I haven't been here in a while and in the Constant Truth there is a lot to talk about so no half stepping let's simply get into it.

Steroids and Major League Baseball

The MLB is a dirty coat that needs to be taken to the cleaners! The commissioner and the teams are scared to address the steroids issue and it has hurt the credibility of the game for too long.   Now with the recent admission of Jason Giambi that he indeed took Steroids and the death of former National League MVP Ken Caminiti, a identified and admitted steroids user the MLB has to make a move not just for the bottom line but for the players themselves.  

The players need to know that this is an unacceptable practice and that the penalties match the crime.   At the current time this isn't the case and the players are taking advantage.

The sad thing is some of the best players are in the fog lights and under speculation like Gary Sheffield, Giambi, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and former player Mark McGuire and that makes the game look bad! A definite stand by the commissioner would be a great thing for the game.

Boycott the Phillies This Season

The Phillies must be in Citizens Bank Park using the beer machines too much if they think this how to treat the fans. First the team kills the fans spirit in the regular season by don't virtually nothing at the trade deadline and letting their postseason dreams go away, then the team fires the city's choice of manager instead of getting rid of the general manager that has been here seven years, hires a manager over one that won a World Series title, then the team says it wants to cut back on the payroll and now it want you the people to pay more money for entrance into the new ballpark. Are they crazy? How are you going to expect people to pay when you say you are getting less with the product!

Please sell the team soon Phillies and if you have season tickets don't think about the fact the stadium is nice but the fact that the Sillies are trying to give you another half assed product and give back you tickets back!

Notre Dame Doesn't Have The Same Feel

The firing out Tyrone Willingham for the University Of Notre Dame hurts for minorities everywhere but especially for Willingham himself who was expecting to get more than three years to put his program in place there.   Willingham was the first coach to be fired before his initial tenure was over at the university and it goes to show that university officials have very unrealistic ideas about the program.  

The programs is losing recruits to rivals like Boston College, Michigan and USC because of it academic standards and it schedule which often has no let ups but the team is expected to win 10 games every season.

Willingham was still coaching players former coach Bob Davie recruited and wasn't given the time to bring his players in.   Now did he lose some games? Yes but I think the University was more aware of the coaches that are or could be out on the market now like former Notre Dame assistant Urban Meyer now of the likely BCS bound Utah and wanted to make a move while the were he was on top of everyone's list.   

In the world of college athletics especially considering more people leaving school early powerhouses can lose to mid majors and overall teams are more balanced than before.   Notre Dame needs to lose its attitude and get with the program because more people knew about the Irish for its athletics than its academics!

Giving Some Credit Where It Is Due

Props go to the Boston Red Sox for having kindness to their former friend and teammate Nomar Garciaparra. The team voted to give 3z4 or $167,715 dollars of their World Series share to Nomar who was traded mid-season to the Cubs but was considered the franchise for years and led the Red Sox resurgence in the late 1990s.

Two Former Cowboys Assistants Hit The Unemployment Line

In the NFL, the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins let go of their head coaches this month as Butch Davis and Dave Wannstedt; both Dallas Cowboys defensive coaches in the early 1990's were tossed.

For Wannstedt, his fate was sealed when Ricky Williams decided to retire although he was on skates for the last two years.   His record in November and December were under .500 and that's no good when you play half the season in those months. For Davis, the problem was the team didn't play good in any month! Both coaches had control over their personnel like their mentor Jimmy Johnson but unlike Johnson made bad decisions with that power.  

One example for Browns would be the drafting of quarterback Tim Couch with the number overall pick in the 1998 Draft. He is now out the league. For the Dolphins it was thinking that Jay Fiedler was good enough to be a starting quarterback in this league.

I'm sure both will be back in league first off because they are good defensive coordinators secondly because the old boy network doesn't change too much!

Final Thoughts

I'm out but I'll be back in the near future. Peace.   

 
Any comments, questions and/or suggestions give Clayton Ruley an email at clayton@geoclan.com.