Here's the text of commentaries heard regularly on ESPNRadio:
Wingo: The Lewis case
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2004
Extra Point -- Trey Wingo (morning): "Déjà vu: that sinking feeling you done something before. Welcome to the Baltimore Ravens' worst nightmare. Four years ago a superstar named Lewis -- on trial for murder. And now another superstar, whose last name is Lewis, indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to buy and distribute cocaine. This time it's Jamal Lewis, coming off the second-best rushing season in NFL history. But if history is a guide, this Lewis case may have the same happy ending as Ray's. At first glance the evidence against Lewis appears to be shaky. So far, all prosecutors have released is an alleged, taped, cell-phone conversation where Jamal uttered the word 'Yeah' after apparently talking to a friend about the idea of buying some junk and selling it at a higher price. Oh, by the way, all this comes some four years after the fact, the alleged conspiracy taking place in 2000. Look, I have no idea whether or not Jamal is guilty or innocent, but I sure have a lot of questions about why prosecutors waited four years to reveal so far just one phone call."
Schaap: Poor Barry
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2004
Extra Point -- Jeremy Schaap (morning): "Poor Barry Bonds, attacked by the slings and arrows of that renowned wit, Turk Wendell. Poor Barry. He was so hurt by the Turk's barbs. Poor Barry. If only Turk had come to him to voice his accusations about Bonds' steroid use instead of going through a reporter. I'm sure they would have worked it all out. 'If you've got something to say, say it to my face. Don't talk through the media,' Bonds told the media. Maybe Turk was wrong. Maybe Barry was right. After all, who's a better communicator than Barry Bonds? Who knows more about interpersonal relations than that great leader of men and clubhouses? Barry's right. It was terribly unfair of Turk to accuse him of using steroids. Barry, of course, is all about fair play. Remember he's the fair-minded gent who said he was looking forward to erasing Babe Ruth from the record books. Good point, Barry. What did Babe Ruth ever do for baseball? Certainly not as much as you."
Extra Point -- Linda Cohn (afternoon): "Is it just me? How come I don't feel sorry for Terrell Owens? Did you hear what happened to him? It's something that at one time or another happens to all of us. We fail to do the proper paperwork in time to meet a deadline. It's why we all wish we had personal assistants. Well, Terrell Owens can afford an army of assistants to get his paperwork done in time, yet he dropped the ball. His inability to turn in the proper paperwork in time cost him the opportunity to be an unrestricted free agent and rid himself of the team he's been bashing for several months -- his 'beloved' San Francisco 49ers. Because of T.O.'s tardiness, the remaining three years on his contract with the Niners have not been voided. There goes that big day as a free agent; oh, yeah, and that $15 million signing bonus that likely would have gone with it. The Niners, who were prepared to get nothing for Owens, now can engineer a trade for him. Meantime, Owens' agent has filed a grievance. As for T.O., Palm Pilots are an amazing invention."
SportsBeat -- Trey Wingo substituting for Mike Tirico (afternoon): "Are you ready for some February football? A story in Friday's USA Today proposes major changes in the way we watch our NFL. Gearing up for the next round of contract negotiations the NFL is thinking about the idea of starting the season a couple of weeks later with the idea of finishing the playoffs later in February. The league also is toying with starting Sunday games at 2 o'clock and 5 o'clock instead of 1 o'clock and 4 o'clock in the east. And that whole thing about each network having the rights to certain conference games? That could go out the window, as well. The reason for all of these possible changes, by the way, has nothing to do with football. It's all about television. By starting later the playoffs will go deep into February, which is one of the four 'sweeps' months in TV that determine advertising rates. The later start of the Sunday games will also spill the late games into prime-time television. And by allowing the networks to choose the games they want in the spring, it gives them the chance to maximize their ratings based on favorable matchups. Television equals money, and with the NFL money is king.
"If you like golf and you like drama, this is your weekend to be fat and happy on the couch. No form of competitive golf is more fun to watch than match play, and thanks to the torrential rains that fell in Southern California, we're in the middle of three straight days of potentially 36 holes of golf. Nothing is more mentally and physically draining than match play. The only way to survive is to expect your opponent to make every single putt, and you better roll in a few bombs yourself. Yes, match play has given us a few suspect winners over the years -- like Kevin Sutherland and Jeff Maggert and Steve Stricker -- but that's sort of the point, isn't it? The unpredictability of the event is what makes it so watchable. Add in 36 holes a day, and there's no better reality television going this weekend."
Scott: Bonds looks clean to me
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2004
Extra Point -- Stuart Scott (morning): "Unless you know for sure, zip it. If you don't know a guy for sure uses or used steroids, you've got no business putting it out there. That goes for media people. If it's another ballplayer, that's a whole nother ballgame. Personally, I don't think Barry Bonds has used steroids. He's been that good for a long time, even when he was in his 20s, thinner. Thickness doesn't mean steroids. Thickness means maybe dude hit 30 years old, then mid-30s, started working out hard, got all swoll. You've still got to have the bat speed to put the lumber in a 98 mph fastball. But back to other players. Turk Wendell has no business accusing Barry Bonds of doping up. Turk don't know! And to accuse a fellow ballplayer of it is bush league. Period. Kind of like Barry says: 'Who is Turk Wendell?' Until or unless Barry or anybody else admits it or tests positive for it, why spend so much time on it? Yes, 'steroids' is cheating, but who wants to be accused of being a cheater just because somebody thinks they cheated."
Extra Point -- Shelley Smith (afternoon): "My daughter went on a college recruiting trip last fall. Fortunately, it wasn't to the University of Colorado. When all these allegations surfaced recently of sex parties on recruiting trips, I asked her, 'When you went on your trip last fall, did you go to a strip club?'
"'No,' she said.
"I asked, 'Did you drink beer and throw up?'
"'Nope, didn't do that,' she said.
"'Did any of the soccer girls tell you they could find you a hot linebacker?'
"'No, that didn't happen either," she answered.
"'Well, what possibly was left to do?" I asked, perplexed.
"'Well,' she said, 'we went to movies and practice, and then we toured campus, met with the academic advisor, went to their soccer games, looked at the housing options and met with the athletic director.'
"'Amazing,' I said. 'And you still signed?'"
SportsBeat -- Dan Davis substituting for Mike Tirico (afternoon): "The name Lewis already had notoriety in Baltimore by way of Atlanta. Call it an unfortunate coincidence. Call it an alarming fact of life right now in the National Football League. Only two months removed from the end of a sensational season, Ravens running back Jamal Lewis surrendered to authorities in his hometown of Atlanta today. Lewis faces federal drug charges related to an incident 3½ years ago. Prosecutors say Lewis met a childhood friend and a woman to discuss a cocaine buy for the friend. It turns out the woman was a police informant. All this comes four full years after Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was charged with murder after a post-Super Bowl party in Atlanta. Ray Lewis eventually entered a bargained, guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge, then he testified against two co-defendants who eventually were acquitted. Today, even when he is praised for what he does on the field, Ray Lewis's name cannot be uttered without some recollection of what happened that night in Atlanta. And guilty or innocent, the same fate awaits Jamal Lewis -- 2,000-yard seasons notwithstanding.
"Top-ranked Stanford tries to keep up with No. 2 Saint Joseph's tonight. The Cardinal are hoping to keep their perfect record intact when they host Oregon State. The Hawks did just that last night with a decisive victory at UMass. All the while, both teams' records are being criticized with some justification for weak schedules -- not that they can do much about them. While such evaluations take on a tone of seriousness, the best thing about them is they mean nothing. Unlike their counterparts in the severely restricted world of football, the Cardinal and Hawks will have a chance to prove their worth in March. Seeding may be an issue, but even after that inevitable debate, there will be the inevitable tournament. If either one of these teams emerges with a '0' in the loss column, all arguing will be at an end."
Mariotti: Baker's doozy
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| Barry Bonds |
Extra Point -- Jay Mariotti (afternoon): "Silly me. I thought baseball was being well-served by the ongoing steroids investigation, a necessary purging of performance-enhancing frauds. But then I stumble upon Dusty Baker, he of the toothpicks and magic dust, who views the process as a witch hunt. 'McCarthyism!' cries Dusty, claiming all major-leaguers are being tainted by the probe and public suspicions. Worse, he focuses defensively on people in the game who might be interested in 'snitchin'' on steroids users. He even mentions the Pittsburgh drug trials of the 1980s, when players, in Baker's words, 'started scurrying and running and pointing. Know what I mean? Save your own ass.' Look, Dusty, the idea -- like it or not -- is to weed out the steroids users any way possible, even with some occasional 'snitchin'.' We're trying to cleanse the game, not protect the guilty. We're trying to make the game honest for fans who devote so much money, time and emotion. I realize Baker has made his name as a player's manager, but as one of baseball's most visible leadership figures, he needs to put the health of the sport ahead of his outlandish, hysterical opinions."
Extra Point -- Dan Davis (morning): "The team of athletes wearing red, white and blue during the Athens Olympics this summer will be clean. United States officials claimed yesterday that they have every intention of making very certain that no cheaters will be permitted on the U.S. team for the Athens or any other Olympic games. Of course, that has always been the claim of every national Olympic committee, but modern science being what it is, cheaters always are shown the way to bigger and better things via undetectable substance abuse. Now the authorities have caught up with the so-called designer steroid THG, so obviously, somebody will come up with another cocktail that cannot be currently detected. Then it, too, will become detectable. On the cycles go, but one fine day we will see some world-class athletes dropping dead because of an undetectable but fatal performance enhancer. It is just a matter of time. There are shocking numbers of them who are willing to try anything to reach the top, even if they wind up on the very bottom."
SportsBeat -- Mike Tirico from Carlsbad, Calif. (afternoon): "The World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship continue here through Sunday. It is the only PGA Tour event of the year using match play instead of stroke play, so I bring this annual reminder: Even though the promotion involves the basketball mentality of 64 teams and a bracket, it is misinformation. What is a seeding and bracket upset in March is almost never an upset in golf. People will say, well, Tiger Woods losing would be an upset. I remind you when Tiger shot 71 last Saturday at the Nissan Open, 41 players had a better score. All those players are ranked behind Tiger. In match-play golf anything can happen -- and has in the first five years of this event.
"With the recent firings of NHL coaches we are now using our second hand to count the new men behind the bench. They are catching the NBA with its seven in-season changes this year. Rarely do we ever see the GM changed in mid-season when, in fact, that person either made the mistake of putting the coach in his job or giving him a poor team.
"Those who thought Paul Silas was the perfect fit in Cleveland were right on the money. The Cavs are just a game in the loss column behind the final playoff spot in the East. They go for four in a row tonight in Houston. Hats off to Silas for going public with his past alcohol problems. The Silas story came to light after a question about Vin Baker, who continues to battle his drinking problem while also trying to figure out if pro basketball can be a part of his future. Silas did it the way it is not recommended. He overcame the problem himself; just stopped drinking about 15 years ago. It is an example of the will and tough-mindedness that made Silas a fierce rebounder and competitor. That basketball and inner strength has made him the perfect, first coach for LeBron James, who continues to handle all the basketball stuff with incredible aplomb. Tonight James, the next 'it' in perimeter stars, gets his second game against the next 'it' in big men, Houston's Yao Ming, at 9 Eastern on ESPN. Earlier tonight the amazing Saint Joseph's basketball team goes for 25-0 at UMass, and by the way, if Duke and Oklahoma State lose a few more on the way to the brackets, Pittsburgh, Mississippi State and Gonzaga deserve more top-seed talk."
Anderson: Juice questions reign
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2004
Extra Point -- John Anderson (afternoon): "Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, baseball's big hitters, rolled into spring training on Monday, and naturally, the first topic of discussion was steroids. Not off-season moves, not how's your health, or do you have enough pitching, but what can you spill for us about BALCO Labs, your testimony in front of the grand jury, and how do you feel about taking this Pyrex beaker into the stall and giving us a sample? Now I don't endorse the use of performance-enhancing drugs, but I understand it. Big-league jobs play well, and a player would do well to do whatever it takes to keep one. It's just the latest in the evolution of an athlete looking for an edge. Raw talent begat practice, then coaching, then weights, then nutrition and so on until we got to the needle. We have pills to help everything from hair growth to birth control. Why not take advantage of what the pharmacy has to offer? Are home runs tainted if hit by a user? No more than if they're hit at cozy Minute Maid Park. Either way, it's about the juice."
Extra Point -- Rece Davis (morning): "So they suspend you for three days for smuggling the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue into school these days. That's what happened to a sixth-grader in Ohio. I know the SI edition is getting more and more risqué, but this seems to be a hysterical overreaction. After all, ESPN the Magazine is providing the responsible, opposing view. Have you seen that cover? It says Michael Phelps is the hottest thing in a swimsuit. Somewhere, some principal should suspend a sixth-grade girl three days for having that mag stowed in her backpack. In case you don't know, Michael Phelps is a star U.S. swimmer, and for my money he's no Veronica Varekova, but equality is what we're after. We can debate forever about whether a sports magazine should show scantily clad women for art or titillation or circulation. I'm thankful our magazine isn't doing that and more thankful our cover doesn't read 'Digger Phelps is the hottest thing in a swimsuit.'"
SportsBeat -- Jeremy Schaap substituting for Mike Tirico (afternoon): "The best story in sports right now is unfolding in the swamps of New Jersey in the same arena where the NHL-champion New Jersey Devils play. Unlike their neighbors the New Jersey Nets have never won a championship, at least not in the NBA. In fact until two years ago, when they first reached the NBA Finals, it could have been argued that they had been the worst franchise in the NBA in the last quarter-century -- except, of course, for the Clippers, who are in a league of their own. A month ago the defending Eastern Conference champions were struggling along at .500. Now they've won 13 consecutive games and appear virtually invincible. Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd have lifted the Nets to first place in their division and the second-best record in the East. They've served notice that they will again be a factor in the playoffs. Are they talented enough to topple any of the Western powers such as the Kings, Lakers or Spurs? No, probably not, but they do have something none of those teams has. Sure, Phil Jackson's teams have won nine championships. Gregg Popovich's Spurs have won two in the last five seasons. Don Nelson is an NBA icon. But none of those coaches can say what Lawrence Frank of the Nets can say. Unlike them, he has never lost a game as a head coach in the NBA. Unlike them and every other coach in the league, Lawrence Frank never played pro, college or even high-school basketball, but he is 12-0. From a young man who a few short years ago was running the canteen at the Five-Star Basketball Camp who a few years ago was a team manager at Indiana. At 33, Frank is too young to run for President; the Constitution says you have to be 35 to assume office. But if he could, you'd have to like his chances."
Le Batard: Touching on Feeley
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| Feeley |
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| Fielder |
Extra Point -- Dan Le Batard (morning): "Jay Fiedler loses even when he wins. He has a better winning percentage than every quarterback in the league except one -- that Tom Brady guy -- but now Fiedler has been kicked to the curb as the desperate Dolphins opt instead for Philadelphia's third-string quarterback A.J. Feeley. Makes sense. Feeley is the great 'what if?' and "might be" everyone is trying to capture the way Carolina did with Jake Delhomme. Fiedler was formed. You knew what you were getting, and it wasn't enough. Fiedler won more the last four years than Brett Favre, Steve McNair and Peyton Manning, but his passer rating was consistently among the league's worst, and he produced all of three playoff touchdowns in four years. Doesn't matter how much you win if you don't do it in the playoffs, and Fiedler had all of one postseason wins in four years. So now the Dolphins become Feeley's team -- for better or worse."
Extra Point -- Trey Wingo (afternoon): "The Miami Dolphins have become an absolute, perfect reflection. Of their fan base: fickle and completely transient. Has there been a team that's had a more bizarre off-season? Dan Marino rides in to run the show and then rides out almost as fast when either he or somebody else in the organization realized just how much work would be involved in the day-to-day operation of an NFL team. And now Miami appears to have it's sights set on A.J. Feeley as the new quarterback in South Beach, replacing Jay Fiedler, who, of course, replaced Marino. Now let's recap Miami's feelings about Fiedler. We're replacing Marino with this guy? To 'we can't win without Jay Fiedler' to 'clearly, A.J. Feeley is better than Jay Fiedler.' Excuse me? Fiedler may not be a Hall of Famer, but at least we know he's a capable NFL starter. A.J. Feeley has a 4-1 record as a starter. There's a reason he's only started five games in his career. He's a backup. Is Feeley really going to be that much better in Miami than Fiedler? Who cares? In fickle South Florida all that matters is continual change."
SportsBeat -- Jeremy Schaap substituting for Mike Tirico (afternoon): "It's reasonable to despise George Steinbrenner's Yankees for any number of reasons. You can hate the Yankees for making Roger Clemens baseball's highest-paid pitcher. You can hate the Yankees for signing Mike Mussina for nearly $100 million. You can hate the Yankees for stealing Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield and Kevin Brown, all of whose salaries dwarf the gross national product of many small nations. You can hate the Yankees for spending tens of millions of dollars on the Cuban question marks Orlando Hernández and José Contreras. You can hate the Yankees for their wealth, arrogance and success. You can hate the Yankees just for being the Yankees. But you really can't hate them for acquiring Alex Rodríguez. This time they made a fair trade for a fair price. This time they made a deal that makes economic sense and at the same time surrendered a player who could end up outperforming 'A-Rod.' In fact, I'd be surprised if 'A-Rod' hits as well at Yankee Stadium as Alfonso Soriano has hit in 'The House That Ruth Built.'
"So it turns out that Alfonso Soriano isn't actually 26; he's 28. Oops. These things happen to players from the Caribbean. Just ask Danny Almonte. Regardless of his age Soriano is an awesome hitter. His bat speed is unmatched. Balls fly off his bat like rockets. If it's not a home run, it's a double. He's put up remarkable numbers playing in a stadium unfriendly to right-handed hitters. In road games last season Soriano outhit 'A-Rod' by .024 with two more home runs and two more RBI. Two years ago he had 92 extra-base hits, the most by any Yankee since Joe DiMaggio. No, Soriano is not 'A-Rod,' but one day he could be, which is saying plenty."
The Daly show
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2004
Extra Point -- Dan Davis (morning): "Not sure what happened all of a sudden to John Daly, but clearly, he has regained the form which made him one of the best golfers in the world. He got the shakes last week at La Jolla -- but not like he used to get them. His brilliant, sand shot to win the playoff there proved he is back, and yesterday a brilliant second round at famed Riviera to get squarely in the hunt for the Nissan. Folks are now being reminded of the fact that Daly doesn't just wind up and croak it 400 yards. He's got a touch around the greens, too. The Nissan appears on television sets today and tomorrow on ABC. One would imagine they are hoping for a big third round by Tiger Woods today. Tiger, who shot 66 yesterday, has never won at this fabled, hometown course, and how cool would it be to watch him paired with John Daly in the final round on Sunday? Even if that doesn't happen this week, it's something to look forward to. The way Daly is playing, he has to be watched in the majors once again as well. This could be fun."
Dark days in Boulder
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2004
Extra Point -- Rece Davis (morning): "I don't know if New Mexico kicker Katie Hnida was raped while she was on the football team at Colorado. Given what we do know about the way the Buffs program is being run, or run amok, that is hardly far-fetched. I don't know if coach Gary Barnett really knows nothing about the avalanche of allegations surrounding his program. I do know he should have. Barnett is now on 'administrative leave' while Colorado investigates the questions that test a CEO or coach's Teflon. What did he know, and when did he know it? The answers shouldn't matter. When a program that represents the face of a major university plunges into such a moral abyss, it doesn't matter who knew what. It doesn't really matter exactly who's at fault. It matters who's responsible, and there's no question Gary Barnett is responsible. A change in culture requires a change in responsibility. That starts at the top. The coach on 'administrative leave' should just be told to 'leave.' Period."
Extra Point -- Chris McKendry (afternoon): "Good thing the NCAA took care of that kid Jeremy Bloom, the Colorado wide receiver and Olympic skier who wanted to model and make money. Yup, that would have opened a can of worms. Good-looking, athletic, All-American kid financially supporting his skiing career. Wondering while reviewing Bloom's case, did officials miss the sex scandals? Former Colorado kicker Katie Hnida alleges that she was raped by a teammate four years ago. Colorado president Betsy Hoffman said she knows of at least one more assault allegation. That's six and counting. Stories of sexual abuse have surrounded Colorado's football program since 1997, when a high-school student accused a player of rape. Although no charges were filed, where there's smoke, there's usually fire. Now a full-blown firestorm is raging. Colorado and the NCAA are standing there with Dixie cups full of water, but at least that Bloom kid isn't earning money. What a joke."
SportsBeat -- Mike Tirico (afternoon): "In the aftermath of yesterday's NBA trade deadline, let me go back to last year and remind you where some people were. Rick Carlisle was the head coach in Detroit. His assistant was Kevin O'Neill. Larry Brown was banging his head against Allen Iverson's headband in Philadelphia. All these names were significant in the NBA news yesterday. First, Brown's old team, Philly, did the smart thing. No serious thought of trading Iverson, but they might revisit it come summer. Brown's current team, Detroit, came up with the big 'get' at the trade deadline, getting Rasheed Wallace. All you hobby-needing, trivia enthusiasts, please take note: Rasheed wore No. 36 for his one game as an Atlanta Hawk. What does Wallace do for the Pistons? He gives them a much-needed, proven scorer in the half-court. That'll be essential come playoff time. Now what I think might be the biggest impact: The old coach in Detroit, Carlisle, found out that his best-in-the-East Pacers are going to miss Ron Artest for a while with thumb surgery. Adding Rasheed Wallace to go with the unrelated Ben Wallace and Mehmet Okur, Detroit now has a chance against Indiana, if they meet this spring. The other part in the coaching triangle -- Kevin O'Neill, now in Toronto -- got the worst news. Vince Carter could be out a month with an ankle injury. It could doom the Raptors' playoff hopes. In a very short time the East actually has actually become relevant and interesting.
"All right, it's the end of the week. The comment of the week comes from 'Bittah? I'm Not Bittah' John Henry. He's the owner of the Boston Red Sox. You've heard about the email he sent earlier this week responding to reporters after the 'A-Rod'-to-the-Yankees deal. Now Henry says he's changed his mind; baseball needs a salary cap to deal with a team that's gone so insanely far beyond the resources of all the other teams. Hey, John. Who has the second-highest payroll in baseball? Wouldn't that be your Red Sox at $125 million? Would you be saying this if you pulled off the 'A-Rod' deal? Good for George Steinbrenner. His response: 'We understand that John Henry must be embarrassed, frustrated and disappointed by his failure in this transaction.' George, I don't always agree with you, but you got it there."
Remembering part of ESPN's makeup
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2004
Extra Point -- Neil Everett (morning) - "Marco Pantani died this past weekend. He was the last guy to win the Tour de France before it became the 'Tour de Lance.' Linda Gonsalves died this past weekend. She didn't tour anything other than Paris last year with her college-age daughters. Lyn was a makeup artist at ESPN. For seven years she applied the touches to the talent you see on 'SportsCenter' and the rest of the Connecticut-based programs. She was a Connecticut girl, a lovely woman with a beautiful spirit born on Valentine's Day. Her body betrayed her suddenly without warning, and she was gone the night before her 43rd birthday. We buried her yesterday. In death she gave life as an organ donor. Somebody got a heck of a heart. I wanted to share Lyn with you and thank her for making us look good on television. I'm a better man having been in her company, having sat in her makeup chair."
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| Barnett is kicking himself for insensitive comments. |
Extra Point -- Dan Davis (afternoon) - "Gary Barnett is out as head coach of football at Colorado. Don't know for how long, but long enough that an interim coach will be named. This primarily because Barnett spoke without thinking about former Colorado place kicker Katie Hnida on Tuesday. What's going on at Colorado and at a number of other schools right now has changed the way some of us view the NCAA. After years of being angry at the NCAA's draconian punishments of recruiting and other violations, some of us think it's time for the NCAA to get more involved. It is time for Indianapolis to expand its scope, to put a large team of investigators on the payroll and bring some badly needed controls to bear. It's truly ridiculous that they can keep track of which high school recruits go on how many visits to how many universities, but they cannot do anything about the conduct which takes place on those visits. School presidents need to empower the NCAA to put a stop to this stuff right now."
SportsBeat -- Mike Tirico (afternoon) - "Oh, this Colorado mess. So there's Gary Barnett taking his team out for winter conditioning this morning in Boulder. He's using some of the 48 hours he's been given to start his paid, administrative leave/suspension. An interim coach to be named, Gary Barnett's future in question, and a program in complete turmoil. That is CU football at the moment. It seemed as though the situation was getting worse by the hour yesterday. In fact, it has been getting worse by the year over the last couple of seasons. Although it was the stated reason for the action, I think this deal goes beyond Barnett's improper timing for improper and insensitive talking about Katie Hnida's lack of kicking ability when rape allegations were the overall topic of his interview. Here's the fundamental, larger question: With multiple sexual-misconduct charges surrounding the football programs' players, does the blame lie with the coach? The answer has become yes over the last decade in college sports, and it's become the right answer. Gary Barnett or any other coach cannot control, baby-sit or handhold an entire team of 125 18- to 22-year-olds, but the coach has to use the people around him to let him know if there is anything unhealthy taking root. When he's not in that locker room, he's got to find out what's going on in there, because the coach doesn't hang out at parties. Remember, that's what got Iowa State basketball coach Larry Eustachy in trouble. The coach has to understand the undercurrent more than ever in college sports today.
"Tiger leads the crew teeing it up this weekend on the PGA Tour's Nissan Open at Riviera. A great start to the golf season thus far. The Nissan used to be known as the L.A. Open. It's had a lot of firsts in golf and was the first pro event for the then-16-year-old Southern California teen amateur sensation named Tiger Woods. He didn't win in '92 or in the seven tries since -- two seconds but never the big trophy. You know Tiger has won everything important -- all the majors, the World Golf Championships, Jack's tournament, Arnold's tournament, the Tour Championship, Players Championship, but he's never won his hometown event. It's on his mind, and we have seen when that happens very good golf tends to follow."
Another Yankee Dynasty in the making?
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| A-Rod |
Extra Point -- Linda Cohn (morning) - "So you think the Yankees' getting Alex Rodríguez is good for baseball, and you're not even a Yankee fan, and you think this way? I know if you could, you would tell me how Yankee owner George Steinbrenner did nothing wrong, that he played by the rules, that he once again proves he'll do anything to win. And then you probably would accuse me of being jealous, because I was born in Rego Park, Queens, just a few miles away from Shea Stadium in Flushing, the home, of course, to the New York Mets. Well, let's leave the Mets out of it, shall we? Because by May 1 the Mets will be out of every race that involves the postseason. With 'A-Rod' in pinstripes, we have all the makings of the rebirth of the Yankee dynasty. I like baseball just fine when the World Series winner ends up being a team that totally surprises us -- for example, the Marlins last year and the Angels the year before. Remember, unless you're a Yankee fan, you can look forward to a baseball season in which you will never utter that famous phrase, 'It doesn't get any better than this.' What a shame."
Extra Point -- Jay Mariotti (afternoon) - "As shown last autumn by a protocol-challenged ball hawk named Steve Bartman, you don't mess with a certain Billy goat. So what's the best way to reverse the curse on Chicago's North Side? With a Greg Maddux homecoming, of course. For the first time in a Cubbie generation, without fear of ridicule or confinement to an asylum, I expect a National League pennant this year. Such is the difference between having and not having Maddux, who reunites with his former team today. Granted, he isn't a great pitcher anymore and is quite capable of having his famous smirk twisted into a pout after an occasional rough outing. Still, this isn't a performance signing as much as a psychological signing. He'll win his 15 games, but more importantly, the acquisition finally sends a message from Cubs management to long-skeptical baseball masses that this team finally is 'World Serious.' Players know it, critics know it, and most deservingly, the tortured fans now know it. Maybe the Cubs will play the Yankees or Red Sox in the Series we didn't get last fall. Or, maybe it's just a set-up for another devastating tease. Whatever, at least there's a legitimate pennant contender in a town that has gone a collective -- sigh -- 181 seasons without a world championship."
SportsBeat -- Mike Tirico (afternoon) - "These are an important few days for some of the best college players who are ready to be pro football players. This is draft-combine time in Indianapolis. Every tape measure and scale available in the Hoosier State are at the ready to size and weigh some 330 players who have hopes of finding a spot in the NFL Draft. It is an historic gathering thanks to the presence of Maurice Clarett -- with legal rulings as his ticket in; his 14 months of football inactivity one of his many pieces of luggage. The star of the Buckeyes national championship team is the only player who has taken advantage of the new court decision and is leaving school before his third season removed from high school. While Clarett and many others do not work out at the combine anymore, NFL teams do more than find out that the heights and weights we've come to learn through college are not true. Most teams will use their interviews with players to determine the intangibles -- what you can't measure. Given Clarett's less-than-perfect path through college, his constant challenge for figures of authority, NFL teams will be looking extra hard to see if this is someone they are willing to bring along.
"Not much talk of football recruiting or spring football's start -- not even the '04 Big 12 season out in Boulder. Colorado's football program is being rocked again. The claims of strippers at recruiting parties were an eyebrow raiser even at the school that has earned an unwanted reputation as a party place. But the revelations in this week's Sports Illustrated by female kicker Kate Hnida that she was sexually assaulted by a fellow football player have some calling for head coach Gary Barnett to step down. When Matt Lauer is asking your boss, the school president, about your program on the 'Today' show, it's not a good sign. Hnida said most of her teammates treated her well, but there were some who did not make her comfortable. While it is not the head coach, something is out of control at the University of Colorado, and some significant changes must happen before the new season begins."
Water Girl's View
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| 'The View' puts Kobe over the top. |
Extra Point -- Shelley Smith (morning) - "The West All-Stars call a time-out. It's the third quarter, and the game is tight. Tension is thick. Suddenly, Star Jones gets proposed to. She's crying. Her image is flashed on the overhead screen, and as Flip Saunders diagrams a play on his board, Dirk Nowitzki turns to Kobe Bryant and asks, 'Who is that?'
"'That's Star Jones,' Kobe says. 'She's a reporter on a TV show -- "The View."'
"That Nowitzki didn't know Star Jones was understandable. He's from Germany. But who knew Kobe watched 'The View'? Reporting for ESPN Radio, I had a seat behind a bench filled by the world's greatest athletes. I was a kid in a very tall, very rich, candy store. As I was handing water and Gatorade to Tim Duncan -- hey, the water boy's hands were full, and he asked me to help out -- it suddenly dawned on me this is the closest I'll ever get to being on a really cool, basketball team."
Extra Point -- John Anderson (afternoon) - "And I'd like to take this minute to thank Yankees owner George Steinbrenner from the bottom of my small-market heart. That's right. If it's good for the pinstripes, then it's good for my Brewers. Spend away, ol' great Boss. Acquire 'A-Rod,' and push that payroll past $190 million. Take a flyer, and add Greg Maddux, too, for that matter, if it helps you crack the $200 million mark. The more money you shell out, the more luxury-tax dollars that trickle down to Milwaukee and Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Hey, George is pretty much floating the whole NL Central these days. A year ago the Yankees paid out $50 million in revenue sharing and another $12 million for the luxury tax. That's 62 and six zeros in handouts to help keep the game alive in cities where it might surely be buried by now. And don't forget, the Yanks have led the big leagues in road attendance the last seven seasons. When the 'Stripes come to town, folks fill up the seats and add more money to the hometown till. Plus having a team to universally despise is priceless. So don't cry foul over the latest Yankee moves, lest you bite the hand that feeds you."
SportsBeat -- Mike Tirico (afternoon) - "With all the dollars the Yankees are throwing to 'A-Rod' -- the official announcement today from the Yankees' side -- have you considered what the Texas Rangers agreed to spend? Think about it. First, the $66 million in salary alone for the three seasons he played there. Then the $67 million they'll pay on the rest of his contract while he plays for the Yankees. So in exchange for his three years of playing in Texas, Tom Hicks laid out $133 million for 'A-Rod' -- more than $44 million a year, and on top of that the Rangers still have to take care of his tickets at the Ballpark in Arlington and at the American Airlines Center, where the Mavs and the Stars play. That's not all. The Rangers have to make the mortgage payments on his Texas house until it's sold. To borrow the line from John McEnroe, you cannot be serious. That is a travesty, and it's not 'A-Rod's' fault. He's the best player in the game, but he's also one of the best people in the game. I knew him before he became a great star and since, and Alex Rodríguez is still very enjoyable to be around, very professional, a very good citizen. It's not his fault the economics of this game are screwed up, but that's the case. Now for what it's worth, we just have to remind ourselves the Yankees have done all the overspending the last three years, and the World Series was won by the then-4-year-old Diamondbacks, the wild-card Angels and the thrifty Marlins. By the way, the two dozen teams playing in baseball's second salary division still have pitchers and catchers reporting this week.
"The NBA regular season resumes tonight with 11 games. The best one is New Orleans at Indiana. With about 30 or so games left, here's my read on each conference: Barring injuries, Indiana is going to win the East. The lack of offense is why you hear second-in-the-East Detroit talking trade. I think the Knicks could still get 'home court' in the first round. In my opinion, Miami beats out Boston and Philly for the last East spot. Out West, even with his suspension, a couple dozen games are going to be enough for Chris Webber in Sacramento. No. 1 in the regular season is very important to Minnesota, and even though they have the veterans, I think Seattle and Portland are going to come up shy. Memphis and Denver will make the last spots in the West." Flawless
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| John Daly left this 100-foot bunker shot within inches of the cup to secure his birdie -- and victory -- on the first playoff hole. |
Extra Point -- Dan Le Batard (morning) - "Of all the things going on in sports Sunday -- 'A-Rod' going to the Yankees, Dale Earnhardt's kid winning the Daytona 500, the NBA All-Star Game -- nothing was quite as moving and dramatic and human as John Daly winning again for the first time in almost a decade. His is the kind of story you root for despite all its flaws, despite all his flaws, maybe because of all the flaws. Over the years Daly has lost wives, gained weight and battled alcohol addiction, fighting demons that range from the French-fried variety to the kind that come with relationships. But here he was, triumphant again, better for a day than Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and everyone else in golf. Sports does this sometimes -- surprises you, moves you and makes you want to stand up and cheer."
Extra Point -- Jeremy Schaap (afternoon) - "Had it really been nine years? Nine years since John Daly won a PGA tournament? Amazing. So much talent. So much promise. So much charisma. Wasted. Sunday at the Buick Invitational, Daly shot a 75 but still held on to win for the first time in nearly a decade. His last victory was in 1995 at the British Open when he won his second major in only four years. Then the decline. Daly went through rehab and divorce; his talent was squandered, but still, the fans love him. In a sport that's more corporate than Wall Street, he was the lone man of the people, the single link to the days before Arnold Palmer and Mark McCormack turned the PGA Tour into an extension of the boardroom. Daly's decline coincided almost exactly with the rise of Tiger Woods. Wouldn't it be great for golf if they were both at the top of their games at the same time? Two dazzling talents with very different personalities dueling every week. That would be fun."
SportsBeat -- Mike Tirico (afternoon) - "What do Tony Stewart, Chris Riley and Luke Donald have in common? In addition to not winning yesterday at the Daytona 500 or golf's Buick Invitational, they had to overcome talented individuals and popular sentiment. We'll never know if Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be this popular if his dad were still alive, but it's nice to see him win the sport's ultimate race at the track that tortured and eventually took his dad. It's always good for any sport when one of the people's choices gets a big win. It applies to golf, where John Daly, dare we say, brings just as much if not more hype to any event he's contending in than Tiger Woods. After spending time with John during his first two tournaments this year out on the West Coast, he stayed under the radar, he was quietly improving his game, and it's not a shock to see him play well. It is a shock to see him win under pressure. To see it all come together on a future U.S. Open course against a great field gives you understanding why Daly said this win was his biggest ever -- even bigger than his two majors. It's his first PGA Tour win in nine years. He did have a couple European Tour wins, but with Daly, Tiger, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson all in the field, this is a strong win. We'll see Daly, Woods and Singh in the Nissan Open this week in L.A.
So the surging New York Knicks dump their third-leading scorer, and it's the least significant trade of the weekend in New York. Ah, such is life with 'A-Rod' to the Yankees from the Rangers. It got the 'Bud' seal of approval today. Now I know every sport is better served when its best franchises are good, but the Yankees' payroll is getting absurd. The Yankees' payroll is about the same as Tampa Bay and Montréal and Milwaukee and Kansas City combined last year. That's right. The Yankee payroll is the equal of the bottom four teams. Don't tell me about the luxury tax being a help. It's only $10 million -- or one-third of the Devil Rays payroll. If baseball wants to become international soccer and set up a premier league for the teams that spend into that ninth digit every year, that's great. But this setup is going to send baseball down a long-term road of failure."
