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Once, when we lived in Georgia, we went to an arena football game. I was a little skeptical from the beginning. I mean, after all, football is the most amazing sport on the planet. I love the game, in all its glory, and I found it hard to imagine how the game would look when played indoors with slightly different rules.

I did not leave the game thoroughly impressed. I remember telling my husband, who was then my boyfriend, that I considered it an interesting alternative that could be fun during the off-season. It would never gain the popularity of a regular football team, however.

Well, last year I had a sad awakening when I went to a Cincinnati Bengals game with my son. He was too young to enjoy it. Indeed, we ended up leaving before the game was over because he cried every time the crowd cheered. On his behalf, it was not because he did not like the game that he cried. He could not handle the crowds and the loud noises.

So now I find myself considering going to see our local arena football team. I think that I can use the experience to introduce my son to the world of football in a less frenzied atmosphere. I have discovered, and ultimately conceded, that arena football does have a fair contingent of fans. It is just that I now know that they are different from the fans at your typical NCAA or NFL team.

I noticed when we are there, and have confirmed it since, that many of the fans at arena football games are not your average football fans. Instead they are women who do not like football, and they are children who cannot deal with major games. These people can compromise with their family members, as is the case with many of the women. I think that arena football may be more appealing to many women because it is not as intensely competitive. I have noticed in general that many women do not like how competitive football is, which I do not understand. Still that makes arena football more appealing.

At the other end of the spectrum, arena football is something that the football lover in a relationship can do. While it is not a substitute for the real thing, it can be fun. If you love football and want your girlfriend or wife in on the love, then you can think about trying out an arena football game. The game seems easier to understand, though I could not tell you why. If you have visions of getting your partner to enjoy football, too, then an arena game may be just the place to teach the rules.

Also, and I say this with no disrespect to the arena football players out there, the game does not have the rapid and lifelong fans that other football teams have. That means that your partner, who may not be interested in that crazy aspect of the game, can learn to love the game in a more supportive atmosphere. Because there will be mostly fans for the home team, you will not have to worry about heckling and the other problems that go with football.

For us, I think that my son can learn to appreciate live games better with this more relaxed environment. It is very much about entertainment between quarters and even between plays, which makes it easier to keep children paying attention. I am hoping to teach my son all about the game at these games.

Plus there is something wonderful about supporting a small team in your community. It is kind of like AA baseball. You can learn to enjoy the game and the players without the distractions of the big-money version of the game. That is because the players are not there for the money although the promise of it should they reach the next level is appealing. They are there to hone their talents and to show that they work hard. That makes the game more pure, and it makes the fans a bigger part of the experience.

So the next time you are looking for something to do, consider arena football.

By Julia Mercer

It is draft weekend. I always love the atmosphere of the draft because it allows me to think about what this day means for so many people. I do not mean the fans or teams, though these days certainly are important to them. Fans get to think about what will happen with their team during the next few seasons. Will their picks turn out well? Will they regret not having drafted someone else? Will their picks take them to the Super Bowl in the years to come?

Coaches, of course, have much more riding on the picks than just their devotion to the team. Instead these coaches have their jobs riding on their picks. Being known as a coach who misses the big players is not a reputation that anyone wants to have. Plus coaches are trying to put together winning teams, and their draft picks are an important component in that process. The owners, too, have a stake in the players. The owners will be paying these people and will find that they need the team to be successful for the business venture to be a good one.

The players who are drafted, though, are the ones whose lives change the most with the decisions made this weekend. Many of these players know they will be drafted. They are not sure where in the lineup they will fall, but they know in their minds that the end of this weekend will determine their future, at least for the next few years.

Still I would imagine that few of them really understand until this weekend what those changes will be. They are rushed from place to place and talk to reporters, coaches, and owners. Then they are selected and have to think about moving to a new city. That means a big change in life, but it is not the biggest one.

The money is a big draw for people who want to end up in the NFL. Except for the occasional player who grew up with money, most of the people who will become multimillionaires after this weekend did not grow up with money. In fact, sportscasters have written so many articles about the poor kid who grew up in subsidized housing with no money that they have become a sad but true cliche. These kids will have more money than most of us can imagine in the next few months, and they are just learning this weekend the reality of their new careers.

Many of these players have been thinking about the money for a while, to be sure. Who could blame them? I would be thinking about the money as well. Now, though, they will find people will to sell them anything they want. These players can begin to think about buying houses, getting cars, and giving to their friends and family. And they will. We will shake our heads and mutter about the waste of money, but they earned it. They are in a very public career with very physical demands.

I imagine that this weekend is one that is unexplainable for the people who are being drafted. They go from being college athletes where they live in dorms and cannot accept any money or other goodies from anyone per NCAA rules to being highly paid. The difference must be staggering to them.

I think, too, that the football field is one of the last places where people can succeed solely based on merit. Sure, there is the occasional thought that someone has gotten special treatment because his father was, say, the New Orleans Saints quarterback for years. For the most part, however, football players are drafted where they are because of their abilities on the field. That is part of what makes this sport a truly American phenomenon. For once, no one is thinking about marketing possibilities. They are thinking only of fielding a winning team.

So think weekend when you see the draft results scrolling by, then you should think about the players who are drafted. Imagine how they are feeling. Imagine that this were the biggest weekend of your life. And imagine how you would react to the importance of the NFL draft.

By Julia Mercer

The Chicago Bears are returning all 22 starters from last year's team that won the NFC North division and earned a playoff berth. So General Manager Jerry Angelo went into Saturday's NFL draft with very limited needs. According to conventional wisdom and most mock drafts, the Bears were expected to select a tight end (most people thought it would have been Leonard Pope) with the 26th pick in the first round.

However, the Bears decided to trade their first round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a second and third round pick. That in itself wasn't very surprising. After all, the Bears staff had their own draft plan worked out, and they figured that the players they were really interested in would still be available in the second round. Sure enough, when the Bears finally were on the clock with the 42nd overall pick, Pope was still on the board. It looked like Angelo's decision to trade down wasn't going to hurt the Bears at all.

But then Angelo did pull a surprising move. Instead of drafting a tight end, he selected little-known safety Danieal Manning from Abilene Christian University (in Texas). Apparently, Angelo felt that the Bears needed more depth at that position due to the recent trade that sent Mike Green to the Denver Broncos. So, while there were some raised eyebrows, the pick could definitely be justified.

Pope was still on the board when the Bears went to the podium for their second 2nd round pick (57th overall). But Angelo pulled another surprising move by selecting Devin Hester, a return specialist out of the University of Miami. This selection filled one of the more pressing needs that the Bears have. Even so, it was pretty surprising to see a non-position player selected so early in the draft.

By the time the Bears came back to the podium in the 3rd round with the 73rd overall pick, Leonard Pope was gone. In fact, the Arizona Cardinals drafted Pope just before the Bears with the 72nd pick. So that effectively ended all the speculation about when the Bears would pick a tight end, and instead brought about the question of why they weren't addressing any needs on the offensive side of the ball. The Bears would end up selecting Dusty Dvoracek, a defensive tackle out of Oklahoma; Jamar Williams, a linebacker out of Arizona State; Mark Anderson, a defensive end out of Alabama; J.D. Runnels, a fullback also out of Oklahoma; and Tyler Reed, an offensive lineman from Penn State University with their remaining draft picks. In all, the Bears exited the NFL draft with seven new players, and only two of those players line up on the offensive side of the ball.

Without going into an analysis of the specific players that the Bears picked, I just have to say that the focus on bolstering the defense was a pretty puzzling development overall. When you look at what the 2005 Chicago Bears team accomplished, you will see that the defense was ranked 2nd in the league behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bears allowed just 281.8 yards per game and a very stingy 12.6 points per game (best in the league by almost a field goal). From the outside, it certainly doesn't look as though the Bears need any additional help in that area. Remember, they are returning all 11 starters from last year's unit.

But then when you take a look at what the offense did in 2005, the stats are like night and day. The offense was ranked a dismal 29th in the league out of 32 teams. They managed to put up just 256.3 yards of total offense per game, and scored just 16.3 yards per game. Moreover, the offense was 31st in the league in passing yards per game, managing just 125.1 in that category. Yes, they had a rookie quarterback at the helm for most of the season, but that wasn't the only problem.

So why didn't the Bears draft any offensive players to try to help the team emerge from the cellar? Well, it could be that Jerry Angelo felt the Bears already addressed the most important concern through free agency when they brought quarterback Brian Griese in from Tampa Bay. After all, the Bears did draft running back Cedric Benson in the first round last year to team up with starter Thomas Jones, and they have former Pro Bowler Muhsin Muhammad at wide receiver. So there isn't really another offensive position that the Bears needed to fill. Except for tight end -- which is why Angelo's draft day selections were puzzling.

Some may argue that the Bears' offense doesn't feature the tight end enough to warrant burning up a draft pick on one. That's one way to look at it, I suppose. Another way would be to say that the Bears don't feature a tight end because they don’t have anyone good enough to handle the duties. If you look at the most successful teams in the league, you'll see that they all have dominating tight ends. For the Bears to try to get through another season without one would be inexcusable.

So count me among the Bear fans who are disappointed with the way the draft turned out. I know that there's still plenty of time left to sign a tight end through free agency, but I would have liked to see the Bears take a chance on Pope, Anthony Fasano, or any of the other great tight ends in the draft. Now we'll just have to sit back and hope Angelo has a game plan in mind.

Although I love football, I have never understood the whole mock draft phenomenon. I mean, I get it, but I am not sure why people put so much time and effort into them. Think about it this way. When have you seen a mock draft that matched the picks exactly? Well, never.

When you are wrong about the third pick because you thought Seattle needed a quarterback when they thought they needed a receiver, then you have just ruined your whole mock draft and your hours upon hours of thinking about who will fit in which puzzle. Still as the draft approaches this weekend, we all look at them. I do, too. I will admit it. I look, and I see who from my favorite college team may be making it into the top three rounds. Then I check out the NFL teams I like to see what they need.

This year, I have my eye on the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals this year have the twenty-fourth pick in the draft. Gil Brandt, of NFL.com, believes the Bengals front office will pick Marcedes Lewis, the tight end from UCLA. I cannot say that I agree with Brandt here, but then I was wrong about what they did last year, too.

Actually most people go against what Brandt is suggesting. The Bengals need defense. Their defense is terrible. I hate to have to admit it. They had some bright spots this year. Odell Thurman, in his rookie season out of the University of Georgia, put up amazing numbers and showed that he is a future defensive star. Deltha O'Neal made so many interceptions that I stopped counting. But the defense as a whole was terrible. They cost Cincinnati more than one game.

The problem is that the offense is very strong. Led by quarterback Carson Palmer, the Bengals offense has a number of weapons from Rudi Johnson to Chad Johnson. They would score, and then they would end up right back on the field. Only the other team had scored in the interim.

This problem meant that the offense had to work hard to continue scoring on possession after possession. We had to score or risk a loss. That type of play cannot continue for long. Your offensive players end up exhausted and risk injury because your defense cannot keep them off the field for long. The Bengals ultimately did run into this problem. They lost quarterback Carson Palmer at the end of the season to a knee injury. While the injury was not from being tired, perhaps Palmer could have been a bit sharper had he not played so many down in the previous few games.

The loss of Palmer ultimately led to the Bengals falling apart in their first playoff experience in 15 years, and they went home without a playoff victory and with hopes of next year.

And that brings us to this year and the NFL draft. I hope that the Bengals will bring in good defensive players. To do that would mean adding to the roster of really great players who make up the team. One of the best things about Marvin Lewis as the coach of the Bengals is that he has brought in so many solid players. The Bengals roster was for a decade considered a joke. Now they have players who can compete well in the NFL. Adding some defensive muscle to that roster would be a big boost to making the team a perennial playoff contender.

Still it is tough to know what coaches are thinking. That is in part because coaches know what else lies on the horizon for the team. They can take into account every possible move they may make. They know the intimate details of contracts, negotiations, and trades, and they do not share that information with everyone. That means that mock drafts ultimately come with incomplete information. No one can predict what coaches will do, but the process of guessing is part of the fun of being a football fan. As soon as a team makes a pick, then the analysis will begin. Everyone will be critiquing and talking over the pick so that many people make up their minds immediately about a draft choice.

By Julia Mercer

Reportedly, word has leaked out that Steve Nash will be a repeat winner of the Most Valuable Player Award. Amazingly, that word touched off a number of columns from folks who continue to see Nash as receiving favoritism, often in the form of racial prejudice.

A year ago, cries emerged regarding the point guard's receiving the award over Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat. Those complaints seemed absurd when considering the fact that Nash became the glue as well the catalyst in leading one of the league's youngest teams to earn the league's best record even though the youthful Suns were playing in the NBA's most difficult conference.

The recognition of a point guard as the league's Most Valuable Player was indeed a surprise to many. The NBA's Most Valuable Player seldom goes to a guard unless that player is a dominant scorer. And Nash is a consummate team player who is more willing to dish out the assist and leave the scoring to his teammates.

The claims a year ago seemed particularly absurd when considering that Shaq had actually become the Heat's second best player behind rising superstar Dwayne Wade. Moreover, Nash had joined a team that had a losing record prior to his arrival, a team that was thought to be on the verge of being a playoff contender, but no one thought the Suns capable of taking home the NBA's top spot.

This year the complaints center around Kobe Bryant. The arguments are that Nash is indeed great, but people just don't like Kobe any more, not after his off court problems, so voters have overlooked the NBA's best all around player.

Those folks state that Kobe could not have done anymore for his team than he did this year. That the slick shooting forward put up the best numbers and led a weak Laker team to the playoffs in the difficult Western Conference.

Indeed, Kobe had exceptional seasonal numbers. There was of course the 81 points in a single game and an average of 35.4 per game for the season. He scored 40 or more points in four straight games twice and also went for 62 points against the Mavericks while playing just three quarters. That 35 plus point per game average was eight best in NBA history and the most since 1987 when a man nicknamed Mike went for 37.1 points per game.

Many call Kobe Bryant the best basketball player in the world and under his leadership the Lakers managed 45 wins and the seventh playoff spot in the conference. Without a doubt, the Lakers would be on the outside of the second season looking in if not for Bryant.

Those same critics state the Nash has one of the league's most-underrated players in Shawn Marion and the NBA's most improved in Boris Diaw. That Nash simply knows how to fit in on a more talented team.

The Marion comments seem ludicrous, especially given Kobe has a player by the name of Lamar Odom playing alongside him. In fact, check out the improvement in Marion's numbers once the high octane Nash joined the Suns. Marion's scoring numbers represent two of his best three years in the league and his rebounding the best two years of his career. Nash allows Marion the opportunity to be the player he has become.

And with Diaw making most improved, it should perhaps be noted that maybe Nash indeed made him a better player. That perhaps the athletic youngster learned that if he ran the floor like Amare Stoudamire, he had a talented passer able to get him the ball.

But the best indication of Nash's overall effectiveness is that the Suns played their season without their number one scorer in Stoudamire. In addition, the team lost the up coming and talented Joe Johnson in the off season, so the Suns were a team in full transition, tweaking their line up even as they lost their incredibly talented center. Yet the team won 54 games, a full nine more than LA, also while playing in the toughest conference.

Kobe is no doubt an outstanding player. But watching him, one has to wonder what it is like to play alongside the Lakers' star. What it must be like to make so many trips up and down the floor without touching the ball while Bryant launches yet another shot. The fact that the forward took roughly one out of three Laker shots on the season, while shooting a modest 45% from the floor and 35% from beyond the three point arc, is most notable.

However, what is most telling is the playoff series between the Suns and Lakers, a series the Lakers were up 2-1 going into Sunday. Instead of being the focus, Bryant has been intent on getting his teammates the ball, and the Lakers have risen to the occasion. It leads one to wonder if he had been more of a team player in the regular season if in fact he might have made his team even better.

Because of that question, critics of Nash winning another MVP award should rethink their case for Kobe at least. Now if the talk moves to Lebron James, we have another story.

Back in March we tried to make some predictions regarding the rookies that might make a mark in 2006. We tossed out the names of five pitchers, Francisco Liriano of the Twins, Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya for the Tigers, Jonathan Papelbon of the Red Sox, and Matt Cain of the Giants, and five position players, Prince Fielder of the Brewers, Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals, Jeremy Hermida of the Marlins, Brian Anderson of the White Sox and Kenji Johjima for the Mariners.

The left-handed Francisco Liriano is the consensus choice of baseball experts as possibly the top rookie pitcher this season. Just 22-years-of-age, the Twins have elected to bring Liriano along slowly, having him work out of the bullpen to start the season. In eight games, the lefty has solid 3.77 ERA and eye-popping 21 strikeouts in just 14 innings of work.

Both Verlander and Zumaya are off to good starts with the surprising Tigers. Verlander, 23, has been give a starting role and the power throwing righthander is 3-2 in five starts with a 3.42 ERA. Verlander is tied for the team lead in wins and is second in innings pitched and strikeouts. As expected, Detroit has Zumaya, 21, coming out of the pen. Clocked at 98 miles per hour in spring training, the righthander has made seven appearances totaling nine innings and has shown to be overpowering at times with his 12 strikeouts.

The pitcher making the biggest early season impact has to be Papelbon of the Red Sox. The youngster has simply been untouchable, going 10 for 10 in save situations and tossing 14 plus scoreless innings on the season. Stepping into the closer role while the Sox allow Keith Foulke to return to form after an injury plagued season, the burly righthander has allowed just 9 base runners and has 14 K's in his 14 innings of work. Talk is that the Sox may consider moving him to the starting rotation if Foulke can once again handle the team's closer duties.

The 21-year-old Cain has not fared quite as well with San Francisco. The 6-3, 235 pounders is a physical presence on the mound, but in four starts the righthander is 1-2 with a 5.42 ERA. Still the youngster has 23 innings pitched in those four outings and has 17 strikeouts for the Giants.

Prince Fielder, the son of former major league slugger Cecil Fielder, has to be the early favorite for the Rookie of the Year award in the National League. The big fella' has been tremendous in the early going, leading the Brewers with a .348 batting average and 32 hits in just 24 games. Fielder has also popped five homers and driven in 16 runs, both numbers second best on Milwaukee. The 21-year-old, 260 pounder has made the most of his times making contact, as he has piled up a ton of strikeouts in the early going, 24 to be exact.

Ryan Zimmerman, the third baseman of the Washington Nationals and the fourth overall pick in last year's draft has been given every opportunity to play by the Nats. In 24 games, the youngster has driven in a solid 16 runs, but at .231 with 25 strikeouts, he has not been quite as strong as his end of the season call up performance last September.

Hermida at 6-4, 200-pounds, is thought to have all the physical tools but the Marlins have used the rightfielder sparingly on the season. Hermida has played in just six games, and has seven strikeouts against just five hits on the year. Instead of Hermida leading the way for the Marlins, former Red Sox top prospect of Hanley Ramirez, a Marlin by virtue of the Josh Beckett trade, has stolen the early season thunder in Florida. Ramirez is hitting .318, has 28 hits in just 21 games, and team-leading 20 runs scored.

A college player out of the University of Arizona, Brian Anderson was considered a top outfield prospect for the defending champion White Sox. But it has been tough sledding for the Chicago rookie, hitting just .161 in 19 games. Like many of the other youngsters, it is Anderson's 22 strikeouts in 61 at bats that has been most noticeable.

Kenji Johjima, lured out of Japan with a three-year, 16.5 million contract offer, has been solid thus far for Seattle. In 23 games, the catcher has hit .267, driving in 12 runs and having 20 hits compared to nine strikeouts.

There still a long way to go in 2006, but the season is shaping up as one to watch regarding some exceptionally talented young players on the diamond.

Who says the college football offseason is boring? There is plenty of news coming out of southern California, but unfortunately, none of it is good. The USC Trojans, who finished second in the country last year after falling to the University of Texas in the National Championship title game, have been suffering one blow after another ever since then. Let's take a look at what's happening with this Pac-10 powerhouse.

First of all, spring practices turned out to be very costly for the team. There were a whole slew of injuries over the last month, and several key Trojans players will be inactive for an unspecified length of time. Chief among those is John David Booty, whom many felt had been pegged the heir apparent for departed star Matt Leinart. Booty made it through exactly one spring practice before complaining of back pain. He opted to have surgery immediately in order to deal with the problem, which has been a recurring one throughout his career. During the 2005 season, Booty saw a significant amount of playing time as he came on in the 4th quarter of numerous games that the Trojans had already put out of reach. That kind of playing time had to boost his confidence, and will certainly help make the transition to starter a lot easier.

Another key injury during spring workout was a blown knee suffered by fifth-year senior Hershel Dennis. The injury occurred on Dennis' first day of camp and was severe enough to require surgery. Since he injured the same knee that kept him out of the lineup last year, he is projected to miss the entire season. Tailback Desmond Reed also sat out most of the spring workouts due to a foot injury, and his recovery timeline is still unknown at this point. Sophomore tailback Michael Coleman missed all of spring practice due to hip surgery, while fullback Jody Adewale didn't work out much because of a groin injury. To top it all off, tailback Desmond Washington was declared academically ineligible to participate in the Trojans' spring sessions.

The USC football program has had significant troubles off the field as well. These problems have embroiled both past and present players, and have served to somewhat tarnish the once golden image of the team. The biggest story concerns that of former USC running back and 2005 Heisman trophy winner Reggie Bush. In the past couple of weeks, a story has surfaced containing allegations that Bush's family lived rent-free in a southern California home that was purchased by a would-be sports agent. The agent, of course, was interested in representing Bush once he turned pro. This same man has now filed a lawsuit against Bush and family, alleging that the family owes him back rent for the entire year. The man is also seeking damages since Bush opted to sign with a different sports agency.

Nevertheless, if the man can prove his case and show that Bush's family did live rent-free and that they accepted cash as he alleges, then that would be a clear violation of NCAA policy. The potential ramifications against USC are significant. The NCAA could declare Bush to have been in violation of league policies, and they could then force the Trojans to forfeit the games that Bush played in. That action seems to be a bit extreme, and not many experts believe that the NCAA will actually do that. A more likely scenario might be that the NCAA would put the USC program on probation. Either way, Bush is free to sign with this new NFL team, the New Orleans Saints. Yes, that's right: New Orleans. It turns out that Bush, who held the number one spot on every mock draft published since December, was actually passed over by the Houston Texans, who instead chose defensive end Mario Williams of North Carolina State. Bush ended up being the number two overall pick, which will cost him millions of dollars in guaranteed contract money. The Texans didn't give a reason as to why they chose Williams over Bush, but most experts are speculating that the Houston organization feels Bush's agent is too contentious to deal with.

Bush wasn't the only former Trojan player to get drafted lower than expected on Saturday. Leinart also experienced something of a freefall. The 2004 Heisman winner was projected to go in the top-5 of this year's draft, but ended up not being selected until the 10th position when the Arizona Cardinals picked him. Although the Cardinals' organization is probably a better overall fit than the Tennessee Titans would have been, it was clear that Leinart did not expect to drop that far. He had visited with the New York Jets earlier in the week, and had even met with one of New York's most famous residents, Donald Trump. Many feel that Leinart would have thrived in the New York market, but now he will be playing in the desert for at least the first part of his career. It remains to be seen how well Leinart, who is used to hanging out with Hollywood A-list celebrities, can handle playing in the relatively small media market that is Arizona.

Another USC alumnus, tailback LenDale White, was projected to be a first-round draft pick as well. But he too experienced a dropoff in interest from NFL teams. White's problems stem from the fact that he failed an NFL-sanctioned drug test during one of the league's workouts. He ended up not being picked until the second round when the Titans, who also chose Vince Young in the number three spot, picked him with the 45th overall selection. Being taken in the second round instead of the first will cost White millions of dollars in signing bonuses.

Back on campus, there is even more off-field drama unfolding around second-string quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez had taken over the starting quarterback duties in spring practice while Booty was out with his back injury. But just last week, the sophomore was arrested for an alleged sexual assault perpetrated against a female USC student. Details of the case are hard to come by, but whichever way this plays out, the Trojans certainly don't need even more media scrutiny.

It's hard to believe that just a few months ago, prior to the Rose Bowl in early January, the Trojans were on top of the college football world. They had the best players in the country and had three potential first-round draft picks moving on to the NFL. Plus, they still have a talented lineup in Los Angeles, and were ready to reload for another shot at the National Championship. But they're now finding out the hard way that when it rains, it pours. It will be interesting to see how the team responds to these hardships.

It is hard to imagine that Lebron James is in just his third professional season of basketball. Or for that matter, that he is still just 21 years of age.

But at 6-8, 240 pounds, King James entered the NBA with the physical attributes to make an immediate impact. Throw in gobs of talent and confidence and the youngster has folks now sure he is about to become the next Michael Jordan.

As a rookie, James averaged 21 points per game, 5.5 rebounds and a shade under 6 assists per outing. it was an incredible performance for a player straight out of high school. The only knock was a relatively low shooting percentage for a 20 plus point per game scorer (42 percent).

The youngster promptly built on those numbers during his sophomore season, pushing his point total to 27 a game, all the while chipping in 7 plus rebounds and 7 plus assists per game. Most importantly he pushed his shooting percentage to 47 percent.

Still, the King's Cavaliers failed to make the playoffs in either James rookie or sophomore seasons. In fact, the team seemed a lock a year ago only to suffer a late season meltdown. So as good as the youngster was, there were those pointing to his failure to produce victories as a knock on the budding super star.

The 2005-2006 season saw the emergence of the player who is now arguably the best all around player in the league, Kobe Bryant included. James moved his scoring past the thirty point per game mark to 31.3 and still managed to dish out 6.6 assists per outing. He also improved his shooting percentage to a career best of 48 percent and led the Cavaliers to their first playoff appearance in years.

Many wondered how he would fare in his first post season, after all the NBA second season is considered another level of difficulty. Well, in his first ever playoff start, James went for a triple double, racking up 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, leading the Cavaliers to their first post season win since 1998. Only two other players in NBA history had a triple double in their first ever playoff game, Johnny McCarthy who did it for the St. Louis Hawks in 1960 and the former LA Laker star, Magic Johnson, who did it in 1980.

Since James has often been compared to Jordan, the inevitable was to compare Lebron's first ever playoff game to that of the incredible Jordan. The former Bull star had a great first game too, but it didn't quite match that of King James. Jordan went for 23 points, four rebounds and 10 assists in his first playoff game for the Chicago Bulls. Perhaps most importantly, it was a game the Bulls lost.

As perhaps only James could do, he topped that in game three as the lanky forward drove around Antonio Daniels and somehow managed to bank in an improbable 4-footer, making the shot while on his way back to the floor. The game winning hoop with 5.7 seconds left pushed the Cavaliers to a 2-1 lead against a game, Washington Wizards team.

But, it wasn't just a night with a game winning shot. The Cavalier's third year player set an NBA playoff record with 41 points in his road debut. His 41 points also happened to be a franchise playoff record for Cleveland.

James would make 16 of 28 shots on the night and contribute five rebounds and three assists to the winning cause. The Cavaliers won in spite of another emerging superstar, Gilbert Arenas, scoring 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter. The young Wizards guard made all but one of the Wizards' field goals in the fourth quarter, literally carrying the team on his back.

At 21, King James has young legs. That was huge for the Cavaliers as the youngster played all but 23 seconds of the key contest. In addition, unless one thinks folks overrate his importance, consider that his teammates were a combined 19-for-57 from the field. But perhaps the most important aspect of his performance was James ability to shake off a poor performance in game two, a Cleveland loss where the Cavaliers best player had an ugly 10 turnovers.

The hype surrounding Lebron James is growing with each passing game. A key game four in Washington awaits the Cavaliers who have now reestablished home court advantage with the game three win.

The only questions regarding the budding superstar at this point are simply what can he do for an encore. So far, his first playoff appearance is simply setting yet another standard in this, his incredible third season in the NBA.

The Indiana Pacers 2005-2006 year is continuing to resemble 2004-2005, not only in its regular season frustrations, but with yet another possible first round playoff upset.

A year ago the Pacers basketball goals came unhinged when the much discussed brawl with the Pistons cost the team key players during both the regular season and the playoffs. The volatile Ron Artest was suspended for the duration, including the playoffs, while Jermaine O'Neal and Steven Jackson also received lengthy suspensions.

In addition to losing such key talent to suspensions, Indiana suffered with numerous regular season injuries. The 2004-2005 Pacers struggled at times to even have enough players on the bench to fill out a complete roster.

Indiana limped into the playoffs as a number six seed a year ago and were promptly waxed by twenty points in their first playoff game with the Celtics. The favored Celtics looked like a lock in the series.

But over the course of the next six games, Indiana would win every game on the Celtics home court including the critical game seven that would give the Pacers a first round series victory. The veteran Pacers made the younger Celtics look like immature kids, out executing Boston at every key moment when a game was on the line.

Indiana further made an improbable statement against the vaunted the Pistons. Though the Pacers would lose the series in six games, an Indiana win in Detroit and a win in their first home game of the semifinal series had the upstart Pacers ahead in the series two games to one.

As the 2005-2006 season arrived, the team that had shown so much resiliency was a common pick to re-emerge at the top of the Eastern Conference. With Ron Artest back on the court after his monumental suspension, Sports Illustrated selected the Pacers to be the best team in the East for 05-06.

But the regular season would once again become a debacle for the Pacers. First Artest had yet another emotional blowout and this time he insisted that Pacers trade him. Indiana management, tired of Artest's immense ego and more troubling behaviors, took him off the active roster while the team attempted to find another NBA city willing to make a deal for the troubled forward.

As with 2004-05, the Pacers also promptly were smitten by the injury bug. Point guard Jamal Tinsley had another disrupted season, missing roughly 40 games and center Jermaine O'Neal missed 30 games as well. Though the Pacers did finally unload Artest for sharp shooting Peja Stojakovic, the team still could not get its best starting five together for a string of games until the very end of the regular season.

So for the second straight year the talented team finished the regular season in sixth place. And for the second straight year, as the playoffs started they were big underdogs to the number three seed, this time the New Jersey Nets.

But Indiana has an underrated coach in Rick Carlisle as well as a strong playoff history. And once again the team that limped through the regular season is showing it is one resilient basketball team.

On Thursday night, the player who missed 30 games, Jermaine O'Neal proceeded to drop 37 points and haul in 15 rebounds to propel Indiana to its second victory in three games against the Nets, 107-95. Anthony Johnson, taking over for the oft-injured Tinsley at the point, chipped in 25 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter for the Pacers.

Ironically, the outstanding performance by O'Neal came after the NBA had fined the center, also on Thursday, for his public criticism of the referees after Indiana's Game 2 loss in New Jersey. O'Neal had insisted that New Jersey players have been "flopping and getting calls," whistles that have kept O'Neal from being a factor, primarily by keeping the star on the bench in foul trouble. After averaging just 13.5 points and five rebounds over the first two games of the series, the big guy went 12-for-15 from the field and 13-for-14 from the line in the Game 3 victory.

However, the Pacers showed that NBA level defense is still the key when it comes to playoff basketball. Indiana held New Jersey to 3-for-18 shooting in the third quarter and 9 for 38 for the second half. In addition to holding the entire Nets team to the 24% shooting, the Pacers held Vince Carter without a field goal over the final two quarters.

Come Saturday afternoon, the Nets and Pacers will play a critical game four in Indiana. A Pacer victory would put the team on the verge of repeating its first round upset of Boston a year ago and again allow the folks in Indiana to forget what has been yet another abysmal regular season.

And this year the winner of this series has the good fortune of facing either Miami or Chicago in round two, instead of the bunch out of Motown. No one on the Indiana squad is thinking that far ahead, least of all Rick Carlisle.

But as this first round series heads to the critical game four, Indiana still has a chance to show everyone why Sports Illustrated had them as one of the Eastern Conference's top teams. And at the same time the team will have a chance to make 2005-2006 more than just a repeat of 2004-2005.
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By Ed Jennett


After a disappointing two-month stay in New York, Steve Francis may be heading to yet another team. When he was first acquired, President/GM Isiah Thomas said that Head Coach Larry Brown suggested trading for Stevie Franchise after it became obvious that he had worn out his welcome in Orlando. There has been a great deal of speculation that the real reason that Francis was acquired was to serve as trade bait this offseason.

Despite the poor performance of Stevie Wander in New York, he is still a three time All-Star and is only 29 years old. Whether the Knicks will be able to trade Francis is not the question. The question is where will Francis end up next.

Right before the Knicks traded for him, there were rumors that Francis was headed to Denver in a three-way deal between the Magic, Nuggets, and Knicks. In that deal the expiring contract of Penny Hardaway would have gone to Orlando, Francis would have gone to Denver, and Kenyon Martin would be sent to New York. The trade fell apart amidst rumors that Francis was threatening not to report to Denver if he was traded there. With the way things ended up with the Knicks, Francis would most likely be thrilled to go to the Nuggets if he is traded there now.

Denver might be the most unlikely franchise for Stevie Franchise to wind up with though. While swapping Francis for Martin would theoretically give the Knicks an elite big man trio with Eddy Curry and Channing Frye still on the roster, the trade only makes sense in theory. Martin is still struggling from the microfracture surgery that he underwent on his left knee last offseason, so he is a major health risk. After their recent experiences with Allan Houston and Antonio McDyess the Knicks are more aware than any other team in the league that players with bad knees can not be counted on. Even if Martin was healthy the Knicks would be better off pursuing other options due to his horrible attitude. He has never liked practice, so he would certainly clash with Brown on that issue. K-Mart has also just been suspended indefinitely by the Nuggets for cursing at Head Coach George Karl during half time of the Nuggets game 2 loss to the Clippers. Karl and Brown are not only both North Carolina alumni and good friends, they both have very abrasive personalities as well. It would not make sense to trade Francis for a player who will most likely be an even bigger headache.

Two other possible destinations for Francis are Minnesota and Indiana. The Knicks would love to acquire Kevin Garnett of Minnesota and view Jermaine O’Neal of Indiana as an excellent backup plan. The two All-Star power forwards may both be available this offseason, and a package of Francis and Frye might be the best offer that either club receives. But the best offer does not always make the most sense.

Minnesota would like to re-sign restricted free agent Marcus Banks to return as the starting point guard next year. Plus the Timberwolves already have two excellent backup point guards on their roster, Troy Hudson and Mark Jaric. An offer of Frye and the expiring contract of Jalen Rose would provide Minnesota with less talent but might suit the needs of the Timberwolves better.

Jamaal Tinsley is supposed to be the Pacers starting point guard but he is constantly injured. Indiana has a more than adequate backup in Anthony Johnson, so trading O’Neal for a point guard is not a necessity. If Francis were dealt to Indiana, the Pacers would prefer to keep Johnson and try to move Tinsley. That would be very difficult to do however because of his injury problems. Just like with Minnesota, Francis and Frye would provide Indiana with more talent, but Frye and the expiring contract of Jalen Rose might make more sense with the current roster of the team.

The most likely next stop for Stevie Wander is the one that is mentioned the least, Atlanta. The Knicks are interested in Hawks free agent Al Harrington and the interest is definitely mutual. Harrington is from New Jersey and grew up a Knicks fan. When Thomas was coaching the Indiana Pacers he was the one who first gave Harrington significant playing time, and the two have remained close. Finally, no team in the league would be willing to pay Harrington more money. There have been rumors that New York would offer him a contract starting at $10 million. That number would work perfectly with the expiring contract of Maurice Taylor ($9.75 million) in a package to Atlanta (with some combination of picks and/or Nate Robinson and/or David Lee) or to another team that wants cap relief in a three-team trade.

However if the Knicks were to offer Harrington a maximum deal starting at $12 million they would be able to trade Francis for him since their salaries would be within the 125% plus $100,000 necessary for a trade between teams over the salary cap to work since Francis will make $15 million next year. Atlanta is desperate for a legitimate starting point guard and this would be their best chance to get one. If Harrington follows the strategy of past free agents and threatens to sign with a team that has cap space (ex. Chicago) Atlanta will either work out a deal with the team he actually wants to play for or risk losing him with no compensation. Trading him for Francis would go from being a great option to the only option at that point.

Just one month ago, the NFL draft order through the first five picks was pretty much set. Well, that's what the people who take the time to propose mock drafts would have you believe. Nearly every one of those mock draft analysts had Reggie Bush going at number one, followed by former teammate Matt Leinart, then ex-Longhorns quarterback Vince Young at number three, then D'Brickashaw Ferguson in the fourth post, with ex-Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk rounding out the top 5.

But now with less than three days to go until the real thing commences, many mock drafts have a completely different look. Surprisingly, some people feel that Reggie Bush might not even be the first overall pick anymore, and the rest of the top five have been shuffled around as well. Whereas the Texans initially positioned themselves to take Bush by signing quarterback David Carr to a lucrative contract extension. This removed all speculation as to whether or not the Texans would pull a switch and draft Leinart or Young with the top pick.

However, several published reports now claim that the Texans are listening to trade offers from other teams that are interested in taking Bush with the first pick. Some analysts say that the Texans are looking to possibly trade with the New York Jets so that the Jets can take Bush or Leinart while the Texans would take Ferguson. Others believe that the Texans will just hold on to their pick and select Ferguson as the outright number one. If that happens, that would definitely be a shocker since Bush has pretty much been pegged as the number one overall pick since he declared for the draft in December.

The number two pick, currently owned by the New Orleans Saints, isn't as clear-cut as it was a month ago, either. Back then, conventional wisdom dictated that the Saints would choose Leinart to replace the ineffective Aaron Brooks. Many scouts believe that Leinart has the tools to adjust to the pro game quickly, so they were projecting him to come in and start right away, much like Peyton Manning did in his first year with the Colts. But then the Saints went and signed former Chargers quarterback Drew Brees to a long-term deal for big money. Because of the amount of money involved in the Brees deal, it's not likely that the Saints brought him on board simply to help groom Leinart. Brees is getting a starter's salary, not one fit for a backup.

So that means that New Orleans might possibly select Mario Williams, an outstanding defensive end from North Carolina State. Or, they could trade their pick to someone else, drop down in the draft, and still get a highly-rated player. Either way, it's pretty much a certainty that they won't be taking Leinart with the second pick, which means he will fall to at least third.

The Tennesse Titans own the third pick in the draft, and most everyone believes that this is where Leinart will be selected. If the Titans do take Leinart, it would probably be a pretty good fit. The offensive coordinator in Tennessee is Norm Chow, who held that position for a few years at USC when Leinart was also playing there. So those two have a history together, and Chow will already be very familiar with Leinart's strengths and weaknesses. In addition, current Titans quarterback Steve McNair is a solid player that will be able to teach Leinart a lot during his first couple of years in the league. They don't really have similar styles in that McNair has always been more of a rushing QB than Leinart will ever be, but McNair knows what it takes to succeed and win in the NFL, and that's what he will be expected to pass on to Leinart.

If Leinart goes at number three as predicted, then the New York Jets will have some decisions to make with the number four pick. The Jets were a terrible team last year and have so many needs that they could go in several different directions with their pick and still not solidify the team as much as they need to. According to some analysts, the Jets' first priority will be to get a quarterback. This is because starter Chad Pennington has been injury-prone throughout his career, and current backup Patrick Ramsey is not the kind of quarterback that is expected to be able to take the team to the playoffs. But the Jets also need help in many areas on defense, and other positions on offense. You can bet that they will be happy to take Williams, Ferguson, or Leinart with their pick, depending on who is still on the board when they make their selection.

Regardless of which order the first four guys are selected, you can pretty much bet that the Packers will stick with A.J. Hawk as the number five pick. That's because the Packers desperately need to shore up their defense, and Hawk is the kind of guy that they can really build the team around. The quarterback situation seems to be set for at least another year, with the announcement that Brett Favre will return for the 2006 season. Plus, the Packers have Aaron Rodgers on the sidelines waiting for his chance to step in and shine. There are some questions at the wide receiver position since star Javon Walker wants out, but otherwise, most of Green Bay's problems can be attributed to the defense. By making Hawk their first pick, the Packers will be taking big strides towards getting back to winning championships. Hawk will likely come in and make an immediate impact, similar to the way that Brian Urlacher came in for the Chicago Bears.

With Bush, Williams, Leinart, Ferguson, and Hawk expected to be the top 5 pick, where does that leave Vince Young? Before the disastrous Wonderlic news, Young was expected to be neck and neck with Leinart as the second overall pick. Now, however, he will probably fall all the way to number seven and the Oakland Raiders. With Kerry Collins out and Aaron Brooks in, you can bet that Art Shell is not through with the wheeling and dealing. Young may or may not be a good fit in Oakland, but one thing's for sure: the Raiders are going to pick him if he's available.

As for the other top-rated quarterback in the draft, Jay Cutler, some mock drafts have him all the way down at 17th for the Minnesota Vikings. This is a surprise since he was as high as 10th just about a month ago.

To see how the real draft plays out, tune in on April 29!

After a relatively dismal spring training record, the Boston Red Sox have emerged on top of the Eastern Division with a strong 13 and 7 start for the season. That record and the team's first place standing has few Sox fans contemplating what looks to have been a sorry trade team management made just prior to the opening of the season.

At issue is Boston's swap of Bronson Arroyo for the Reds Wily Mo Pena. Somehow, despite the reality that no major league team ever has too much pitching, the Red Sox swapped a proven starting pitcher, a right hander who had been a key contributor for Boston the past two years for an unproven outfielder who quote "is deemed to have enormous potential."

For those seeking to be supportive of the trade, reportedly Pena has great power, reminding some sportscasters of a young Sammy Sosa. In addition, theoretically Pena is entering a park built for right handers, so the youngster has the potential to put up some big offensive numbers.

But anyone watching Pena's first few games with the Sox realized immediately that the man cannot play in the field. The youngster has already misplayed as many balls in the outfield this season as the master of lackluster defense, Manny Ramirez, has mishandled in his Boston career. Pundits had stated that Pena would butcher right field in Fenway and the youngster has been absolutely terrible when asked to play that position in the field. Unfortunately, since David Ortiz, the Sox's current designated hitter, is one of the team's top two hitters, the only way Pena can get into the lineup is by finding outfield playing time.

That said, regardless of Pena's fielding woes, the real issue is that Boston gave up a reliable starter in the deal. And the Sox have missed Arroyo immensely in the early going. First fifth starter David Wells got hammered, a situation that led the team to find a spot on the disabled list for the portly left hander.

Then the team went to youngster Lenny Dinardo with equally poor results. He has also been pounded in his two starts with the team. Quite frankly the Sox could have used Arroyo's arm in the early going and had he been with the team over the first 20 games the Red Sox could have been off to one of those starts that allows a team to cruise into the postseason.

In Cincinnati, Arroyo is, of course, off to a 4-0 start with a 2.34 ERA. His one-hit masterpiece today moved the Reds to 15-7 on the season, and the shutout with 8 additional strikeouts moved the right hander to the top of the National League in all key pitching categories.

Of particular note to the closest Sox fans is that Boston dealt Arroyo after the pitcher had his arbitration years bought out for less than four million dollars for each of the next three years. The move smacks of a classic management trend that fails to repay loyal players. Clearly, Arroyo wanted to stay in Boston and was willing to take a pay level that allowed him to stay there. That commitment was then met with the Red Sox moving him for yet another potential bat.

All that points to a major league screw-up on Boston's part. Perhaps the Sox will luck out and lure Roger Clemens out of retirement. If the team could sign the Rocket that certainly could put the issue to bed in a hurry.

Or perhaps Keith Foulke will return to top flight closer form to allow the current rookie sensation, Jonathan Papelbon, the chance to start. The burly right hander has handled the closer role for the Sox by going 9 for 9 in save opportunities thus far. The rook has also not given up a single earned run on the season making him a strong candidate for the starting rotation should Foulke prove able to handle the closer role.

But if major league baseball teams learned anything from Chicago a year ago, it was that pitching is the key. How the Sox could trade a quality, proven starter, for an unproven bat that cannot field is beyond the understanding of die hard followers. If the Sox had not lured Theo Epstein back into the front office, then likely the new management would be getting skewered for this trade.

In addition, if the Sox suddenly go cold and their fast start gives way to a Yankee push then the boo birds will be out in droves. All in all, the trade of Arroyo makes little sense in an era of baseball where pitching is at the heart of a run at the World Series.

Coming off a World Series championship in 2005, Chicago White Sox manager Kenny Williams primarily had one objective for the offseason: keep the core of the team intact. This included making sure the incredible starting rotation came back in great shape, as well as signing slugger Paul Konerko to a contract extension. It also included keeping World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, young third baseman Joe Crede, Japanese transplant Tadahito Iguchi, speedster Scott Podsednik, and the always vocal A.J. Pierzynski on board. With all of these players coming back, the White Sox had very few needs to fill. But one move that Williams did decide to make was to acquire 35-year-old veteran Jim Thome from the Philadelphia Phillies.

In exchange, the Sox had to give up a great defensive center fielder in Aaron Rowand, who is young and certainly has many years of fantastic baseball ahead of him. But the Sox could afford to let Rowand go because of the development of rookie Brian Anderson, and because the Phillies would also be giving the Sox $22 million in cash as part of the deal.

When I first heard of the Thome trade, I wasn't exactly excited. After all, Thome is 35 and is coming off a year in which he spent almost the whole season on the disabled list. Once players reach a certain age, you expect their production to decline, you expect them to get injured more often, and you expect them to take longer coming back from those injuries. So I thought, "Great, we send one ailing slugger packing (Frank Thomas), only to get another guy who's probably past his prime."

But it seems that I may have been too quick to dismiss the importance of adding Thome to the lineup. Through the first 20 games of the season, Thome has helped the defending world champs jump out to a 14-6 start in the AL Central division. More important than simply being in first place in April, however, is the fact that the White Sox are actually scoring a lot of runs this season. Last year, the team staked its playoff run on pitching. Manager Ozzie Guillen got several complete games from his starters, and the pitching staff really picked up the lackluster offense in a couple of those playoff wins.

This season, it has mostly been the other way around. While the Sox have seen a couple of good games out of the starting rotation, there hasn't really been a spectacular performance to speak of. But because the White Sox have scored 123 runs in their 20 games, a healthy average of six runs per outing, they haven't needed the pitching gems just yet. The 123 runs scored puts the White Sox first overall in the American League in that category, and second overall in the majors, behind the Cincinnati Reds and their 131 runs in 21 games.

Thome has been leading the way in run production for the White Sox. He started the season by scoring at least one run in 17 consecutive games. That was a record for the White Sox club, and fell just one short of tying the Major League record held by Kenny Lofton and Red Rolfe (of the 1939 New York Yankees). In all, Thome has scored 23 runs in his 20 starts. He has also been making an impact with the long ball. He has 9 home runs so far and is among the league leaders in that category. The White Sox desperately needed to add another powerful bat to the lineup to take some of the pressure off Dye and Konerko, and it seems that Thome is doing just that.

In addition, because Thome is batting behind Konerko in the lineup, it gives the Sox first baseman some added protection. Pitchers are not going to simply be able to pitch around Konerko because they'll have to deal with another slugger in Thome right behind him. So just by being in the lineup, Thome should help Konerko add a couple of points to his batting average, plus prop the RBI production up a bit.

After watching Thome and the White Sox through the first month of the season, I am inclined to think that Kenny Williams made a very shrewd move in signing him. It will be interesting to see how long Thome can keep up his run production for the Sox.

Though it may be in large part due to his previous behavior Ron Artest was once again subject to discipline by the NBA for inappropriate physical behavior on the basketball court.

The NBA recently suspended Artest for Game Two of the Kings playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. Artest's elbow to Manu Ginobili's head in the series opener was apparently serious enough to warrant Stu Jackson's issuance of a one game suspension for the troubled guard.

Artest, of course, missed 73 games a year ago, as well as the entire playoffs for his role in one of the most famous brawls in NBA history (if not all of sports history). But the recent one-game suspension reportedly caught both the Kings and the Spurs completely by surprise. Quite frankly, neither club deemed the personal foul all that serious.

In fact, the foul was not even worthy of postgame comment, not by the Spurs and certainly not by the Kings. The foul was committed against Ginobili during the third quarter of the Spurs' first game, blow out win, 122-88. The elbow by Artest caught Ginobili in the jaw as the Spurs slasher cut through the lane. At the time, the foul simply was ruled as a personal against Artest. The referees at the time did not assess a flagrant, the basic category of a foul of abnormally harsh contact, even though Spurs Coach Greg Popovich sought the referees ear to voice his concerns.

Because Ginobili popped right back up on the play, the game continued without further difficulty. That failure to dramatize the foul perhaps initially led to the notion that the contact was not all that significant.

Complicating the matter further was the insistence out of San Antonio that the team had not sought punishment for Artest. Spurs Coach Popovich insisted that San Antonio did not contact NBA officials regarding the play. Popovich further stated that his team was as surprised as the Kings to learn of the league's disciplinary action.

Of course, adding complexity to the issue was the fact that Artest was injured on the game's opening possession by an inadvertent Ginobili elbow. The blow resulted in three stitches for Artest and the thought that his blow on Ginobli in the third quarter may have been in fact retaliation.

That said, it appeared that Artest was penalized for his past indiscretions. Yes he did also commit hard fouls against Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in Game One, all in addition to the blow against Ginobli. But it appeared that the league was being very assertive before Artest contributed yet another black mark for the NBA this season.

Ironically, the ever-confident Artest had also voiced publicly that the Kings would be the equal of the Spurs in the playoffs. A forty point rout in Game One no doubt added to the frustrations of the Kings and their volatile guard, perhaps adding reason for the fouls.

But the NBA should be known for being fair and for judging the current behavior on the court. In the case of Artest, no one could honestly state that the league was looking at the issues from Game One with an open mind.

Homeschooling has become widely popular in the twenty or so short years that it has come back into style. While ten years ago, people would still ask, "is that legal?" most people everywhere have now heard of homeschooling and accept it as the wonderful educational opportunity that it is. While some still question the socialism issue, most have come to understand that homeschooled children usually rival their peers in being socialized; in fact, most homeschoolers are surprisingly better at socializing on a large scale of ages and backgrounds, while children who go to traditional school are more comfortable only with their own age group. The one area where homeschoolers can find frustration, if they are not creative, is in the area of sports.

Children who go to public schools have automatic access to sports and with practices every day and notices coming out months in advance, they know when to try out, they know the coach, and they simply have an easier time. Homeschoolers have to go looking for sports. The notices about upcoming sports, tryouts, or competitions rarely come in the mail. Today, many public school systems across the country allow homeschoolers in their district to join their sports teams and compete as an equal. Usually parents just need to sign a waiver, and like the public school students, homeschooled students must provide evidence of a current physical, to show that they are healthy enough to participate in sports. Once on the team, homeschoolers can simply show up at the high school, middle school, or elementary school after school hours to participate.

For younger children, most towns have recreational sports in which homeschoolers can participate in the same way as public school or private school children. In fact, recreational sports are rarely associated with the schools in any way, but instead are run by the city or county government. Recreational sports can begin as early as age five and often offer many of the sports that children might be interested in for high school, including soccer, basketball, cross-country running, lacrosse, swimming and baseball.

Many homeschooling groups across the country, especially those in areas where the public schools are less friendly about their participation, have taken it upon themselves to start their own sports groups. Nearly every state now has homeschooling sports teams up through the high school levels, with serious competitions, awards, and even possibilities for college scholarships. While homeschoolers often have to be a bit more creative and may find themselves traveling more than their public school counterparts, they find that they enjoy the opportunity to compete with other homeschoolers, and they enjoy avoiding the bureaucracy that can be found in public schools.

Of course, if a homeschooling family lives in a remote area far from the local public school or other homeschooled children, they might have to be even more creative. Lone sports such as cross-country running, cross-country skiing, bicycling, or the like can greatly appeal to those students who do not have access to a team. In fact, homeschooled students who are adverse to team sports in general can find health and fitness in these solitary sports, or they can seek out sports in groups where they only compete against themselves, such as in ballet, martial arts, ice skating, and gymnastics. These individual sports give students the exercise they need, as well as a sense of accomplishment that is not based on what all the other kids are doing. In the case of the homeschooled students who live far from any peers, the parents would be wise to join their children in the individual sports. It can be a family exercise of keeping everyone healthy.

Whatever your choice, make sure your homeschooled student is given the opportunity to at least try several sports. Not every child is cut out for competition and team sports, but every child need aerobic exercise and fresh air. If nothing else, take your child out for a long walk each day and find that you will enjoy it as well. You can use the opportunity to talk about healthy choices, or you can simply enjoy the fresh air, sunshine and sights along the way. Either way, you and your child will feel better as a result!

Two years ago, we noted that the Europeans had absolutely demolished the Americans in the Ryder Cup, winning by an astounding 18.5 to 9.5. It was a loss that represented the worst in US golf history.

We further noted that it was symbolic turning point for golf Internationally. We stated that the win was the Europeans fourth in the last five matches of this historic event.

But we also noted the number of non-Europeans, particularly the strong group of golfers emerging from Australia, as further evidence of the emergence of top flight players from beyond the U.S. borders. At that time, only two Americans ranked in the top six of the World Rankings, only four in the top ten, just seven of the top 18 and a paltry 13 of the top 34 world wide.

As 2006 emerges, that trend continues. A check of the top ranked players has Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, America's top two golfers, ranked one-two world wide. But once again the top rankings yield four International players in positions three through six as well as just four Americans in the top ten. In addition, International players now occupy 12 of the top 18 slots, and 22 of the top 34 slots.

The International flavor of golf is also seen by the tournament winners on the 2006 PGA Tour to date. Without a doubt, the biggest mark has been that strong Australian contingent.

First, Aussie Stuart Appleby has matched Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson with two wins on the year, winning the Mercedes in January and the Shell Open last week. Fellow Aussie Geoff Ogilvy took home the title at the most difficult WGC Accenture Match Play Championship and fellow countryman Rod Pampling won the prestigious Bay Hill Invitational. Even young Australian Aaron Baddeley has emerged victorious this season, taking home honors at the Verizon Heritage.

In addition to the Aussie domination, both the Honda Classic and the Tournament Players Championship winners were foreigners. Luke Donald, a native of England took the Honda title, a win that propelled him into the top ten rankings. Stephen Ames, a native of Trinidad and resident of Canada, took home the much sought after TPC title.

The only early season area of American prominence is the fact that 10 of the 17 PGA Tour winners are from the United States. Then again, after winning seven of the first eight tournaments, Americans have managed just three wins in the last nine events. All three victories are from the top two players world wide, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

There is still much golf to be played in the weeks ahead including three major titles yet to be claimed. Though Americans could still make a strong statement, it should be noted that the top foreign players, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington are still winless on the season.

A continuation of that development is highly unlikely. Putting together the early season results with the notion that best International players are still winless on the season and we have a clear picture that the PGA Tour is further becoming an International affair with the foreign contingent giving the home folks everything they can handle.

If you've ever wondered why some college football coaches can command lucrative multi-million dollar contracts, just take a look at the impact Charlie Weis has had in a single year at the helm of the Notre Dame program. First of all, Weis came in and helped three underachieving players vault to All-American status. Safety Tom Zbikowski and wide receiver Jeff Samardzija had seen little playing time in their first two years with the team, and hadn't accomplished much at all. But after getting opportunities to play for Weis, both had incredible seasons and were selected as All-Americans by AP sportswriters.

Quarterback Brady Quinn had been a two-year starter under previous head coach Tyrone Willingham, but hadn't lived up to the potential he showed as a highly-touted high school recruit. Many were willing to write him off as a bust, but his numbers from the 2005 season under Coach Weis were enough to make even professionals turn green with envy. He threw for 3,919 yards and 32 touchdowns and will return for a senior season in which he is projected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. He will also begin the season as one of the heavy favorites for the Heisman trophy.

In grooming these young players into NFL prospects, Weis has also turned around the entire Notre Dame football program. The team went 9-3 in 2005, with two regular-season losses to Michigan State and USC by a total of six points. The Fighting Irish earned a BCS bowl berth for the first time in five years, but came up short against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Nevertheless, the school earned millions from the appearance, and the football team will likely open the 2006 season ranked nationally in the top-five.

As if that wasn't enough, Weis' success on the field has had a positive impact on Notre Dame's recruiting activities as well. Success breeds success, as they say, and that has certainly been the case with Weis and the Irish. They've already received verbal commitments from several top prep prospects, including linebacker Aaron Nagel and defensive end Kerry Neal. But perhaps the biggest recruiting coup of Weis' short career at Notre Dame came just last Saturday when Jimmy Clausen, the number-one rated prep quarterback prospect in the entire country, announced his intention to attend Notre Dame in 2007.

According to almost every analyst out there, Clausen has the tools to be one of the best college quarterbacks ever. He comes from a football family that has produced two other scholarship players (brothers Casey and Rick, who both went to Tennessee), so you can bet that Jimmy already knows what to expect from the college game and the scrutiny that goes with playing in front of a national audience. Brother Casey was a four-year starter for the Vols from 2000-2003, and he threw for 9,707 yards and 75 touchdowns in that span. Rick had significantly less success in college, throwing for only 984 yards and 8 touchdowns in his career. Everyone that has been watching Jimmy's development agrees that he is much more advanced than either of his brothers were at his age. This means he can do big things at Notre Dame.

The youngest Clausen is going to get a lot of attention during his senior year of high school. According to at least one published report, a national network will broadcast one of his games as a member of Oaks Christian School in California. Clausen has been a starter for the last two seasons, and in that time has thrown for 7,234 yards and an amazing 88 touchdowns. What's even more incredible is the fact that Clausen has only thrown 11 interceptions in that span, which is highly unusual for mistake-prone, inexperienced prep athletes. Clausen is 27-0 as a starter for his high school team, and has helped the team put a very healthy average of 53 points on the board each game.

With Brady Quinn set to graduate at the end of the 2006 season, the timing for Clausen is perfect. He will have a chance to come in and be a four-year starter, just like Quinn, and just like eldest brother Casey. The starting job won't be handed to him, of course. But he has more skills than current backups Evan Sharpley and David Wolke, and is likely to surpass 2006 recruits Demetrius Jones and Zach Frazer.

Clausen was heavily recruited by other schools, too, including USC. The fact that Weis was able to lure Clausen away from his "hometown" school speaks volumes about the way the coach is perceived by high school prospects. Clausen came right out at his press conference and said that the overriding factor in his decision to attend Notre Dame was the chance to work with Weis in a pro-style offense. Clausen has seen what Weis did for Quinn, turning him from a disappointment into a legitimate first-round draft pick in the NFL, and Clausen of course wants the same opportunities. Making it in the NFL is something that neither of the elder Clausen brothers has done, which is even more motivation for Jimmy.

Another thing that Clausen liked about Coach Weis was his honesty. Weis let Clausen know a year ago that he was going to be a priority as far as recruiting goes. Weis stayed true to his word by not attempting to sign last year's highest-rated prep prospect Mitch Mustain. By staying out of the Mustain sweepstakes, Weis reinforced his point about Clausen being the Notre Dame quarterback of the future.

In addition to giving the Irish a talented replacement for Brady Quinn, Clausen can help bring in other prized recruits. College football programs serve as a national stage for players who are essentially participating in an extended audition for the NFL. Everyone would like to be able to say that they were part of a National Championship team, and that could very well be the case with the future Notre Dame teams led by Clausen at quarterback. As a result, several top wide receiver prospects will now give the Irish a long, hard look prior to making their commitments. Wide receivers, after all, cannot adequately showcase their talents if they don't have a quarterback on the team that can consistently throw the ball to them. The chance to play with Clausen at Notre Dame could be too hard to pass up.

Irish fans had to be a bit worried when looking ahead to 2007, not only because of losing Quinn but also because the current sophomores and juniors on the roster don't inspire much confidence. But now with Clausen coming in, things just got a whole lot brighter.

The last two weeks of the NBA season generated very little excitement for the heavy duty basketball fan. Not only was there very little in the way of suspense as the season came to a close, NBA coaches decided to rest key players rather than seek to win games.

The issue was particularly glaring in the East where the Miami Heat and New Jersey Nets chose to treat to the end of the regular season as nothing more than an end of the year exhibition schedule. Miami in particular gave Shaq and Dwayne Wade a great deal of time off over the final weeks to rest the two stars for the playoffs. Likewise New Jersey gave Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson fewer minutes to protect those stars.

Even the Cavaliers, approaching their first playoff appearance in years, gave Lebron James time to rest a gimpy ankle. That collective approach led to the East, already a rather lack-luster conference, having a decidedly dismal look over the final few games of the season.

Much was made of the Dallas Maverick situation - the team with the second best record in the West getting only the fourth seed and perhaps having to play San Antonio in round two. That setup meant that the two best teams in the West would not be playing for the Western Conference Championship, no matter what happens on the court.

Ironically, the NBA playoff seeding format where the three Division winners receive the top three seeds was an attempt to bring more competition to the final weeks of the NBA season. But instead, that format has not only proven to be a disaster with the Dallas situation, it has actually worked against the notion of making the final weeks more meaningful.

Not only does that format mean that Dallas and San Antonio may have to play one round too early, it meant that New Jersey, Miami and Cleveland had little to gain over the final weeks. Cleveland, trailing Detroit by a bushel, had no chance of being seeded any higher than fourth. The fact that the Cavaliers ended up passing New Jersey at the end of the year with their record as New Jersey rested should not have been treated as so uneventful.

Opening the playoff format up would seemingly add much more to the end of the regular season. It would mean that a second, third and fourth seed were truly up for grabs, putting a greater emphasis on winning, something professional sports must rely upon. No fan wants to head to a late season NBA game between Miami and New Jersey and find that Shaq, Dwayne Wade, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter are simply not going to go full out. Worse yet, how about buying a $100 ticket and then having to sit there and watch while the star players do not even play?

The end of the NBA season was a dud - David Stern needs look at this issue pronto.

I grew up loving the Denver Broncos. One might say I cut my teeth on them. My first memory of the Denver Broncos was of Craig Morton in the late 1970s. My dad, being a Dallas Cowboy fan (and Texan forever) liked Craig Morton, too, but could never really get over the fact that he was no longer with the Cowboys. My dad and I, when I was only about ten-years-old, got into very serious discussions (as serious as discussions can get between a dad and his ten-year-old daughter, about which team was better. I wore my orange sweatshirt proudly, and my dad always donned his Dallas Cowboys ball cap with the big, blue star in front. It became a friendly rivalry between us until the 1977 Super bowl, when our two teams faced each other in the biggest game of the year. Sadly for me, and for the rest of Colorado that year, our beloved Broncos lost to the Cowboys, 27-10. I still remember my dad's compassionate look as I tried to take the loss gracefully. I also remember a very rude, obnoxious girl at my school who showed up the next day with a Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt on. I wanted to slug her.

As I headed through high school, I was treated to my first Denver Broncos home game at Mile High stadium in 1982, the year before John Elway arrived on the scene. The game was a thrill (because they beat the Seattle Seahawks during a raging snowstorm) and I was able to see my team up close and personal. The next year when large-toothed, fresh and innocent looking Elway showed up, many of us were skeptical. He had a good record; no, he had a great record. It was something about the way he looked that rubbed me the wrong way. While looks have nothing to do with football (nothing really to do with anything for that matter) I couldn't get over the fact that John Elway looked incompetent to me. He looked like he was always surprised; something about his facial expression seemed cheerfully surprised about everything. In the huddle, when we were treated to a close up shot on the television, Elway looked panicked, his big blue eyes darting around nervously, his toothy smile evident even when he wasn't smiling.

Well, we know the history. John Elway went on to be a star, and he earned every bit of that stardom. The smiling, blue eyed, innocent looking Stanford boy went on to give the Denver Broncos more heart than they could have imagined. Colorado came to love Elway and thought of him as our golden boy. He loved his team, loved his state, and we looked to him to be our mascot, not just in football, but in life. John Elway was a hard worker, he never gave up, he always wore a smile, and he had heart - all the things the rest of us need to have for every day life. As we all know, Elway took the Broncos to five Super bowls in his fifteen years with the team, losing the first three terribly, but bringing the team back from rags to riches to back-to-back victories in 1997 and 1998. It was then that John Elway became a household name across the country, among peers such as Don Meredith, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Terry Bradshaw. John Elway and the Denver Broncos became the football stars that their fans always knew they could be.

Since Elway retired in 1998, at the height of his football career, the Broncos have done surprisingly well. Coach Mike Shanahan, who worked closely with Elway and with him, achieved the two Superbowl wins, has been a great leader and has held the team together well. In fact, the Broncos have only had one losing season since Elway left. Yet, in my heart, every quarterback the Broncos have will always suffer from comparison to Elway. The big toothy smile and cheerful face will be missed over the years, but also the tough, never-give-up attitude. Some are seeing that now in young Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. Brady has the Elway spirit; you can see it in his eyes. He wants to win more than anything. Perhaps the Patriots will consider sending Brady to Denver? Probably not. Besides, I'm afraid even Brady would suffer from comparison to Elway.

By Ed Jennett


Detroit and San Antonio must have really missed one another over the summer. The two teams have been dominant all season and seem determined to meet again in the NBA Finals this year. Whether both teams can make it that far remains to be seen, but the clubs that led their respective conferences in the regular season also have the lead positions in their respective conference playoff previews:


Eastern Conference

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Milwaukee
The finest example of how bad the Eastern Conference is versus the finest team in the Eastern Conference. The Milwaukee Bucks snuck into the playoffs despite finishing two games under .500 with 40 wins and are awarded the privilege of being the first victims of the Detroit Pistons, who led the NBA with 64 wins. The most interesting aspect of this series is that it will result in Detroit Head Coach Flip Saunders advancing out of the first round of the playoffs for just the second time in his career. Saunders led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals that season, and anything less than an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals would have to be considered an embarrassment for the Pistons. The only problem that the Bucks can cause Detroit is rust due to too much time off between playoff series.

Prediction: Pistons over Bucks in 4 games

(1) Miami vs. (7) Chicago
The Chicago Bulls are the other team that managed to sneak into the playoffs because the Eastern Conference is a joke. The last laugh will be on them however as they have zero chance of upsetting the Miami Heat. If the Heat wants to make the games competitive C Shaquille O’Neal and SG Dwyane Wade should flip a coin in the locker room to decide who gets to take the night off. The end result of the series would still be the same.

Prediction: Heat over Bulls in 4 games

(2) New Jersey vs. (6) Indiana
Like the Bulls, the Pacers finished at .500 with 41 wins. Unlike the lucky and overachieving Bulls however, the Pacers have had to deal with another Artest situation, bad luck with injuries, needing time to gel with a new All-Star teammate, and underachieving. Indiana is finally getting its act together, but PF Jermaine O’Neal and SF Peja Stojakovic will not be enough to get by the Nets. The All-Star perimeter trio of PG Jason Kidd, SG Vince Carter, and SF Richard Jefferson are finally supplemented with a big man in emerging C Nenad Krstic, which will give New Jersey enough to get by Indiana.

Prediction: Nets over Pacers in 6 games

(3) Cleveland vs. (5) Washington
The coronation of SF LeBron James will have to wait, but the reign is coming. King James has led the Cavaliers into the post season and is looking to make the Wizards his first of many subjects. Washington has been an unstable club all season, alternating from being impressive to embarrassing. The best case scenario for the Wizards is that their rising star PG Gilbert Arenas averages 40 points against the Cavaliers overmatched point guards Eric Snow and Damon Jones. The end result of the series would not change, but the games would be much more entertaining.

Prediction: Cavaliers over Wizards in 5 games

Western Conference

(1) San Antonio vs. (8) Sacramento
The Spurs are the defending NBA Champions and are expected to represent the West in the Finals again this year. Their road to a probable rematch with Detroit is a difficult one that begins with a tough eight seed in The Kings. Sacramento is much better than the usual last team to make the playoffs and would have been a higher seed if former Defensive Player of the Year SF Ron Artest had been a King the entire season. Sacramento PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim has finally made it to the playoffs but will now have the unenviable task of having to guard the Spurs All-Star PF Tim Duncan. The Kings have the talent and toughness to make this a close series, but they do not have the depth or experience together to get past the champs.

Prediction: Spurs over Kings in 6 games

(2) Phoenix vs. (7) LA Lakers
Suns All-Star PG Steve Nash has been impressive in another MVP caliber season, but he will have to duel with the man who had the second most impressive game in NBA history, Lakers All-Star SG Kobe Bryant. Nash will also have to do so without his best teammate, PF/C Amare Stoudemire, who is out for the rest of the season after his attempt to come back too soon from microfracture surgery resulted in needing surgery on his other knee due to overcompensating. Although it is unlikely that he scores 81 points again