Fighting the BCS: Bipartisan stupidity

Anyone with a passing knowledge of college football knows that the BCS is ridiculous. Think about this: Some undefeated teams don’t get a shot at the Championship. It’s a disgrace, and all football fans should voice their displeasure. Unfortunately, some of those fans are elected officials.

Both Barack Obama and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch are football fans upset with the current playoff system. As a result, they’ve used their position to bring about change. Hatch has requested that the Department of Justice perform an antitrust review, and they have agreed. Not surprising, since Barack Obama complained about the playoff structure just after his election. » read more

Mark McGwire is a national disgrace

I wasn’t happy when I heard that Mark McGwire was becoming the St. Louis Cardinal’s hitting coach. For years, fans had suspected that McGwire had used steroids. When he testified before Congress a few years ago, he did nothing to counter these suspicions and seemed like someone who was guilty. Now, 11 years after breaking baseball’s single season home run record, Mark McGwire has admitted what many had suspected: He used steroids.

Mark McGwire’s apology seems sincere, but to me, it’s meaningless. His cheating and drug use has made a mockery of the game in general, and its records and history in particular. Him and other suspected and confirmed steroid users such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Andy Pettite, Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Ken Caminiti, and Alex Rodriguez have devalued the game and its history. The beauty of baseball was the constant comparisons of teams and players from differing eras. With a generation of baseball sullied by cheaters and drug users, those comparisons are largely null and void. » read more

Bipartisan stupidity and college football

I’m one of those people who likes to see bipartisan cooperation. I read about an example of it today, but the issue is far from important: College football.

I’m not an avid sports fan, and I’ve never followed college football closely. Yet even as a very casual sports fan, I know that the BCS playoff system is ridiculous. I also know that our elected leaders are wasting their time on a bill that would require college football to have at least one playoff game leading up to a championship game. That’s a decent idea. The only problem is that it’s none of Congress’ business.

The United States is fighting two wars, dealing with terrorism, working on a massive health care bill, and will start work on comprehensive immigration reform soon. Plus, I’m not sure if they realized it, but we’re also in a recession and are continuing to lose jobs. Despite all this, they’re working on college football. » read more

10 tips Obama can take from Tiger? Uh oh

Tiger Woods and Barack Obama on the cover of Golf Digest

The headline says it all: 10 tips Obama can take from Tiger. I’m not sure what these tips are, but here are some that would be useful if Barack Obama starts turning into Bill Clinton.

1. Don’t leave a message on your mistress’ voicemail asking her to remove her name, just in case your wife calls. You know this will make its way onto TMZ.

2. Don’t send text messages. She’ll probably just sell them to the National Enquirer, or some other tabloid.

3. You must save for a rainy day. Set aside 10% of your income for some of those expenses that might pop up, like having to buy your mistress’ silence. » read more

Tiger Woods doesn’t owe us an apology

It bothers me when people get wrapped up in the private lives of celebrities, and it bothers me almost as much when these celebrities feel the need to issue an apology. Tiger Woods is the latest celebrity to fall into this trap. He released this statement yesterday:

I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.

Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect. » read more

The Hamed Haddadi controversy: Are you kidding me?

I was checking out the headlines on Yahoo, when I saw a link to a story about two Los Angeles Clippers announcers who made some offensive remarks about Vancouver Grizzlies Center Hamed Haddadi. I hadn’t heard about this controversy, so I read the article to see what it was about. The story went on at length about how sorry announcers Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith were over their offensive remarks, how they apologized on-air, and directly to Hamed Haddadi before a Vancouver/L.A. game in the presence of three members of the Alliance of Iranian Americans.

It seemed like a serious situation, and as I read on, a transcript of the offensive exchange was at the end. Here it is:

Smith: “Look who’s in.”

Lawler: “Hamed Haddadi. Where’s he from?”

Smith: “He’s the first Iranian to play in the NBA.” (Smith pronounced Iranian as “Eye-ranian,” a pronunciation that offended a viewer who complained.)

Lawler: “There aren’t any Iranian players in the NBA,” repeating Smith’s mispronunciation.

» read more

Questions about Tiger Woods’ car accident

By now, you’ve probably heard about Tiger Woods single-car accident. Woods has issued a short press release, but has otherwise been silent. This leaves a lot of unanswered questions, such as:

1. Where was Tiger Woods going at 2am in the morning?

2. Did his wife, Elin Nordegren, cause his injuries?

3. Is Tiger Woods Woods cheating on his wife? » read more

Congress, the NFL, and a lack of priorities

We’re at a point where our country is facing many challenges: The remnants of an economic crisis, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, health-care reform, cap-and-trade legislation, and much more. There’s no doubt that Congress has a full plate. That’s why it’s shocking to find out that they wasted time holding a hearing to discuss professional football. » read more

Mark McGwire’s new job

     It looks like Mark McGwire will be the new hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. This is a great opportunity. It’s too bad Mark McGwire doesn’t deserve it.

If you watched Mark McGwire testify before Congress, any doubts you might have had about potential steroid use were confirmed. He didn’t deny using illegal substances, and from what I’ve seen, didn’t refute the charges. So, what do you do with someone who cheated and made a mockery of baseball’s most sacred statistics? Give him a job, of course! » read more