thehighcourtofsports.com Blog

Sadly, I got some bad news recently.  It appears that I failed the aptitude test I took on Tuesday.  As it turns out, I am incapable of succeeding at virtually any task you could mention.  If these test results are correct, I’ll be ’stuck’ being an idiot Senator from Massachusetts and a horse-faced failure as a Presidential candidate…

Seriously though…I read a few different articles and columns wondering if John Kerry’s ‘botched joke’ in which he appeared to be suggesting that every member of our Armed Forces were academic failures would have significant impact on election day next week.  The idea that it could (and I am sure it would) is absolutely insane.  The same is true concerning the Mark Foley scandal, Rush Limbaugh’s cruel and insulting remarks directed at Michael J. Fox, and any other random act of stupidity committed by a Republican or Democrat.  The point is, while I don’t like John Kerry, why should a voter going to their local polling place change their vote because Kerry’s a jackass?  If you live somewhere in New Mexico, why would you let Rush Limbaugh’s buffoonery (the criticism he leveled at Fox, who has Parkinson’s Disease, accusing him of faking or playing up his Parkinson’s symptoms in ads for various stem cell initiatives and the Democratic candidates who support them across the country was both cowardly and ignorant) effect who you would choose to represent YOU in Washington?  Limbaugh may be a leading Conservative voice, but he doesn’t speak for the Republicans in your state or local elections.  He probably couldn’t even speak for Republicans running for office on a national level.  The same is true for Kerry and Democrats around the country.  John Kerry has one agenda: his own.  The Democrat running for a seat on Capitol Hill from your state may be a jackass, too…but you should decide that on his or her merits; not on John Kerry’s.  And Republicans should not be held accountable because of the Foley debacle in Florida.  That was one man’s problem, not the wrongdoing of an entire party or ideology.

But if you are looking for a reason not to vote for either party (Go Bull Moose!), here’s a doozy:  They both think we, the American electorate, are incredibly stupid.  How do I know?  You got electricity in your house?  Because if you do, you are seeing the typical negative attack ads that you always see down the homestretch during election season.  Why not vote for me?  The other guy is an idiot.  I couldn’t tell you one single positive thing about me, but hey, I’m better than that guy.  That’s the bill of goods we are sold every single campaign season.  Democrats can tell you that Republicans have made a mess in Iraq.  Republicans can tell you that Democrats are soft on terror.  Democrats can tell you that Republicans only take care of the rich.  Republicans can tell you that Democrats just want to raise your taxes.  Aarrgh!!!

If that’s all you got, guys and gals, why would we send any of you to Congress?  It was good enough for Richard Pryor in Brewster’s Millions, so it’s good enough for me…On Tuesday folks, vote early and often…for None of the Above.

Teddy Baseball was back in my inbox today, and he had a few questions about the journalistic ‘integrity’ (I am really trying not to laugh) of the Worldwide Leader in Sports, or as I like to call them, The Newest Member of the Axis of Evil.  I mean, really…isn’t it just a matter of time before Chris Berman announces their intention to become a nuclear power?  Then they can fully embrace Kim Jong ‘License To’ Il and open a ESPN SportsZone in Pyongyang…

Tiki Barber’s impending retirement was the jumping off point for Teddy’s email, and he wondered if I had seen Barber’s zinger at Michael Irvin, who had criticized Barber’s decision to retire at season’s end after ten campaigns in the NFL.  On Monday, Irvin said, “To me, in my head, that’s quitting.”  On his Sirius Satellite Radio show Tuesday, Barber blasted critics of his retirement announcement, a group that included New York Daily News columnist Gary Myers, ESPN’s Tom Jackson, and of course, Irvin.  Myers and Jackson had suggested that Barber was a distraction to the Giants, although somebody should tell the Giants that, as they are now winners of three straight and leaders of the NFC East.  Barber referred to the group as idiots, and targeted Irvin specifically by referring to him as, “the ultimate character guy, facetiously speaking, Michael Irvin.”  Barber added, “Please get a clue on how to be a journalist.”

Ouch.  And Michael Irvin, character guy…now that has to be said facetiously, doesn’t it.  The former drug addict, leader of the pimp-suit revolution, and still-active loudmouth has little business calling anyone, much less a true professional like Barber, a quitter.  I will happily give Irvin his due, as he reportedly worked as hard at his craft as anyone in football.  His achievements on the field should overshadow his transgressions off of it; he deserves a spot in Canton.  Calling Barber, who leads the NFL in rushing with 647 yards, a quitter is ridiculous however, especially since Irvin knows better than anyone that you don’t always get to walk off the playing fields in the NFL.  It was October 10, 1999 when Irvin had to be carried off the Veterans Stadium turf in Philadelphia because of a spinal injury, and it was a spinal condition that kept him from pulling the star-clad helmet on ever again.  Irvin spoke eloquently about how lucky he felt to still have the full function of his physical faculties after the frightening injury in Philly, and he should now simply celebrate Barber’s outstanding career, salute his decision to retire, and wish him well in the future.

Teddy asked me if I was surprised that ESPN aired Barber’s criticisms of their employees.  I was not surprised, because ESPN has been killed by critics in the past when they failed to address controversial issues that involved their employees.  When Irvin was stopped and found to have drug paraphernalia in his car last year, ESPN was roundly criticized for lagging on the story and failing to suspend Irvin immediately after the incident.  Irvin claimed that the contraband in his vehicle was not his, but rather that of a friend just out of rehab.  He would return back to work relatively unscathed in the public eye, but ESPN’s eyes got blacked by their handling of the situation.  They seem to have learned their lesson, and it appears that they realize that with every other news outlet reporting Barber’s criticisms, they would be creating a bigger story by failing to report criticism of their network or its employees.

Teddy also wanted to know what I thought about ESPN’s utilization of Dusty Baker on their Baseball Tonight playoff coverage, given that the recently deposed Cub manager would be commenting on the hiring of his replacement, Lou Piniella, as well as the man who will be moving into his old office in San Francisco, former Padres skipper Bruce Bochy.  The situation is a bit dicey of course, and the conflict of interest is obvious, but this is one area where I would temper criticism of ESPN.  Insight like Baker’s is priceless and passing on the opportunity to employ him simply because there might be some uncomfortable moments would be foolish.  No network can employ ‘expert’ analysts without running into these scenarios.  It is no different than Lou Holtz being forced to talk about his replacement at South Carolina, Steve Spurrier, or asking Bob Davie to talk about his (and Holtz’s) former employer, Notre Dame.  Kirk Herbstreit played at Ohio State, Lee Corso at Florida State (and coached Louisville, among others), Todd Blackledge at Penn State.  Steve Phillips is a former general manager of the New York Mets, and Piniella himself worked for Fox while being a candidate for several jobs that were open across baseball, as well as one that wasn’t (hellooo, Joe Torre).  There are always going to be situations that require professionalism from the analysts, and tackling the issue with full disclosure is the best way to move forward.  In Baker’s case, everyone knows he was just sent packing (or politely put, not renewed) as manager of the Cubs.  But he is a professional baseball man, and he realizes that it would not be in the best interests of either his managerial career or his fledgling broadcast career to take shots at the Cubs or Piniella.  The occasional conflicts are a small price to pay for top-flight analysis from men (and women) who have been there, done that.

And yes…defending ESPN was very painful.  Thanks, Teddy…

He’s too short.  He’s too small.  He has no power.  He has no arm.  But with one more win by his St. Louis Cardinals, David Eckstein will have two World Series titles under his petite belt.  It was fitting Thursday night that the final out came on a ground ball to short, one more opportunity for Eckstein to display that throwing arm that, while lacking showcase velocity, always seems to get the ball where it needs to be on time.  Nothing really stands out about the little guy, except this:  He is a big-time winner.

Eckstein is easily derided for his jockey-esque size and his pop-gun power, but the man plays the game of baseball the way it should be played.  When you watch Eckstein play the game, you know you are seeing a man who would play for nothing other than the sheer joy of playing baseball.  He does all the ‘little’ things well…he bunts, he moves runners, he runs everything out, he makes all the routine plays…and his style is reminiscent of the players of days gone by.  Eckstein is easily forgotten and underappreciated in an era where shortstops are routinely offensive forces, but if he were playing in say, the 1940’s or 50’s, Eckstein might have ranked in the esteemed company of legends like Phil Rizzuto and Pee Wee Reese.  Rizzuto and Reese were not dominant offensive players along the lines of a Miguel Tejada, Derek Jeter, or pre-Yankee Alex Rodriguez.  But they were men, like Eckstein, who did all of the little things that championship-caliber players do, and they were capable of rising to heroic levels when the situation required it.  Just like David Eckstein did with his game-winning hit (one of four on the evening) on Thursday night.

I’m sure it wasn’t lost on Eckstein (or Tiger manager Jim Leyland) that the only reason his eighth inning double fell for a hit was because left fielder Craig Monroe was playing shallow enough to shake hands with shortstop Carlos Guillen.  And while it’s true that the Tiger outfield’s impersonation of cows on ice (plus Fernando Rodney’s chuck down the right field line) certainly aided the Cardinal cause (how many of you Cardinal fans of a certain age thought of Curt Flood’s costly stumble in Game Seven of the ‘68 Series when Curtis Granderson fell down?), nothing could have been more appropriate than Eckstein coming up with the winning base knock because one more person had underestimated him.  Sometimes, as David Eckstein can tell you, having somebody doubt you can sometimes be a very good thing.

The High Court extends birthday wishes to one of its honorary justices today, as Cliff Curd turns 34.  Cliff has been a contributor to The Court a number of times in the past, and he remains one of our most loyal supporters.  Cliff and I go back about two decades now, and it has been a privilege to call him both teammate and friend.  He is currently Coach Curd to the Patriots of Henry County (TN), where he serves as a varsity football assistant coach and as both the freshman football coach and freshman boys basketball coach.  The school also employs him as a physcal education instructor at its freshman campus, which is proof that you can bring home a 0.0 GPA one semester in college and still find gainful employment.  All kidding aside, we salute Cliff’s affable nature, his ability to hit a 3-iron a mile, the finest hands of any receiver we have ever seen, and the great job he does working with young people.

As for the fact that he is facing his 34th birthday, well, cheer up big fella…the Viagra is in the mail (and you know what you can do with it…).

Breaking news for those of you had been following the NLCS…Tony LaRussa and Scott Rolen MIGHT be gettting back together.  That’s right, folks, the Cardinals’ soulless manager and their sensitive third baseman shared a long embrace (and LaRussa may or may not have put his tongue in Rolen’s ear, Rolen left Fox’s Chris Myers behind before we could get more details…) after St. Louis vanquished the New York Mets for the right to face the Detroit Tigers in the World Series (which sadly is still on Fox).  So you can place your bets now…what will be the bigger story during the Series?  The LaRussa-Rolen soap opera?  How many cigarettes Jim Leyland can smoke at once?  Will Fox’s five-man booth with Luis Gonzalez, Tim McCarver, Joe Buck, Joe Buck’s ego, and Steve Lyons (dressed as a Mexican migrant worker) be able to mesh?  And will Jeanne Zelasko’s voice get any deeper in the Fox pre-game studio (which also doubles as Kevin Kennedy’s garage)?

So I’m guessing that anybody who watched the NLCS did hear something (around six times a night, perhaps?) about Rolen not speaking to LaRussa after LaRussa failed to inform him personally that the banged-up and struggling third-sacker was out of the lineup for Game 2.  Now maybe that was news for say, Game 2, and maybe even for Game 3.  But after that, who cares?  LaRussa disgusts me; I’d like to punch him in his smug face most of the time.  But the man is a great (micro) manager, and he was doing the smart thing when he sat Rolen for a left-hand bat (Scott Spiezio, the hero of Game 2) against John Maine.  The Cards were scuffling offensively, having been shut out by Tom Glavine in Game1, and Rolen’s physical struggles at the plate have been obvious.  I certainly understand Rolen’s frustration at being out of the lineup, and I agree that LaRussa should have called him in the office and told him about the change before posting the lineup.  Rolen is a terrific player and a stand-up guy; he deserved that respect from his manager.  But Rolen certainly doesn’t do himself any favors by acting like a ten-year old and giving LaRussa the silent treatment.  Rolen has always been a bit of a strange fellow, and his placid demeanor never played all that well in Philadelphia, where he clashed with the constant red-ass of Larry Bowa.  I would guess Rolen didn’t speak to him all that much, either.  Ultimately, though, who cares?  Managers manage, players play.  Half the guys in the clubhouse probably aren’t speaking to each other at one time or another over the course of a six-month season.  Telling us that Rolen had a problem with LaRussa was relevant for a couple of days, no longer.

So what does Myers do when he catches up with Rolen as he tries to celebrate with his teammates on the field after the game?  Here’s what transpired, brought to you by the High Court community’s own Teddy Baseball (with Teddy’s editorial comments included…)

Congrats Cards!  You just surived a tough seven game series and are going to Detroit.  Let’s talk to Scott Rolen. Yeah, Scott, it was a tumultuous year for you and team, yada, yada.  How does it feel?

It was really distasteful, Theodore.  But as you noted, that’s par for the course these days.  I call it Jim Gray Syndrome, since Gray seems to be the Godfather of ‘Watch Me Ruin This Very Special Moment’ and ‘Let Me Twist The Knife’ post-game questions.  The most famous (or infamous) of these episodes unfolded at the 1999 World Series, when Gray grilled Pete Rose after his inclusion to the All-Century Team.  Gray acted like a prosecutorial bulldog, trying to get Rose to admit to betting on baseball, on a night in which the man was being honored for his stellar career.  Yes, Rose was as guilty as the day is long, and yes, Rose is an utter buffoon, but it wasn’t the time or the place.  But limited talents like Gray receive critical praise for their “hard-core journalism” when they pull crap like that, and as a result you have all of these copycats who want to wring some scoop out of a captive interview subject.  I say now, as I did in 1999, that these types of interviews won’t stop until one of these idiots (and I’m still hoping its Gray) gets his ass kicked.

Given the controversy that surrounded the bill, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 was signed by President Bush with relatively little fanfare, despite the fact that there were 150 people invited to the White House to mark the legislation’s signing.  You may recall that while in the Senate this bill, which will provide for military trials for select terror suspects, sparked serious debate between the Bush Administration and key GOP Senators (including John McCain, who did not attend the signing ceremony) regarding language in the bill that dealt with detention and interrogation practices that might have implied an openness to torture.  Compromise was reached, allowing for passage of the bill on the Senate floor.  But the legislation still has its critics, most notably the ACLU and a certain Senator from New York with presidential aspirations.

I would agree with critics that the bill isn’t perfect, but I do believe it is very necessary.  I’ll address the concerns of the ACLU and take issue with the argument offered on the Senate floor by Mrs. Clinton in late September in today’s column, and I will suggest that to truly have liberty, we must have safety first.  You can read Senator Clinton’s full remarks from September 28 right here…

The High Court community is staffed by and populated with a group that is largely Conservative and mostly Republican.  In fact, with the exception of a couple of my readers, I am probably the closest thing to a Liberal around these parts.  And I am most certainly not a Liberal.  But I do consider myself a moderate, and I am, for the record, a registered Democrat.  Local elections in my part of the world still generally decided by Democratic primaries (although Republicans are slowly gaining more of a foothold in local politics), and since I don’t really identify myself as Republican to begin with, I have left my party affiliation unchanged.  The truth is if I were to register honestly, I would have to do so as an Independent, at least until the Chief Justice Party gets itself organized.

But getting back to the fact that we have a strong Conservative and Republican base here…you have seen us do quite a bit of work in recent months on the national political landscape, as well as how the presence of a motivated Christian electorate has influenced that landscape.  Almost all of our work has looked at the scenario from a Conservative point of view, and we have raised the issue (as have many across the country) of whether or not Democrats and Christians are operating out of the same book, much less being on the same page.  And the question stands…Have Liberals hijacked the Democratic Party to the extent that Christians can no longer relate to anyone calling themselves Democrat?

I have a long-time friend who says no.  I first met David Ramey nearly 20 years ago when he began covering local sports for the Murray Ledger&Times, and it was his fortune (who can say if it was good or bad but the man himself) to cover a local hothead shortstop/pitcher/shooting guard named Travis Turner.  We called him Scoop back then, and David always treated us with great respect and provided us with great coverage.  Lo these many years later, Travis Turner is The Chief Justice and David Ramey is now the Democratic Party Chairman for Calloway County (KY), a candidate for the Murray, KY city council, and a man of strong Christian faith who worships with his family at Memorial Baptist Church.  And although it holds no relevance to today’s discussion, David is also an agent for Allstate Insurance, where you can reach him for all of your insurance needs at davidramey@allstate.com (Dave, we can discuss how much that plug will cost you later…).

I prevailed upon my friend to offer us his perspective on several issues as they relate to the Democratic Party, Christians, and politics on every level.  David took a great deal of time out of his very busy schedule to offer us very thoughtful and very profound answers on every question posed to him.  Because his work is so thorough, I have done something unusual…keeping my big mouth out of it.  What you will find is my questions and his answers, with no further commentary from me.  I hope that all of our readers will take the time to show David that you have read his thoughts, not by clogging his email with non-business related correspondence, but by logging onto our comment board to discuss and debate the topics at hand.  I will offer David the opportunity to respond to anything on the comment board if he likes, and I will also keep him up to speed on any email we receive on the subject (which should be sent to me at chiefjustice@thehighcourtofsports.com).  I hope that we will have the sort of lively and informed discussion/debate that these issues deserve.  And without further adieu, here’s my interview with David Ramey…

The Chief Justice and the rest of The High Court wish a happy birthday to the Chief’s old man, Oscar Turner, Jr.  I don’t want to say he’s getting old, but we are gonna give him the rights to the name Frontier Justice.  Those who know him well know that is an apt handle for more reasons than his age…

And buckle up for the beginning of next week, when I sit down to interview a…GASP!!!…DEMOCRAT!!!  That’s right, folks, right here on the pages of The High Court we will have a real life Democrat on display.  I have to warn you…this man is thoughtful, profound, and prepared…and I have no doubt that some of his answers will get the attention of many of the serious Conservatives on our staff and in our audience.  You can look for the interview to be posted by Monday or Tuesday next week…

Cory Lidle was a 34-year old big league pitcher with a wonderful life.  He wasn’t one of the game greats, but with guts, hard work, and an unwavering belief in his ability, Lidle had parlayed mediocre stuff into over $17 million in earnings for throwing a baseball.  J.J. Webb was an 18-year old high school senior with a wonderful life in front of him.  A member of his high school football team, Webb was a great kid looking forward to serving his country and someday working in the field of criminal justice.  Tragic events from the past week have taken them both from us, and more importantly, from their family and friends.  Today I’ll look at how little sports can mean, how much sports can mean, and how important it is that we all cherish the ones that we love while we have them.

The following email hit my inbox Sunday night… 

“While I am aware that ESPN is to be watched only for highlights and scores, I have been flipping it on quite frequently of late and getting the same old crap force-fed to me.  T.O this, T.O. that.  I mean honestly, who cares? (And I am a diehard Cowboys fan).  The big news has been of course the Yankees failures this postseason.  As I watch I am flooded with conjecture about Joe Torre and A-Rod’s future and their blame for this “collapse.”  I understand that A-Rod is being paid far more than any human being should be to play a game.  I also know, however, that he is still one of the best ball players to ever put on cleats.  Yes, his playoff record (with Yankees at least) has been sub-par and disappointing.  But let’s be honest, did A-Rod and Torre lose the series or did the New York Yankees lose the series?  Which team has had the better starting pitching all year?  What team shut down the Yankees high-powered offense?  The truth is this: the team that had the best record in baseball for most of the season played better than the perennial playoff team–the Yankees.  Aside from Jeter and Posada, the rest of the Yankees team looked as if they were just flailing their arms out there unable to match the intensity of the younger Tigers team.  The Tigers looked great.  Randy Johnson and many of the other Yankees were taking injections just so they could go out there.  Furthermore, the Bronx Bombers have not had the team that was fielded last week together for most of the year.  What is the big surprise here?  The Yankees were not challenged all year and Detroit played against the Twins and White Sox in the toughest division.  But all that has been left out.  I am sure there are still many teams that would love to have last season’s  AL MVP playing short or third for them or have a future Hall of Fame manager at the helm.  Chief Justice, surely I am not alone in my sentiments.”

That comes from one of the newest members of our High Court community, a fellow you will come to know on the comment board as Teddy Ballgame.  I can only imagine how pissed off Teddy is today, after having to watch Satan’s Sports Network broadcast updates every fifteen minutes on whether or not Steinbrenner had fired Joe Torre yet.  What’s next?  Details on his last trip to the crapper?  Please.  And by the way, Teddy, ESPN is for watching GAMES…and nothing else.

Anyhoo, let’s get to the questions at hand.  I made my debut as a local high school football analyst (we’ll use that term loosely) on Friday as a favor to one of The Court’s most loyal readers, Harold Huston.  On that broadcast he asked me if A-Rod deserves the treatment he gets in New York, and my answer was….yes.  If you asked me if I thought he was treated fairly, I would say no.  But here’s why he deserves what he gets…He asked for it.  He could still be tucked away in the peaceful tranquility of the Pacific Northwest.  He could still be in the oppresive heat of Texas, hiding in the shadows of football (and by now he would be invisible there thanks to the spectacle known as Big Top T.O.).  But he chose to leave the comfort of Seattle for the megabucks of Tom Hicks, and when that situation wasn’t good enough for him, he gladly joined the ranks of the Pinstripers.  And hey, it could be worse.  The trade to Boston could have gone through.  He’d have been playing through tears for the past four months…

As I mentioned, the way he is treated isn’t fair.  He is a tremendous player, one of the three best all-around players I have ever seen (Bonds, Griffey) in a baseball uniform, and there is little doubt that he is one of the top fifteen or twenty players of all-time.  Right now.  At 31.  So he’s pretty damn good, even when he struggles.  But the big stage swallows up lots of guys, for no good reason at all, and Rodriguez certainly isn’t the first Yankee to be eaten alive by the Big Apple.  Things got so bad for Ed Whitson (a very serviceable starter) once upon a time that Billy Martin could only pitch him on the road.  And Whitson wasn’t rich, or pretty, or biracial.  He just sucked at Yankee Stadium.  Did he deserve to be booed out of the Bronx?  Probably not, but it has long been the law of the jungle, excuse me, zoo in the Bronx…

My point is, A-Rod chose his fate.  He took the money.  I don’t care how much money he makes; but we know that lots of people do.  I know that the guy standing next to him on the Yankee infield has a contract for $199 million, and I don’t care how big a winner Derek Jeter is, that’s a lot of cash.  Rodriguez is surrounded by men making extravagant sums of money on the Yankees, and other than Jeter, you would be hard-pressed to make the case that any of them earn their money as well as Rodriguez does.  He shows up for work every day.  He plays hard.  And he plays well.  His greatest problem, aside from his postseason failures, is the fact that he won’t tell New York to shove it up their ass.  That would be something they could understand.  He’d be speaking their language.  And he would get their respect.  But instead, he gives another canned answer, maybe something with a forced curse word (so that he sounds angry and tough).  Never, ever will he allow raw emotion to flow.  So he comes off as a coolly robotic figure…a figure almost impossible for Yankee fans to embrace.

All that said, were either Rodriguez or manager Joe Torre responsible for the Yankees’ loss to Detroit?  Solely, no.  As contributing forces, of course.  As Teddy noted, plenty of Yankees stunk.  Stand up, Jason Giambi.  You too, Gary Sheffield.  Johnny Damon, where was the spark?  Randy Johnson gave a game effort, but he was so stiff that it seemed as though he was mistakenly injected with Botox.  Jaret Wright…wait a minute, Jaret Wright started a game?  Ok, then…Brian Cashman, you stand up, too.  Nice rotation.  But we have to face facts.  If we are going to sit here and say that A-Rod is an all-time great, it is perfectly acceptable to expect a fantastic performance from him.  While Giambi and Sheffield can be held to high standards, nobody considers them in the same class as Rodriguez.  He is supposed to be great when it matters most.  If he can’t do that, the fact that he is a two-time MVP rings a little false.  He has proven to be the antithesis of valuable in October.  As for Torre, we know that he is an outstanding manager and an even better guy.  But if we are going to heap praise on him for his four World titles, as if he were disproportionately responsible for those championships, don’t we have to also regard him as being disproportionately responsible for playoff losses?

As we face the likelihood that Torre will be fired in the next few days, let me say that I think the idea is nuts.  Torre has done a wonderful job.  But I should also admit that I completely understand that Steinbrenner might want to fire him, and I understand why.  Steve Phillips went berserk proclaiming how it was crazy to think about firing Torre, and he compared him to Bobby Cox, noting that Cox had won only one World Series in his wildly successful tenure in Atlanta, yet never had to face questions about his job security.  Nice job there, Steve.  Maybe since you once served as GM of the NEW YORK Mets (before being canned), you understand that baseball in Atlanta and baseball in New York have about as much in common as football in Texas and football in Alaska.  Torre knows the situation in the Bronx, and after 11 seasons in the hot seat, I would guess that nothing surprises him anymore.

It is important to remember the point that Teddy made about the make-up of the Yankee lineup against Detroit.  Hideki Matsui missed most of the year, then was right back in there in place of Melky Cabrera.  Gary Sheffield got off the DL very late in the year, and he was promptly given a first basemen’s mitt and patted on the ass for good luck. That worked out really well.  Randy Johnson was run out to the mound when he should have been in traction, and Jaret Wright was sent to the mound when he should have been in…Columbus.  Those are moves that Joe Torre made, with an assist from the team’s architect, Cashman.  So while I don’t believe that Torre deserves blame for the postseason failure, I wouldn’t give him a passing grade on the job he did as manager in the loss to the Tigers.

I hope Torre keeps his job, but what I really wish is that he would go to Steinbrenner and tell him to shove it.  But we all have to remember that the Boss is the guy that owns the team, and to his credit, he ponies up the money to keep his franchise at the top of the game.  That gives him the latitude to employ anybody he wants as his manager.

The biggest question, and the heart of Teddy’s rant, is…why does all this matter so much?  Why aren’t we talking about the Tigers and A’s, two fine teams who clearly deserve to be in the ALCS.  Jim Leyland’s turn around of a franchise that had done nothing but lose for years, is the best story in baseball.  The A’s finally won a postseason series, and their young and talented pitching staff is the envy of many in baseball.  You could make the case that every team in the AL playoffs (and Teddy did), plus one that wasn’t (the White Sox) were better than the Yankees, thanks to one thing…pitching.  I suppose the answer to that question is this…it’s baseball’s greatest soap opera.  Is A-Rod soft?  Will A-Rod cry?  Does Jeter hate A-Rod?  Will George explode?  Will George fire Joe?  Will Joe quit?  Will Sweet Lou come back?  As the Bronx turns.  And while we all seem to get our fill rather quickly, the media just can’t get enough.  It’s not quite Billy, George, and Reggie all over again, but the Bronx Zoo is back in business again.

I wasn’t shocked, but I was certainly surprised, at the manner in which the Detroit Tigers dispatched the New York Yankees in their American League Division Series.  I had the Yankees as the slightest of favorites in the playoffs, simply because I felt that in a pitching-deep American League, their ridiculously talented and heavily experienced lineup would be enough to overcome their questionable pitching and subpar defense.  I should know better.  Pitching and defense always win in October, and Jim Leyland’s team proved that to be the case once again.  Justin Verlander was good enough, Kenny Rogers was outstanding, and Jeremy Bonderman was electric.  Joel Zumaya was more than a little frightening, blowing 103 out of the bullpen, and Todd Jones was professional and reliable in the closer’s role.  And while these Tigers will meet a staff just as talented and just as deep on their own in the Athletics, don’t bet against the team from Motown, especially with the masterful Leyland pulling all the right strings.

As for the Bronx Bombed-ers, the one thing that was shocking was the meek way in which they exited October.  One poor at-bat followed another, and the worst of them seemed to occur with runners on base.  Few, if any, adjustments were made in the three consecutive losses, and the representatives of baseball’s most proud franchise went down without a fight.  And it was, as is now usual, headlined by the struggles of Alex Rodriguez.

The 1-14 showing by Rodriguez against Detroit made him 5-46 in the postseason going back to Game 4 (which began the historic collapse) of the 2004 ALCS against Boston.  Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in that loss to the Red Sox…and in the 12 games he has played in October since then, he hasn’t driven in a single run.  We are talking about a career .305 hitter here, a man who at only 31 has already passed the 1,300 RBI mark for his career.  It is a truly perplexing thing.  Is the pressure to succeed in New York that great?  Can A-Rod not bear the pressure applied by New York fans and media?  Should he get a new shrink?  And is he done as a Yankee?

It’s not just the pressure…and it isn’t all in his head.  Most of Rodriguez’s problems are mechanical in nature.  Much was made of the fact that Rodriguez struck out in bunches this year.  But his 139 K’s for the season were exactly the same number of strikeouts he compiled a year ago when he was the AL MVP (although he did it in 33 fewer AB’s this year).  The point is, Rodriguez didn’t swing and miss that much more this year than last, and he only walked one time fewer than in 2005.  His average was down appreciably (to .290 from .321), as were his home run (35 from 48), but he only drove in nine fewer runs (121 from 130) in those 33 fewer at-bats.  Perhaps most glaring was the fact that he hit into 22 inning-killing double plays, 14 more than a year ago.  As you can see, however, the year wasn’t a bad one, at least not for mortal ballplayers.  But again, the problems are in his mechanics at least as much as they are in his mind.

Rodriguez has never been a great contact hitter, a bit surprising for a guy that can handle the bat well when he so chooses.  The only full season of his career that he struck out fewer than 100 times was 1997, and even then he fanned 99 times.  The previous year he had struck out only 104 times, when at the tender age of 20 he won the AL batting title by hitting .358.  During that 1996-1997 stretch, Rodriguez still had a swing that was longer than it was compact (leading to the 100 or so K’s), but it was much shorter than it is now, and he did a much better job of keeping his hands inside the baseball.  As a result, he was more of a gap-to-gap hitter who used the entire field; now he has become almost a dead-pull hitter who tries to hook around the baseball in order to hit the ball to left field.  To illustrate the difference in his approach and his results, the gap-hitting A-Rod had 94 doubles combined in ‘96 and ‘97 (with a career-high 54 in 1996).  Now part of that could be attributed to the spongy turf of the Kingdome, but it had more to do with what he tried to do at the plate.  In those same years he hit a combined 59 home runs.  In 1998, Rodriguez came into his own as a power hitter, cracking a career-high 42 dingers.  That season his homer total exceed his doubles by seven; in the previous two seasons he had hit 18 and 17 more doubles than home runs.  From ‘98 to this day, Rodriguez has never come close to hitting as many doubles as home runs.  In fact, from ‘99 through ‘06, A-Rod has 358 round-trippers and only 229 doubles.  There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with the home run totals, but the disparity shows us how much more Rodriguez has tried to hit the ball out of the park, and it has manifested itself in lower averages and higher strikeout totals.  This has happened as A-Rod learned to be a more selective hitter, watching his walk totals increase from 41 in 1997 to 91 and 90 the past two years.  It would appear that his eye and patience are better, but again, his stroke most certainly is not.

Because of the length of his swing (and the casting of his hands outside the ball), Rodriguez must begin his swing earlier than players with a more compact stroke, and he is therefore easier to fool with off-speed offerings.  It also makes it nearly impossible to get around on elite fastballs, and Rodriguez’s Game Two at-bat against Zumaya was proof of that.  Rodriguez has simply gotten away from the things that made him a tremendous hitter earlier in his career, and he is now merely a dangerous hitter now.  The difference is much greater than it sounds, and it provides tangible results when the quality of pitching a hitter faces steps up.

Rodriguez is often discussed along with Albert Pujols as the games best player.  Pujols, it is worth noting, struck out only 50 times while hitting 49 homers.  That is amazing, of course, but it provides evidence of how much better Pujols is than Rodriguez as a hitter.  Pujols has a much shorter swing, and despite his prodigious power numbers, Pujols still does a tremendous job of keeping his hands inside the baseball and remains a gap-to-gap hitter who excels at using the entire field.  This is reflected in his career numbers.  Until last year, Pujols had never hit more home runs than doubles in a season.  And despite having 16 more home runs than doubles this year (as he became more of a pure home run hitter attempting to carry a weakened Cardinal offense), Pujols still has 10 more doubles (260 to 250) than homers in his career.  More importantly, Mr. Pujols has never fanned more than 93 times (and that as a rookie), and he hasn’t K’d more than 69 times in a campaign since.  He is a much better hitter than Rodriguez, and his playoff success backs that up.  As Rodriguez has struggled mightily, Pujols has hit nearly .340 in October.

I’m not going tell you that a lot of his trouble doesn’t exist in A-Rod’s head.  It does.  This is the same guy who once hit .409 AGAINST the Yankees in an ALCS.  He is clearly burdened by expectations, and he clearly struggles with his own failures.  You can see the angst in his face, and you know that he knows the numbers on his struggles as well as I do.  Therein lies part of his problem.  Truly great players don’t have any idea what the numbers are…if they are negative.  Michael Jordan said many times that he had missed many more game-winners than he had made…but he didn’t give them much thought.  He only thought about those that went in, and the visual picture in his head was of success.  That’s why he was able to replicate them so many times when it mattered most.

Rodriguez is a truly great talent, one of the finest ever to play the game.  But it is the mechanical flaws and a poor mental approach at the plate that cause him to struggle against the top-flight pitching he sees in October, not the boos of New Yorkers or any demons rattling around in his head.  If he gets back to being a complete hitter, not just a power hitter, he will suceed.  Somewhere…

I have already told friends I think A-Rod would look nice returning to his native shortstop in the uniform of the St. Louis Cardinals.  A lot of Midwestern love and the presence of Pujols might be just what the doctor ordered.  Maybe the Boss would say yes to David Eckstein and Jason Marquis…and A-Rod could continue his march to 800 homers and 4,000 hits.  I do believe it might be best for Rodriguez to get out of the Big Apple, and I would imagine that Steinbrenner wants that, too.  But I have to wonder…if reports that Joe Torre will be fired and replaced by Lou Piniella…would A-Rod find his mojo if he was reunited with his skipper from his best days as a Seattle Mariner?

Hmm…food for thought.  I’ll be waiting by the phone if you need to talk, George. 

I was asked some time ago to examine the relationship between the United States and Cuba and to issue an opinion on whether or not it was time to normalize relations with our neighbor 90 miles off Florida shores.  I have wrestled with the notes for a column on the matter for weeks, and to be honest, a fluid piece of work never materialized.  So with time running short, and a promise for the column to be posted this week to be kept, what you get today is sort of a hodge-podge, with a contribution from Darth Reagan and a recycled excerpt from some of my earlier work.  It isn’t a great read…my apologies for that…but the information is there, and I do believe several salient points are made on the subject.  How did I rule?  Well, let’s just say it’s time for Fidel to light his victory cigar and celebrate a win over the giant to the north…

Bob Woodward has been all over the place of late, most notably on 60 Minutes with the relic formerly known as Mike Wallace.  Woodward, who made his name breaking the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein, has a new book hitting the shelves which chronicles President Bush’s efforts to remain optimistic about the situation in Iraq.  The book will not be particularly flattering to the Bush White House, as it will raise questions about Condoleezza Rice’s competence, hammer home Don Rumsfeld’s incompetence, suggest that the senior President Bush remains anguished about junior Bush’s invasion of Iraq, and paints George W. as ‘Cheerleader-in-Chief’(as coined by Wallace) on Iraq.  One of the central themes is the idea that President Bush has not been truthful with the American public about the state of affairs in Iraq, and in today’s column I will address that notion and finally get around to addressing the saga of the late Pat Tillman. 

The Powdered Wig returns today, joining me in a discussion on the role of Christians in the American political landscape.  The Wig talks about the part his strong Christian faith plays in shaping his political beliefs, the emerging role of the Christian electorate, the ongoing battle between Christian values and civil liberty advocates, and even opines on Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.  The Wig and I also discuss the important role that the Christian faith played in the development of the United States government and its laws.  We are pleased to have The Wig back with at The High Court, even if it is on a limited basis.  I hope our readers will show their appreciation for his work by dropping him an email at powderedwig@thehighcourtofsports.com.

A question was posted about yesterday’s entry (Was Dan Duquette Right?) asking if the fact that the affidavit naming Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada and three others as users of performance enhancing drugs based on the alleged accusations of Jason Grimsley came from a federal investigation would make this case a bigger powderkeg than charges that Barry Bonds perjured himself in front of a grand jury.  I’ll answer that in a minute, but first I want to get us up to speed on the situation.  A federal prosecutor overseeing an investigation of steroids in baseball stated that a report published by the Los Angeles Times contained ’significant inaccuracies’.  Which figures.  As I said yesterday, the L.A. Times should be ashamed of themselves (but at this point the newspaper is probably no longer capable of shame) for a report that might not have the validity of gossip, especially given the amount of damage that it could do the careers and reputation of the players allegedly accused.  What we know now, is literally nothing, except that somebody should probably sue the L.A. Times.  My guess is the line forms behind the Rocket…

At any rate, assuming the report was true, and assuming that Grimsley’s accusations were true, this story could potentially be a bigger powderkeg than the Bonds situation.  We should note, of course, that Bonds’ case was a federal one, too; his perjury charges were for lying to a FEDERAL grand jury.  So it’s feds all around on this one.  In a piece of small world irony, the search warrant affidavit that contains Grimsley’s alleged claims belonged to IRS special agent Jeff Novitzky, the man in charge of the BALCO investigation that put Bonds in front of a federal grand jury to begin with.

As powderkegs go, the BALCO investigation and the grand jury testimony it generated (including Jason Giambi’s admission of intentional steroid use and Bonds’ claims of unintentional use of the ‘cream’ and the ‘clear’) would be hard to top, simply because it was the first real crack in the dam of performance-enhancer use.  Suspicions were finally substantiated, and of course the case made a national pariah out of Bonds.  But if anything could top that, this scenario, if true, certainly would.  Clemens has been a highly controversial figure during his career, but he has sort of turned into baseball’s Grand Old Man, all while pitching at an amazing level.  He is considered by most to be the finest pitcher of the modern era, and if it turned out that he had built the last ten years of his career through artificial means, well, it would be at least as crushing as finding out the man nearing Hank Aaron’s record wasn’t on the up and up.  Pettitte is a guy that has been known as a tremendous role model during his career, and if he was in fact a drug cheat, the hypocrisy of seeing one of baseball’s most public Christians tied to cheating would be enough to choke a horse.  And since the two good friends were teammates of Grimsley’s as Yankees, that would in turn black the eyes of Joe Torre and the most storied baseball franchise in big league history.  Throw in a guilty Tejada, who has been held up as all that is good about baseball in recent years (despite some petulant behavior as the good ship Oriole has continued to sink), and you would have a MLB disaster of Biblical proportions.

And somewhere, Pete Rose would almost feel like a saint…

Dan Duquette once lived Theo Eptein’s life, albeit at a more mature age.  He was once the general manager of the team he had loved growing up, the Boston Red Sox, and he was once viewed as one of the sharpest executives in baseball.  The scenario sounds like a dream come true, but Duquette turned himself into a New England pariah fairly quickly, partly because he was a full-package ass…hardass, smartass, arrogant ass…but mostly because he let Roger Clemens walk from the hallowed grounds of Fenway Park.  It was bad enough for Duquette that Clemens went to Toronto and won consecutive Cy Young awards; it would only get worse when Clemens showed up in a Yankee uniform hoisting World Series trophies.  But as bad as the decision not to pay Clemens to stay seems now, the reality is that Duquette was evaluating a starting pitcher who seemed to be clearly past his prime.  From 1993 through the 1995 season, a heavier and softer Clemens battled injury and mediocrity, posting a pedestrian 30-26 record and a cumulative ERA that hovered around four.  Duquette simply believed that Clemens’ best days were behind him.

The rest has been history, as Clemens has piled on Cy Young awards (4), World Series trips (4), World Series titles (2), and wins (156).  The Rocket has appeared ageless, and even in his half-season for the Astros at age 43, Clemens has been outstanding, compiling a 7-6 record (thanks to almost zero offensive support) and a 2.30 ERA, all while holding opposing hitters to a .216 average.  And maybe, in light of reported accusations by former Clemens teammate Jason Grimsley, we can guess what Clemens’ fountain of youth has been.  According to the affidavit of a federal agent, Grimsley (who was pinched in a sting by federal agents on performance-enhancing drug charges) named Clemens and Andy Petttitte (also a Grimsley teammate in New York) and three of his former Oriole teammates, Miguel Tejada (also known as Raffy Palmeiro’s B-12 pimp), Brian Roberts, and Jay Gibbons as users of performance-enhancing drugs.

The entire issue is a mess, to be kind, as we are dealing with another ‘leaked’ document, and we are also dealing with claims that have not been substantiated in any way.  It has been reported that Grimsley has claimed that the feds have attributed statements to him that he did not in fact make, and as far as we know, none of the players in question have failed a MLB drug test.  David Sequi, a retired former Oriole was also included in Grimsley’s alleged accusations, but he had already admitted to using HGH for medical reasons many years ago.  Every current player named in the affidavit has offered vigorous denial of the charge, and on the basis of hard evidence, there is no proof that any of them is guilty of anything.

But where there’s smoke…we do have reason to wonder.  Clemens went from looking out of shape to becoming a workout warrior who continues to undertake legendary training regimens.  Could he have been so chapped from his mid-90’s struggles and his unceremonious departure from Boston that he turned to chemical means to turn back the clock and find his previous level of success?  Perhaps.  Could Pettitte have followed the lead of his mentor, his big brother in baseball?  Perhaps.  Could the persistent elbow problems Pettitte has struggled with in recent years have been caused by performance enhancers?  Perhaps.  Could Tejada’s remarkable production be attributed to something fishy?  Perhaps.  Could the pint-sized Roberts’ power progression of two years ago have been attributed to steroids?  Perhaps.  Could Gibbons, a fringe player whose main asset was his power, have given in to performance enhancers to hang on at the big league level?  Perhaps.

I ask only because if it was good enough for Barry Bonds, it should be good enough for all of these guys.  Bonds was turned on the spit as the dots were connected.  Why did he start?  Either to rehab an elbow injury or because he was jealous of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.  Sounds a lot like Roger’s rejuvenation motivation, doesn’t it?  Bonds’ head got bigger.  Have you seen Clemens’ noggin?  That thing should have its own moons in orbit.  Bonds had an elbow injury caused by steroid use.  See Pettitte.  Bonds was performing out of his mind for a man his age.  Cy Young at age 41, Roger?  Bonds has never failed a drug test, either.  But then they don’t have a test for human growth hormone, do they?

The L.A. Times, the paper that put this leaked report in print, should be (but won’t be) ashamed of themselves.  Without any sort of hard evidence or corroboration, this story gets put out there and blacks the reputation of all these men for no good reason.  It will raise (it actually already has) the same kind of questions and conclusions that I have just raised right here.  I hope for everyone’s sake, most of all for baseball’s, these alleged accusations are untrue.  And if they are true, they are.  But we’ll need to see proof of that before we throw Clemens and the rest of the accused under the bus.  They deserve the same fair treatment that Barry Bonds received, at the very least.

Good luck fellas…

The Chief Justice, Jr. celebrates his second birthday today, and that means The Chief, Sr. finally gets to play with a train set he has been itching to get out of the box all week.  I wonder if he’ll still be too young for an XBox 360 at Christmas?  Hmm…Anyway, when you are old enough to be one of Daddy’s five readers here at The High Court, you remember that your Dad loves you very much.  Just keep your hands off my piece of Bert and Ernie cake…

Fatherly duties will likely prevent me from posting any new work today, but I hope everybody will be back Monday for what should be an action-packed week.  We should have at least one, if not two, discussions focusing on the role of Christians in the American political landscape, and I also hope to finally get to a column on the saga that unfolded from the death of Pat Tillman.  I promise to write on Cuba next week as well, and I am going to try and entice Darth Reagan into the fray by sending him a new set of questions on Cuba and by giving him an opportunity to comment on Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.  That should get us caught up on a previously outlined docket, and as always we look forwared to addressing any comments/questions posted or emailed by our readers.

Religion has always been a hot-button topic all by itself.  When you toss religion into the middle of the boiling cauldron that is our global climate today, and you have a concoction that stays on the verge of explosion every single day.  Those that have attacked us on American soil, and those that would make every effort to destroy us wherever we may be, wave the flag of Islam as divine justification for their fanatical acts of lunacy.  Are they simply acting as their faith instructs, or are they purely evil individuals who use Islam to recruit mindless drones to act out their destructive design and to garner sympathy for their cause from others in the Muslim world?

This latest column stems from a comment posted on this board a short time ago, a comment that was actually the text of an email which portrayed Christianity as a superior faith to Islam and suggested that Islam was responsible for directing its followers to kill all non-believers.  Many Americans erroneously believe that Muslims have been directed by their faith to kill us (infidels) to receive passage to Heaven.  And many Americans can’t hear the word ‘Muslim’ without thinking ‘terrorist’.  In today’s column, I will try to dispel that idea, along with suggesting everyone would be better off trying to understand their fellow man, as opposed to buying into perceptions that ultimately prove to be false.

The avalanche of criticism has been ongoing since late Friday.  It only took another slow start for the U.S. Ryder Cup team to put itself squarely in the media bullseye, with Tiger Woods and Tom Lehman as the chief targets.  That criticism will reach a crescendo by tomorrow morning, as the star, the captain, and the other American golfers are thrown into the fire as failures for losing the Ryder Cup to the Europeans for the third consecutive time. 

They didn’t just lose it, either…they got destroyed, by what would have been a record margin had it not been for an impressive bit of sportsmanship by Irishman Paul McGinley, who conceded a 25-foot putt to J.J. Henry, allowing their match to be halved.  And it was sportsmanship, camaraderie, and a very special weekend for Darren Clarke that starred at the Ryder Cup.  Golf was just the undercard.  It didn’t really matter that Phil Mickelson stunk so bad that he could have used a tub of Irish Spring, or that he ambled around the golf course in a half-smile while taking his beatings, leaving you with the impression that he could still taste the three dozen Krispy Kremes he had for breakfast.  It didn’t matter that Tiger wasn’t dominant, or that Sergio Garcia was (OK…that’s a damn lie. Watching Tiger dominate is my favorite thing to do, and Garcia makes me want to puke, or at least drive to the PGA event nearest my home and kick his tiny ass.  So I threw lots of things at my TV this weekend…).

What mattered most was how much everyone at the K Club embraced Clarke, a man who had played almost zero competitive golf since the death of his wife, Heather, earlier this summer.  The Irish fans, better than 40,000 strong, serenaded him with song and cheers throughout the three days.  His European teammates rallied around him and seemed to draw strength and inspiration from his marvelous play.  His American counterparts went out of their way to pay their respects and offer their support, including Woods, who is one of Clarke’s best friends.  Watching Clarke soak in the love, support, and appreciation from everyone around him was a wonderful thing, and it was a reminder of the very best things about humanity.  It also provided a glimpse of the more human side of elite athletes, who despite their fame and money, are still very much subject to the pain and suffering of life.

Tom Lehman will no doubt suffer the same kinds of criticism as his predecessor, Hal Sutton, but I will only remember Lehman’s effort as first-class.  Lehman is one of sport’s truly good men, the sort of fellow you would be proud to root for and proud to call friend.  He was supportive of his players, and he was very gracious in defeat.  I was never a good loser, not at anything, and while I am proud of the competitive fire that made that the case, I watched in admiration as the Americans paid due respect to the Europeans…not offering excuses, not failing to give proper credit, and never acting anything less than professional.  Watching the way they handled themselves amidst crushing defeat made me wish that I had done a better job of handling failure as an athlete, and I came away thinking that while many in this country would be very disappointed in the result, I would be nothing but proud of the team that compiled it.

I also came away with admiration for the terrific European team, not only for the tremendous brand of golf they played, but also for the manner in which they played it.  The Euros attacked the competition with a great zeal, an unyielding passion, and they seemed to lift Clarke, just as he lifted them.  And despite the constant annoyance that is Garcia, they treated their opponents with respect, even as they thrashed them beneath their spikes.  It was a wonderful display of team, right smack in the middle of one of our most individual of sports.  It just might have been, as SI.com’s Gary Van Sickle said, the best Ryder Cup ever.

Our thanks to Darth Reagan and the UT Volunteer for their thoughts on last Saturday’s thriller in Knoxville.  The Gators emerged from Neyland Stadium with a 21-20 victory, and ol’ UT had to watch the agonizing loss in person.  So for the second year in a row, Darth Reagan holds bragging rights in the series, and he is more than happy to have them.  He proves to be a gracious winner (well, for the most part, anyway), and UT proves to be a gracious loser (sort of).  See what our guys had to say about the game, as well as a few of their thoughts on the future for their respective clubs.

From the comment box: 

“Hey, something that I would like to read your take on,is…How does # 2 Notre Dame play in a hostile environment against a good Georgia Tech team, get the victory, and drop 2 spots?   #1 Ohio State plays Northern Illinois in Columbus, naturally kills them and maintains their position.  But my biggest issue is with the fact that Texas jumps past Notre Dame by beat ing North Texas in Austin.  Is that a region or a University?  Rankings are ridiculous…What is your take?”

Well, my initial take is that our reader was in a coma for about ten days, since the outrage over the polls following week one action comes a little late (I received the comment last Thursday).  But comatose or not, he is right on the money.  Rankings, especially those that begin with a pre-season ranking BEFORE ONE SINGLE GAME HAS BEEN PLAYED, are ridiculous.  But chalk it up to human nature.  We love to make lists, and we love to talk about polls.  We will list anything, and we almost always put them in order.  Just to give you an example…years ago I had a good friend who had LOTS of success with the ladies.  LOTS.  And of course, we had to rank each and every girl he hooked up with over a two-year period.  From least attractive to passable in the light of day, we ranked every one of them.  It was hardly scientific (and obviously a senseless, immature thing to do) and it meant nothing (nobody got a trophy or anything, although he may have ended up marrying at least one of them…), but we did it anyway.  It’s what we do.

Now what we have learned from hindsight are the following things…Notre Dame might have been a tad overrated.  Or at least it looked that way Saturday when Michigan left town.  Texas was also overrated, but at least we could base their ranking on having finished last year #1 (and as it turns out, North Texas is a university AND a region…who knew?)  Ohio State IS clearly the number one team in the country, if for no other reason than everyone else seems terribly flawed (although Pete Carroll still has enough talent to make the NFL playoffs at USC…and of course Dwayne Jarret’s mom paid for that Lexus herself, silly…).  And Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Miami were wise to get the hell out of the Big East, because West Virginia and Louisville are really, really good.  More on Miami and Louisville in just a sec…

The major flaw in the current poll system is the concept of a pre-season ranking.  Anybody ranked high has an excellent chance to stay there.  Anybody not ranked has a very difficult climb to the top.  When those pre-season rankings are decided by things like last year’s finish, returning lettermen, and reputation…something is very wrong.  Rankings should only be used once games have been played, and yes I said games.  Plural.  There’s no sense having a poll after one game, or even two.  When should we start?  Well, how about this week.  Everybody in the media (and by that I mean ESPN) decided the past weekend was ‘Separation Saturday’ (Lee Corso doll not included), and after three weeks, we do know a little more about the college football landscape.  Not everything we need to know of course (as some contenders still haven’t played ANYBODY), but enough to at least make an educated ranking.  A ranking that would be a damn sight more fair than ones issued while everybody was still in two-a-days.

Another huge problem with the polls is the notion that winning moves you up, losing moves you down.  Take LSU, for instance, who dropped four spots in the coaches’ poll after losing at Auburn, the new #3 in the coaches’ poll.  So let’s see…you go into Jordan-Hare against one of the three best teams in the country, hold them to 181 yards of offense, and potentially get hosed on a picked up pass-interference flag, and barely lose…and your reward is a four spot fall in the polls?  Meanwhile, Texas beats Rice, Virginia Tech beats Puke, er, Duke…and both of them occupy ground above you in the poll.  Pure genius.  And remember, THAT’S the coaches’ (excuse me, SID’s) poll.  Imagine what can happen at the hands of the imbecile writers’…In fairness to the writers in the AP poll, they probably have a better idea than the coaches as to what the national landscape looks like.  Remember, coaches are completely focused on their team and their next opponent, and it is unlikely they get a real good look at anybody that isn’t in their conference or on their schedule.  And it is less likely that they give a damn (although they will lie about it…won’t they, Jim Tressel?).  And that is the main reason that many votes are likely placed by sports information directors.  Polls aren’t the kind of things coaches are going to spend much time worrying about.  At least not til BCS time…

So absolutely, loyal reader…Rankings ARE ridiculous.  Let’s settle it on the field…

Speaking of ridiculous…you can apply for the Miami Hurricanes head coaching position by contacting Paul Dee, athletic director, in Coral Gables, Florida.  It’s hard to say that Larry Coker should lose his job after winning a national title and winning well over 80% of his games at Miami…but we all know the high standards the ‘Canes have set, and the impotent offense and downright embarrassing performance by Miami on Saturday in Louisville will put the bullseye on Coker’s back for the rest of the year.  Much was expected, or at least hoped for, after Coker cleaned out much of his coaching staff during the off-season, but it is clear after losses to Florida State and Lousiville that Miami lacks the offensive weaponry of years past and is completely incapable of protecting their quarterback, a quarterback that has yet to inspire visions of Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, or Gino Torreta.  And on Saturday their defense, a defense that seemed to be one of the nation’s finest, was riddled by Bobby Petrino’s high-octane Cardinal attack (Coach Petrino, it’s Paul Dee on line one…).  A Louisville offense devoid of Michael Bush, and for most of the second half, Brian Brohm, who will miss a month or more with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand.

But weep not for U of L, because I believe the young man who will start in Brohm’s stead will be more than capable of keeping the Cardinals at full throttle as they face a fairly pedestrian-looking schedule over the next few weeks.  Hunter Cantwell, a walk-on from Paducah Tilghman High School, showed himself to be a very capable leader with outstanding poise and remarkable toughness in his stint as Brohm’s stand-in at the conclusion of last season.  Cantwell led the Birds to a win over Connecticut in the regular season finale, and then performed admirably in Louisville’s Gator Bowl loss to Virginia Tech, as he absorbed one vicious hit after another from the Hokie defense.  And as folks could see on Saturday, Cantwell can throw the football just a bit, too.  Three of four, for 113 yards and a score, shows you that Cantwell won’t simply be a caretaker and game manager under center.  The kid can make some plays…

Brohm should be back for Louisville’s November 2 battle with West Virginia, and you should mark that date on your calendar.  West Virgina has an electric duo in the backfield, in quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slaton (a legitimate Heisman candidate), and they can put points on the board in a hurry.  First team to fifty wins, and whoever emerges victorious could go undefeated and put themselves right in the mix for the national title game.  A word of warning to the Mountaineers when they come to town, thought…DO NOT…DO NOT stomp on the Cardinal logo at midfield inside Papa John’s Stadium.  Bad things happen when you do…Just ask the Hurricanes…

Did Rosie O’Donnell really say that Christians were as dangerous as Muslims?  Muslim terrorists, at that?  No, she really didn’t.  But the controversial talk show host did draw comparisons between radical Christians and radical Muslims.  Does she have a point?  She might.  Join me as I take a look at what O’Donnell said, what she meant, and what we need to understand about so-called religious zealots.

I have to start by apologizing to our regular readers (and you five intelligent individuals know who you are) for my prolonged absence.  It was due in part to the Labor Day holiday, as frankly, we are rarely read on any holiday.  The combination of the long weekend/short work week made it difficult to grind out any worthwhile time sensitive material, and the complicated schedules of yours truly and the rest of the staff made it impossible to get to a preview of this weekend’s Florida-Tennessee battle from our esteemed embedded fans from each side of the gridiron tussle, Darth Reagan and the UT Volunteer.  Perhaps we can hear from each gentleman AFTER the skirmish has been contested, or at least from the winning side (Anybody besides me picking the Gators?  I love David Cutcliffe’s rebuild of Erik Ainge’s game and confidence, but I think this is the week both go up in smoke against a Gator defense with a lot of teeth).

Speaking of Darth Reagan, he has promised me that we will hear from him on the issue of Castro and Cuba, perhaps even while Castro is still alive (just kidding, Darth…).  And even if not, you can expect to hear from the ol’ Chief on the matter, as I have a column in the works if our debate/discussion forum does not materialize.  In one form or another, I will also tackle the controversy that continues to burn from the cover-up of the death of Pat Tillman.  It may be a post here, or a full-blown column, but one way or another I will address the notion of Tillman’s death used as a tool, both by the U.S. Army and by those who enjoy pointing the finger at the federal government.  In the meantime, I would recommend that everyone grab a copy of the September 11 issue of Sports Illustrated.  The grand old sports mag continues to devolve into something along the lines of ESPN the Magazine, but when Gary Smith spins a thoughtful and gut-wrenching story as only he can, SI is still worth the cover price.  Smith will take you on an emotional rollercoaster inside the life and death of Pat Tillman, and perhaps more importantly, inside the heart and soul of one of his closest friends in his platoon.

I have been asked if I would be reprising my role as a defender (the defender?) of embattled Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks.  As many of you know, I did so twice last season, authoring The Case for Rich Brooks, as well as Bring Back Brooks.  I must admit, I have been tempted.  I have even been tempted to defend athletic director Mitch Barnhart, who quickly joined Brooks on the gallows as vitriol spilled all over the Commonwealth in the wake of Louisville’s nationally televised annihilation of the ‘Cats.  I began watching, with no small amusement, as the message boards lit up that Sunday night as the Cards built their 31-0 lead in the second quarter.  I haven’t checked the boards much in the wake of UK’s throttling of I-AA Texas State, but I can’t expect they have let up on either Brooks (and defensive coordinator Mike Archer, the subject of much wrath after Louisville rolled up six acres worth of total offense against the boys in blue…I don’t want to say Kentucky’s defense was porous, but members of the Louisville offense had to have their cleats rotated every 300 yards…) or Barnhart in the interim.  To answer the question of whether I will write another defense of Brooks and Co., the answer is, as of now, no.  Which isn’t to say that I won’t.  But I wrote both columns last year because I believed in the point of view I advocated.  I am not sure what I believe about the state of the program now, and I won’t bother to bullshit anybody about it just to have something to write.  I mean, who am I, Pat Forde?

Politics are afoot as usual, and I expect we will heat up our discussions on various topics as we roll toward mid-term elections.  One topic I will be sure to address is the issue of religion and politics.  It’s sticky terrain to be sure, but I can’t help it after watching a ridiculous exchange on Fox News’ Hannity and Colmes program on Wednesday night.  Author David Limbaugh and Democratic political consultant Bob Beckel took turns yelling at each other, Limbaugh advocating the position that Democrats looked down on Christians and Beckel advocating the position that Republicans were simply using religion as a political tool.  The cause for all the hub-bub?  The one-and-only Rosie O’Donnell, who says Christians are as dangerous as Muslims.  What the hell is she talking about?  And does she have a point?  We’ll discuss it, and the Ol’ Chief might even show you the levels on which that nasty bitch might…might, mind you…have a point.  We’ll also get down to the heart of Limbaugh (again, that’s David, Darth…so stop genuflecting everytime I type Limbaugh…hey, just kidding again, Big Fella…get back to work and I’ll stop abusing you…) and Beckel’s argument:  Have Democrats turned their back on Christians, and are Republicans using religion to gain political power?  Expect the return of The Powdered Wig for these segments, and perhaps an expanded round-table…

So that’s the docket for the coming weeks, folks…I feel under the gun already.  But don’t hesitate to hit us with things you would like to read and discuss.  With emphasis on the discuss part…I continue to urge all of our readers to sign up for the comments board, we want you to be able to participate.  If you have trouble getting signed up, or if you don’t want to bother with the process, email me at chiefjustice@thehighcourtofsports.com, and I will help get you signed up myself.  We also hope that all of our loyal readers will help us grow in number, so the next time you are forwarding those emails of Hillary Clinton and Mr. Rosie taking a leak at the urinals to all five thousand people in your address book, take time to send them some of the work you enjoy here at The High Court.  We thank you for your support.

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams interviewed President George W. Bush in New Orleans on Tuesday, and in the process, managed to insult Mr. Bush’s family, attempted to create a public rift between the Prez and his father, and outright mocked the President’s intelligence.  Quite a trifecta, Mr. Williams.  It was a tough column to pin down, because I could have written five million words on the subject, but here’s my take on the interview and Williams’ blatant disrespect for our Commander-in-Chief.  You can view the video of the interview and read its transcript by clicking here…

The three most loveable figures in sports, all in one place.  Can even I bring myself to defend Bonds AND Rocker at the same time?  Of course I can.  Sort of.  I’ll show you why the link between Bonds and Rocker, writer Jeff Pearlman, is the sort of fella you better be wary of.  In case you have forgotten the details, here’s the December 1999 article that started Rocker’s speedy descent out of baseball.  This is the column Pearlman recently wrote on Bonds that got me started, and this is an interview Pearlman did in 2004 that shows he happily employs double standards all over the place.

It is Round 3 of the ongoing discussion series between myself and my esteemed colleague, Darth Reagan.  This time we look at how things might develop on the American political landscape, as well as forecasting potential developments around the globe, over the next two decades.  It is a lengthy read, but one that should be well worth your time.  As always, we urge our readers to share their views with us right here on the Daily Verdict’s comment board. 

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape…but maybe nobody ever told Dave Pelz that.  I don’t imagine Tiger Woods needed extra motivation to collect his 12th major championship on Sunday, but for the sporting world’s greatest winner, it couldn’t have hurt for Pelz to suggest earlier this week that Phil Mickelson, his short-game pupil, had a better game from 150 yards in than Tiger.  That would have been enough of a tug right there, but Pelz wasn’t done.  He added that Mickelson had more shots and imagination around the greens, and that Phil was a more consistent putter (which Tiger may have understood as BETTER).  The long and short of Pelz’s comments were that when his guy was playing his best, nobody was better.  Pelz finished jamming his golf shoes in his gaping yap by observing, however, that the question was about how often Phil was at his best.

Not this week, I guess.  Maybe somebody can get Pelz on the horn and ask him.  Ask him why his boy bogeyed his way to the house Saturday night when his approach to the 18th was pulled over the green and his third shot remained in the hay at his feet.  Ask him why Philly the Magnificent left another third shot at his feet from the rough on the par-five tenth on Sunday.  Where’s the imagination, the array of shots, hmm, Davey?  Ask him why Mickelson was staring up at Tiger from TWELVE shots back when the tournament was over.  And finally, let’s ask Pelz if Phil at his best can stare down the best player the world has ever seen at his best.  I’m thinking no.

Look, guys shouldn’t cower in the corner in the presence of Tiger’s greatness.  They do enough of that on the golf course already.  Frankly, the fact that Mickelson has harnessed his immense talent enough to win a major in each of the last three years adds validity to Tiger’s greatness.  Because now Tiger has a consistent (Ok, a sometimes consistent) threat to his dominance.  Someone to push him to greater heights.  Look at what has happened since Mickelson’s breakthrough at August in 2004.  He’s been Phil Mickelson, the People’s Champion (ackkkkk).  Yet after Sunday, Tiger still has won more majors in the last three years, 4 to 3.  And that is in no way an indictment of Mickelson.  He is a terrific player.  He just isn’t Tiger Woods.

After Tiger’s course record-tying 65 on Saturday, a reporter (idiot) asked him if he could have imagined himself on the cusp of three straight wins and consecutive majors after he missed the cut at the U.S. Open in June.  Tiger paused, appropriately shocked that someone would be stupid enough to ask such a question and then simply said, “Yes.”  That wasn’t good enough for the reporter (idiot), who shot back, “How?”  Tiger politely answered that he always entered golf tournaments to win them, and that he intended to enter several more golf tournaments after the U.S. Open.  While his words remained polite, the withering glare Tiger offered as he spoke provided another answer, one that required a mere five words.  “Because I am Tiger Woods.”

He is Tiger Woods, and everyone else is merely a pale imitation.  Phil, great.  Vijay, very good.  Ernie, outstanding.  Retief, classic.  Adam Scott, very talented.  Jim Furyk, gritty.  Chris DiMarco, gutty.  Sergio, never mind.  Tiger Woods is legendary.  Somebody send Dave Pelz the memo…

Former President Jimmy Carter recently made comments suggesting that the Bush administration’s support of Israel was heightening Arab hatred of this country, and he added that Israel’s attacks on Lebanon were completely unjustified.  I disagree, and not only do I disagree, I’ll make the case that Jimmy Carter is the man who empowered Iran.  You can read why right here.

In other High Court business, you can look for a change on our masthead, as we will officially become The High Court just as soon as I have time to make a few changes.  All of our addresses will remain the same, the main site at http://www.thehighcourtofsports.com and this blog at http://thehighcourtofsports.com/blog.  I am quite certain that we will continue to weigh in on the world of sports, but only on matters that are of true interest to us or that require our unique blend of perspectives.  Our readers have no doubt recognized that we have moved in a direction more focused on the political realm, and that will likely continue.  We will also expand our commentary to the volatile global climate we live in today, and we will even tread some delicate ground in an exploration of what connection hostilities in the Middle East might have to Biblical prophecy. 

We hope that our readers will let us know what they would like to see discussed here at The High Court, and that you all will assist us in continuing to grow the audience here at The High Court.

The following question was posed yesterday after Darth and I had posted our latest discussion, which included the ever-present tensions in the Middle East…”This may or may not be a relevant point. You and Darth were visiting about the Middle East today…in Biblical terms if we have peace, won’t this signal the beginning of seven years before the second coming of Christ?”

Let me start by saying that I am not qualified as a Biblical scholar to even begin to handle the question raised.  I do intend to prevail upon an old friend who is better versed on the subject to see if he will share his insight with us on the matter, and at some point I might formulate an educated opinion on the subject that is fit for print.  In the interim, what I can say is this, as soon as there is legitimate peace in the Middle East, I’ll tell you to start the clock.

The most difficult thing to assess in the equation is obviously the many references to Christ’s Second Coming that can be found within the Bible.  When I say there are many references, I mean many.  If it was possible to ascertain which reference was the most accurate, then one would have to deal with the difficulty of interpreting that reference.  People have been trying for centuries, with no success, to forecast the return of Christ.  Many forecasters felt that the entrance into a new milennium (2000 or 2001 depending on your method of calculation) was the perfect time for the return.  Others feel that we will not receive notice; many scholars point to Christ’s statements in Matthew 24 that he would arrive at a time known only to the Lord as evidence of that fact.

What we can say is that folks always tend to think (or perhaps hope) that the Second Coming will return during their lifetime, which is what several sources indicate that many of the Bible’s contributing authors and Christ’s disciples thought.  It is a very interesting study, and it is sure to reveal to anyone who is not a well-versed Biblical scholar something they had not previously known.  There is a tremendous amount of information on the subject on the web, although obviously all of it comes with its own bias and much of it is not worth the read.  One source I found that was highly informational and seemed to be credible was an article by a gentleman named Tim King, which you can read right here.

Ultimately, the question would require a few key things…a belief in Jesus Christ, a belief that there are predictors to the Second Coming, and that there is (or can be) peace in the Middle East.  The region has been devoid of any such thing for thousands of years, although there have been brief periods where hostilities have ceased.  The unstable peace between Israel and Hezbollah is unlikely to last, but even if it does (and it won’t), it does not speak to continued hostilities in Gaza between the Israelis and the Palestinians that brew as we speak.  Syria and Iran sit just a short distance away desiring nothing more than the complete and total annihilation of the State of Israel (and they wouldn’t mind getting us in the bargain, either).  I don’t know what the Biblical interpretation of “peace” in the region would be, but given the way things stand in the Middle East right now, peace is the very last word I would use to describe it.

We haven’t done much of anything on religion here at The High Court, nothing actually, for obvious reasons.  The topic is an absolute powderkeg, simply because religion is something that is very personal and very important to people.  Human beings have fought about it almost as long as they have been on the planet, and if they are to be believed, some of the very terrorists that wish us dead do so because of their extremist religious beliefs.  It is not a subject to be taken lightly, and it is not a subject that can be discussed without raising serious passion.

We welcome the question from our reader nevertheless, and frankly, it is nice to have interaction with our readers.  And we do believe that it is still readers, in the plural.  But just barely.  Pass us along to your friends, and keep the questions coming.

Darth Reagan and I continue our discussion series, this time shifting the focus to the war on terror and the American political landscape.  You’ll be able to tell that the subject matter struck a chord with Darth, as the piece required a second web page to capture everything covered in this chat.  And as an added bonus, I announce Darth’s candidacy for a yet-to-be-decided post in 2008.

The ongoing saga for a Senate seat in Connecticut has caught and kept my attention.  With the upset of Joe Lieberman in the Nutmeg State, analysts all over the country are predicting the “winds of change” for mid-term elections in November.  The people have spoken, they tell us, and the country is going to mandate change.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But I have a little change of my own to mandate.  No more two-party tyranny.  I stand behind Joe Lieberman’s Independent campaign to keep his Senate seat, and right here I will tell you why.  The only thing is Joe, I think we need a name with more pop than just Independent.  And that’s why I am volunteering to start The Chief Justice Party.  Democrats and Republicans have held sway over this country for long enough, and it is time to finally provide viable third options to our electoral process.  At the very least, the presence of a valid third party might cause the Big Two to get off their asses and provide some real change, instead of simply replacing one soul-less, platform-driven monkey with another.