Pete Rose Belongs in Hall of Fame

It has been 20 years since Pete Rose was kicked out of Major League Baseball for betting on it.

Rose got a fair hearing on the allegations that he bet on baseball, and he was rightly found guilty of doing so. But his worthiness for induction into the Hall of Fame has not – and cannot – receive a fair hearing because his punishment for gambling – excommunication from Baseball – prohibits his consideration.

That needs to change.

(Continue to More From Les)

The FedEx Cup ... Yawn

The third installment of the most worthless playoff system in sports gets underway this week at the Barclays, held at the Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.

While props should be given to the PGA Tour for tweaking the format enough to force the season points leaders into showing up for the first of the four-tournament format, the fact remains that having points determine a playoff winner just doesn't create a true playoff atmosphere.

(Continue to Par for the Course)

NFL Talk, Guru Style

Let's hit the ground running, shall we?

Here we are, half way through the 2009 preseason, and as your window into everything Miami Dolphins and the rest of the National Football League I can tell you this:

1. Brett Favre is more likely to pull a hammy by Minnesota's second game than he is to have another 6-touchdown pass afternoon like he did last year with the New York Jets while playing in their throwback uniforms against the Arizona Cardinals.

(Continue to NFL Guru)

First Impressions of Mark Sanchez

The worst thing that could have happened to Mark Sanchez is a 48-yard completion on the first pass he threw in a game in a Jets uniform.

The best thing that may have happened to Mark Sanchez is a poor performance, including an interception returned for a touchdown, in his first start.

Even the most level-headed rookie, which I think pretty well describes Sanchez, might get a bit worked up over the kind of success he had in his first pre-season game last week. Big hype, big city, home crowd - I'm sure it goes to your head a bit.

But the NFL's not that easy. If it was, we might have been sitting through Browning Nagle's press conference this year after he decided to come back for one more season because he just couldn't hang them up and end a Hall of Fame career.

(Continue to 200 Miles From the Citi)

Minaya, Manuel Escape Ax

Fred Wilpon’s announcement Saturday that Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel would return next year was the Mets owner’s version of hitting into a double play and killing any potential chance for a team rally.

Wilpon told the New York Post’s Mike Puma that general manager Minaya and manager Manuel, who have presided over this wreck of a season, are safe for next year. "Am I going to bring Omar (Minaya) back next year? Absolutely. That's a fact,” Wilpon told the Post.

As for Manuel, Wilpon said “Jerry is my guy.”

Really? Why?

(Continue to New York Minute)

Inside the 2009 Preseason AP Poll

The 2009 Preseason AP Poll was released on August 22nd along with all of the individual ballots. Once again Pollspeak salutes you, Associated Press, for having the stones to stay transparent. Before I get to the ballots, it’s interesting to note that every general point I made about the Preseason Coaches’ Poll (Inside the 2009 Preseason Coaches’ Poll ) holds true for the AP as well (although some minor details are a different):

* There are no Big East Teams in the top 25. This is the first time that has happened in the BCS era. Pittsburgh received the most votes (103), which puts it in the 28th spot.

* LSU had the largest jump of any team. The Tigers were unranked at the end of last season and jumped to No. 11 in the preseason, not quite as high as the Coaches’ No. 9, but it still shows a lot of faith that LSU will field a much better team in 2009.

(Continue to PollSpeak)

Techno Trial Could Be Game-Changer

Does the use of technology support or undermine umpiring decisions? That's really what the debate over the increased use of TV replays boils down to.

The forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa in September will strike a blow for the advocates' camp, with umpires able to consult with the third umpire over any marginal calls, although he will still adjudicate over line decisions, hit wicket and boundary referrals.

(Continue to Crick Down the Legside)

AFC West Team-By-Team Picks

One of my favorite aspects of fantasy football is that it enables fans to broaden their knowledge of the players that make the sport what it is. We all have our favorite team (or teams) which we follow attentively, but fantasy football provides an opportunity for fans to learn about and support players on the 31 other teams that fill out the NFL, as good or bad as those teams may be.

(Continue to Inside Fantasy Sports)

Edge Gets New Start with Seahawks?

Even though the Arizona Cardinals reached the Super Bowl, Edgerrin James didn't do much smiling last season. Months after being released by Arizona, James might grin a little after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $2 million dollar deal with the Seattle Seahawks, ESPN.com reports.

The contract will be finished as soon as James takes and passes a physical. James could be the Seahawks' answer to their frustrations with the running game. Seattle has been unsatisfied with the prospects of a backfield featuring Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett.

(Continue to Arizona Sportspage)

BCS Rankings Hopelessly Tainted

The first college football game is still more than a week away and already the BCS is off track.

The BCS, of course, is a formula that is supposed to bring together the two most deserving teams to play for the college football national championship at the end of the season.

The BCS-vs.-playoff debate continues to smolder, but there’s no point in rehashing it here because the BCS isn’t going anywhere as long as the current contracts with the bowls and networks are in place (through 2014).

(Continue to More From Les)

A Delayed Bolt of Lightning

All the praise, adulation, historical perspective – even reasoned skepticism – should have come to Usain Bolt a year ago.

A year ago, Bolt was doing almost exactly what he just finished doing in Berlin at the World Track and Field Championships, except he was doing in Beijing at the Olympics, on an immeasurably larger stage. That should have been his moment, his time, his chance to savor the global spotlight.

Problem is, the spotlight ran away from him, as fast as he ran away from his competitors. The only time it turned toward him was to rain dirt, disrespect and insult on him. What Bolt is getting – for taking three gold medals, for setting world records, for reveling in his own excellence and inviting the world to revel in it with him – is nothing more than a late payment on what was due him when he originally earned it.

(Continue to The Steele Drum)

Bucs' Morris Wears Heavy Headset

Raheem Morris, the youngish coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will turn 33 next month and he's finding out that decisions are a tough part of this high-profile job.

Media and fans were speculating on his big impending decision, the starting quarterback job for his football team. It was supposed to come down this week, prior to Thursday's preseason home game against the Miami Dolphins.

(Continue to Buccaneer Bow Shots)

25 Reasons to Be Excited About KU

The Jayhawks squeaked their way into the AP Top-25 poll by claiming the final spot. That might not be where true Jayhawk fans want their team to be, but let's be honest, preseason polls are about as accurate as my driving-the-fairway percentage-- somewhere between zero and not much.

So here are 25 reasons to be excited about the upcoming 'Hawks season.

25. Nebraska is returning to the site where it gave up nearly 3/4 of 100 points in 2007.

(Continue to Inside Jayhawk Nation)

USF Football: High Hopes ...

The University of South Florida has been a tease of a football team.

The Bulls have been a popular pick, a logical pick to make major in-roads in the Big East Conference the past three seasons.

Those three seasons have yielded an uneventful, under-achieving 10-11 conference record.

(Continue to Running With the Bulls)

Four Lessons We Learned from Cincinnati

1-God bless Father Roger
The Swiss champion didn’t seem too much diverted by his one-month-old twin daughters not to win his 16th Masters series title (in 25 finals), only one fewer than Andre Agassi, leader of this particular ranking. The surgical demolition of a slightly absent-minded Andy Murray and of Novak Djokovic are important signs of health, even more meaningful with six days remaining until the last Grand Slam tournament of the season, where he could face his old nemesis Rafa Nadal.

(Continue to ATP Tennis 360)