And Yet Another A-Rod story

It appears that Alex Rodriguez has yet again found his way onto the blog. This past weekend the Yankee third baseman hit his career 500th HR, making him the youngest and fastest player to reach the plateau. This is quite the accomplishment for Rodriguez and I am sure an enormous amount of weigh has been lifted from his shoulders. But it appears that the pressure now has shifted to the recipient who was lucky enough to obtain the historic ball from the home run. Walter Kowalczyk of Trenton, New Jersey, is now stuck in a situation that many sports fan dream of being of. What to do with this historic piece of memorabilia?

Kowalczyk is set to go on a local New York radio program and openly debate what he should do with the ball. I personally would give the athlete the first dibs at the ball. I would not openly ask for anything from that athlete, but I would definitely be lying if I said I would not expect anything in return. Fans that sell historic pieces of memorabilia on auctions for a high price, display a tremendous amount of selfishness and greed. Sure its fun to bask in the fifteen minutes of fame when one grabs a historic baseball HR, but that fan should do the right and respectful gesture by chucking it back within the game of baseball.

My question to the rest of the blog/class: What would you do if you caught Barry Bond's 756th HR ball?

Contenders in the East?

Today, the Boston Celtics acquired one of the best players in the NBA, Kevin Garnett, from the Minnesota Timberwolves. This past summer Danny Ainge has turned the Celtics from one of the leagues worst to a now contending team in the Eastern Conference. In addition to acquiring Garnett, the Celtics also got sharpshooter Ray Allen from the SuperSonics.

I like this deal for two reasons because 1) the Trail Blazers only have to see both Allen and Garnett only twice a year now, and 2) it is better for the league to have storied franchises in contention. The Boston Celtics are one of the most historic teams in the NBA. It was very sad to see this team be very bad these last couple of years. ( The same can be said for the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks) I believe that it is better for the league for storied franchises to be good. Fans follow the big name teams, with the Celtics suddenly good again the NBA will attract more fans. My question for the blog to comment on is it better for the league to have the storied big name franchises contending or is more exciting for new teams to win?

Faciliation 8/1: Should Sammy Sosa be in baseball's Hall of Fame?

This past weekend baseball held its Hall of Fame induction ceremony. This year two of the classiest and purist players ever to play were the new inductees, Tony Gwyn and Cal Ripken Jr. Both of these players showed hard work during their long careers, and were both loyal to the organizations that brought them up. These players were more than eligible to be inducted.

With the recent steroid scandal hovering over Major League Baseball, many players with Hall of Fame caliber numbers may not get into the Hall of Fame because with the speculation of these players using performance enhancing drugs during their careers. These players include Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, and the player to be debated, Sammy Sosa.

Sammy Sosa is a difficult player to determine whether or not to be in the Hall of Fame because he has never been tested positive for steroid use. However, during the congressional hearing, involving Major League Players, Sosa spoke through an interpreter which was something he had never done when speaking to the media. This was considered a cowardly and questionable move. Below are some bullet point reasons whether or not Sosa should be a Hall of Famer.

Reasons to be in the Hall of Fame:

• Only player in MLB history to hit more than 60 HRs three seasons.
• Has over 600 career HRs
• 1998 NL MVP

Reasons Not to be in the Hall of Fame:

• Used a corked bat in 2003
• Walked out on team in 2004
• No other great stats other than HRs
• Spoke through an interpreter at Congressional Hearings

A Not So Shiny Summer for Pro Sports

I have been a rabid sports fan for a pretty long time, during this obsession I have seen many unbelievable games and stories related to sports both positive and negative. But in all of the years I have followed sports, I can not recall a worse time in sports in general than what is happening right now.

In the three biggest professional sports leagues there are major conflicts occurring that is hurting the reputation of there own respective sports league and in all of sports in general. In Major League Baseball there is the on going steroid investigation involving Barry Bonds that has been going on the least few years. This problem has caused many analysts inside baseball to name this period in the majors as the "steroid era." In the NFL, Michael Vick, a star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, is being federally investigated for dog fighting. Vick is likely to face a suspension for the upcoming season. And finally in the NBA, official Tim Donaghy is being investigated for betting on league games, and even influencing the outcome to some games he worked.

For the first time in my life I would not willingly admit that I am a sports nut. These problems are not only embarrassing for the leagues, but disheartening to the fans. This situation has caused me to ask, "How can it get this bad?" How do all of these situations reflect on us on society? It will be interesting to see how every one of these stories will progress, as well as, to see what steps every league in professional sports takes to clean up after them selves. Realistically, I do not see leagues getting better before I see them getting worse, but as a fan I will hope that the sun will shine again on the reputation of professional sports.

In Response to Mike's Josh McRobert's Bet

As I was watching the first round of the NBA Draft and weeping over the sudden departure of Zach Randolph from the Trail Blazers, I couldn't help but notice that the Philadelphia 76ers has not yet selected Josh McRoberts, a move that Mike was surely going to happen.

As the draft kept progressing, teams continually kept passing on the pure hustle, yet not very skilled player from Duke. When the draft entered the second round and McRoberts still had not landed on an NBA roster I began to ask myself, "Will this guy even get drafted?" Then we got to pick number 37 and the Portland Trail Blazers once again shocked the world and took McRoberts. I found this more shocking than anything else Portland had done all night or ever for that matter. I found the selection of McRoberts more disturbing than the salaries of Raef LaFrentz and the newly acquired Steve Francis. How does this guy fit in to Kevin Pritchard's master plan?

There is only one logical explanation as to how Portland is going to use Josh McRoberts. The answer is simply six fouls. McRoberts will share the same role and responsibilities that other storied big man such as Joe Wolf, Chris Dudley, Joe Klein, and Will Perdue did while serving their time with the Trail Blazers; keep the better players out of foul trouble.

When Mike originally said he would bet any amount of money that Philly would take McRoberts, I thought going into the Draft that was a sure thing. Now I am kicking myself for not taking that bet, and Kevin Pritchard should be kicking himself somewhat for wasting a pick.