In the news...

There’s no better feeling than the one you get when you’re leaving the office on Friday. Walking out to your car, knowing that you will soon be relaxing on your couch, or on a bar stool, with a cold one in your hand, and watching the best athletes on the planet do what they do.

You can stay up past your bedtime if you want, and you can sleep right through the time when you’re normally grabbing your second cup of coffee at the workplace. All you have to do is make sure that you’re up in time for the start of day baseball.

Sure, you may have to mow the lawn or run a few errands, but you gotta love the weekend.

Here’s my guide to this weekend in sports


Baseball

We’re all waiting to see if Griffey can get to 600. Heck, I’m even going to the Marlins vs. Reds game on Sunday, but, in all honesty, it could be August by the time it happens.

So, what else is going on in MLB?

Twins vs. White Sox
That’s right, the American League has two divisions besides the East, and this weekend the top two teams in the Central will battle. Neither team is playing spectacularly, but no division beats itself up like the AL Central. Also, if you haven’t seen Chicago’s young pitcher Gavin Floyd, you might want to take a peek on Sunday. We could have a budding superstar on our hands.

Angels vs. A’s
The top two teams in the AL West will also face off this weekend. Thanks to weak pitching, Saturday’s contest should be a slugfest. Sunday’s game, meanwhile, should have a much lower score, with aces Ervin Santana and Rich Harden taking the mound.

Yankees vs. Royals
I know these teams are nowhere near the top of their respective divisions, but Sunday will still bring us a pretty interesting storyline. Joba will take the mound for his second start, and it will be interesting to see if he’s able to improve from his last not-so-great outing. On the Kansas City side, Zack Grienke will try to bounce back from an awful last start.


Horse Racing

The 140th Belmont Stakes
In Saturday’s big race, Big Brown looks to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. Ten horses will enter the starting gate, but can any of them beat the Big guy?

Millions of people will be watching and tens of thousands will be in attendance. Why wouldn't I want to watch what could be a great moment in sports history? This feat hasn't been accomplished in my lifetime, so if it happens, I want to see it.

This past week we've heard that Big Brown's hoof is fine, and that top-contender Casino Drive now has a bum foot. We’ve also heard that Hooters wants to get in on the action, by sponsoring the potential Triple Crown winner... which leads me to this funny note.

When the Hooters story came across the wire here in the newsroom, there was a series laughs around the office. The title: “Big Brown Hooters”. Lol... That’s still funny.

Let’s get to the race already!


NBA

Lakers vs. Celtics: Finals Game 2
After the Celtics beat the spread in game one, you would have expected that there would be a larger spread for game 2, right?

Wrong. The Lakers come in to the second contest as one-point underdogs.

We all know this will be a good game, and a good series. Basically, this is why people watch the NBA... or at least the NBA Finals. It’s the biggest names on the greatest stage, and in this case, it’s the resurrection of a long-dead rivalry.

Personally, I have a hard time believing that Boston will be able to hold off Kobe twice in a row... at least not if Bryant decides to shoot the ball in the fourth quarter this time. Man, some of his passes in game 1 were horrendous.

I’ll take the Lakers by six. Kobe scores 36.


Tennis

French Open Women’s Final
Dinara Safina will take on Ana Ivanovic on Saturday and, for those of you who don’t know, women’s tennis might be the only sport besides volleyball where the women are actually equally as entertaining as the men. On clay, especially, you can see an amazing variety of shots and angles. This match could help Ivanovic make her case as one of the best female players in the world.

Oh, and by the way, Ana, the bronzed goddess that she is, would make this worth watching even if both players were standing still. I mean... Wow.

French Open Men’s Final
On Sunday, the men take the stage... and it should be one for the ages. No. 1 Roger Federer goes up against arch-nemesis No. 2 Rafael Nadal, in the pair’s second French Finals meeting.

Federer is after his 13th major title, which would place him one behind the great Pete Sampras... but he’ll have his work cut out for him. Nadal owns Roger on clay. In fact, Federer is 1-8 versus Nadal on the red court, and 0-3 in the French Open.

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From the Blogosphere...

Donbedouin has some interesting things you might not know about the 2008 Chicago Cubs. For instance, did you know that Ryan Theriot is in 6th place for the MLB batting title?

If you like to watch Cold Case or Law and Order, you might want to check out one of the most interesting blogs since the blogosphere's inception. Footballprophet brings us his Diary of a true Crime Scene Analyst... and that name should tell you everything you need to know about its subject.

The always-dependable PAOLO is back on the list, as he's once again recognized for his spectacular Marlins breakdowns. If you like the Fish, this is the place to be.

From my life...

For many fans, talking sports is almost as fun as watching them. And, what better way to talk sports than to get a nice debate going about the hot topics of the day, right?

Well, for the most part, that’s true. But, sometimes, you run across a person who, for whatever reason, has such a delusional perspective that it makes a normal dialog utterly impossible. Their points make little sense, and their logic seems as though it came from a completely different dimension.

It’s frustrating. It’s infuriating. It makes you want to grab that person and shake them until their brain starts to function again.

Enter, my friend Will.

I’ll preface this by saying that Will is, without a doubt, one of the most knowledgeable fans I know. He is well versed in many sports, and has a better than average understanding of sports history.

I’ve been friends with Will since college, and after having many time-consuming debates with him, I’ve come up with a small list of grievances.

Please tell me if you’ve experienced something similar, or if you think I’m the crazy one.

1. A general lack of perception when it comes to the realities of sports.

He believes that a team with “heart” can beat a team with talent. He thinks that professional players would rather sign with a winner than take a contract with the highest bidder... not ringless veterans, mind you, but guys at the beginning of their careers.

Basically, he prefers to ignore the monetary aspect of sports, and views things through the scope of a Disney movie. “Guys that try hard make the squad. The underdog team really can work together and win the championship.”

2. He has some kind of bizarre love affair with drafts, real and imaginary.

He loves to play video games on “manager mode”. He’ll simulate entire seasons of game play, only to focus on drafting and signing players.

Even when he does play a season of Madden, he’ll make due with a sub-par quarterback or running back, while hoarding picks for the draft. Doesn’t he realize he can trade his first-round pick and his mediocre quarterback for Tom Brady or LaDainian Tomlinson?

I know it wouldn’t work in reality, but it works in the game, so why not do it?

In real life, he’s quick to suggest trading proven players for picks in the draft. If he was an owner, every unhappy star would immediately be dealt for a 3rd and a 5th.

See ya, Ocho Cinco. See ya, Jason Taylor.

He honestly believes that picks are somehow equal to a Chad Johnson... even though history would show that those players have only a small chance to make a significant impact in the long run.

Don’t get me wrong, drafts are important... They’re just not as important as getting or keeping proven players.

*This trait isn’t all bad, it does help me beat him consistently at Madden.

3. He believes everything he hears.

Will heard an Atlanta Braves commentator say that John Smoltz studies hitters, so now he thinks Smoltz will be a MLB hitting coach when he retires.

He heard some crazy story about the Miami Heat trading Dwyane Wade for draft picks... so he told me about that “immanent” transaction.

When the guys on TV started to talk about the Triple Crown of horse racing, he immediately started thinking that winning one of those is just as hard as winning one in baseball. Never mind that most of baseball’s Triple Crowns came from an era of 16 teams... He didn’t want to hear it.

Doesn’t he understand that the TV media needs to come up with these things to generate interest, and that they’re not always factual or even possible? These guys say things like "LeBron is better than Jordan" or "Terrell Owens should be banned for celebrating." Why? Because it's inflammatory, or invokes a strong reaction... It's good television.

Nope... He doesn't get it.

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From the Blogosphere...

Mock MLB drafts seem to be all the rage in the blogosphere lately, which is good, because most people pay little attention to baseball prospects. Today, it's time to take a look at a few our our member's picks.

DragonRider23

byronlhsdrmr

footballstu

In the news...

Hallelujah! The Major League Baseball Players Association has finally taken a step in the right direction when it comes to drug testing.

Stop laughing, I’m being serious here.

On the last possible day for ratification, the players approved a deal which calls for an increase in the frequency of tests and in the authority of the program's independent administrator.

In return for the players’ approval, Bud Selig agreed to rescind suspensions against two players, and to not discipline any player implicated in the Mitchell Report. Of course, this agreement comes under increasing pressure from lawmakers to improve drug testing, or face legal action.

From the sound of it, the baseball establishment has been forced in to an uneasy truce... but it’s a truce none the less and, at this point, I’ll take it.

Anything that moves in the direction of fully-independent testing is exactly what MLB needs to be doing right now, and I’ve got to applaud Selig for getting it done. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the commissioner actually did the right thing by meeting the players’ demands.

As much as I hate seeing the players manipulate the “absolute” power that baseball’s commissioner is supposed to wield, bargaining skills have become an essential part of today’s game.

Besides, I could care less if every last Mitchell Report suspect is tracked down.

Most of the players in the Mitchell Report are nobodies, anyway. “Names”, like Wally Joyner, David Justice and Mo Vaughn are already starting to fade in to baseball obscurity.

As for the few superstars on that list... Well, let’s just say that I don’t think Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds will be getting in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, if at all.

Even if they do, they will join the Pete Rose’s and Joe Jackson’s of the world... Destined to be remembered more for their transgressions then for their play on the field.

We, as fans, know where we stand. We know what happened to America’s game, and we’ve already decided who’s clean and who’s dirty.

Yep, Bud did a good job by keeping the blood hounds in the yard on this one. Maybe this signals a turning point. Maybe we can finally stop ripping baseball down, and start putting it back together again.

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From the Blogosphere...

The Angels have just finished taking two out of three from the Toronto Blue Jays, and now head to Chicago to take on the scorching hot White Sox. Still, HALOS02 thinks that, if his boys can shut down Chicago's long ball, they should be able to win the series.

Who's your favorite NFL player NOT on your favorite team? Let koala know.

Duckplucker tells us why instant replay has no place in America's pastime. He's right, too. What are we going to do... remove the entire human element?

In the news...

People are despicable, and they’re getting worse every day. You can call me a pessimist if you’d like, but I think that a lot of people over the age of 25 may share that sentiment.

It sounds cliché, but it really was a simpler time when I grew up. When you needed information, you went to the library. When you wanted to talk on the phone, you had to use the corded model attached to your kitchen wall. When a kid got hurt playing sports, his money-grubbing parents didn’t try to capitalize on their son’s injury by suing everyone involved.

That’s right. In the most pathetic story of the day, the parents of Steven Domalewski have filed a suit against the makers of a Louisville Slugger aluminum bat, Sports Authority and Little League Baseball, after their 12-year-old son was hit in the chest with a line drive.

When the ball hit Steven, who was pitching, his heart stopped for 15 minutes, causing brain damage.

Now, I do feel badly for the boy. I feel horrible, in fact. It’s a terrible thing to see a child’s life transformed like it has been. Still, what his family is doing is selfish and unforgivable. Suing Little League Baseball for Pete’s sake!?

Not every unfortunate, or even tragic, event means that someone deserves millions of dollars.

Parents like this are the reason that community ballparks across America remain locked while not in use. They’re the reason that police reports are filed when two third-graders get in a fist fight. They’re the reason that dodgeball and tag are being banned in schools around the country.

Doesn’t anyone understand the words “freak accident”?

You can’t always blame things on negligence or malice. There are probably 10,000 balls hit every day with metal bats just like that one. Even college players use metal bats. There was nothing wrong with the equipment, and Steven wasn’t a victim. Unfortunately, he was just very unlucky.

Steven’s father is now saying his son would not have been injured with a wooden bat, and that the lawsuit will help make the game safer.

Who do they think they’re kidding? If that’s all they cared about, it probably would have been easy to petition the league. Besides, wooden bats hit the ball hard too, and they break. Sharp wooden daggers flying around the infield... yeah, that’s safer.

No, it’s obvious that the parents are looking to make more dollars than sense. Steven wasn’t even injured in a Little League game, but Little League is being sued because their logo was on the bat.

That’s right, let’s target an organization that offers a healthy outlet for millions of children. Let’s take their money. Let’s cause leagues to close. Let’s make kids pay more money to join. After all, your kid was hurt, so why not take it out on everyone else. Let’s send America’s youth back in front of the TV or computer.

What scumbags.

Newsflash: You can’t expect your kid to play sports and never get hurt. It comes with the territory. You can’t play baseball with fun noodles and marshmallows.

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From the Blogosphere...

Harst has his view on some of the hottest NBA prospects. This member has devised his own rating system, and he calls it "Boom, bust or blah." I'm sure you get the picture.

A lot of us have had a conversation that starts with, "What ever happened to that guy? I thought he was supposed to be the next big thing?" Or, sometimes, you just can't understand why the GM decided to take one guy over another. I mean, that other guy turned in to a star shortstop, right? MiamiHuskerFan spends a little time playing the game with some past Chicago Cubs prospects.

Who are the top 64 athletes? Dantheman4250 wants your votes, as he prepares a bracket contest to determine the best of the best.