Tiger Who?

This is the first time I've actually sat down to weigh in on ESPN's "Who's Now" bracket, because to me, it is a no brainer.

Shaq is the "Diesel", but that engine has a lot of miles on it. Tom Brady is already HOF material, but his head wear is in flux. Jeter is the Yankees, but he is a Yankee. Lebron is the "King," but he'll be "Who's Next". A-Rod has the hot wife, but he is supposedly not quite a Yankee. Peyton won his Super Bowl, but he couldn't beat the Gators, and they vote in this thing. L.T. is a great running back, but he is not the face of the NFL.

Which leads us to TIGER.

He is only a third of the way through his career. His head wear is his own brand (with the same company as His Airness). He is golf, ranked first in the world for the past 110+ weeks. He is the guy you don't want to face in the last group on Sunday, or the finals of anything. He is the guy that has made golf soar in ratings, revenue, and participation. His wife - who doesn't think she is hot? His picture is worth a thousand words, but more likely a couple million dollars. He can sell Buicks...enough said!

Here's how it looks:

MICHAEL JORDAN REGION (1) Tiger Woods v. (2) LaDainian Tomlinson

MUHAMMAD ALI REGION (1) Peyton Manning v. (2) Alex Rodriguez
BILLIE JEAN KING REGION (1) LeBron James v. (2) Derek Jeter
BABE RUTH REGION (1) Tom Brady v. (3) Shaquille O'Neal

Jordan winner vs. Ali winner

King winner vs. Ruth winner

Tiger in a romp over the the Man Child. 67/33

Light the Night Walk

Every once and awhile, truth be told almost every day, life has much more important things to worry about than Michael Vick and seedy referees. I received this email from my good friend, and I pass it along to you:

As most of you know, I lost my Dad to ALL leukemia in 2000 at the age of 60. No other families should have to go through the pain of watching a loved one suffer with this horrible disease, which is why I am again raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as a participant in their Light The Night Walk. This year's walk is on September 20 and I'm asking you to help by making a contribution. Each donation helps accelerate cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and brings hope to the patients and families who are on the front lines of the battle against these diseases.

Please visit the link below to donate online quickly and securely. We'll leave the link in the sidebar until the 20th of September.

On behalf of Whitey and Leslie (who will do the walkin'), thank you very much for your support. All of us appreciate your generosity.

Who's in trouble Now?

Our banner today portrays the happy mugs of the 1919 White Sox. In the courtroom. This could be a common pose (maybe not as happy) for many in the weeks and months to come - not on the field or the court (well, not that court) but in depositions and grand jury proceedings. The sports world is in full damage control mode, and for good reason. Let's take a look:

1. The NBA has a referee problem. More of an integrity problem at this point. For my money the worst scandal going, as it involves deliberate fixing of games by what we all presume are the impartial arbiters of the game. Players have been known to do this - not referees/umpires.
2. The NFL has a Michael Vick problem. What to do, what to do. Here's what they did: Roger Goodell told Vick to make an appointment with his lawyer instead of the Atlanta Falcon's training camp. Warning shot fired.
3. MLB has a Barry Bonds problem. Bud Selig said he won't show up for Bonds' record breaking home run, whenever it should happen. Baseball has to be breathing a sigh of relief that Vick and NBA ref troubles have bumped their issues to the page two. For now...
4. MLS has a David Beckham problem. Or do they? I would assume that at some point people will realize that, uh, Beckham ain't playing. And wait, did we just pay to see a soccer match?
5. The NHL has an NHL problem. I just like to rip on hockey whenever I get the chance. Has the hockey season ended yet? Don't tell me who won because...I don't care (and I'm not alone).

So, who has it bad?

Now Batting: PETA?

I am not one to use Wikipedia as a source - I would rather you take my word for it and not lend credence to a site in the batter's box. However, for this yarn I am.

Once again PETA has struck out swinging. When I first heard that PETA was weighing in on the Michael Vick dog fighting issue, I was fully behind them. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they were doing the right thing. Dog fighting is a crime, as it should be. However they stepped over the line as they usually do. In 2003, PETA ran an inexcusable campaign to bring attention to factory farms. They used pictures of the Holocaust to imply their similarities. That is the type of line I'm talking about. Strike one!

They have put out more than graphic pamphlets called, "Your Father Kills Animals" and "Your Mother Kills Animals" to children. That would be..... Strike two!

Today, on the PETA web site, they are selling "Anti-Vick merchandise." Profiting from the fact that a celebrity gets popped by the Feds makes you lose some of your credibility. For example, this morning on ESPN Radio it was reported that on the Nike site the search for "Vick" came back with no items found. Nike could be attempting to recoup some of the money they shelled out to Vick, but chose to do the right thing.

When a non-profit organization exploits an alleged despicable act for profit, and a for-profit company holds off on the launch of a new shoe thus loosing profit, the rules of commerce are inverted. Strike three!

I know the people that support PETA are truly animal lovers, and some believe that the way they protest is a good thing. In this case their cause is just; their profit is not. It also burns me up that they think 50 protesters outside the NFL Office in New York City is causing the Commissioner to do something. Sorry, it is not them but rather the collective gasp that you hear in your office, tavern, or barbershop that is causing the NFL to act. Just because you're on the right side of a cause doesn't mean you were the reason for change - just a part of the cause for change.

Harang for Cy Young

I think it's about time Aaron Harang's name got mentioned with the other elite pitchers in this league. After going ten innings against the Milwaukee Brewers last night, I believe he deserves a closer look...

Since 2003, when Harang became an consistent starter for the Reds, he has 47-34 record. In exactly none of those years have the Reds had a winning record. He leads the Majors in innings-pitched this year with 151 and he was third in that category last year (behind teammate Bronson Arroyo and Cy Young award winner Brandon Webb).

His 138 strikeouts is tops in the National League so far (only 39 walks). More impressively over his last two starts he has gone 17 2/3 innings, given up 3 earned runs, struck out 18, and got no-decisions both times. The short list of Cy Young candidates this year will include Brad Penny, Carlos Zambrano, John Smoltz, and maybe Jake Peavy and Chris Young. If Harang finishes out the year as strongly as he has pitched the last couple of games, I think he deserves some serious consideration for the award as well.

A Tear.

Mike Coolbaugh, a coach for the Tulsa Drillers, was killed at a Minor League baseball game in the Texas League on Sunday. He was standing in the coach's box down the first base line when he was struck in the head by a line drive foul ball.

Our prayers go out to him, his family, and all of baseball. There really is not anything to add that could possibly make this story have a happy ending. I wish there were.

I apologize in advance to anyone that thinks this is not the right forum to stir a debate. That said, the ball came off of a wooden bat. That's right, not aluminum.

Professor's Note: Both of us extend our prayers. Tragedies such as this - while they do occur in the sports world - are not expected on the baseball diamond. The ball came off the bat of Tino Sanchez, also of the Tulsa Drillers, and our thoughts are with him as well. One can only imagine what he is feeling right now. The human side is more important than the sports angle:

Coolbaugh is survived by his wife, Mandy, and two young sons, Joseph and Jacob... Mandy Coolbaugh is expecting another child in October.[SOURCE]

Coolbaugh had just recently joined the team on July 3rd as an interim hitting coach. All minor league teams are small organizations, and the shock of this tragedy may not subside for some time, if ever.

The Drillers and Spirit Bank have set up a memorial fund to benefit the Coolbaugh family. Checks can be made payable to the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Fund and sent to:

Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Fund
c/o Spirit Bank
1800 S. Baltimore Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74119

All proceeds collected will go directly to the Coolbaugh family. Spirit Bank began the fund with a $5,000 donation.

Byrd Dog?

On January 3, 1959 Robert C. Byrd began his career in the United States Senate, making him the longest serving member. He is third in succession to the Presidency, behind Cheney and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

With all that said, he is one guy you don't want to tick off. On Thursday Senator Byrd came out swinging against animal cruelty. At this point I'll admit to watching C-SPAN - yes I'm an idiot. There is a lot of opining over spilt milk in the Congress, but Byrd is a great orator. He speaks with passion, and with many years under his belt; he is not pulling a "Nifong". I've heard many speeches from Senator Byrd, and he doesn't have his name plastered all over West Virginia for nothing. I'm not going to bash the man over everything he says, but on this I think it is telling.

Hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of dollars are often at stake in the breeding, the training and the selling of fighting dogs. How inhuman, how dastardly!" shouted the senator. "The training of these poor creatures to turn themselves into fighting machines is simply barbaric.[SOURCE]

I totally agree with the Distinguished Gentleman from West Virgina. As the Senate Historian, and for good reason being there a half century, Byrd has seen a lot in his lifetime, and from the lectern he has expressed his love for animals on many occasions. On Thursday he unleashed a rant, not naming Vick, but it was a Hell, Fire, and Brimstone speech. View some highlights HERE.

Meanwhile Senator John Kerry wishes to propose Anti Dogfighting Legislation. Yes, it has become political, and every candidate will give you their "It's wrong" sound bite, but none of them speak from the heart like Senator Byrd. In 2002 at an Appropriation Committee meeting, he told his colleagues that his dog had passed away. They were in session, on the record. I think you get my point.

Sure there will be people that drudge up his past and drop things like the KKK, but that was years ago. If we stop the mud slinging in Washington, as well as the rest of America, we might just learn a little from our elders. I don't agree with the man on every issue, but that is okay. This is not a Republican v. Democrat debate. It goes to the very core of human decency, and if you can't come down on one side of fence on this...I hope you bust your nads on that old rusty fence.