Sport’s ’07 year ends with a slim sense of hope after overall negative year
Dogfighting, refs, steroids, upsets, and disappointments plagued 2007

By Adam Krebs, of The Lakeland Times

When I look back in the world of sports over the the Gregorian calendar year of 2007, I tend to see a lot of negatives followed by little positives, some hope and a lot of interesting tidbits.
Over the past 365 days, we’ve witnessed the NFL’s most exciting player (Michael Vick) get sentenced for 23 months in federal prison because he led a dogfighting ring.
Not that I’m not offended by the abuse and murder of dogs, but the gambling that went on at these events seems debatably minimal when compared to the NBA gambling scandal that involved a veteran referee.
I’ve already discussed this in a previous column, so I won’t dip into it much more than I think this story alone is the most disturbing of all in the sports world to me.
The undefeated Patriots started their season with a cheating scandal. Since being caught in the first quarter, they have gone on to win every single game this season – and I don’t think they will stop anytime soon.
The one story that has seemed to grip the nation all year long, though, was Barry Bonds, steroids, and the Mitchell Report.
The day the report came out, I read through all 409 PDF pages in one quick sitting, analyzing every name involved – some surprising, most not.
Barry Bonds didn’t surprise me, but I still could not care less. Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens somewhat surprised me, but, like Bonds, I could still not care less.
To me personally, steroids don’t affect my love for baseball.
Sure, I would love to see everyone in the game clean, but I don’t mind if someone is using something to help them out. Football players do it all the time, no one says a word.
I take the 85 names in the Mitchell Report with a grain of salt. It’s mostly based on speculation, and many of the names came from a few rats, locker room attendants, and personal trainers.
Of the 85 names, over 60 came from three sources. Most of the rest were already busted, suspended, or talked under oath (Giambi, in which Mitchell watched in person).
What about the other teams and other players? It has been my estimation all along that over 80 percent of pro players used SOMETHING. Be it steroids, HGH, amphetamines or pain killers. Nearly everyone was on something.
Brett Favre’s famous pain-killer drug is now banned in the MLB, and includes a 25-game suspension, which is nearly 1/6th of the season. Say good bye the start-streak then.
The Mitchell Report was based off of steroids and HGH alone, that adds to the reason why the number of people listed were so low.
Had they counted amphetamine users, they wouldn’t have started their search in 1992; they would have had to start in the 1950s. From then until now, players like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Pete Rose, Roberto Clemente, and various others had all used amphetamines.
They popped the pills like a doctor in Seattle downs Starbucks. It was so commonplace in clubhouses that reporters would bring in their own coffee, because the players “coffee” was juiced with pain killers or other amphetamines to help themselves play that day.
I’m not saying steroids, HGH, and drugs are OK, because they aren’t, I’m just saying that I don’t care. It happened, lets move on. It’s still happening, so we search for those who are breaking the rules and punish them.
There are no asterisks in the game of baseball.
Barry Bonds is the home run king. Roger Clemens is the best pitcher I’ve ever seen. And Brady Anderson is still the poster-boy for one-year steroid wonders.
I wasn’t worried about ‘roids spilling into JUCO baseball when I played. I’m sure there were kids juicing or using something, but I didn’t care. I figured if I was good enough, I would beat him and vice versa.
Regardless, the Mitchell Report of 85 names is likely only a mere percentage of the actual number. I’m guessing the real number for steroids and HGH alone is about 5-10 times higher. If you add amphetamines, the number is higher than 10,000.
In football, the cheaters are let off easier. Shawn Merriman and Rodney Harrison were each busted with steroids and HGH, yet we are chastising Andy Pettitte, Clemens, and Bonds on a daily basis? Completely unfair.
And I don’t buy this “integrity of the game” nonsense, either.
The Patriots were busted for recording the Jets defensive signals in the first game of the season – in the first half!
Season then, they have looked as unbeatable as any team - ever.
Even though I love the Miami Dolphins and the cherished ’72 season, I want the Pats to win it all. They are the greatest team ever assembled.
Say what you wish about being glad you Packer Fans don’t have Randy Moss. For a fourth round draft pick, you would be undefeated instead, and the favorite to win the Super Bowl.
The best thing that did happen to Green Bay this year was that they learned to play defense and Brett Favre has become patient and smart in the pocket.
Ryan Grant has been a nice surprise, but to me he is nothing more than this year’s Samkon Gado – except a little bit faster.
Miami has no one fast, except for that awesome first-round, ninth overall, selection of returner Ted Ginn, Jr. Thanks Cam Cameron, Nick Saban, and Miami upper management. I’m glad Bill Parcells in down on the beach these days – maybe the Fish can draft someone useable with the first overall pick in April.
In college football, this year was the upset.
It started with Michigan losing to Appalachian State and continues to this very bowl day.
I love upsets, but when they happen every week, it becomes too much and I lose respect for programs and the coaches who run them.
Then again, when coaches jump from team to team after signing long, lucrative contracts, I begin to get a little uneasy about a coaches ego. That’s when the coaching staff loses the players.
Thank your spiritual leader then for the UW-Whitewater football team. They bring hope to college football (and Wisconsin citizens) that quality team football still exists. However, so see it, you have to find the 2,500 capacity stadiums in small-town campuses throughout the states.
I don’t watch basketball anymore. Not because I don’t like the sport, but because I haven’t had cable since I moved to the Northwoods.
However, from what I’ve read, LeBron is the greatest thing ever in the NBA (I won’t disagree), the Celtics are phenomenal (I won’t disagree), and Kevin Durant is still the second-coming of Tracy MacGrady (I won’t disagree).
It’s because of the high-shot rate that he scores so many points. I’d rather have Chris Paul, or Greg Oden, or LeBron, or Dwight Howard on my team than Durant. In fact, I’ll take Travis Deiner, too.
Because I don’t have cable, I have almost no idea about what’s going on in college basketball. I couldn’t even tell you what the Badger’s record or ranking is right now.
I couldn’t tell you who’s number one, who’s a sleeper, and who’s a surprise team this year.
All this is new to me.
In fact, without cable, I can’t even watch the ESPN stat line for hockey scores to see just how well Sidney Crosby, the Penguins, or even my hockey hero Jeremy Roenick are doing. It’s a shame.
But throughout the year, the main headlines have been negative. Little has seemed positive. I sure hope this all changes in 2008. I feel we could really go for a happy and positive ’08.

Happy Festivus; my airing of grievances
My ’07 year could have been better if baseball had instant replay.
That way Kenny Lofton would have been correctly called safe on his double against the Red Sox. Cleveland then may have won he ALCS and then the World Series.
This next year will hopefully involve another Tribe postseason run, and hopefully *crosses fingers* a Brewers postseason run.
Ned Yost still owes me $100 for specifically losing over nine games himself because of managerial mistakes this past year. Had Milwaukee finished with more wins than Chicago, I would be able to play the cable bill for a month.
With David Riske, Salomon Torres, Eric Gagne, and Guillermo Mota, the Crew has the relief help (in names at least) to make a run.
All Milwaukee needs now is one more bat to put them over the top.
I say Kenny Lofton. If Milwaukee signs Lofton to play LF, the Crew can keep Billy Hall at CF and Braun at the hot corner.
Lofton would then bat second behind Weeks to have back-to-back leadoff hitters in the lineup. That’s great small-ball before the big bats come in.
Maybe then next year I won’t lose that bet with my Cubs fan friend.
Speaking of coaching mistakes costing me money, Gary Kubiak, the Houston Texans coach and longtime John Elway backup decided NOT to play Ron Dayne in the NFL’s Week 16.
Not a big deal to most, but to me, it’s a HUGE deal.
Kubiak listed Dayne as “probable”, and work leaked out that Dayne would “most definitely play” against the Colts last weekend.
Only two other times in the history of injury reports (OK, I’m guessing here) has someone listed as “probable” not played.
Dayne didn’t play.
Had he played, all he had to do was get one carry for just three yards, or catch one pass for three yards, or throw a pass for six yards, or score a two-point conversion and I would have won my fantasy league and $150 dollars.
Sure, I took second and $50, but the extra $100 would have gone towards my Brewers bet, with the other $50 going towards my new cable bill.
Three yards. I lost by .26 points, which is the equivalent in my fantasy league of 2.6 yards. Three yards. That was all.
One more extra point by Mason Crosby would have given me the win. Thanks, again, Brett Favre for leading that meaningless last minute scoring drive.
I am done venting now, just in time to go cover some more Lakeland sports. Thank God, Allah, Zeus and Jupiter that 2008 will start with some pure high school athletics. Karma knows I need some positive vibes during the snowy season.
I hope all your holiday went well. See you in the stands, sports fans.




*note, this is my column for our New Year's edition of the Lakeland Times. Sorry for the delay in updating. My internet capabilities have been slim to none, and hopefully with my new cable/internet being installed today, updates will get back to as close to daily as I can get them -- at least weekly...

Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2007, 3:40 p.m.
I need to update this more often...

The MLB Winter Meetings are under way in Nashville. Everyone is talking about where Johan Santana will be traded to... Personally, while that is a whole week's worth of stories in itself, I like to look at all the small trades and signings going on throughout the week. Not only small, but some big trades (or trade talks) that are getting completely bypassed because of the whole Twins/BoSux/Yankees/Santana thing.

-For example, the Nationals have had a decent offseason. Trade away a sub-par catcher (Schneider) and lifelong journeyman outfielder (Ryan Church) for future stud Lastings Milledge. Then they trade for Elijah Dukes of Tampa Bay. Those are two awesome young outfielders with loads of potential. The only drawback is that Milledge is a future head case and Dukes may just be play crazy.
-Speaking of Tampa, how about that trade with the Twins that works out great for everybody? Tampa gets Matt Garza and Bartlett plus a minor leaguer for Brendan Harris, Delmon Young, and a prospect. Each team wins. Young is now out of the talented-killing infectious field known as Tropicana Field, Harris is practically a black Bartlett, and the Twins now have a few more pieces of the puzzle filled since losing Torii Hunter. Tampa, meanwhile, loses a talented headcase and their shortstop, but picks up pretty much the same shortstop in return as well as a pitcher who will start the season as the team's #2 or #3 starter. If I were a Rays fan, I wouldn't mind this deal at all. Same goes for the Dukes trade. The Rays also signed former stud closer Troy Percival, who had a great year last year in middle relief for the Cardinals. Am I seriously thinking the Rays may be a .500 team next year? (Don't I say this every year, though?)
-The Braves acquired pitcher Will Ohman and infielder Omar Infante from the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Jose Ascanio. Atlanta gets a bullpen piece and a young (Infante is only 25?!?!?!?!) infielder to come off the bench. Chicago loses an inconsistent arm and an infielder that was expendable. I don't know if this trade is necessarily a win-win trade for them (I think they would lose with either these players), but the Braves continue to make good moves. I don't think the ATL will miss Schuerholz that much, now...
-The Tigers traded for pitcher Denny Bautista from the Colorado Rockies for pitcher Jose Capellan. As a former Brewer (and Brave) Capellan had tons of talent and potential. Now he's a head case. Maybe that high altitude will lighten his head a little. The Tigers got a veteran pitcher that the Rockies had no use for, so good news for them, too.
-The White Sox got Carlos Quentin for top 1B prospect Chris Carter. Which says either Connor Jackson is trade bait or the D-Backs are moving him to a new position.
-The Astros signed Kaz Matsui, who will do everything that Biggio did in his final 3 years -- hit under .280 with 10 dingers and play solid defense.
-The Yankees keep A-Rod, Mo Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite, and Jose Molina. Had they lost those five, this team would be half the team of a year ago, and I would have been willing to go as far as saying a sub-.500 season could be possible.
-Yorvit Torrealba is an idiot. That is all.
-The Angels are having a solid offseason, trading away some good talent for some better used talent, as well as signing Torii Hunter. Now if they can get Johan or Miguel Cabrera in a trade – look out for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Orange County of California of the United States of America of North America of the Northern Hemisphere, of the Western Hemisphere of Planet Earth of this amazingly crazy large (yet relatively small) solar system of this galaxy of this universe.
-Fransisco Cordero will save 35 games next year for the Reds. Then 30, then suck, then will get traded. Serves him right for leaving the crew for the extra $4M without even consulting with Doug Melvin on a price. (Though compliments to him on at least getting paid)
-Finally, Milwaukee signed Jason Kendall, probably David Riske, and might be trading for Scott Rolen. I love the Riske signing. You know what you're getting from him out of the bullpen. I don't mind the Kendall signing (he'll get paid less to do exactly what Estrada did last year, except hustle more). Rolen I am a little iffy about. Depending on how much Doug has to
trade and how much of Scotty's large contract the Crew will have to eat depends on how worth a trade will be for a guy who will play 115 games, bat .260 with 15 dingers and drive in 65 runs (with solid defense). Honestly, I'd rather shop around for an outfielder, keep Braun at third, and keep Capuano who may have a bounce back year. In no way am I saying Cappy is good – he's nothing more than a decent lefty without power. However, he was more unlucky last year than just being bad. Another trade I hope the crew pulls a trigger on, Hall (and pieces) for Joe Nathan. I would hit that up in a second. A certified closer for a transition utility player. With Milwaukee's outfield becoming increasingly gap-happy (besides Hart and Hall, Mench, Gwynn, and Gross are the only OF left, and none of which should start), I would suggest getting rid of another piece of the puzzle (Gwynn packaged for pitching) and go after either Mike Cameron (despite his suspension), Aaron Rowand (despite his payday), Carl Crawford (why not package a nice deal for this top outfielder – who is younger than Gwynn – to be our new CF/LF and leadoff hitter), or [gasp] offer Geoff Jenkins a one or two year free agent discount contract. With Jenks, a platoon of him and Mench again would not be a terrible thing.

Who knows what's in the deck of cards for the rest of this week's Winter meetings, but I can't wait to find out...