A couple of huge stories today, the biggest probably being both Big Papi and ManRam testing positive for PEDs in 2003. Am I the only one who has become COMPLETELY desensitized to this whole scenario? It's a pretty sad state of affairs when the first thought that goes through my mind after finding out was "Huh." Here's me thing about it: Why doesn't MLB just release the entire list of the 100+ players who tested positive at once instead of bringing new names to the forefront every few months? I understand the list is "under seal" by a court order, but c'mon already! We already knew A-Rod, Jason Giambi, Sammy Sosa (among many others) were on it, so why not just release it, deal with it, and move on? Oh, and by the way, Big Papi was a part-time scrub for his six seasons before 2003, then all of a sudden became a homerun-hitting masher. Weird. Just another story that makes Albert Pujols look more and more like the best player of this (and maybe by the time he's done, ANY) generation.
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Another strange twist in the death of Arturo Gatti as Brazilian police now say his death was a suicide. They originally thought his wife had strangled him with her purse strap while he was passed out on the couch, but after the coroner's results said Gatti may have killed himself, they backed off that statement pretty quickly. Apparently he was found hanged and suspended in their vacation condo, which his wife's lawyer said proved her innocence. Fair enough, but you still get a sense this case isn't wrapped up quite yet. Gatti's family refuses to believe he would have reason to comitt suicide (there could have been demons only he knew about, I know...) his wife was asleep in the condo for 10 hours before she discovered his body, and neighbors say they heard a pretty heated argument in the hours leading up to his death. I'm not about to sit here and pretend I know more than the investigators, but it'll be interesting to see if any new information pops up in the coming days, weeks, months. Either way, a tragic ending to an electrifying boxer. His trilogy of fights against "Irish" Micky Ward are still three of the best boxing matches you'll ever see.
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Michael Vick says he's 'getting close' to signing with a professional football team. I didn't realize the situation in Rider-nation was that desperate. In all seriousness, I've been asked a few times what I think about the Vick situation. Look at it this way: If a plumber is convicted of financing dog fighting, does his time in jail, is he still allowed to be a plumber when he gets out? Yes. So why should an NFL QB be any different? But as for the people who think the NFL shouldn't suspend him, I couldn't disagree more. Roger Goddel has every right to bring down his own punishment separate from the legal system's. Now.... as an NFL GM, would I sign Vick? Not a chance. Not only would you be putting yourself under the biggest national microscope for all the wrong reasons, but I've never been a fan of the guy. Yes, he's fun to watch run around every third game or so, but with a career completion percentage of 53.8%, a YDS/GAME average of 155.5, the fact he never threw for more than 20 TDs in a season, and an average rating of 75.5... why would anyone be so desperate to sign him even in his "good" years? He has NEVER proven himself to be amongst the elite NFL signal callers. Yes, he got the Atlanta Falcons to the '02/'03 NFC Championship Game (after handing the Packers their first-ever home playoff loss in the first round) but I can show you list a mile long of NFLers who have over-achieved for a period of a few games before coming back down to reality. The fact is, the numbers don't support any arguments that he has EVER been a quality pro quarterback. Exciting at time, yes. Elite player? No.
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Is anyone following the craziness surrounding Jeremy Mayfield and his legal battle with NASCAR these days? I know most people don't follow NASCAR at all, so I won't go into all the details, but if you want some good dramatic reading, go here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Jeremy-Mayfield-at-odds-with-stepmother-Lisa-ove?urn=nascar,176946
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I'm glad the MLB trade deadline is tomorrow. If I had to read one more headline saying: "Doc's last start as a Jay?", I was going to lose my mind. Best pickups in recent weeks: STL grabbing Holliday from COL, and PHI nabbed Lee from CLE. Poor Indians fans...
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Speaking of baseball, has anyone had worse injury karma than Chicago Cubs outfielder (and former Blue Jay) Reed Johnson? Back from his June stay on the DL with back spasms, he's right back on it after fouling a pitch off his foot in the first inning yesterday. He's a tough hombre though, he tried playing another two innings on a fractured foot before pulling himself.
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Dear Brett Favre: Go away, and stay away! Sincerely, Liam.
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So that's about it for today. I think I like this format, so I'll probably post a new one every few days to offer my oh-so-valued opinions on the biggest stories, with the odd full entry on stories that really grab my attention.
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