But I’m strong.  Strong enough to carry him.  He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.  -The Hollies

Public Service Announcement:  Ok, here we go!  O Brother, where art thou.  Mark MgWire’s brother is right here.  Jay McGwire is right here.  Cain asked if he were his brother’s keeper.  Clearly, Jay McGwire does not think so.  Clearly, he doesn’t listen to Marlon Brando either.  Brando:  “If we are not our brother’s keeper, let us at least not be his executioner.”  Jay McGwire just led his brother Mark straight to the hangman.  Estranged from his brother for eight years because of a family dispute, Jay McGwire has gone public.  Gone public with a book.  But if you read Deadspin, you already knew that.  But did you know this?  Did you know after hearing his brother say last month he only took steroids to heal, and not to get stronger, Jay called his brother a liar, liar, pants on fire?  Did you know he said this:

“Mark knew that he was going to get the strength and endurance and size.  I know that the main motive to justify taking steroids was healing.  I know that for a fact.  But in the long run he knew the strength and the size and endurance will increase.  I don’t know why he’s coming across that it was all healing.”

Well, like Bel Biv Devoe, now you know. 

Public Spectacle:

Peace out homies.  Six two and Even!

What do Mike Singletary, Ron Artest, George Brett, Bobby Knight, Jeff Fisher, Brett Favre, Shaq, Charles Barkley, Big Mac, Tiger Woods and his mistresses, Dan Marino, Chris Johnson, Gus Johnson, Brock Lesnar, Iron Mike and Mike Leach have in common?  This:

Thanks  (Sports Untapped)

Peace out homies.  Six two and even!

The best things in life are free, but you can keep ‘em for the birds and bees.  Now gimme money.  That’s what I want.  -Beatles

Public Service Announcement:  Ok, here we go!  Just a quick one.  A run and stick one.  A treat or trick one.  When Mo Vaughn left the Boston Red Sox to sign the highest contract in the game with the Angels, Sports Radio WEEI in Boston ran a soundclip adnauseum of the Hit Dog saying, “It’s not about the money.”  That soundclip has always stayed with me.  It’s always stayed with me because it’s always about the money.  Always.  Mark McGwire took steroids for the money.  Yes, he took them to improve his health.  Yes, he took them to improve his power numbers.  But both of those things improved his bank account.  Now he comes clean.  He comes clean because he needs a job.  He comes clean because he needs the money.  That’s it.  He can cry.  He can wish he played in a different era.  He can call the widow Maris.  It doesn’t change a thing.  It’s about the money.

Peace out homies.  Six two and Even!

I set that place up on fire, as they came out, batted their heads like I was Mark McGuire.  I’m in the darkness.  -Insane Clown Posse

Public Service Announcement:  Ok, here we go!  Extra!  Extra!  Read all about it!  Read all about Mark McGwire.  In a just released AP story that should come as a shock to just about no one, Mark McGwire finally came here to talk about the past.  In a just released AP story that should come as a shock to just about no one, Mark McGwire  came clean and admitted he used steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998.  He said in a statement sent to the Associated Press that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade.  McGwire:  “After all this time, I want to come clean.”           Read More »

Rollin’ down the street, smokin’ indo, sippin’ on gin and juice.  Laid back.  With my mind on my money and my money on my mind.  -Snoop Dogg

Public Service Announcement: Ok, here we go!  Mark McGwire.  Barry Bonds.  Roger Clemens.  The unholy trinity.  Three is a magic number.  Yes it is, it’s a magic number.  Somewhere in the ancient, mystic trinity, you get three, as a magic number.  The shame that is steroids is claiming Big Mac as its first victim.  The other two are sure to follow.    Read More »

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.  -Galileo

Public Knowledge:

1.  This report is just the tip of the tip of the iceberg.  Like Chicago used to sing, “Only the beginning.  Only just the start.”  For every cat named in this report, there are many, many more who went unnamed.  Every clubhouse has their own Brian McNamee.  Every clubhouse has their own Kirk Radomski.  Every clubhouse has their own skeletons.

2.  The Roger Clemens’ of the world can save their outrage.  Save it for a rainy day.  Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away!  Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day!  Save it Rocket.  Save it everybody.  You had your chances.  500 of you did.  Only 68 of you had the courage to speak with Senator Mitchell.  Clemens’ mouthpiece Rusty Hardin told reporters that Roger had not been given the opportunity to defend himself.  Yes he had.  As did 432 others.  They chose not to.

3.  Everybody loves the list.  The list of the players.  The list of the cheaters.  The list of the users.  All the animals come out at night:  whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.  Not today though.  This rain wasn’t near strong enough.  But it’s not just the players who need a good dousing.  To me the most damning thing I heard was that of Gene Orza.  A former player claimed he had been given two weeks’ notice of a drug test by Orza.  Independently, Kirk Radomski stated that this former player had earlier told him the same thing about Orza’s statements.  Larry Bigbie also said that the same former player had told him the same thing about his conversation with Orza. 

4.  I still can’t over the fact the best hitter of our lifetime is dirty.  I still can’t over the best pitcher of our lifetime is dirty.  And don’t kid yourselves.  Don’t let them kid you.  They are dirty.  It’s still very overwhelming to me.  Now we gotta ask, who are really the best players of our lifetime?  Like how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?  The world may never know.  We may never know ’cause we may never know who was really clean and who wasn’t. 

5.  The big question I hear being tossed around is, is it worth it.  As Jayson Stark asked:  “Was it really worth all that money, all that time, all that trouble?  Was it really worth it to relive all those years of ugliness, shred all those reputations, embarrass the sport of baseball all over again?”  My answer is Yes.  Yes, yes, yes.  A thousand times yes.  The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.  America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers.  It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again.  But baseball has marked the time.  This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray.  It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.  Baseball itself needs to be good once again.  And if it means some folks’ faces are going to get dirty in the process, then so be it.  Remember, no one is bigger than the game. 

6.  Kevin Duckworth?  He is not actually implicated in steroids in any way but during the investigation of former Met clubhouse guy Kirk Radomski a personal check of his was uncovered.

7.  All I really need to know I learned in Juiced.  As compelling as the Mitchell Report is, Jose already told us.  In his book, Canseco claimed widespread use of steroids in Major League Baseball.  He named names.  Big names.  Important Names.  Superstar names.  Jesus Christ.  Superstar.  Do you think you’re what they say you are?  We didn’t think so.  We didn’t believe him.  No one did.  But following his story, several of those players, including Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro, were called to testify before Congress about steroids in baseball.  And here we are. 

8.  More Jose.  Jose is convinced A-Broad should have been on the list.   Canseco:   “All I can say is the Mitchell Report is incomplete.  I could not believe that (Rodriguez’s) name was not in the report.”   Yowza!  Jose was right before.  Jose played with A-Broad.  It may be high time we start believing this cat.

9.  A sign the apocalypse is upon us?  Al Jazeera breaks in on the Mitchell Report.

10.  Rumors had it that rumors that the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols was on the list.   Because your kiss, your kiss, is on my list.  Because your kiss, your kiss I can’t resist.  The list of those implicated in the Mitchell investigation.  It turned out they were just that.  Rumors.  But if there is one thing I’ve learned from all this, it’s that nobody is above suspicion.  Nobody.  Not one new name could come out that would surprise.  Not Derek Jeter.  Not Big Papi.  Not nobody.

Peace out homies.  Six two and even!

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.  -Vince Lombardi

Public Knowledge:

1.  Tamerlane Lincoln Kennedy. You remember him.  Lincoln Kennedy of the Oakland Raiders?  Offensive tackle.  Part of the 12-0 National Champion Washington Huskies in 1991.  Two time Pro Bowler.  The Oval Office.  Retired in 2004.  Well, he’s baaack.  Playing for the Dallas Desparados of the Arena Football League.  Must have run out of money.  Right?

2.  So Juan Marichal wants Big Mac in the Hall?  Isn’t he that cat?  Isn’t he that cat who did it like this, did it like that, did it with a baseball bat.  Did it with a baseball bat to John Roseboro?  Smashed John Roseboro in the head two times with said baseball bat.  Get the papers, get the papers.  He’s lucky he’s in the Hall.

3.  Is there any stopping this Suns Juggernaut?  Not tonight. Not the Knicks.  Shooting the lights out.  The Suns made 61 percent of their shots against the Wiz(48 for 79), their highest in any game in over seven years.   However, 20 of Phoenix’s 31 misses came on 3-point attempts.  On two-point shots, the Suns went 35 for 46, 76 percent. That was the second-highest field-goal percentage in NBA history on two-point shots. On March 13, 1998, the Clippers made 52 of 66 two-pointers, 79 percent.  Goodness!

4.  The Ohio State University is number six on the charts.  Number one in our hearts.  The Gigantic-O is starting to dominate.  One handed.  Wait till tournament time. Is that the team you want to face then?

5.  Bernie Baseball wants one more year in the Bronx.  Good luck with that.

6.  The NFL and its players union have agreed to more extensive testing for performance-enhancing drugs and have added the blood-boosting substance EPO to the league’s list of banned substances.  Things could get interesting here.  I have to believe there are a ton of NFL players on the juice.  How cool was the Jeremy Shockey helmetless play?  Walkie Talkie Shockey.  He walks the walk.  He talks the talk.  If you’re a Giant fan, how can you not love that guy?  But it got me thinking.  It got me thinking, when people start acting crazy like that out there, I’d give ‘em a steroid test right on the spot.  Merriman busts through the line and busts out the Lights Out dance.  Steroid test.  Reggie Bush goes…all…the way…and points at defenders before doing a summersault in the end zone, steroid test.  Drayton Florence Henderson head butts an opposing player, steroid test.  On the spot.  Every time.

7.   Michael Vick will not be traded and will be the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback in 2007, the team’s ownership said.  We’ll see. I never bought into Ron Mexico’s game.  Exciting?  Sure.  Game breaker?  At times.  Super Bowl Quarterback?  Never.  He’s no Vince Young, I’ll tell you that.

8.  The arrest of Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph has members of the team Furious Five, embarrassed and concerned that guilt by association has ruined public perception of the team.  As well it should.  I’d cut this cat right now.  Stop the madness.  You have to start somewhere.

9.  I wish I was a little bit taller.  I wish I was a baller.  I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her.  With a listed height of 6-foot, Allen Iverson became the shortest player in NBA history to score 20,000 points. That distinction had previously belonged to 6-2, We Are Marshall, Hal Greer.

10.  Is Rex Grossman the worst Super Bowl quarterback ever?  Vince Feragamo?  Trent Dilfer?  Champagne Tony Eason?  Billy Kilmer?  David Woodley?  Craig Morton?

Peace out homies.  Six Two and Even!

Ain’t that a shame? My tears fell like rain. Ain’t that a shame? You’re the one to blame.  -Fats Domino

Public Service Announcement:  OK, here we go!  The Baseball Hall of Fame.  Coperstown.  Hallowed grounds.  Preserving history, honoring excellence, connecting generations.  Gwynn is in like Huckleberry Finn.  So is Cal, I see the rationale. No problems there.  None whatsoever.  What’s worrisome is the McGwire thing.  If he wasn’t voted in due to his performance, enhanced or otherwise, fine.  But if he is being blackballed due to the steroids, be careful.  Be very, very careful.  You gotta think just about everybody was doing them.  Everybody.  And until there’s proof, we cannot pass judgment.      Read More »

No blogger can blog quite like I can.  Ill take a musclebound man and put his face in the sand.  -LL Cool J

Public Service Announcement:  OK, here we go!  I don’t get it.  I just don’t get it.  How does this cat get a free pass?  Lights Out.  Lights Out Shawne Merriman.        Read More »

I set that place up on fire, as they came out, batted their heads like I was Mark McGuire.  I’m in the darkness.  -Insane Clown Posse

Public Service Announcement:  OK, here we go.  We all know.  We all know by now Big Mac tops the list of first-time Hall of Fame candidates on the 2007 ballot.  We all know by now this is a precedent setting vote.  We all know this year’s voters are going to be put under the microscope more than ever before.  They will be under the microscope now that the first cat from the steroid era stands before St. Peter awaiting judgment.  Awaiting judgment for entrance through the Pearly Gates.  Does Joe Cowley get to vote?  Let’s hope not.  Anyway.  Big Mac.  In or out?  It’s a tough one.  Our guts say absofrickalutely not!  It’s not that easy folks.  Let’s look at this rationally, by the book.  Shall we?       Read More »