any fan could ask for. And for the second time this season, the Blue Devils topped the Eagles by a scant two points, this time for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.

For Duke, a season ending two game losing streak was quickly laid to rest with their sweep through the tournament. The final tournament victory, 78-76, came over the upstart Eagles, a newcomer to the ACC landscape. The win gave the Blue Devils, now 30-3 on the season, their 16th ACC tournament title all time.

In what can only be categorized as complete domination, seven of those titles have come in the past eight years. As a matter of fact, since the 1998 tournament, Duke is 25-2 in this annual ACC event.

J.J. Redick made yet another case for NCAA player of the year awards with two huge 3-pointers down the stretch. The sharp-shooting guard continuously connected from International waters, displaying both the range and the quick release that pro scouts look for.

Redick also ended three straight possessions early in the second half with three pointers, giving the Dukies a 10-point lead at the time, 57-47. For the game, the jump shooting specialist would notch 26 points, primarily on his 7 for 11 from beyond the arc. His stellar play led to his being named the tournament MVP.

After his Sunday performance, Redick becomes aneven more tantalizing pick in the NBA draft. His clutch play and ability to shoot under pressure should make pro scouts take another look at a player many consider a good collegian but a suspect NBA prospect.

For Boston College it was a disappointing end to their inaugural ACC season. After knocking off perennial power North Carolina in the semifinals, the Eagles were ready to make yet another statement in their rematch with the Blue Devils

Though they would come up short for the second time this season, they battled back from that 57-47 deficit to take actually take a 71-68 lead. Behind All American Craig Smith's 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists BC looked poised to take home the championship trophy. But it was then that Redick stepped up to hit his two clutch threes to give Duke back the lead.

Smith played all 40 minutes and made two clutch free throws late to give BC a chance. But the power forward will long remember a short jumper in the post that fell off the rim in the closing minute.

With the loss, the Eagles dropped to 26-7 for the season. Six of those losses came against ACC foes. In fact, BC got out of the gate slowly in conference play losing their first three conference games. But on Sunday, they showed the nation that they were a legitimate NCAA contender for a berth in the Final Four.

In the ACC finals, it was two college basketball titans, each led by an outstanding coach and a NBA prospect or two, doing battle for all to watch and enjoy. It was a terrific game, a tantalizing warm up for the month of March.

In fact, it would not be surprising to see these two teams doing battle one more time in the NCAA tournament. BC would certainly love to have yet another shot at Redick and the Blue Devils.

It took a few injuries to key players for Ryan Gomes to get a chance to play for the Boston Celtics. But the rookie's superb play has keyed the first winning stretch for the Celtics this year and with it the notion that no matter when the injured players return to full strength Gomes should be a key part of the Celtics' rotation.

On back to back nights this week for the C's, Gomes went for a career high 27 against Washington only to go for a new career high 29 the next night against Philadelphia. Since moving to the starting role, the rookie has averaged 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while shooting the ball at better than 50%. Most importantly for Celtics fans, the team has now won eight of thirteen games since Gomes moved to the starting lineup.

For those who follow the team, the breakout performance has been nothing short of stunning. For the Providence College graduate, the breakout has also served to restore confidence in his game and bring legitimacy to Danny Ainge's claim that he was thrilled to get Gomes with a second round pick in last year's NBA draft.

However, a scant two months ago, back on January sixth to be exact, Gomes would hit rock bottom. That evening, when he showed up at the Boston Garden for a game against the lowly Atlanta hawks, Gomes found that he been made inactive for the game. That had to be a major blow even for a player who had recorded eight consecutive and demoralizing DNPs, coach's decision, the NBA catch phrase the coach deciding not to put a player into a game.

To top it off, the 6-7 forward would remain on the inactive roster for 10 games. When the injuries began, he was reactivated yet he still sat for an additional three more games without ever getting a chance in a game situation.

First a trade with the T-Wolves had cleared some space, and then when both power forward Al Jefferson and center Kendrick Perkins went down with injuries just prior to the All Star break, Gomes was thrust into the starting line up as the team's power forward.

That proved to be the key decision for a player thought to be too small to play that position initially. The team had been trying to teach the youngster the three slot, where his size wouldn't be seen as a disadvantage. Gomes is definitely an undersized 4 by NBA standards, but a couple of undersized power forwards named Barkley and Dantley had proven that if you have the skills, being undersized is not an issue.

And Gomes appears to have the skills. He is quicker than most of the bigger players he goes up against but still is outstanding at sealing off the defender and creating space for his low post moves. His ability to finish with either hand has helped him score against players with more physical talent.

Gomes's quickness was on full display in the Celtics recent win over Philadelphia. His ability to run the floor then seal up in the low post area prior to the defense getting set led to several easy baskets.

But the rookie has also been outstanding on the back boards. Four years of college have taught him well and he is one of the few NBA players who truly understand how to block out during the rebounding action. Unlike many teammates, Gomes will sustain his check outs even when the ball is not in his vicinity. That means his opponent seldom has a chance at a rebound. In addition, rather than physically competing against a larger player when that player has the initial box out, Gomes looks to move to another area of the floor. If the opponent fails to sustain the check out, something that happens frequently, Gomes has a chance to pick up an offensive rebound.

Now that Al Jefferson has returned, Gomes' future is being questioned. But the fact that the Celtics have had the first winning stretch of the season should go a long way towards answering any questions about the rookie's future. And finally Doc Rivers seems to have caught wind of that fact, using Jefferson at the five position at times while Gomes is on the floor.

That of course leaves the Celtics with undersized players at two positions. But thus far, the lack of size has simply been a non-issue. And if Rivers thinks things through, he should be able to find enough minutes for Jefferson and Gomes, even when Kendrick Perkins returns to the lineup.

Now that the team is winning, even against teams that appear playoff bound, Celtic fans are starting to believe the team does have a future. Though Boston appears to have little chance over the final 20 games of the season to sneak into the playoffs, talk around the team is that Celtics could win as many as 45-50 games next season, perhaps even be good enough to win a playoff series if the youngsters continue to develop.

But all that has to wait for right now and in fact it should. Fans should just enjoy the recent success and focus in on the rookie that has proven that Danny Ainge knew what he was talking about back on draft day.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how the sport of professional Supercross has been plagued by injuries in recent years. In that article, I mentioned a couple of riders whose Supercross seasons have ended early -- or never even got started -- due to serious injuries that will keep them sidelined for months. Unfortunately, I'm here to tell you that the sport has been dealt another crushing blow. Last week while practicing on a private track, Team Honda's Ernesto Fonseca crashed and suffered what some published reports are calling a career-ending injury.

There haven't been many details released about Fonseca's injury, which occurred on March 7. Preliminary reports indicated that Fonseca broke his C-7 vertebra and severely bruised his spine in the crash. He was obviously transported to a hospital as quickly as possible, and when doctors examined him, he reportedly had no feeling in his legs. However, the same report said that doctors performed a series of reflex tests on his feet and saw some encouraging signs.

Since news of Fonseca's crash first broke, it seems that everyone involved in the industry, from fans to other riders and team managers, have been waiting breathlessly for any kind of news about Fonseca's condition. While those close to the 24-year-old Costa Rican surely know as much about the situation as possible, the details have understandably been slow in leaking out to the press. A recent release issued by Team Honda said that Fonseca underwent 6 hours of surgery on Thursday, and that doctors were very hopeful about his prognosis.

With spine injuries, it's very difficult for anyone to accurately predict what will happen. We've all heard stories about patients being told they would be in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives who defy all odds and end up walking again at some point. For other people, however, the initial prognosis of permanent paralysis holds true. From the very little bit that I understand about these types of injuries, there's just no way to be 100 percent sure about what will happen until a certain amount of time passes. For Fonseca, that window of time hasn't yet gone by. In a week, a month, or a year, things could look much brighter for him, and that's definitely something that he's holding out for.

Fonseca came to the United States when he was about 12 years old to try to develop his motocross talents by competing in some of the toughest and most prestigious amateur races in the country. His smooth style and natural athleticism attracted notice, and he soon had a couple of sponsorships. He broke into the professional ranks in 1998 at the age of 17, and finished 43rd overall in the outdoor motocross series.

The next season, Fonseca was pitting out of the Yamaha of Troy semi with a factory ride. He proceeded to do something that no one ever did before him, and that no one has done since: he won the first five consecutive Supercross races that he entered as a professional. He ended up winning the 125cc Eastern Region Supercross Championship after winning six out of a total seven events. After a solid outdoor motocross season, Fonseca was named the AMA Rookie of the Year.

In the year 2000, Fonseca had a bit of a tough go at Supercross. His teammate Stephane Roncada was the man to beat that year, and rookie sensation Travis Pastrana was also making some waves in the class. As a result, Fonseca ended up winning only one round of the series, and only made the podium two times in seven events. He finished in fifth place behind eventual champion Roncada, runner-up Brock Sellards, Pastrana, and fourth-place finisher Nick Wey.

The next season, Fonseca was back on his game. Still with Yamaha of Troy, he was now riding a prototype four-stroke motorcycle. Little did anyone know back then that four-strokes would end up taking over the sport in just 5 short years. Fonseca moved over to the West Coast, and ended up blowing away the competition. He won five races in eight rounds to easily take his second 125cc championship in three years. In doing so, he became the first rider to ever win Supercross championships in both the East and West coast series.

From that point, Fonseca moved up to the 250cc class. Since Yamaha of Troy is strictly a 125cc team, Fonseca had to make a switch. Almost all of the factories put in bids for his services, and he ended up choosing American Honda. Although Fonseca hasn't won a 250cc Supercross main event to date, he has delivered solid results throughout his career. He finished in 7th place in Supercross in 2002 and got 4th place in the 125cc MX championships. In 2003, he had an incredible run in Supercross and finished third in the series, just behind heavyweights like Ricky Carmichael and Chad Reed. He moved up to the 250cc class in the outdoor series as well, and took 8th place over there. In 2004, Fonseca raced a limited Supercross series due to injuries, but came back strong for the Nationals and scored 5th overall. In 2005, he showed that he's just as talented outdoors as he is in Supercross by getting a 3rd place overall in the Nationals. He slipped a bit in the Supercross series and finished in 8th.

So that's a quick recap of Fonseca's career by the numbers. But there was so much more to this young man than just race wins and other stats. The first thing that jumps out at me when I review Fonseca's career is the fact that he has only been with two teams the entire time. In an age where riders are likely to change teams every year or two, it's a testament to both Fonseca's skill and sense of loyalty that he stuck with Yamaha of Troy throughout his 125cc days and with American Honda throughout his 250cc career.

Off the track, I have heard nothing but great things about "The Fonz" as well. He always had time to sign an autograph, pose for a photo, shake a hand, or just pass along some kind words. In a time when most professional Supercross and motocross racers want to act like rock stars who just can't be bothered to interact with fans, Fonseca was like a breath of fresh air for the sport.

That Fonseca's career is ending so early is certainly devastating to everyone involved in Supercross and motocross, but the important thing right now is that he make a full recovery. So spare keep Ernie in your thoughts, and let's hope he pulls through this.

By Ed Jennett

This question, and classic song lyric, was on the minds of numerous NHL players who were dealt before the trade deadline on Thursday. Hopefully the players have had enough time to figure out where they are. Here is a breakdown of who is headed to a new locale:

Pittsburgh traded Mark Recchi to Carolina for D Niklas Nordgren, F Krys Kolanos, and a 2007 second round pick -
Despite previously saying that he would not do it, Recchi waived his no trade clause and was dealt to a contender. This is a classy move by the Penguins as Recchi returned to the club to try to help them get back to the glory days of the back to back Cup teams of 1991 and 1992. Recchi will help pick up the slack for inured F Erik Cole, who had scored a career high 60 points in 60 games. The Penguins received very good value for a player who did not want to leave. Earlier this season C Doug Weight also waived his no trade clause to allow the Central Division cellar dwelling St. Louis Blues to the Southeast Division leading Hurricanes.

Philadelphia traded W Niko Dimitrakos to San Jose for a third round pick -
The Flyers are continuing their trend of loading up with forwards for a potential long playoff run. The Sharks are continuing their trend of rebuilding on the fly.

Phoenix traded W Jamie Lundmark to Calgary for a draft pick -
Lundmark has been a bust so far, so Phoenix had to have been happy to get anything for him. Calgary has to be hoping that Lundmark will finally live up to his potential following yet another change of scenery.

Boston traded LW Sergei Samsonov to Edmonton for C Marty Reasoner, C Yan Stastny, and a second round pick -
The Bruins are clueless. They followed up the worse trade of the season (dealing C Joe Thornton to San Jose for the proverbial bag of pucks) with the second worse trade of the season, dealing Samsonov to Edmonton for another proverbial bag of pucks. The Oilers were obviously happy to rip off Boston.

Calgary traded LW Jason Wiemer to New Jersey for a fourth round pick -
Wiemer is a tough player who can protect some of the smaller Devils. Calgary is incredibly deep so the Flames could afford to give up Wiemer for a draft pick.

Florida traded C Petr Taticek to Pittsburgh for D Ric Jackman -
This trade will obviously not have an impact on the playoffs as both teams have no chance of making it to the postseason. They must have felt the need to do something so they wouldn't feel left out.

Los Angeles traded W Yannick Leboux to Phoenix for F Tim Jackson -
Although the Kings should make the playoffs, this is still a minor deal as neither player is expected to do much for his new team.

New York Islanders traded LW Oleg Kvasha to Phoenix for a third round pick -
Kvasha should change his first name to "The Enigmatic." The Coyotes must think they can straighten out Kvasha, but should have held out to give up a lower pick. If Phoenix was really patient the Isles might have just given up Kvasha for advice on renovating their building.

Vancouver traded D Tomas Mojzis and a third round pick to St. Louis for Eric Weinrich - The Canucks loaded up on defense and goaltending to make a run at the Cup. The Blues are a complete mess and will take whatever assets they can get in their attempt to rebuild.

Chicago traded C Tyler Arnason to Ottawa for W Brandon Bochenski -
The Senators wanted C Olli Jokinen but had to move on to a backup plan after he was signed to a four year $21 million contract extension by the Florida Panthers. Switching teams might actually help the talented, but underachieving, Arnason. The Wolves expected him to be one of their best players while the Senators will just want him to contribute. Chicago has to be thrilled to have received a quality prospect in return.

Vancouver traded D Steve McCarthy to Atlanta for a conditional 2007 pick -
The Canucks were desperate to improve their defense, but thought so little of McCarthy that they took whatever they could get for him. Atlanta needed another defenseman after Garnet Exelby was injured the night before.

Detroit traded a fourth round pick in 2007 to Pittsburgh for D Cory Cross -
Nothing surprising here. The Red Wings are acquiring more pieces for a Cup run while the Penguins are acquiring more assets for their no end in sight rebuilding process.

Washington traded D Brendan Witt to Nashville for a first round pick and C Kris Beech -
The rumors that the Capitals would trade Witt began during the 2003-2004 season. Witt eventually even asked to be traded from Washington as the team will clearly not be a contender for a long time. Apparently all the Capitals were waiting for was an insane team to make an unbelievable offer. Enter Nashville. Witt is a good fourth defensemen, he isn't even worth a first round pick, so he certainly isn't worth a first round pick and a formerly well regarded prospect. The Predators must think that the hard hitting defenseman can make an impact in the playoffs. Ironically Beech is one of the prospects that the Capitals sent to the Penguins in the misguided Jaromir Jagr trade a few years ago.

New York Rangers traded a third round pick to Anaheim for Sandis Ozolinsh -
The Rangers think they may be able to make a run at the Cup so they added Ozolinsh to run the power play. Anaheim is rebuilding and was lucky to receive a pick this high for a player just out of substance abuse rehab.

Detroit traded D Jamie Rivers to Phoenix for a seventh round pick in 2007 -
This trade is so unimportant that Rivers is probably the only one that cares.

Anaheim traded D Keith Carney to Vancouver for a draft pick and prospect to be named later -
Anaheim adds more assets for their rebuilding process. The Canucks add a tough playoff tested veteran for their Cup run.

Washington traded LW Jeff Friesen to Anaheim for a second round pick -
This deal is a head scratcher. The Ducks are rebuilding but give up a second round pick for a player who has three goals and seven points in 33 games. Anaheim is clearly desperate for help up front.

Buffalo traded G Mika Noronen to Vancouver for a second round pick -
The Sabres have been looking to deal one of their goaltenders for quite some time but never received a good enough offer. Noronen might be able to beat out G Alex Auld for the starting job in Vancouver.

New Jersey traded D Sean Brown to Vancouver for a fourth round pick -
Brown is mediocre but just has to help hold down the fort until injured defensemen Ed Jovanovski, Mattias Ohlund, and Sami Salo return. The Devils had no use for Brown after acquiring better defensemen in other deals.

New Jersey traded a third round pick to the New York Islanders for D Brad Lukowich -
Lukowich, who won Cups in Dallas and Tampa, will provide grit and veteran leadership. The Isles won't make the playoffs and did right by Lukowich, who was signed to help turn them into a contender this past offseason, in dealing him to a team that would.

Chicago traded D Todd Simpson to Montreal for a sixth round pick -
This trade is so minor that Simpson probably does not even care.

Toronto traded D Ken Klee to New Jersey for RW Aleksander Suglabov -
The Maple Leafs are horrible this season and have no chance of making the playoffs. They wisely have finally started to rebuild. Klee makes the defensive minded Devils deeper.

Montreal traded G Jose Theodore to Colorado for G David Aebischer -
This is by far the most controversial deadline deal. Theodore is a former Hart and Vezina trophy winner, but he lost his starting job to Cristobal Huet. Montreal now has one of the best goaltending duos in the league. Colorado has to be praying that lightning strikes twice. The Avalanche acquired Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy from Montreal and he helped them win two Stanley Cups. If Theodore does not return to his high level of play this will clearly be the worst trade that Colorado GM Pierrre Lacroix has ever made.

New York Islanders traded RW Mark Parrish and D Brent Sopel to Los Angeles for LW Jeff Tambellini and a conditional third round pick -
Parrish was going to leave this offseason as an unrestricted free agent and Sopel has been a bust on Long Island, so the Isles would have probably been happy just getting Tambellini. The gritty Parrish will definitely help the Kings in the playoffs. If Sopel does anything useful it should be considered a bonus.

Columbus traded D Luke Richardson to Toronto for a conditional draft pick -
Just when you thought things were starting to make sense in Toronto. An old team that will not make the playoffs acquiring a 37 year old player is completely ridiculous. The Maple Leafs must want to compete with the Bruins for the unofficial title of most clueless team in the league.

New York Rangers traded LW Ville Nieminen to San Jose for a third round pick -
This trade was brilliant for both teams. The Rangers immediately traded this pick for Ozolinsh. The Sharks added a gritty young player to their rebuilding club.

Minnesota traded G Dwayne Roloson to Edmonton for a conditional first round pick in 2006 -
Roloson was expendable since G Manny Fernandez is capable of being the undisputed number one goalie for the Wild. Edmonton has now made themselves a legitimate Cup contender.

It is very easy today, especially in our politically correct world, to upset people. But a recent gaffe in the Big 12 Conference has led to all kinds of speculation, rumors as to how it might have happened, including suggestions of league favoritism.

The basics of the situation are simple. On Sunday afternoon, after Texas beat Oklahoma 72-48, the Longhorns were handed a prestigious-looking trophy that was hoisted during the traditional mid-court celebration. Unfortunately, the Sunday win simply meant that Texas tied the Kansas Jayhawks for the Big 12 crown.

However, the day before, when Kansas beat Kansas State 66-52 to clinch at least a tie depending on what Texas did Sunday, no such trophy was presented. In fact, no one from the Big 12 office was even on hand to congratulate the Jayhawks.

The snub led to major speculation. After all, the conference is headquartered in Dallas, the very heart of Texas. In addition, those officials reportedly all live in the Dallas area. Therefore the charge came immediately that the Big 12 was portraying a Texas bias.

With those two schools involved in fierce recruiting battles for the top athletic prospects the issue turned to the PR piece. The co-champions from Austin were splashed all over the media, in newspapers and on television, proudly displaying that Big 12 championship trophy. The co-champions from Lawrence not only failed to get the same level of publicity, the school did not even receive a handshake from any one from the conference office.

Kansas coach Bill Self as well as many Jayhawks fans were incensed by the omission and the subsequent publicity that Texas received. A call to the conference headquarters brought an acknowledgment that a mistake had been made. Said that office, we should not recognize teams
until after a championship has been clinched and therefore the trophy should not have gone to Texas to be awarded.

However, true to form in today's world, one Big 12 official immediately blamed the problem on the trophy company in Oklahoma City. That seemed to clash with the fact that Big 12 officials were on hand to present the trophy in Texas.

Ironically, there could be no certainty heading into the final regular-season weekend as to who would win the conference title. In fact, had Kansas State beaten Kansas and Oklahoma then beaten Texas, then the Jayhawks, Sooners and Longhorns all would have tied for the title.

So the fact that people were there to present the award to Texas has to represent one of the bigger mistakes to be made in athletics in recent years. Certainly it was the type of mistake that a big time athletic conference should never have made.

Conference officials had to be enormously embarrassed by their Big Gaffe.

It could become the feel good story of the NBA if it somehow works out. In fact, everyone who knows Vin Baker personally is hoping that he can overcome his off court issues and once again play some solid basketball, this time for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Once an All Star, Baker was one of those athletes who signed a big contract only to respond by putting on weight. The extra pounds led to a decrease in his athleticism and some major confidence issues. That in turn led to his biggest problem, a bout with alcoholism.

Having played college basketball at the University of Hartford, many thought his return to New England to play for the Celtics would be the incentive to key a complete a recovery. Instead, his propensity to drink overcame him as a member of the Celtics as well, leading the team to eventually buy out his contract. The former all star would spend just two years in Boston, playing just 89 games between his alcohol-related suspensions, then his contract buyout.

But with his return to the NBA, the Vin Baker story has a chance to be one for the story books. It could become the ultimate story of recovery after a gifted player became an alcoholic, then denied the bottle was in fact an issue for him. Baker would finally confront his demons and seek treatment, only to suffer a relapse, to now confront his demons once again and somehow return to become a player in the premiere basketball league in the world.

The Clippers don't seem to be in a rush to see what Baker can do. Instead, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, states that Baker is merely insurance in case one of LA's big people gets hurt. Dunleavy, of course, drafted Baker out of college when the LA coach was running the Milwaukee Bucks.

Now 34 years of age, Baker's signing came as a huge surprise to veteran sports writers, especially those that had noted the significant fall from grace that accompanied Baker to Boston. But the former Celtic had spent the previous six weeks working out in Houston under the tutelage of one John Lucas. A former NBA guard and star, Lucas is also a recovering alcoholic.
Baker noted that the lessons Lucas learned on and off the court proved to be an enormous part of the six week process. Baker calls him a father figure, a man who was able to help give Baker advice on dealing with adversity.

The Clippers have been considering Vinnie for quite some time, going as far back as October when Baker was waived by the Houston Rockets. Baker knew he wasn't ready for the rigors of the NBA. In fact, Baker knew initially that he was neither physically nor mentally ready to play.

But after six weeks of work with Lucas, Baker declares that he is ready. He is in better shape physically but his biggest issue will of course be the mental piece. The key question will be his ability to fight off a public perception that sees him as likely to simply regress once again to the throws of his troubling disease, along with perhaps a desire to drink should the going get tough.

For right now, though the story is a positive one. It is a story about recovery and about getting yet another chance at redemption. Those on the inside are rooting for Baker, a person that many call one of the sweetest people on earth, a person said to have a heart of gold and a teammate that everyone enjoys having, even in spite of his alcohol problems.

And with the new look Clippers making some headway in the Western Conference, if somehow Vin Baker could contribute some key minutes during the final months of the season and the playoffs, then his story could actually become one of complete redemption.

If he can somehow fight off the demons then the Baker story could indeed become one for the ages.

After waiting in the wings for six weeks while the West Coast Lites riders did battle, the East Coast Supercross riders have finally gotten their series under way. Three rounds into the eight-round championship, Davi Millsaps of the Factory Honda team has a commanding lead. Millsaps, who was aboard a Suzuki last year, is certainly making an impression on his new bosses at Honda. He has won two of the first three rounds of the series, and finished second in the race he didn't win. As a result, Millsaps has amassed 72 championship points and is in first place atop the standings with a 18 point lead over surprise challenger Christopher Gosselaar of the Pro Circuit Monster Energy Kawasaki team.

Millsaps is no stranger to the top step of the podium. After a disappointing rookie season in 2004 in which Millsaps reached the podium only once (at the Daytona round, which is usually considered more of an outdoor-style track than any other on the Supercross circuit) en route to finishing the series in 9th overall with 66 points, he came back strong last year. In 2005, Millsaps won the opening round of the East Coast series in Indianapolis as well as Round 5 in Orlando. He also finished in second place on three separate occasions, but an uncharacteristic 18th place finish at the Daytona round essentially took him out of the championship hunt, and he ended up third in the series behind eventual winner Grant Langston and runner up Joshua Hansen.

This year is a different story, however. Millsaps seems much more comfortable in Supercross now that he has a couple of seasons under his belt. In addition, it doesn't hurt that preseason favorite Broc Hepler is out of action due to an ankle injury. With Langston moving over to contest the West Coast series this year, that left only Hansen as a serious title contender in the East series. Hansen, who also won two races last season, has had his troubles this year. He came in 4th place at the opening round in St. Louis, which is a respectable finish in and of itself. But in Hansen's case, it was a bit of a disappointment considering he had led the first 10 laps of the 15-lap Main Event before getting passed by Millsaps. Subsequent finishes of 16th and 6th place in the next two races leaves Hansen with just 38 points in the series. He is currently in 6th place overall and doesn't have much time left to chip away at the 34-point lead that Millsaps currently has on him.

There have been a number of surprises in the series so far. First of all, fans are witnessing the rebirth of two careers that seemed all but dead just a year ago. Christopher Gosselaar, as mentioned above, is currently in second place in the point standings after finishing on the podium twice in the first three races. Last year, Gosselaar had all kinds of problems in both Supercross and motocross, leaving him without a team at the beginning of this season. However, due to a couple of injuries on the Pro Circuit team, Gosselaar got another chance to show what he can do. He is obviously making the most of his opportunity, and at the same time is proving that team manager Mitch Payton can still spot talent and get results from riders that everyone else has basically given up on.

Another comeback kid this season has been Yamaha of Troy rider Branden Jesseman. Just three short years ago, it seemed that Jesseman was on top of the Supercross Lites world. He won three rounds in the East Coast series and scored two more podiums en route to winning the championship over Mike Brown and Brock Sellards. But soon thereafter, personal problems took over Jesseman's life and career, and a downward spiral began. He lost his factory ride, wasn't getting the results everyone knew he was capable of, and eventually stepped away from the sport altogether.

But now that his personal issues have been handled and now that he's on a brand-new team, it's clear that Jesseman is riding more like his old self than ever before. After finishing on the podium in the first East Coast race, and then getting a 4th place and a 7th place, Jesseman is currently in 3rd overall in the series, just 2 points behind Gosselaar. This is quite an accomplishment for a young man that everyone was willing to write off as a lost cause one year ago.

A second pleasant surprise in the East Coast series has been the emergence of two riders that hardly anyone ever heard of before: Martin Davalos and Teddy Maier. Davalos hails from Costa Rica, just like current Factory Honda star Ernesto Fonseca. Davalos has been riding and training with Davi Millsaps in Georgia, and things have really been coming together for him. He turned a lot of heads when he scored an 11th place finish in the opening round, and then really made people notice him with a podium finish in round two. He won his heat race ahead of Millsaps last week in Indianapolis, but a couple of problems in the Main Event caused him to finish in 20th place. Nevertheless, he is currently in 9th place overall in the points standings and can quickly move up to a top-5 position with a couple more good finishes. That would be quite an accomplishment for the previously unknown young man.

Maier is another young rider trying to catch the eye of factory team managers. He is currently riding for the Richmond Racing Kawasaki team, but would no doubt love to be pitting out of a big rig next season. Towards that end, Maier is giving it his all in this series. An 8th place finish in the first round, followed by a 7th place and a 15th has Maier in 8th place overall in the points standings. He is making a name for himself by being ranked right near top riders such as Josh Hansen and Sean Hamblin, and ahead of guys like Kelly Smith and Matt Walker. If Maier can keep the results coming in, he'll probably have a few good offers on the table before the next Supercross season starts.

The racing on the East Coast hasn't been as close as it might have been if Broc Hepler were in the mix, but there have still been a few good battles to keep fans entertained. Anything can happen in the Lites class where most of the riders are relatively inexperienced, so keep tuning in to see if the veteran Millsaps can hold on to his lead an score his first professional championship!

By Ed Jennett


Despite a shocking lack of publicity, the trading deadline of the NHL really is just around the corner. Due to the trade deadline being 10 days earlier than in 2004, there are less teams that are sellers and more teams that are buyers because teams now have a little more time to make the playoffs than they usually would. Because of that teams on the bubble are unwilling to have a fire sale because they believe that they still have a chance of making it to the postseason.

One factor that has not been as big an issue as some would think is the new salary cap. Since there is only a quarter of the season remaining, any team acquiring a player would only have to pay the remaining quarter of the salary of that player. This means that even teams with big payrolls can still trade for players that are making a lot of money.

At past deadlines powerhouse teams such as Colorado, Detroit, and New Jersey, and less successful Toronto, were always buyers. The smaller market teams usually wanted to dump salary and became sellers. Because they did not generate as much revenue as the larger market clubs, the small market teams were less likely to be buyers at the deadline even if they had great records. Since there is now a salary cap, the small market teams do not have to worry about their payroll becoming too high. These clubs can now become active buyers if they feel there is a legitimate chance that they can win the Stanley Cup this season.

An example of this was the Southeast Division leading Caroline Hurricanes acquiring C Doug Weight from the cellar dwelling St. Louis Blues of the Central Division. In the past the Blues would have been one of the better teams in the league due to their willingness to have a high payroll. Because the Blues had to stay under the cap they were unable to put together a competitive team this season. This made the decision to trade Weight, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, an easy one for St. Louis. The Hurricanes have always tried to maintain a low payroll, so they were not harmed by the salary cap. Carolina was actually helped. Since they were leading their division the Hurricanes decided to become a buyer and make a run at the Cup this season. Due to the salary cap, Carolina does not have to worry about its salary becoming too high. This made the decision to trade for Weight easy for them.

The Maple Leafs will miss the playoffs this year and will be a seller if they make any trades. Because they are very close to the cap, the Avalanche and the Red Wings are not likely to make any moves. Both teams would also like to protect their future depth. The New Jersey Devils are willing to mortgage their future for a playoff run this year. But the Devils are so close to the cap that it might not be possible for New Jersey to make any beneficial moves because players with high salaries would have to be traded off of the team to make room for the salaries of incoming players.

There is speculation around the league that there will be last minute moves made once GMs have had the chance to watch the last games of their teams before the deadline. So the handful of games after the Olympic break and before the trading deadline will be used to determine what teams will do, and if teams are going to be buyers, what needs must be filled.

Another issue for teams heading up to the deadline is what to do about upcoming free agents. The New York Islanders decided this week to remove forward Shawn Bates from the list for this summer by signing him to a three year contract. All-Star C Olli Jokinen has not been offered a new contract by the Florida Panthers. Florida has also not signed G Roberto Luongo to a long-term deal. With a horrible season and their two best players heading towards free agency, Florida has become the hotbed for trade speculation. Most rumors have Jokinen on his way out of town at the deadline so the Panthers do not lose him as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. It is believed that one of the possible destinations for Jokinen is Ottawa for RW Martin Havlat. Ironically the Senators will be in Florida to face the Panthers on Thursday night. If the trade really happens the players shouldn't have much difficulty reporting to their new clubs in time for the game. The teams could also hold a joint press conference. Although that might be risky as Florida GM Mike Keenan would probably have a hard time resisting the urge to slap the ear to ear smile off the face of Ottawa GM John Muckler.

In a stunning turn of events, the American Motorcyclist Association reversed its penalty against Supercross racer Ricky Carmichael of the Makita Suzuki factory team. Just one week ago, the AMA, which is the sanctioning body of the Amp'd Mobile Supercross Series, determined that Carmichael's fuel from a previous event was found to have a lead content beyond the maximum allowable limit as per the rulebook. As a result, Carmichael was penalized 25 championship points, which put him in a huge hole in the standings.

In the week that followed, Suzuki management and Carmichael himself were very outspoken about the fairness of the rule. They insisted that the team did nothing wrong and that their own sealed samples taken from the same event would prove their point. They lobbied for a change, but the AMA stated that this type of fuel penalty wouldn't be up for appeal. At the riders' press conference after the race in Atlanta on February 25, Carmichael made it clear that he was unhappy and more or less threatened to walk away from the Supercross series if the AMA refused to reevaluate their findings. But series manager Steve Whitelock said that he would stand by the penalty because it was in clear violation of the rules, even if though he felt there wasn't any intent to cheat and that the amount of lead contained in Carmichael's fuel didn't give him a competitive advantage.

A turning point in the strange saga came on February 28 when VP Fuels, a company that supplies race fuels to every major team on the professional Supercross circuit, issued a press release addressing the issue. In the release, VP Fuels said that the AMA's fuel rule is so stringent as to be nearly impossible to adhere to. The problem is not in the fuel itself, but in the storage and handling of the fuel. Apparently, when "good" fuel is stored in containers that was previously used for leaded fuel, there could be some transference of the lead content. In other words, it's conceivable that fuel could leave the VP facility in compliance to the AMA standards, but then become out of spec at some point before it actually reaches a racer's bike.

In addition, the VP press release talked a bit about the origin and intent of the fuel rule. It seems that the rule was initially adopted by the FIM, which is a European sanctioning body similar to the AMA that presides over the World Motocross championships. Because the leaded fuel rule was an FIM invention, it is really geared more towards addressing problems with European fuel than American fuel. I guess there is a significant difference between the lead content of gasoline available at the pump in America versus the gasoline available in Europe. While the FIM rule is easy for European teams to meet consistently, the same thing can't be said for the American teams. And since the AMA adopted the FIM rule without adjusting the lead limits based on American fuel guidelines, the American teams are having problems. At least that's how I understand the situation.

After the VP press release came out, the Carmichael fuel penalty debate raged on. Finally, the AMA caved and said they would consult with the FIM on the rule in general and Carmichael's penalty in particular. Until they came to a decision, the penalty would stand.

Just three days later, on March 3, the AMA and FIM issued a joint press release stating that the AMA would overturn its initial ruling on the Carmichael case and give him his 25 championship points back. The official reason for the reversal was that the AMA and FIM concluded that although the two sanctioning bodies use the same fuel rule limit, they each have different "testing protocols" and that these differences would make "consistent enforcement of the standard difficult." The two sanctioning bodies will continue to work together to try to come to an equitable solution regarding the fuel situation.

However, in another strange turn, Team Suzuki was fined $20,000 for its out-of-spec fuel at the San Diego Supercross.

This last part is what doesn't sit well with me. If the AMA and FIM got together and determined that Carmichael's penalty was wrong, then giving him his 25 points back was absolutely the proper thing to do. But to turn around and hit Team Suzuki with a fine for the same violation doesn't make sense. At first, by restoring Carmichael's points, the AMA seemed to be saying that fuel penalties would be put on hold until the testing procedures could be looked at in depth. In other words, they were saying yes, the fuel was out of spec, but we're going to let it slide because we know we have a questionable testing process. But by giving Team Suzuki a fine, the AMA is somewhat standing by their decision. So basically, instead of backtracking on the rule itself, the AMA is actually just changing the penalty. Instead of points, it's dollars.

This seeming inconsistency as to whether the AMA thinks Team Suzuki broke the rules or not is causing a lot of rancor among other team managers and riders. This is understandable because there is a prestigious championship and lots of money at stake in the series.

Although I don't agree with the AMA's inconsistency, I think they are taking a step in the right direction. The fuel rule is not an important one, and shouldn't be allowed to affect the outcome of the series. It's time to just move on from this issue.

Much has been made of the US PGA Tour changes for 2007. A NASCAR style points chase has been added to the mix and that move has led to the repositioning of several key tournaments in the United States.

Of course, the US Tour is only a part of the global golf initiative. So any changes in America are certain to ripple throughout the other global tours. One of the first to discuss adjustments with their current schedule is the European Tour.

One key issue for Europe is the move of The Players Championship to May. Currently that event is a key component of the early golf season in America, being played in March prior to the first major, the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. However, the revamped PGA schedule pushes the TPC to May at a key juncture for the European schedule.

But an even bigger concern is that the NASCAR style chase finishes with the U.S. Tour's FedEx Cup championship series. Those events are set for August and the world's top players are expected to compete in four straight tournaments during that time frame, culminating with the American Tour Championship.

European tour executive director George O'Grady will have his work cut out for him to keep the European Tour viable. But all officials in the golf world acknowledge that it is important to the global interests in golf that Europe sustain its tour.

But with key players now a part of both tours, the changes could make it difficult for the likes of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Darren Clarke, David Howell and Padraig Harrington to compete in the necessary 11 tournaments to remain a part of the European Tour. And without those big names, the question becomes will the European Tour survive without making adjustments to allow those people the opportunity to compete.

Among the moves being considered is to push the British Masters, an event traditionally held in early May, to September. Moving that event, however, will impact current golf events held in both in late August and early September. Those events are not likely to be pushed back to October because of potential weather issues.

One suggestion, made by south African Ernie Els is to move the current Arab swing, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai, to the end of the calendar year to give Europe a finish to its season that rivals that of the American Tour. Then again, such a move will affect another global tournament, the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.

Clearly, the US PGA Tour restructuring is having an enormous impact on the golf world. And the global nature of golf demands that these other tours and other key world wide events need to reconsider their options so as to draw the better foreign players to their events.

Without some of those big names appearing at least infrequently, the likelihood of those events and tours like the European or Australian continuing is up for serious debate.

The NFL scouting combine is a great place for a relatively unknown or borderline prospect to show off his stuff and get noticed by team representatives. Consistently good performances at the combine can increase a player's value and perhaps help him get drafted a couple of positions higher in April, which can mean the difference of a couple of million dollars in signing bonuses, salary, and other incentives. So obviously, most players take the combine very seriously and do their best to outshine the competition.

While one of the biggest negative-impact stories of this year's combine was Vince Young and his Wonderlic scores, one of the biggest positive-impact stories had to be the performance of former Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler. The 6'4", 230-pound prospect from the town of Santa Claus in Indiana had a solid college career, but didn't generate much national buzz until his senior season. Cutler's stats aren't nearly as impressive as other first-round QB hopefuls like Matt Leinart and Vince Young, but scouts are surely going to take into consideration the fact that Cutler spent four years directing a weak Vanderbilt team with a supporting cast that didn't have nearly the amount of talent that the USC and Texas teams boasted.

Cutler became the starter at Venderbilt in the 2002 season after redshirting his freshman year. He threw for 1,433 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions as Vanderbilt posted a miserable 2-10 season. One of the most impressive things about the young Cutler was his passer rating, which was a healthy 112.44. Cutler improved by leaps and bounds in his sophomore season, throwing for 2,347 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions despite Vanderbilt's second 2-10 season in a row with Cutler at the helm. By the time Cutler ended his senior year in 2005, he was making opposing teams take notice of him. He threw for 3,073 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on the season, which converted to a passer rating of 126.07. He was listed as the 17th most productive passer in the country, just ahead of Rose Bowl MVP Vince Young. After Cutler performed well in the Senior Bowl, his status as a first-round draft pick was pretty much cemented.

After doing so well at the NFL scouting combine, some people have begun to say that it's possible for Cutler to go higher than Young in the draft. However, when you take a look at mock draft boards, you can see that there's really place for Cutler to move up to. He has been projected as the number 10 pick, which belongs to the Arizona Cardinals. Young is still projected as the number 3 pick of the Tennessee Titans on most mock drafts. First of all, I don't think Young's stock will slide as much as people think it might. There's still well over a month between now and Draft Day, which will give Young and his agent time to put the Wonderlic thing to rest and bring the focus back to Young's football abilities.

So assuming that Young still goes at number 3, there are not a lot of teams between that pick and the 10th pick of the Cardinals that need a quarterback. One possibility would be the New York Jets at number 4, but that team has numerous other pressing needs and isn't likely to pass up the chance to select the top offensive lineman prospect in the country in D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Another possibility for Cutler would be at the number 9 spot with the Detroit Lions. The Lions of course have Joey Harrington, a former first round draft pick (third overall) on their roster. Harrington is by all accounts a bust. Nevertheless, the Lions don't seem to be in any hurry to roll the dice on another first round QB so soon after that debacle. As a result, Cutler will probably still go at the 10th spot, which is right where he was projected to be even before the scouting combine.

I think this is a great position for both sides to be in. The Cardinals obviously have a need at quarterback. Sometime-starter Josh McCown has left to test the waters in free agency, which means that the Cardinals will be relying on the arm of soon-to-be 35-year-old veteran Kurt Warner. Warner still has some good playing time left in him, but is clearly too old to be a long-term solution for Arizona.

By adding Cutler to the mix while Warner is still capable of starting week in and week out, the Cardinals will relieve some of the pressure that first-round draft picks generally feel when they break into the league. There will be no immediacy to the quarterback situation in Arizona (unless Warner gets injured), so the team will be able to bring Cutler along slowly. Cutler will have an opportunity to learn from a former NFL and Super Bowl MVP in a setting where both the team and the fans are bound of have pretty low expectations for at least the first couple of years. This will give Cutler a chance to develop at a speed that he is comfortable with, and will increase his odds of succeeding as a professional quarterback.

Cutler definitely exited the NFL scouting combine with a lot of hype surrounding his abilities. But in the long run, I don't think this hype will help him get selected any higher than 10th in the draft, which means he'll be in an Arizona Cardinals uniform next season.

Written by James Fohl

The Upcoming Baseball Season Is Making Baseball Fanatics Jump For Joy After A Long Winter

After a long winter season, the month of March is finally here, and to me that only means one big thing; that the Major League Baseball season is about to start. It has been about five or so months since I have last watched a great baseball game, and let me tell you that I have pretty much been counting down the days for the season to start since after Christmas.

The Major League Baseball Season Starts In April, Spring Training Starts Now

Spring training is in full swing, and much to my surprise a few of these game are being played on the local sports television station. Not only that, but the radio sport talk shows that I occasionally listen to are switching from talking about football and hockey, and are finally starting to talk about the upcoming baseball season. Yeah, it really feels good to know that winter is almost over, and soon enough I will be able to sit down after a hard day and watch my favorite baseball teams play.

I am really looking forward to this upcoming season for a long list of reasons. I'm a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, and well it has been a long time since I have been excited for a baseball season to start.

First off, the 2006 Major League Baseball All Star game is going to be played in Pittsburgh. Even though that is going to raise ticket prices, I am still excited, simply because its the whole All Star game, and it is going to be played in my home town.

After Thirteen Losing Seasons, The Pittsburgh Pirates May Just Have A Chance

Next reason I am excited for the 2006 season to start is the fact that this year the Pittsburgh Pirates actually have a chance of not being the last place team in their division. I guess it is bad that the Pittsburgh Pirates have not made the playoffs since 1992, but it is really bad that they have placed pretty much dead last in the past decade.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a fighting chance this season, not only because they have hired a slew of new players, but because they also actually have a good manager this year. If you were not aware, the Pirates hired former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Jim Tracy. Jim Tracy spent the last five or so years in Los Angeles helping the Dodgers make it to the post season, and now he's hoping that he will be able to pull off the same accomplishments for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Steroid Issue And Of Course The Barry Bonds Factor

I am also excited about what else is going to happen this Major League Baseball season. I have all kinds of concerns and questions regarding the whole steroids issue in baseball, and I guess you can also say that I am concerned whether or not Barry Bonds is going to break the home run record.

Now I do not really have anything against Barry Bonds, I just find it very funny that once the Major League Baseball organization decided it was going to start cracking down on steroid users, Barry Bonds decided that he was going to take most of the season off because of his knee injuries. That is just one of many reasons that a lot of people (including me) will not recognize his records, if he does manage to beat the home run record.

The 2006 Major League Baseball season seems to be gaining a lot of attention to me for a wide variety of reasons. I have not been this excited for a baseball season to start since I was a kid, and I really hope that I am not let down. To say that I am excited for my hometown baseball team this year would be an understatement. I am really excited, because it has been a long time since I have been able to really be excited for my hometown baseball team. Not only that, but since the Major League Baseball All Star game is being played in my home town really gets me ready for the upcoming baseball season.

With many concerned that colleges are more interested in athletes that can perform athletically without regard to academics, the NCAA is continuing to put pressure on member schools that fail to keep the word student prominently placed in the phrase student-athlete.

Under new NCAA academic measures that focus on the true mission of college, the field of academics, as many as 99 teams at 65 different schools failed to meet basic expectations. Those schools could begin losing scholarships as early next fall, with a maximum penalty of 10% of the school's offered scholarships. That number seems generous, in particular because basketball teams could forfeit only two total scholarships. But schools will not be able to replace a lost scholarship if an academically ineligible athlete simply left the school.

The measure is formally known as the Academic Progress Rate (APR). The scores focuses upon a school's ability to retain eligible athletes semester to semester. A cutline of 925, equating to a 60 percent graduation rate, put schools at risk to lose scholarships.

Not too surprisingly, the worst performances were put up by football programs. In addition, two higher profile mens sports followed football, those being baseball and basketball. Though women's teams were a significant minority, nine women's programs were to be penalized.

Forty-three football programs fell below the cutline nationally leading to 23 schools being sanctioned. Baseball was a close second - 40 teams missed the cutline and 21 faced penalties. Falling an equal distance behind, men's basketball was third - 37 teams failed to make the NCAA marks and 17 received sanctions.

Baseball's issues surprised many, but that sport sees numerous players leave school early every year. Many are drafted into the professional leagues and choose to sign prior to completing their academic degrees.

While many received penalties, the NCAA also promoted the positive side. The organization released a list of schools that consistently outperformed the academic cutlines. Among those to receive recognition were Ivy League schools, Brown, Harvard, and Yale. Also being recognized were the three military academies, national football power Notre Dame, and William and Mary. NCAA officials reported that they had temporarily made statistical adjustments for squad size.

That adjustment, set to eventually be phased out, proved to be a part of the significant improvement over last year. At that time, it appeared that as many as 6 percent of schools would be sanctioned. Instead, less than 2 percent of all collegiate teams received penalties for their academic performance.

One other critical issue is to allow for college athletes who do leave to turn pro. To keep that factor in line, student athletes must be on par to graduate and in good academic standing when they leave to go pro or it will result in a detrimental score for the school.

Sacramento State in California proved to be the worst performer as far as total teams go. The school had the most teams affected at six. Under the sanctions, the school could face the loss of as many five athletes and 2.3 scholarships.

Prairie View A&M, in Texas, had fewer teams but was among the hardest sanctioned schools. Under the penalty format, the school could lose nearly 10 athletes in five sports and approximately eight scholarships. The school will be penalized 5.3 scholarships for football alone.

Among the loss of players, ten schools could lose more than 17 athletes in football.

The six premiere power conferences nationally faired very well over all. Only seven schools combined were sanctioned in the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Southeastern and Pac-10 Conferences. Four of those schools, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas, all of the Big 12, and Tennessee of the SEC failed to meet the required scores in baseball. West Virginia of the Big East was penalized in men's wrestling and Mississippi of the SEC was sanctioned in men's indoor track.

Only one school received sanctions in the top two sports nationally, football and basketball. DePaul, now in the Big East Conference will likely lose one scholarship in men's basketball.

As has been the case with many requirements, there is some concern that historically black colleges and universities were disproportionately affected by the implementation of the new criteria. For years, many have spoken out regarding the minimum SAT score concept stating that the SAT was culturally biased in a negative way for black athletes.

The NCAA plans for even harsher penalties in the future. Beginning with the next school year, the NCAA will begin sending out warning letters to those schools that have consistently faired poorly in academics. By 2007-08, those schools will also face the loss of scholarships and by 2008-09 could receive penalties that include a ban from post-season tournaments.

Every year, fans can count on the NFL scouting combine to provide some drama and intrigue prior to the April draft. The scouting combine is an invitation-only event that gives NFL teams a chance to evaluate players one last time before the draft in a variety of areas, including position-specific drills, the 40-yard dash, bench press, agility tests, personal interviews, and even an intelligence test. It seems that at least one of the invited players does something to either make his stock soar through the roof or hit rock bottom.

This year, of course, one of the biggest stories coming out of the scouting combine was the purported Wonderlic test score of former Texas Longhorns quarterback Vince Young. The Wonderlic test is a standardized intelligence test administered all attendees at the NFL combine in order to help teams determine, to a certain extent, the players' ability to adapt to and learn a typical professional football team playbook, read and analyze offensive and defensive schemes, and generally adjust to playing conditions on the field. Though Wonderlic test scores are supposed to be confidential, members of the media routinely get their hands on the scores of some of the highest-profile players. Getting back to Vince Young, for example, it was leaked last week that he scored a 6 on the Wonderlic. For the sake of comparison, people of average intelligence (that is, with an IQ of 100) are expected to score a 20 on the test.

Surprisingly, neither Young nor his agent responded to the alleged score for several days after the story broke on the national stage. In fact, when I was reading different accounts on sports websites, the only reaction I saw from someone remotely associated with Young's camp came from Texas head coach Mack Brown, who was indignant at the manner in which the score was leaked and at the assumptions that were subsequently made about Young's intelligence because of the score. Still other sources said there were administrative errors made on Young's first attempt at the test, and that the young quarterback prospect took the test a second time and scored a 16.

Because of all the hoopla surrounding Young's Wonderlic scores, a number of websites started posting sample questions from past Wonderlic tests. I took a look at a few of the questions, and can say that some of them are very simple (what's the ninth month of the year) while others involve rather complicated mathematical processes. I'm not sure how hard it would be to get an average score on the test; all I can say with certainty is that none of the questions were directly related to football.

That brings me to the following question: Is Vince Young still a top-3 pick along with Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart despite his Wonderlic score (whether it's a 6 or 16)? In other words, does an intelligence test really indicate what a football player would be able to accomplish on the field? For what it's worth, I haven't been able to find a published account of Bush's Wonderlic score, but it is rumored that Leinart scored a 35.

I think the answer is that yes, Vince Young ought to still be considered a top prospect going into April's draft. If you think back to your standardized test-taking days in high school or college, you know that any number of factors can combine to affect your scores. For example, some people just might not be good test-takers regardless of the subject, or you just might be having a bad day or whatever. Even the NFL scouts admit that the Wonderlic scores are simply a small part of the entire evaluation process. In other words, Vince Young's value to prospective teams is what he can do on the field, not what he can do on a 12-minute intelligence test.

Prior to the combine, most mock drafts projected Young to be the third pick overall, meaning he would play for the Tennessee Titans. I think the Titans are in kind of a tough spot now. Because of the national coverage that Young's Wonderlic scores received, selecting him with the third pick isn't as straightforward a deal as it was a week ago. Now, if the Titans go ahead and pick Young and he turns out to be a bust, team officials will be blasted for not heeding the Wonderlic scores. There will be lots of "I told you so" statements flying around, and you can bet someone will get fired because of it.

On the other hand, if the Titans decide to skip Young and draft someone else only to see Young tear up the league en route to several Super Bowl championships and a place in the Hall of Fame, then the Titans' management will be blasted for putting too much weight on an insignificant test. As you can see, this is probably not the kind of quandary the Titans expected when they secured the third pick last season.

If I were part of the Titans' management team, I would be all for giving Young a chance. He had an outstanding college career, and though his unorthodox throwing mechanics leave a bit to be desired, I think he has the potential to do pretty well in the NFL. I don't think he'll be nearly as dominant as he was in college, simply because the NFL has turned into such a passing league. But I think he can eventually be a competent starter, and that's what the Titans need.

There's an old saying that applies to most of the major team sports that we see: defense wins championships. I've heard broadcasters and analysts spout that line in respect to football, basketball, hockey, and even baseball. I can see the validity of the sentiment for each of those sports. When you look at the current and past champions, strong defenses are a common thread.

But when it comes to college football, I'm not so sure that this one-liner is as appropriate. After all, The USC Trojans won a couple of National Championships without having a strong defense. More recently the Texas Longhorns won the national title and the Rose Bowl despite giving up 38 points to the aforementioned Trojans. That brings me to my question: when it comes to college football, is it better to have a high-powered offense that can score at will or a stingy defense that can come up with a huge stop when necessary?

I'm trying to think back to the last time that a dominating defense helped a team win the national championship in college ball. I can't really come up with any off the top of my head, although I believe the Nebraska Cornhuskers squads that won back-to-back titles in 1994 and '95 had pretty strong defenses. Overall, I would say that explosive offenses help college teams win more than stingy defenses do. Let's take a look at some stats.

In 2005, the Alabama Crimson Tide had the best defense in the country -- at least according to the numbers. The Tide gave up only 248.4 yards per game and opponents were able to score a miniscule 10.7 points per game against them. If you ask me, 10.7 points per game is practically equivalent to a shutout when talking about college football! However, Alabama still managed to lose two games during the season (16-13 to LSU and 28-18 to Auburn) to finish with a record of 9-2. That mark left Alabama with a #8 national ranking, but it wasn't good enough to win the SEC conference. This might be due to the fact that the Alabama offense managed to score only 22.7 points per game, which ranked near the bottom quarter of teams in the country. We're talking San Jose State, Florida International, and Central Michigan territory here.

You have to believe that if the Tide had a little more firepower on offense, they would have had a shot at overcoming the three point deficit in that LSU game. And who knows what might have happened in the Auburn game if 'Bama had been able to stretch the field a couple of time with some long passes. Another win and the Tide would have been in the SEC title hunt and would have finished a couple of spots higher in the national rankings.

On the other side of the coin, let's take a look at a team that was pretty much all offense. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish boasted a very strong offense that ranked sixth in the nation at the end of the year. The Irish put up an average of 489.1 yards of total offense per game, and scored an average of 38.2 points per game. It was a rare game indeed when quarterback Brady Quinn didn't top the 300-yard plateau. He even posted a couple of 400-yard efforts (487 yards against Michigan State in overtime and 467 yards against the Brigham Young University Cougars). When teams took on Notre Dame, they knew they would be facing an aerial assault all game long.

However, the Irish lost three games last year, two in the regular season plus their bowl game against Ohio State. In those three losses, their opponents were able to exploit the weak defense and put lots of yards on the board. Just look at the mind-boggling total of 617 total yards that the Buckeyes racked up at the Fiesta Bowl. The Irish defense was the team's Achilles heel all season long, and took the brunt of the criticism for all three losses.

Remember the USC game? Quinn and the offense did everything in their power to give Notre Dame a chance to win. But the defense basically folded in the final two minutes of play, allowing the Trojans to march 76 yards down the field for the game-winning touchdown. That final drive featured memorable miscues by the Irish D, including giving up a huge 61-yard pass play from Matt Leinart to Dwayne Jarrett on 4th down. Then the defense couldn't make a goal line stand, and Leinart sealed the victory for USC.

Just as Alabama would have benefited from a couple of extra touchdowns or field goals in their close losses, the Fighting Irish faithful would be singing a different tune right now if their team had been able to provide better pass coverage. If the Jarrett completion had just gone for 10 yards instead of 61 for example, or if the pass had been knocked away altogether, the outcome would have been different. For the Irish, last season made it clear that they won't win on the arm of Brady Quinn alone.

The Texas Longhorns provided the best balance of offense and defense last season, so I guess it's not surprising that they won the National Championship. The Longhorns had the most potent offense in the country, averaging a whopping 50.9 points per game and putting up 508.4 yards of total offense every week. In addition to these great numbers, the defense also did their part, holding opponents to just 280.6 yards per game and 14.6 points per game. This allowed the Longhorns to beat teams by huge margins. Consider their Week One 60-3 win over Louisiana Lafayette, their 62-0 win over Baylor, their 66-14 win over Kansas, and their 70-3 trouncing of Colorado. The closest a competitor ever came to Texas was within 3 points. This happened twice, when Ohio State lost by a score of 25-22 and when the Trojans came up short in the Rose Bowl.

Despite the low scores yielded by the Texas defense, I don't think they really relied on this defense to win the championship. After all, when you take into account the quality of their opponents, you can see that not many teams were a legitimate threat to run up the score against the Longhorns. Besides USC and Ohio State, Texas only played two other ranked teams: #24 Colorado and #10 Texas Tech. I would say that holding Texas Tech to just 17 points was an incredible feat, since that team ranked fourth in the nation in scoring with a very healthy average of 42.1 points per game. When it comes right down to it, I'd take the Texas defense over USC, Notre Dame, Fresno State, or any other squad on a purely offensive-minded team any day.

Overall, I think the trend in today's college football landscape is to focus on a high-powered offense. I guess the philosophy here is that as long as you can outgun your opponents, you'll be in good shape. This strategy usually works during the regular season, and especially in non-conference games where strong teams like Texas, USC, and Notre Dame are matched up against much weaker opponents. But it really does make for some close calls along the way in conference games, and eventually, not having a strong defense will come back to bite teams when they can least afford it. Just ask Notre Dame and USC.

I will say this, though: the focus on offense in college football makes for some great shows for the fans. I don't know about you, but I love watching teams lay wood to their opponents by scoring nearly every time they touch the ball. Now if some of those teams could just add a little bit of defense, the national title chase would be a lot more exciting.

It seems that professional sports seasons get longer and longer each year. What with exhibition games, the Olympics, and other special events, the there just isn't much of a break anymore. Take baseball, for instance. It feels like it has only been a few months since the White Sox swept the Houston Astros to win the World Series. Ordinarily, we would only be hearing a bit of news about spring training right now. This year, however, marks the inaugural entry of the World Baseball Classic into the offseason schedule.

In case you haven't heard, the World Baseball Classic is a tournament made up of 16 teams from 16 different countries around the world. The teams are initially divided into four separate pools and will play a round-robin style tournament for the first round. The two teams with the best record from each of these pools will advance to the second round. The second round will consist of two separate pools of four teams each. Another round-robin tournament will take place, and then the two top teams from each pool will advance to the semi-finals. For the semi-finals, the tournament switches to a single-elimination format, with the winners going on to the single-elimination finals. So essentially, the 16 teams will first get whittled down to 8, then to four, then to two, and then to the champion. All in all, there will be 39 World Baseball Classic games played from March 3 to March 20.

The action got underway in Pool A on Friday with two games taking place in East Asia. The first game pitted Korea against Chinese Taipei, while the second game featured a matchup between Japan and China. Both games took place in the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

The Korean team prevailed by a score of 2-0 over Chinese Taipei, thanks in large part to the contingent of Major League pitchers on the squad. Chan Ho Park, Byung-Hyun Kim, Jae Sao, and Dae-Sung Koo all saw action in the game and combined for the shutout.

Later in the evening, the Japanese national team took on the Chinese team. The Japan team features a very strong lineup of both Major League and Nippon Professional Baseball players, and that was evident in the final score of 18-2. Japan got on the board first in the top of the 2nd inning (China was the home team despite the fact that the game was being played in Japan) thanks to an error, a wild pitch, and a groundout by Seattle Mariners' right fielder Ichiro Suzuki. Japan added another run in the top of the 3rd inning before China tied the score up at two all by scoring a couple of runs in their half of the 4th.

But then Japan broke the game wide open by scoring multiple runs in the next four innings. Powered by three homeruns from players like Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Kosuke Fukudome, and Hitoshi Tamura, the Japanese team put up an impressive total of 18 runs in 8 innings. When the Chinese team failed to score at least 6 runs in their half of the 8th inning, the 10-run mercy rule (similar to what you might find in Little League play) was invoked and the game was called.

The United States team will play its first game on Tuesday March 7 when they take on the Mexican team at Chase Field (home to the Arizona Diamondbacks). Despite the fact that many managers have asked their star players not to participate in the World Baseball Classic in order to avoid any untimely injuries, the American roster is full of great talent. Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Derrek Lee, Chipper Jones, Huston Street, Roger Clemens, Dontrelle Willis, Jake Peavy, and Johnny Damon are just some of the guys that are expected to make appearances during the tournament. This of course gives the United States an excellent chance of winning, though they will face some very stiff competition along the way, most notably from Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Japan.

The list of teams participating in the first World Baseball Classic include the following: China, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Japan, Canada, Mexico, the United States, South Africa, Cuba, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Australia, Italy, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.

Though Manny Ramirez had requested a trade during the winter months and suggested that he might not report to spring training if his request was not honored, the Boston Red Sox superstar arrived Wednesday at the Red Sox spring training facility declaring himself ready to play for the Bean town boys.

But his reporting was a full six days after the team's first full-squad workout and a day after the Major League Baseball mandatory reporting date, even if Ramirez did meet the stipulations of Red Sox management by reporting March 1st.

At Manny's request, management allowed the slugger an extra week to continue working out near his Miami home before reporting to camp.The flaky leftfielder has been a challenge for Red Sox management off the field, but the hitter has always produced between the lines, especially offensively.

Ramirez immediately indicated that he wouldn't be joining the Dominican Republic's team in the World Baseball Classic on Thursday. Sportswriters had speculated that Manny's stay at spring training would be brief as he was a likely participant in the WBC. Instead, Ramirez will spend the month of March practicing and playing with Boston.

And amidst questions regarding his views about playing for the Red Sox after their failure to complete his trade request, Ramirez spoke positively of Boston. He also insisted he would be ready to play on opening day, doing what he does best: hitting a baseball and driving in runs.

Club officials noted that Ramirez appears to have reported in tremendous shape. The slugger spoke of his workout regimen that included a lot of agility work.

Ramirez has had a long history of hamstring problems over his major league career. Still, Ramirez is coming off a season in which he hit .292, smacked 45 home runs and drove in 144 runs for the Sox.

As a fan of professional sports, the antics of millionaire athletes never cease to amaze me. It seems that I can't get through a single airing of SportsCenter or any other sports-based news program without being treated to some feud or other between teammates, former teammates, or players and coaches. If you want a couple of recent examples, just think back to the whole Terrell Owens, Andy Reid, and Philadelphia Eagles ordeal that plagued that organization last season. For a more current example, you need only read up about the name-calling between ex-White Sox veteran Frank Thomas and current General Manager Kenny Williams.

While some fans might consider these feuds to be entertaining or interesting, I think they're very destructive to team morale. Not only are these types of stories always making headlines in the newspapers and magazines, but they also tend to slowly involve other players on the team. That's because reporters can't seem to refrain from asking other players and coaches what they think about so-and-so's ongoing feud.

Think back to the Owens saga once again. How many other Eagles players were asked to comment on that situation? When it happens often enough, an off-field situation can take over and define the team's entire season. Therefore, was anyone really surprised to see the Eagles go 6-10 and finish in last place in the NFC East? I think that would have happened even if quarterback Donovan McNabb's season hadn't ended early due to injury. From the moment Owens had trouble in training camp and was filmed shooting hoops at his home instead of working out with his teammates, the Eagles' season was doomed.

That's because unity is such a huge part of team sports. I firmly believe that no matter how talented the individuals on a team are, they won't experience success unless (or until) they learn to play together. And on the flipside of that statement, I think that teams made up of less talented individuals (the underdogs) can often come through when least expected provided that they have learned to play together as a single unit.

The 1987 Minnesota Twins provide a good example of that last principle. In that year, the Twins finished the regular season with a pretty average record of 85-77 to win the AL West and advance to the playoffs. Just to give you an idea of how that 85-77 record compares to other teams, the Detroit Tigers won the AL East with a record of 98-64, the St. Louis Cardinals won the NL East with a record of 95-67, and the San Francisco Giants won the NL West with a record of 90-72. This was way before the Wild Card system was implemented in baseball, so obviously if the Twins had been playing in any other division, they wouldn't have advanced to the postseason.

The Twins, made up of a few marquee players like Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbeck, and Bert Blyleven, but consisting mostly of names that not many of today's fans would recognize, were able to turn their great team chemistry and unity into a World Series championship by completing a memorable run through the playoffs. They ended by defeating a St. Louis Cardinals team featuring Ozzie Smith, Jack Clark, Tony Pena, Willie McGee, John Tudor, and Vince Coleman by a score of 10-6 in Game 7 of that exciting series. By doing so, the Twins earned the dubious distinction of becoming the World Series Champion with the worst regular-season win percentage (.524) as well as the champion with the worst win percentage on the road during the regular season (.358).

Another example of how team unity is often more important than sheer talent alone can be found by examining the gold medal-winning efforts of the U.S. men's hockey team in the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. Back then, the United States was committed to using only amateur players in the Olympics, while other countries routinely sent professionals. This was definitely the case with hockey. Coach Herb Brooks selected a team of the best college hockey players in the country, and was determined to take them all the way to gold.

In a stark contrast to how the recent Turin Olympics unfolded, the U.S. team of 1980 had more than a year to practice together and get to know each other. During the course of that year, the players learned each other's strengths and weaknesses and developed their trust in each other. These factors would be important in order to have any chance at winning the gold.

When most people think back to the 1980 Olympics and U.S. hockey, the phrase "Miracle on Ice" immediately comes to mind. What a lot of people don't realize, however, is that the "miraculous" win over the superpower Soviet team comprised of professionals was not actually the gold medal game. That win just helped the American cause by paving the way for the final win against Finland. Regardless, the lesson that team unity is often more important than sheer talent was clearly displayed at the 1980 Olympics.

As you can see, team unity is something that shouldn't be underestimated when calculating an organization's chances at winning a championship. If you want to gauge how well your favorite team can be expected to do during the regular season and playoffs, just take a look at how well they get along together both on and off the field. Oftentimes, you'll get your answer right there.