• Maybe my vote tilted the scale? Ok, not so much. With a majority of 47% the fans have spoken: brand Bonds’ No. 756 with an asterisk and sent it to the hall. The move will be historic, monumental and hopefully remind people of baseball’s overall issues with integrity not just with players, but also within their leadership. Ecko will work work with the Hall of Fame to be sure “the whole story is told.”
• Even you have to agree with Mariotti here: Rex had a reign of error over those Bears. Now Lovie Smith plans on benching Grossman in favor of Brian Griese. Yes, Grossman was the man at the offensive helm during the Bears’ Super Bowl run last year but how many times did he shoot them in the foot? Pretty soon, after Griese has a bad game or two, those thoughts of McNabb flying the Eagles’ coup in favor of his hometown will become much more real.
• Sorry for lingering on this hometown lovin’ but those beleaguered Nationals keep handing L’s to playoff teams — ask those first-place Mets.
• Years ago, in the wee hours of the night I watched as a group of guys played cricket outside in an empty shopping center parking lot and could not, for the life of me, understand how to play. I still do not have a clue how to play but if they keep making the game leaner, fast and furious, I’ll lift it from its current spot of 792329 on the ranking of sports I enjoy. (we enjoy only what we understand, no?)

You still have until midnight tonight to vote at www.vote756.com whether you want to have Barry Bonds’ career-breaking No. 756 sent to the Hall of Fame with or without an asterisk, or shot into outer space. Crazy, absurd, a bit off the wall? Sure. But hey, if fashion designer Mark Ecko follows through with his promise to let the fans decide, this may be one very historical moment in time.

• Mark Ecko stopped by ESPN to chat with fans
• The Mindrite Sports take — “Deciding The Fate Of Bonds’ Historic No. 756″

Fashion designer Marc Ecko dropped $752,467 on the table in order to “democratize” the decision whether to ship Barry Bonds’ record-breaking no. 756 to the Hall of Fame, or to the moon — quite literally.

On Ecko’s new website, he gives visitors the option to vote between three options of what fate the historic ball will have:

1. Bestow It: “Give the ball to Cooperstown. The ball that broke Hank Aaron’s career home run record belongs in the Hall of Fame.”
2. Brand It: “Burn an asterisk into the ball, with a branding iron, adding a permanent footnote to the record. Then, send it to Cooperstown.”
3. Banish It: “Put the ball into a rocket ship and launch it into orbit, a moon shot for the ages. Out of sight, out of mind.”

A fun assortment, but the vote should be simple: Brand It.

If you’ve read my pieces on Bonds and the record-chase, you may be confused. Hear me out.

By branding and shipping no. 756 off to Cooperstown, the ball serves its purpose whether or not you believe Bonds is reached the historic mark legitimately.

Those who view Bonds as the ultimate villain in the world of performance enhancers in baseball, and believe his mark should be tarnished forever, get their wish. What better a way to be tarnished than to have his record-breaker in Cooperstown with a people-branded asterisk on the historic ball?

Those who view Bonds as the ultimate scapegoat in the world of performance enhancers in baseball will have evidence of how one man was “burned at the stake� in order for major league baseball to attempt to save face and detract onlookers from the larger issue that goes well beyond one man.

What you choose to believe is up to you. Call Bonds a cheat or a scapegoat, but either way this goes beyond one player.

Since the BALCO investigation, numerous high-profile players have been linked to rings of steroids, including Yankees first-baseman Jason Giambi who admitted to using “stuff� during his playing days but has yet to receive a punishment or reprimand from the league. In fact, he received a free pass!

At this point, if the public wants to vilify Bonds for allegedly reaching no. 756 in an illegal manner, it needs to do more research into the league and determine whether or not they will be consistent with the scrutiny. Mark McGuire is another famous player who has been accused of steroid use but had never tested positive, yet it appears as if he will need a miracle to make it into the Hall of Fame. If the MLB chooses to put an asterisk on Bonds’ records, will they put one on McGuire’s season of 70 home runs? The Oakland Athletics pennant winners where he and teammates, including admitted steroid user Jose Canseco, won the World Championship? What about Gaylord Perry’s 314 wins and 2 Cy Young Awards, despite admitting to doctoring baseball throughout his 22-year career?

Baseball cannot choose to give a pass (neither the public nor the MLB has yet to cry out for the aforementioned records to be asterisked) to hundreds of admitted and proven cheaters for years but then pick out the most disagreeable, hated player linked to cheating – who just so happens to have broken the most hallowed record in the game – and crucify him in the name of “cheaters� now and forever more.
It doesn’t work that way.

Baseball needs to find out where the line is between fair play and cheating before they can move on and not been seen as hypocritical.

At the rate they are going, dragging their feet about a new testing policy which may out some of baseball’s most profitable stars, the MLB might as well either put an asterisk on the entire Hall of Fame if they plan on doing so to Bonds’ real records. Otherwise, they should move forward and look to improving the league and its integrity from here on out.

So, Marc Ecko, please go ahead and brand the ball with a large asterisk. Fans and, more importantly, all of major league baseball need to never forget the chase for Hammerin’ Hank’s 755. It marked one of the most important times in history where confusion, celebration, division and hypocrisy surrounded one bitter man’s attack on one bitter league’s imperfect — yet somehow still sacred — record books.

• Greg Oden will have microfracture surgery on his knee and be OUT for the entire 2007-08 season. We already knew he had old man bones, so are we surprised?
• PatriotGate/Videogate “penalties” handed down: Bill Belicheck was fined the maximum amount of $500,000, the Pats $250,000 and they lose a 1st-rounder if they make the playoffs this year, a 2nd and 3rd rounder if they don’t. Why Belicheck didn’t miss games is beyond me… money is no issue for these boys and they have 2 1st rounders already… where’s the real penalty?
• Another Barry Bonds/Bill Belicheck comparison. I hate to get all McD’s but “I’m lovin it.”
• West Virginia is fast, and furious. That kid #7 is a blur on the field. Check the highlights.

• Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge contacted Reggie Miller about making a comeback to join his newly assembled Big Three. Among other topics discussed were: Spike Lee, choke signals and tips to beating Cheryl Miller one on one. Miller is eyeing the return but must first beat his sister in a one-on-one game for the first time ever. Here are the rules: no post ups, Cheryl!
• Realizing the Nationals beat him on his celebratory day, Bonds came back less than 24 hours after taking the all-time home run crown and hit number 757 into the McCovey Cove. Fans in canoes and kayaks most likely pondered tossing the ball back, as its value is roundabout 1/100th that of #756.
• Not to disappoint, Mike Wilbon chimed in on the Bonds record-breaker and sits on the fence a bit… but does so thoughtfully.
• San Diego Padres pitcher David “Boomer” Wells is fixin’ to get a pink slip. Will he retire? Was this last stint in San Diego one big retirement party anyway? Odds are he’s been trying his “get drunk and toss a no-no” method which has not been successful as of late.

The proverbial monkey is finally off the back of the man people love to hate.

Now the hypocrites of the world – namely the Bonds Haters of America – can get back to pretending they never stood up or enjoyed any of his 756 career free passes around the bases.

What would the BHA members have done if they caught #756? Thrown it back? Ha…doubtful.

With sole possession of the all-time home run lead, Barry Bonds can move on with his life and be as happy as he wants to be, much to the dismay of those BHA members.

At this point Bonds has absolutely no pressure on him. He can be as care-free as a newborn.

He tried to sell us the notion that he was never affected by the mounds of pressure but we never bought it. In each press conference following both #755 and #756, Bonds gave in and admitted this was the hardest feat in his 22-year career.

See, he’s admitting to being human even though very few believe he is everything but.

Speculation is normal. Anytime a certified jerk succeeds in anything the natural reaction is to hate. Be that as it may, no one can take back the fact Bonds trotted around the bases more than any baseball player ever. The magnitude of 756 home runs is hard to deny.

Where were you for 756?

Last night I watched every moment of the historic game alone in my bedroom as my two roommates slept peacefully down the hall… until 756 took flight. Once it was hit, I broke the silence as both Bonds and the entire viewing audience knew that particular ball was bleacher bound. Bonds’ hands went into the air, along with thousands of other baseball fans including myself. And as it stood, at 8:51pm pacific standard time, just before midnight on the east coast, a moment took place that will live in infamy for-e-ver. Sandlot style.

Unfortunately, with the Giants matched up against my hometown Washington Nationals, I was unable to watch 756 in High Definition on ESPN2. Local games, when aired on a national stage such as ESPN, are blacked out of all channels other than MASN, the local network. Despite having to watch a Standard Definition feed, MASN2 provided me the opportunity to tune into a very special team – play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter and color commentator – and former All-Star – Don Sutton.

The following is the sequence of events as they occurred from my television according to me. I clump together the Carpenter/Sutton team as one, in the form of the name “Mr. Announcer�. The majority of the comments came from Sutton but a scattered comment of these was Carpenter. They will forgive, as you should:

In his first at-bat, Bonds smoked a double into the gap. Second at-bat, he smoked a single to center-field. Then his third at-bat comes with the score tied at 4, just after Randy Wynn flew out to left for out number one.

“Mike Bacsik has kept the ball in the park.”

Calm it, Mr. Announcer, it’s called “jinxing it” and you’re a prime suspect right now. But feeling something special in the air, Mr. Announcer preps himself –

“I think I’ll stand this time… to get a better look.”

Pitch number one is up and away for ball one. Pitch number two breaks low and away for ball two. Pitch number three hits the outside corner for strike one.

On pitch number four Bonds takes the biggest hack his old, battered and bruised body can muster… and fouls the ball back.

Enter, Mr. Announcer –

“Barry’s taking swings like he’s in the Home Run Derby, during the All Star Game. Not the compact swings he took when he was hitting so many home runs. Every swing is an ‘I wanna get this over with right now’ swing.”

Pitch number five is low and away for ball three, full count.

Pitch six is a foul ball down the line, snatched by Dmitri Young just to the right of the foul line.

Fans chant, “BARRY! BARRY! BARRY!”

Though I didn’t see the action, Mr. Announcer points out that Bacsik tried to catch the ball behind his back, stating that –

“…kinda lets you know he’s not too uptight about all of this…”

Oh when, oh when, will Mr. Announcer learn about “jinxing it”? Maybe he will Google the word “jinxâ€? when he gets home. Or find it on Wikipedia.

Back to the game… full count… 3-2 to BONDS –

“And there it goes! This ball is history!”

And number 756 quickly dove into the bleachers 420 feet away, in the deepest part of the ball park. Fireworks erupted, teams emptied dugouts, crazies attempted to rush the field but were thwarted by the extra security, now infamous pitcher Mike Bacsik held his hands on his hips in disbelief and, most importantly, #25 trotted for history.

Following the home run, we expected Bonds’ godfather Willie Mays to be there, along with Bonds’ wife and kids. Bonds’ mom made an appearance as well, hugging her son in congratulations as the chaos in AT&T Park ensued.

And then the surprise came I likened to a quality WWE Wrestlemania event – the San Francisco Giants had a surprise for the new home run king… Henry Aaron! Well, not in person, but in prerecorded format and shown on the big screen in the outfield.

Aaron delivered a simple, memorable and classy message directly to Bonds.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to Barry Bonds to becoming the home run leader… It [the feat] took skill, longevity and determination.�

His key message was that he hoped people would be inspired to fulfill their dreams, having seen the feat accomplished by Bonds. All-in-all Aaron brought a positive, untainted message; never indicating any possibility of a possibly tainted record. Good for him.

Many people think Hank Aaron stayed at home for the record record-tying and record-breaking moments in protest. But in an interview he took on ESPN the week prior to the record-breaker, Aaron profusely stated he had no intentions of stealing any spotlight or media attention away from Bonds, the man who deserves it most. Much respect is due to Aaron, who was too often used as a character weapon against Bonds through this entire historic ordeal, for going about this the way he did.

As Barry Bonds sits atop the all-time home run leaderboard, whether you call him the “Home Run King,” or even the “Sultan of Steroids,” it matters not.

Commissioner Bud “The Dud� Selig called Bonds on the dugout phone once the slugger was pulled from the game in the sixth inning and proceeded to give a fluffed up version of his “congratulatory� press release. He even promised to one day sit down with Bonds and talk. “I swear!� I can imagine him saying.

Too little, too late. Bonds acknowledged commish Dud for his kind gesture and took it as real thanks. Not many others did. The follow-up release from the MLB office of Selig read:

“I congratulate Barry Bonds for establishing a new career home run record. Barry’s achievement is noteworthy and remarkable.

“After Barry came out of the game, I congratulated him by telephone and had MLB executive vice president Jimmie Lee Solomon and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson — both of whom were at the game and witnessed the record-breaking home run — meet with him on my behalf.â€?

Thanks again, Dud, as we know you have so many other things to do.

“While the issues which have swirled around this record will continue to work themselves toward resolution, today is a day for congratulations on a truly remarkable achievement.”

Selig knows if he throws an asterisk on Bonds as home run champ, people will throw an asterisk on his entire tenure as commissioner. The entire steroids

A 22-year-old from NY queens, Matt Murphy, on his way to Australia, apparently walked up and bought a ticket for the game. A couple bruises and a bloody Mets jersey later, he stands in a great position to capitalize on a very, very valuable baseball.

The most humanizing moment, one even the BHAs have a sensitive side for, Bonds gave recognition to his father, Bobby Bonds, in the heavens. Just then, a random fan shouted out, “We love you Barry!�

Holding tough and attempting to be as macho possible, Barry broke down and tears flowed freely.

It sure is lonely at the top.

The hate in Bonds’ life is far from over. It will continue until the day he dies.

Bonds still has a grand jury indictment in the works, as the government continues to try to convict the slugger of perjury, tax evasion and, quite possibly, failing to smile when asked. Here’s a difficult task: try relating Bonds’ perjury case to Scooter Libby’s. Even if Bonds is finally indicted on perjury charges, why should it stand taller than Libby’s?

My favorite Bonds quote comes from years ago as the hater nation and the BHA community remained at its lowest grassroots level. Bonds put into perspective what I see as a perfect view of how both fans and haters, followers and hypocrites, all see the situation. Problem is, the haters and hypocrites don’t want to admit Bonds has ever been right, especially here.

“People who are going to love me are going to love me. People who are going to hate me are going to hate me. But either way, they’re still going to come see the show.”

Pay your respects to the new home run leader.

Or, if you don’t respect the feat or the man, do not act as if you were never, even the slightest bit, amazed at the feat of reaching 756. Because if you deny it, you lie. Remember, perjury is a crime punishable by law.

Thank the judicial system along with baseball fans’ informality you don’t have to testify to it in front of a grand jury. I guess the court of public opinion is easier to lie to.

Deny it if you may but the reality is — Barry Bonds is the Home Run King.

Today’s munchies are Barry-centric. Surprised? As the new home run king, expect no standing ovations outside the Bay Area. Instead what will come is mixed reactions, including the following:

• Bonds has only been accused of steroid use, so in a state where “innocent until proven guilty” rules our judicial system, he is, hands down, the home run king.
• Bonds has been linked to steroid use, therefore he is a baseball cheat, and Hank Aaron remains the home run king at 755.
• Major league baseball made their bed with Bonds despite the steroid allegations, so now they have to sleep with him while he wears career home run crown.

Now, let’s bounce around the globe:

• Over at CBS Sportsline, Gregg Doyel calls the entire national pastime flawed and says Bonds doesn’t stand out but rather he fits right in perfectly.
• TheStartingFive’s Dwil muses that now, finally, baseball commissioner Bud “The Dud” Selig can carry on with his everyday duties again… and thanks Dud for not showing up for 756 to avoid yet another breakdown of his would-have-been-awful reaction.
• Very surprised the San Francisco Chronicle allowed someone other than “the book deal guys” write the piece about Bonds’ record-breaker. Gwen Knapp is handed the honor of piecing together both the speculation and recognition of 756. Wondering if Bonds belongs as a member of the disgraced players version of the Hall of Fame with Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Mark McGwire, she looks to Bonds’ own response: “Call God. Ask him.” Knapp’s fellow coworker Scott Ostler writes “We have a new home run king, so deal with it.”
• You knew the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jay Mariotti would have some bitterness to spew, and he does so in a piece entitled, “A record that shouldn’t be.”
• ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian sounds almost depressed when saying he wished, hoped and dreamed that this record were clean and clear of all the steroids mess. That way the record-breaker would be more fun for fans, baseball and writers such as himself.

Elaborate piece upcoming. In the meantime, take a look at what Bonds will see for the next… 302932039 days of his life on the road until the asterisk argument gets played out like the rattail and jheri curl.

I hate to call upon the same cheesy Slim Shady reference everyone and their momma breaks out constantly but I must:

Will the real commissioner of major league baseball please stand up?

Or, better yet, hold your seat.

That same seat was paid for by feats such as the one Barry Bonds reached Saturday, tying Hank Aaron for the all-time lead of 755 home runs. But yet the commish would rather spite the bat that fed him these past years.

If he had his way, the commish’s seat would have been left vacant Saturday night. Because he finally gets his way, this week the commish’s designated seat will be filled by a SCAB. Ok, no, but maybe the bagel or mail guy from the MLB offices. Anyone but the commish himself because, as he would like you to believe, he has better, more commissioner-y things to do with his time.

As he stood in position to represent the league he helped build, instead of acting as the ultimate decider and ruling leader of the sport of baseball, the man in the commissioner’s seat Saturday night, Bud “The Dud” Selig looked more like me as a child being forced to stand during hymnals despite being dragged to church against my will while major sporting events played at home on my TV. (I would have traded candy and ice cream in for a DVR in a heartbeat back then)

Amazingly, commissioner Dud thinks that attending an all-time career making, record-breaking moment is not within his job description.

As the final, end-all, be-all decider of all things MLB, if a major event happens within your league it is most definitely your job to attend — even if there is controversy surrounding the record-breaker.

If Selig had a real, substantial issue with Bonds reaching this mark he could have evoked the “greater good of baseball” clause and plucked #25 from the sport a long time ago, but he didn’t.

Could it be the millions of dollars rolling in from TV viewers and ticket-buyers that made him pause on his own personal judgment? Or could it be that commish Dud knows if he throws Bonds under the “juice bus,” as he is clearly dying to, he has to throw all indicated persons — likable or not — there as well? (Side note: has anyone approached Jason Grimsley for a book deal yet? Get on it, folks!) It’s all fair if Bonds gets piled upon as all things evil in sports, but when another icon such as Roger Clemens gets a similar treatment we begin to hear a different defense — “it’s all speculation right now…” and “innoncent until proven guilty.”

Instead of making a move to suspend Bonds because of his personal judgment passed, Dud instead sits on his hands. He enjoys that the “greater good” of his and fellow owners’ wallets is well taken care of with Bonds in the lineup. Any press is good press, right?

All indications from the “smackdown” methods of the NFL would lead to one to believe that if Roger Goodell were baseball commish, Bonds would have been yanked from the field a long time ago. Not to say the NFL method is better, flawless or complete in any way. Shawne Merriman comes to mind as a major player caught using illegal enhancers last year but his accomplishments were celebrated by way of a Pro Bowl nomination and he damn near won the defensive player of the year award. Goodell’s methods are preemptive and they place guilt before innocence, but at least he’s consistently off base and wrong. MLB’s commish Dud continues to give a bunch of “Umm…”s and “Hmm…”s to us like he feels like pulling a Goodell but won’t make that bold a move.

In as high a position as Dud Selig is in, one would think he knows what is expected from him at work. Solidarity and consistency come to mind as two things Dud has lacked in recent years.

Cheating in baseball has been forever known and often outright admitted to. Many players, including Hall of Famers, have taken amphetemines, doctored baseballs, corked bats and done any and everything possible, legal or illegal at the time, in order to perform at a higher level, and been celebrated still.

Now, when a “hated” player is accused of a similar offense, baseball fans and, more importantly, the league commissioner, want to take a stand and act insulted and offended.

This method is just wrong and, thankfully, Selig’s reluctance to suspend Bonds under suspicion alone lead me to believe he is well aware of this conflict in judgment. But when all eyes were on the commish to represent fans and owners alike as Bonds reached history, he refused to grin and bear it.

Instead, after the game he issued the following statement:

“Congratulations to Barry Bonds as he ties Major League’s Baseball’s home run record. No matter what anyone thinks of the controversy surrounding this event, Mr. Bonds’ achievement is noteworthy and remarkable.

“As I said previously, out of respect for the tradition of the game, the magnitude of the record and the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty, either I or a representative of my office will attend the next few games and make every attempt to observe the breaking of the all-time home run record.”

Let’s get this straight: commish Dud, in the case of Bonds, has never came off as someone respecting “the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty.” Instead, his reaction to 755 was more like he was awaiting a federal sting operation, mid home run trot, with the Feds bursting through the dugout and scooping Bonds before he reached home plate.

Then the Feds, and not commissioner Dud, would be seen as animals who stood in the way of Bonds reaching history. I can only imagine how bubbly that press release would be. In fact, he would most likely host a press conference seated at home by a fireplace in old presidential fashion.

Delegation is key to the success of any great boss. While Dud is no great boss, he does plan on delegating this week’s “appearance at historic landmarks” duties to the next guy in line, maybe to the MLB office mailman, or the “bagel guy” who would surely be worthy in Dud’s eyes.

If commish Dud feels some kind of ill will towards Bonds, he should give back the dollars, cents, cars, clothes and luxuries he earns every day while #25 remains an employee of major league baseball.

No jury has convicted Bonds of perjury related to steroids — despite all of their efforts, including reconvening the grand jury for an additional six months.

The MLB has yet to find Bonds guilty of steroid use — and even if they did somewhere down the road, they would have to explain why he is seen as enemy while Jason Giambi, up until his recent dissent on steroid apologies came, has remained out of the main “witch hunt” mix.

People who have been offended by Bonds’ arrogance and defiant ways throughout the years want to believe, whole-heartedly, that he took steroids; they want know that fate would never allow a person so easy to dislike to break records never meant to be broken.

Sorry, folks. No celebrations from your corner — just yet anyway, but don’t worry, the fight continues. Not a fight to stay away from stadiums, that is, as stadiums continue to be filled when Bonds comes to town. The fight continues in Congress, the MLB offices and on the desk of George Mitchell.

I’d love to see the internal fight on the night Bonds hits number 756 to take sole possession of the all-time home run lead in a certain household:

Commish Dud* is seated ever so comfortably in a comfortable leather recliner*, cursing and screaming at a the large-screen television* which displays Bonds trotting around the bases of a large baseball stadium*. Next, Dud spikes his game-watching beverage of choice* and stares up to the ceiling of his large, luxurious home* — as you can imagine by these so-appropriately-placed asterisks indicate — that, much to his own like and dislike was built by Bonds, the man he wishes would just disappear.

*Paid for by the accomplishments achieved by Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa and many others accused of steroid use. (How’s THAT for an asterisk?)

Bonds Hits 755 To Tie Hank
When Barry Bonds hit number 755 off Clay Hensley in the second inning of Saturday’s game in San Diego, the stadium was filled with hypocrisy galore. An initial sound of excitement and cheers was heard as Bonds first crushed the pitch high and deep into left-center but once the San Francisco slugger rounded first base, about 40% (judging by the replay w/ sound) of those revealed the hypocrite within and defected to boos. On their feet cheering one minute, booing the next? Hypocrisy. Commissioner Bud Selig was shown placing his hands in his pockets instead of cheering after the blast, proving that he is willing to collect money Bonds earns him, but he will not even give the man a golf clap when he ties one of the hardest records to reach in sports. Hypocrisy.

Congrats to #25, who is now atop the mountain with Hammerin’ Hank Aaron. Aaron’s interview saying he didn’t want to take anything away from the moment, detracting reporters from reporting on the actual person breaking the record, was typical of the stoic image we’ve seen of Hank in the news.

Alex Rodriguez, Youngest Ever To Reach 500
The man dubbed as the next “chaser of 755+” hit number 500 on the same day Bonds hit 755. He passes Jimmie Foxx as the youngest to reach 500 and the most surprising part was that Yankee fans didn’t boo him for not waiting to hit a grand slam instead of a 3-run shot. His excitement for the moment showed off what fans hope for — that a player is genuinely happy with what he does for a living. Yankee fans, enjoy the historic mark reached by the baseball player who is very “NOW” because “LATER” he will be reaching milestones in an “anything but…” jersey not covered in pinstripes. By then when you boo him (on every other day or whatever the schedule is) it will only motivate him more.

Tom Glavine Reaches 300 Wins All-Time
By far one of the classiest baseball players from an outside view, Glavine reached the 300 win mark Sunday and celebrated the moment with fans, teammates and his family. Must be nice to have everyone not speculate on your ability to stick around for 300 wins well into years beyond those expected for the average pitcher. Glavine is now one of only 4 other lefties to have ever reached the mark. Many congrats to him.

Hall of Fame Game — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints kicked off organized football action last night in the annual Hall of Fame Game played in Canton, Ohio. The Steelers pulled off a 20-7 win as Big Ben looked good, the Saints weren’t that great and… well, the game meant essentially nothing but HURRAY! Football season is upon us… (tabloid stories year-round do not count!)

Wizards Deal Navarro… Finally
Fulfilling the demands of Spaniards, the Wizards agreed to deal Juan Carlos Navarro to the Memphis Grizzlies for a conditional first-round draft choice. Had they not completed the deal by this weekend, the buyout of JCN’s contract would have jumped from $2 mil to $14 mil. If the ‘zards were owned by Dan Snyder, they could’ve/would’ve taken their sweet, sweet time.

• They say the best things in life are free. So why is the Washington Wizards restricted free-agent Andray Blatche trying to pay for his? Last night Blatche was arrested for attempting to solicited sex from an undercover police officer. Blatche is currently in contract negotiations working on an extension with the Wizards. Now we know what he wanted the extra money for… and it wasn’t to feed his family!
• If Michael Strahan wants to hold out, there’s a chap named Justin Tuck just a waitin’ to get ahold of his position.



• NFL second overall pick Calvin Johnson signs a six-year contract with the Detroit Lions and officially reported to training camp today.
• Fifth overall draft pick Levi Brown is finally headed to Arizona Cardinals training camp after signing his own 6-year deal, reportedly worth up to $62 million.
• Some down-playing of bringing big names to your favorite teams and expecting a championship to quickly follow.
• A tribute to the late great former NFL head coach Bill Walsh from Mr. Wilbon.
• A few ideas of what to do instead of watch Barry Bonds try and tie n’ break Hammerin’ Hank’s career home run mark.
• Washington Wizards’ President Ernie Grunfeld has until the end of business today to trade the rights of Spaniard superstar Juan Carlos Navarro. Grunfeld must be asking for an arm and leg if the Miami Heat chose to sign Smush Parker over trading for Navarro. The Memphis Grizzlies will probably end up with Navarro before the day is out forfeiting their first round pick in the 2008 draft to the Wizards. So cheers to Navarro going to Memphis and them being just as bad as they were last year!
• Yesterday the 2007-2008 NBA season schedule was released. The Christmas line-up is sure to keep every NBA fan away from their family the entire holiday with a triple header of Heat/Cavaliers, Lakers/Suns, and Blazers/Sonics, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant’s first meeting. Speaking of the two rookies, Durant is being fed to the wolves his first NBA game facing the Denver Nuggets while Oden has the assignment of getting crushed by Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs his first night out. Shouldn’t the League have these two future stars face off against terrible teams to open the season? This way the casual fan will want to see what their missing instead of thinking these guys are not ready for the NBA.

Side Note:
It is no surprise that the Phoenix Suns have the most nationally televised games this season with 24. The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat tie for second with 23 while the Cleveland Cavaliers get 22. I have no problem with this, although I don’t know why you put teams on television that don’t play hard during the season (Miami & Cleveland), but how can the Washington Wizards only get 9 nationally televised games? The Chicago Bulls got 20! Are the Bulls twice as entertaining as the Wizards? They don’t have Hibachi, they weren’t one of the highest scoring teams in the league last year. Hell, they didn’t even trade for Kevin Garnett. I don’t understand, but at least I am not a Charlotte Bobcats, Orlando Magic, or Memphis Grizzlies fan, because their teams only have one nationally televised game, while the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers have none.