Kiss of Death?

My Jayhawks are the preseason #1 according to USA Today/ESPN.

Top 25

I'm not sure what to think of this tremendous honor.

Skins vs. Packers: The world will be watching

I'm not normally a person that boasts how well his team will do before they take the field. But there's a lot at stake in this Sunday's Packers-Skins game. Snopes.com has a nice piece regarding the Skins and the Presidency: http://www.snopes.com/sports/football/election.asp.

Now, I am a lifelong Packers fan. I was born in Milwaukee and lived in Wisconsin for the first 13 years of my life, so I am a wee bit biased. However, Brett Favre has an amazing ability to rise above atrocities in his personal life to perform a masterpiece. His wife Deanna was just diagnosed with breast cancer. Expect a superb effort from Favre to save the Packers and the election.

Prediction: Packers 24, Skins 14.

The Return of Steve Superior ..er.. Spurrier

In case any of you have been on another planet, or are a Red Sox fan drunk for the last week, head ball coach Ron Zook was dismissed from the Florida Gators on Monday. Everyone involved with the University of Florida should send a big thank card to Ron Zook. First off, Spurrier hates recruiting and Zook loved it; he leaves Steve a wealth of talent, particularly quarterback Chris Leak. Second, he didn't completely destroy the program while the Gators waited for Steve's NFL experiment to fail, although Zook did lose both bowl games. Third, while Spurrier's return would have been hailed as the second coming regardless of the circumstances, Zook choked so badly that anything Spurrier does will be an improvement in the eyes of Gator fans.

Now, the deal isn't done. Sources close to the Big Event have noted that Spurrier has been living in his golf course home in Gainesville since he left the Redskins and, although he's been trying to keep a low profile, has kept a watchful eye on the Swamp. This morning, ESPN radio quoted Spurrier as saying he's interested in returning to the Florida sidelines. Hmmm...

Now, I'm going to apologize before this next statement since I live in SEC country and know several Florida State fans (Particularly Oyster, aka, Your Right Hand Thief). But I really must say, Spurrier returning to Florida is good for college football and the SEC. Zook has made a laughing stock of the Gators in important games, including nationally significant rivalries like Florida State, Tennessee, and Miami. Plus, Spurrier inspires so much animosity from his opponents that it drives those teams to greater success. Many SEC teams had to recruit and alter game plans to beat Spurrier and the result has been the most dominant conference in college football when they compete against schools from other conferences. The SEC record in bowl games since Spurrier went to Florida is outstanding. Everyone benefits and obviously, no one more than the Gators.

Watching the Gators offense under Spurrier was a thing of beauty. Even Oyster admitted that Spurrier was an "Evil Genius". It will be good to see that offense at a school with that kind of talent.

This could be fun.

Armageddon

Everyone kiss your sorry asses goodbye, the Boston Red Sox have finally lifted The Curse. Maybe I shouldn't pay my mortgage bill this month, just in case I don't have a home tomorrow.

In all seriousness, hats off to the Red Sox and their fans for the domination of the Cardinals. It was most impressive, however, to be quite honest, the World Series was pretty boring from an objective point of view. Being from the Cradle of Liberty, I thought the Sox might be more diplomatic and actually give the Cards a chance (I guess Suppan did blow the gife from the Red Sox). I didn't watch most of the Series simply because the Cardinals were completely overmatched. I attempted to analyze what went wrong for the Cards, a team I thought would beat the Sox in seven games, however, there's nothing to analyze; every stat shows complete destruction.

In an earlier post, I blasted Bud Selig for the "Let's Overemphasize the All Star Game" abomination. I will not retract that tirade since there will be a World Series that will be affected by this decision. Obviously, home field advantage didn't matter much this year.

The man who turned everything around for the Sox: Theo Epstein. Canning Dan Duquette several years ago was the smartest thing the Red Sox have done in ages. From the ashes left behind by Duquette, and he left a pretty good team behind, Epstein briliantly added the missing pieces. In an interview with Mike & Mike this morning, Epstein stated that any moves the Sox have made and will make place the importance of the team over the individual. That's how the Yankees won in the late 90's.

I hope Brian Cashman was listening. If Epstein is a free agent, maybe George can sign him away from the Sox.

Brett Favre

I just read that Brett Favre's wife, Deanna, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. What else does this guy have to go through?

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Brett, Deanna, and their family.



From the AP:

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) -- Deanna Favre, the wife of Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Deanna Favre was recently released from Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York after undergoing a lumpectomy, Bonita Favre, Deanna's mother-in-law, told The Sun Herald on Monday.

Deanna Farve will undergo chemotherapy treatments which could last up to five months and is expected to make a full recovery, Bonita Favre said.

Favre was told about the cancer Oct. 14 and left practice to be with his family for a day prior to the Detroit Lions game on Oct. 17.

"Brett was relieved to learn that the situation is not as bad as it could have been," Deanna's brother-in-law, Scott Favre said. "We think that they got (all of the cancer) out."

It has been a difficult year for the Favre family. In December, Brett's father, Irvin, died from a heart attack. Deanna's brother, Casey Tynes, 24, was killed three weeks ago in an ATV accident on Brett Favre's land near his home in Oak Grove.

Deanna is originally from the Kiln. She and Brett married in 1997.

Deanna Favre runs the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation, which has raised more than $1 million for disadvantaged or disabled children who live in Wisconsin or Mississippi.

"The family has been through a great deal and we will get through this," Bonita Favre said. "We would like to thank everyone for the prayers and support. We're a strong family and with the help of the Lord, we'll get through this."

Bud Selig

Being from Wisconsin, I'm inclined to support Bud Selig, a Wisconsin graduate and former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. But I must say, after viewing the first two games of the 2004 World Series, I think he's made a terrible mistake regarding home field advantage. I'm not sure his decisions are in the best interest of baseball nor do they provide a reward for a successful regular season.

The league that wins the All-Star Game, held in July when divisional races are far from completion, host four of the potential seven games of the World Series. This decision was made after the tie All-Star game several years ago held, ironically, in Milwaukee. Interest in the game had been declining so, in an effort to add meaning to the game, he decided that the winner should have home field advantage for the Series.

Now, the Cardinals had the best win-loss record (.648) in all of baseball and finished the season an astonishing 13 games ahead of the second place Houston Astros, a team that captured the National League Wild Card. On the flip side, the Boston Red Sox (.605) won the American League Wild Card and finished three games behind the division-winning New York Yankees. So, with all things being equal, who should be the home team, a wild card team or the team with the best record?

This year, the decision takes on added significance considering the rabid Red Sox fans and the obsession they have with winning their first title since 1918. Fenway is out of control with excitement creating as partisan crowd as you will see in baseball. After the Red Sox won the first two games, they have guaranteed that critical games six and seven will be played in Boston as well, if necessary.

Interestingly, I heard a recent interview with Frank Viola, a great pitcher for the Twins, Red Sox, and Mets, say that the All-Star Game has changed since this decision in that, managers are not playing their full squads anymore in an effort to win the game. Thus, if you're from Milwaukee, for example, and only one player is on the roster, you might not be able to see him play if it's a close game. The All-Star Game IS an exhibition and was always intended to be one.

So, it seems that Selig has ruined not only the Fall Classic, but the Summer Classic too. And, given that baseball's opening day was played in Japan this year, he just may have ruined the Spring Classic as well.

Hey Bud, is nothing sacred?

Bob Uecker

Now that we have a fortuitous day off in this World Series (They end so late that I haven't seen either game to completion), cnnsi.com gives us rundown of the Top Ten Characters in the history of the St. Louis Cardinals on the 10 Spot (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/pete_mcentegart/10/25/ten.spot/index.html). Sitting at number six is none other than Mr. Baseball, Bob Uecker.

Pete McEntegart:
6. Bob Uecker (1964-65) The classic clubhouse cut-up. The backup catcher didn't play much and couldn't hit a lick (.200 for his career) but earned his keep with solid defense and by keeping the club loose with his impressions and quick wit. In '65, the right-handed Uecker pretended to be a lefty swinger in his Topps card, which was about the only way the card would have any value. Uecker convinced Bob Gibson to hold his hand in the 1964 team picture; management didn't notice at the time and had to retake the photo later. He collected 52 mug shots of unfortunate-looking souls to create the card game Ugly, at which he was a master. Uecker later finagled a second career making fun of his first in beer commercials and speaking engagements.


Brilliant stuff. Somne of my fondest memories from my childhood are staying up at night during the summer listening to the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, Mr. Uecker. Some may remember him for the TV sitcom Mr. Belvedere or his Miller Lite ads. But for me, I could stay up past my bedtime when the Brew Crew were playing on the West Coast and fall asleep to his voice calling the game. My parents bedroom was upstairs so I could listen to the game without getting into trouble. When I visit Milwaukee these days, which is quite rare after my grandfather passed away several years ago, I listen to Brewers games on the radio rather than go to Miller Park. Beautiful stadium (Saw Barry Bonds hit a homer the year he hit 73) but there's a romance with radio and baseball that's further enhanced by my own nostalgia. Perhaps what made him so great was that his sense of humor would take over during the downtime between pitches and we all know there's plenty of that in the game.

Through Major League Baseball's website, you can purchase as season long pass to listen to the broadcast from both teams for every game played during the year. It's pretty cool and has given me a chance to catch up on other Hall of Famers such as Vin Scully. If you love baseball on the radio, treat yourself to a subscription while some of the great play-by-play announcers are still practicing their craft. The new generation is good it's not the same.

Perhaps Uecker will make it to the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster some day. He certainly couldn't have made it as a player.

I'm A Jayhawk

Some of you may be unaware but my name is actually the KU fight song. Here is a brief story and words to the song from the official University of Kansas Athletic Department Homepage:



George "Dumpy" Bowles, a student with the class of 1912, longed to make a great contribution to KU spirit, but wasn't big enough to do historic deeds on the athletic field. He turned to music and produced some outstanding student musical shows.

A song in one of these shows was "I'm a Jayhawk." Written in 1912, it was dormant until 1920 when a growth in school spirit brought out "I'm a Jayhawk" once more. The song contributed to the raising of funds to build both the stadium and union as World War I memorials. The 1926 glee club made it known nationally.

"I'm A Jayhawk"
by George Bowles
Talk about the Sooners, the Cowboys and the Buffs,
Talk about the Tiger and his tail,
Talk about the Wildcat, and those Cornhuskin' boys,
But I'm the bird to make 'em weep and wail.

Chorus:
'Cause I'm a Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay Jayhawk
Up at Lawrence on the Kaw
'Cause I'm a Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay Jayhawk
With a sis-boom, hip hoorah.
Got a bill that's big enough to twist the Tiger's tail,
Husk some corn and listen to the Cornhusker's wail,
'Cause I'm a Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay Jayhawk,
Riding on a Kansas gale.

Follow this link to listen to the song:
http://kuathletics.collegesports.com/trads/kan-fight-song.html

Why Bill Self is a better fit for Kansas than Roy Williams

With the onset of the college basketball season, I am excited beyond words. For a Kansas alum, I consider this the greatest of all sport. Bar none.

Many in the basketball community thought Kansas was finished after we lost our coach of 15 seasons, Roy Williams. KU hired Roy after the 1988 national championship season. We had just been placed on probation after our former coach, Larry Brown, purchased a plane ticket for a recruit to go home for his grandmother's funeral. No one wanted to touch the job, especially after the National Player of the Year, Danny Manning, graduated and went to the NBA. Thus, we hired Roy Williams, a man whose only previous head coaching experience was at the high school level, on the recommendation of Dean Smith, a KU alum who declined the position himself after they just named a new Basketball arena after him at the University of North Carolina. Roy had served under Dean Smith for 10 seasons as an assistant coach.

Anyway, to replace Roy, who departed KU one week after losing to Syracuse in the national title game here in New Orleans, KU swiped Bill Self away from Illinois. Self had played at Oklahoma State, another Big Eight school (now the Big 12), and served as an assistant to Larry Brown on the 1986 team that went to the Final Four in Dallas, losing to the Duke in the National Semifinals. Moreover, he had guided two schools, Tulsa and Illinois to the Elite Eight, never quite reaching the Final Four.

You might ask where am I going with this line of reasoning. Since Roy has left, Bill Self has re-recruited the top 5 class that Roy left behind and added two more top 5 class to that class. Barring any injuries (God forbid) we're loaded at every position for the next few years. Of all the great success Roy had at Kansas, he could never put together consistent great recruiting classes. He would put his eggs in one basket and, if that recruit didn't come, we'd end up with plan B or C or, well, you get the picture. The state of Kansas does not produce many basketball phenoms so we have to go out of state to get them. And Roy wouldn't recruit in areas of the country where UNC had a stronghold. Moreover, he told Bill Self of the "Fool's Gold" on the recruiting trail when it came to Kansas. I truly believe that, as much as Roy loved KU, he thought UNC was better. It showed in his actions and he did leave KU for UNC.

Bill Self has a grace, style, and understanding of the great tradition of KU basketball and he is able to sell it to the premier high school players in the country. In spite of Roy's advice, they're coming to Kansas. Players speak of Bill's laid-back attitude and ability to relate to the players. He loves this job and knows how the KU community lives and dies with basketball. More importantly, he embraces it and doesn't believe there's a better school out there.

Bill's coaching style is completely different than Roy's. Bill adjusts his team concept and game strategies around the players he has available and is extremely flexible. At Illinois, he had a bruising style since that's what he was left with while at Tulsa, his teams ran up and down the floor lighting up the scoreboard. During a game, Roy made few adjustments, believing the game plan he had outlined would eventually triumph, regardless how far the Jayhawks fell behind. Self is terrific at in-game adjustments and will throw out the playbook if something isn't working.

And last and perhaps most important, Bill is one tough SOB. His squads play aggressive defense and will not back down to anyone. Roy's teams, on the other hand, were known as choir boys. In fact, in one of our weakest hours, a Bill Self coached Illinois team knocked us out of the Sweet 16 with physical basketball. In short, we were afraid of them. And, it doesn't hurt that Self is 6-0 against Missouri in his coaching career.

So, there you have it. Fellow KU fans, we're in good hands. The future is very bright indeed.

So, the Sox FINALLY beat the Yanks

Hats off to the boys from Beantown. There's really nothing I can say following their come from behind triumph. As objective as I can be, it was awesome. Sad day for the Yankees but we've got 26 world titles already under our belt. And we will be back, although not as often as we would like (See bottom).

The Sox still have to beat the Cards. They'll have their hands full against probably the best managed, most fundamentally sound team in baseball this year. They're also the most well-rounded team; they have no weakness. Anyone catch the suicide squeeze last night? The biggest advantage the Sox have is home field advantage.

In all honesty, this Series could be a classic. Two good, well-matched teams that can light up a scoreboard on any given night. And solid, if not great, pitching on both sides.

I look forward to Game 1 tomorrow night.

As for the Yankees, I'm sad and eating crow at the moment but I don't feel sad for the players or the organization. There's really no excuse for blowing a 3-0 when you're three outs away from wrapping up the series. You had two of those four losses at home. I suspect Bernie Williams will be dealt to make room for Carlos Beltran. Now that he's on vacation, I'm sure the two parties will speak soon. They also need to find a second baseman and some pitching, obviuosly.

Here's the thing with the Yankees. The teams that won the titles had a core of above-average players with great funamentals such as Scott Brosius, Paul O'Neill, and Tino Martinez, as well as a core of players (up the middle I might add) that were developed in the Yankee farm system (Jeter, Williams, Soriano, Posada, Rivera, Petitte, etc). The sense of team has been lost with the exits of Clemens, Petitte, Soriano, and retirements of Brosius and O'Neill, as well as the addition of hired assassins Giambi, Sheffield, and Rodriguez. Several years ago, I argued that the Yankees weren't trying to buy championships, rather their success was the result of a good farm system and the acquisition of quality role players. Now, they are the team everyone accuses them of being, out to buy a World Series. And they won't have the same success with that mentality.

With George, you know heads will roll following this loss. I'm pretty confident that the moves he makes won't necessarily be the right ones given the Boss. It's been less than 48 hours and I'm surprised that no one has been fired yet. He's getting slow in his old age.

There's something about a game 7

The baseball playoffs are the most compelling of all sport post-seasons. The regular season can be a little boring, however, everything changes in the playoffs. Once you factor in that, with every pitch thrown, the dynamics of that at-bat, that inning change dramatically. In a close game, the intensity builds as the innings accumulate and the game progresses with the fate of two teams hanging on every pitch. The pitch count, pitcher, runners on base, and batter all factor in to how the defense plays each pitch and what type of pitch will be thrown. That's a pretty awesome thought given that two to three hundred pitches are thrown in a nine inning game. And with the added pressure of saving your season, that's pretty high drama.


John Donovan from cnnsi.com gives us a nice look at the greatness of game sevens. Who will be the hero tonight?



NEW YORK -- Seventh games are postseason baseball's mother lode. When you hit on one of those babies, you've hit on something big. They are what fans scream for, what players play for, what makes the history books worth reading.

A seventh game in the 1960 World Series made a household name of a light-hitting second baseman Bill Mazeroski. A bloop single in the seventh game of the World Series in 2001 defined Luis Gonzalez's career and gave the state of Arizona its first professional sports title ever.

Edgar Renteria singled home the winner for the Marlins in Game 7 of the '97 World Series, the Twins' Jack Morris was a seventh-game stud in the World Series in 1991, the Pirates' Willie Stargell became a seventh-game hero in 1979 and Sandy Koufax, on two days' rest, won the 1965 World Series for the Dodgers with a gutsy three-hitter in Game 7.

There are lots of other examples, too, both in the World Series and in Game 7s for league pennants. Some of them turn out to be thrillers, some major letdowns.

Wednesday night in Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox and Yankees will meet in a Game 7 unlike any other. It will be the crowning moment in the most compelling American League Championship Series ever played.

It is a Game 7 that never should have been -- one, historically speaking, that is a first -- and, yet, a Game 7 that looks excitingly familiar.

Last year, remember? Aaron Boone. Eleventh inning. Yankee Stadium.

Yeah, like any baseball fan could forget that.

"This is too good of a series not to go to a Game 7," Boston first baseman Kevin Millar said. "There's nothing more that you could want."

The Red Sox have made this a series that will be remembered for a long, long time by doing what no team ever has done. Just four days ago, the Sox lost a 19-8 laugher to the Yankees in Fenway Park in Game 3 of the ALCS. It was their third loss in three tries. They looked cooked. Historically speaking, they were cooked.

No team has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. No team had forced a Game 7.

But then came two wild games in Boston, 26 innings and almost 11 hours of baseball nail-biting, both won by the Red Sox. And then came Tuesday in a wet and chilly Yankee Stadium, and superhuman Curt Schilling wrote his own little page in the books.

Playing on a stitched-up ankle holding down a tendon that plings around more than a guitar string, Schilling checked the Yankees on four hits though seven innings as the Sox won, 4-2.

From 0-3 to a Game 7. Just like that.

"The easy thing to do would have been to give up," Millar said. "But we don't do anything easy in this clubhouse."

"I guess it was supposed to come to a Game 7," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "We'll see what happens."

Last year, these two teams smacked each other around until Boone, the third baseman for the Yankees, pulled a knuckleball from Boston's Tim Wakefield down the line in the bottom of the 11th inning for a dramatic homer and a 6-5 win.

Since then, the teams have been angling to get back at each other in every way. They battled for the services of Alex Rodriguez in the offseason. (The Yankees won.) They battled for the AL East title. (The Yankees won.)

Now, after this unprecedented comeback by the Sox, it comes down to one game. Again.

"We want to get to the World Series, to make history," Boston center fielder Johnny Damon said. "That's our motivating factor. Not last year."

The Sox, of course, have not won a World Series since 1918, haven't even been there since '86. All of an on-the-edge Red Sox Nation will be watching this one.

But so will all of New York. The Yankees have their fans, a lot of history -- 26 World Series titles -- and all the talent that $180 million can buy.

On Wednesday night, in Game 7 of the ALCS, someone will strike it rich.


John Donovan is a senior writer for SI.com.

So, the Red Sox found a way

Well, I hate to tell it like it is folks but the Sox have all the momentum. I wasn't sure after they eeked out two extra inning games but they brought their game last night. It kind of sucks. The Yanks have their hands full tonight.

Some thoughts from the game last night:

One, would somebody please light a fire under the Yankees butts. Thank you. All night long, the players seemed to act like they still had a 3-0 lead. While I don't think they needed to panic last night, they needed more heart. This was a winnable game and they did not take advantage of opportunities again. Much of that credit goes to the Sox. Simply put, the Sox and Schilling in particular, played like they wanted it more than the Yanks. Sad.

Two, I thought the Yanks hit Schilling much harder than the stats indicate. Unfortunately, the ball was not in play or the natural elements kept the ball in the park. On normal nights, Cairo and Posada each hit solo shots and have at least a 2-0 lead. Now, I'm not trying to discredit Schilling's performance but Lady Luck wasn't on the side of the Yanks.

With that said, I don't feel very confident about the Yanks chances tonight. Their backs are against the wall and need to win, if nothing else, to save themselves from history. If there's any team and franchise that can pull of this feat, it's the Yanks.

But, if I'm a gambling man, take the Sox 5-3 in nine innings. I'm not a gambler so I hope I'm wrong. I certainly was last night.

Friends of yours, Mr. Bush?

I'm speechless.

From TalkLeft via Oliver Willis:

The fundamentalism regime of Iran is planning to stone a 13-year-old girl, Jila [also spelled Zhila], in the city of Marivan in coming days. Jila was raped and impregnated by her brother and Iran’s clerical judge has sentenced her to death by stoning. According to the Iranian regime's penal code, stoning is the punishment for those who commit adultery. Jila did not commit adultery; rather she is a victim of rape.

Stoning in Iran is carried out as "the condemned are wrapped head to foot in white shrouds and buried up to their waists. “ The misogynous regime of Tehran even details the difference between the stoning of men vs. women. “The female condemned are buried up to their neck to prevent their escape.” Furthermore, "the stones are specifically chosen so they are large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the condemned immediately. They are guaranteed a slow, torturous death. Sometimes their children are forced to watch.” No other government in the world practices stoning as the Iranian regime.

Why the Yankees finish the Sox tonight

First and foremost, it's in the Bronx. While I realize the Sox have no fear of our beloved pinstripers, the Sox fed off the energy at Fenway. The Yanks had them down on several occasions and somwhow the Sox fought back. Thus, I think a change of venue is necessary.

Second, Curt Schilling is pitching for the Sox tonight. While I have no doubt he will do his best to outpitch his injury, given the reports from last week, I suspect his injury is worse than they're letting on. Last week, he was on the brink of a season-ending surgery and now he's been cleared to play. I don't think he gets more than three to four good innings and given the length of the last two games, the Sox need him for six to seven scoreless innnings. (I concede that the Sox may have more answers for Lieber this time around give the nasty junk he threw at them in Game 2).

Third, both Sox victories were very hard-earned and could have gone either way. I can't see them winning a third game in a row.

Fourth, the history. The Sox have a wonderful tendency for setting themselves up for failure. These last two games have given them sudden hope and I sense the Yanks will find yet a new way to dispose of the New England upstarts. Let's see, last year Monsieur Boone had a walk-off home run. Perhaps, Schilling will throw a wild pitch to allow the winning run to score. Or maybe a suicide squeeze if Torre should find a need to put Lofton in tonight (Excellent bunter).

Finally, the Yanks want to finish this so they can get some rest before the World Series. The series looked like it was in the bag but now they've had to expend a lot of energy. The Cards-Astros have today off and I expect the Cards to win in seven. That gives the Yanks two extra days of much needed rest.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Carlos Beltran

Friends of mine have heard me complain for quite some time about the state of baseball, and more specifically, it's inequalities.

Baseball needs a firmer salary cap and increased revenue sharing. There are too few teams able to put together a competetive team. Every year, the same teams compete for the playoffs and World Series: Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs (Believe it or not), Braves, etc. All of these teams have significant payrolls and the Yankees, the highest of them all, pay the luxury tax as if it were an annual expenditure on par with electricity.

I know that I'm a Yankees fan and some might view this fact as a paradox. But I think baseball is the greatest sport in the world and the health of this game far outweighs the success of any single team. I would rather see the Yankees win the World Series against a level playing field than simply outspend 95% of the other teams. To me, this is the ultimate test of greatness: the ability to beat your opponents at their best.

Now, this brings me to Carlos Beltran. This guy may be the best young player in baseball today. And he's having a terrific post-season. I spent almost one-half of my life in Kansas City and it was, at one time, the best baseball city in America. I saw George Brett play third then DH, Bo Jackson, and the wonderfull 1985 World Series vicotry over the Cards. The locals understood the game, followed it relentlessly, and were passionate about their team. But, as most of you know, they've fallen on hard times the last 15 years and the fans grew somewhat ambivalent and indifferent to the plight of the Royals.

Last year brought a ray of sunshine to the hope of the Royals returning to greatness. They outperformed and exceeded all expectations. For this season, they added Juan Gonzalez and made the right moves to try to build a true contender given their small market constraints. Before opening day, nearly the entire pitching staff was already on the diabled list and they never go it going this year. Thus, the Royals traded Beltran before the trade deadline since he would be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and they wanted something in return. Here's the horrible part: No serious negotiations were made since the Royals had no hope of retaining his services. They gave up on trying to sign him and traded him away for future prospects. The price tag was way too high. For me, it was a very sad day for Kansas City and all small market teams.

Now, I know how baseball works and everyone in KC knew this was inevitable. However, it doesn't mean I have to like it.

So, I'm following the postseason and still am not particularly thrilled with baseball. However, I cannot allow the Red Sox to beat the Yankees.

I am quite happy for the success Carlos is having. He deserves the accolades and attention. However, imagine Beltran going to the Hall of Fame in a Royals uniform. Oh, what might have been.

Damn Red Sox

They've managed to fight through two, long extra-inning games but they need to remember their place in the world:

Ladies and Gentlmen, Mr. Aaron "F*cking" Boone