Good News
In the first legitimate good news for the Cleveland Browns since, well, the late 1980s, the team has won its coin flip with Tampa Bay. It will choose third in next month's draft.
Think I'm being negative, right?
Picking third rather than fourth is a big deal, not because of who the Browns could take, but because their ability to trade down is amplified.
Of course, that's probably wishful thinking. If I could take anyone, it'd be Joe Thomas from Wisconsin, because the Browns need to build the offensive line. But he could be doomed to Detroit.
If they can't get Thomas, I hope the Browns trade the pick. Assuming Oakland takes JaMarcus Russell with the first pick, that leaves Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson as the best athlete available.
Peterson may very well go on to be a star. But without an offensive line and a history of injuries, he'll be a sitting duck in brown and orange.
The Browns need more than minor tweaking. They need a long-term building process. That means stockpiling talent. That's why getting No. 3 was important. If they waste the pick on Peterson, they are asking for trouble.

Kucinich covers Pinocchio
And goes insane. Again.

Poll Question
On SportsTime Ohio (the Indians' network, for those outside the area), they had a poll question:
Who will be the Indians' best hitter?
A. Travis Hafner
B. Grady Sizemore
C. Victor Martinez
D. Casey Blake
E. Josh Barfield

* One of these is not like the others. One of these does not belong.

A-Rod and Derek Jeter not the best of friends
And this is what makes for news today in the world. Well, this and an asteroid that has a 1-45,000 chance of hitting the earth in 30 years. And people are urging the U.N to take a stand.
We can't get the U.N. to take a stand on important issues. What are the odds they'll pay attention to this?
Well, pretty good, actually.

Update:
Newsflash from 2036:
With his house destroyed, sports writer Zach warned all bloggers not to mock the universe in their posts.
"I was sitting down to watch HHH wrestle Undertaker on a WWO (World Wrestling Old) pay-per-view," Zach said. "I heard this noise, and got out just in time. Sadly, all my possessions were destroyed by the asteroid. My wrestling tapes, my Frasier DVDs, even my Hootie and the Blowfish albums."
Zach blamed the encounter on a blog post he wrote some 30 years ago on a little-read website.
"If I could talk to that 26-year old kid now," Zach said, "I would warn him. Don't blog on asteroids. Asteroids never forget."

Irvin done at ESPN
First off, let me state Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin wasn't the problem at ESPN. He was just a representative of what has become the problem. Ex-jocks screaming quick observations has become a problem that one firing (or whatever it was) won't get rid of.
But Irvin's dismissal does answer the question that I have repeated over and over:
"What exactly does Michael Irvin have to do to get fired?"
The official answer is ESPN declined his contract option.
According to the Dallas Morning News: ESPN spokesman Bill Hoffheimer agreed that nothing in Irvin's network past influenced the decision not to pick up the contract option. He stressed that Irvin had not recently violated any network guidelines or violated any morals clauses.
Translation: There are no moral clauses at ESPN.
Irvin's remark to the newspaper that "'I didn't do anything wrong,'" is pretty comical. Just ask the local police department or Tony Romo about that.
You'd think Irvin would be gracious to his former employers for keeping him on in light of his checkered past.
You'd be wrong.
"I worked hard at ESPN, and I loved my job and the people there," said Irvin, who lives in Plano, Texas. "But I want to do different things and not be stuck in a box. They had other ideas."
I'll resist the joke about what another arrest might do to Michael's desire to stay out of the "box." Oh, wait. I guess I didn't.
For Irvin's sake, I do hope he can stay out of trouble and be there for his family. For mine, I hope he stays off TV.

First NASCAR race I have ever watched for more than five minutes
It seems like there have been a lot of crashes in this thing, but then, I have very little to compare it to. I'm switiching between this and the Nissan Open. Phil Mickelson, always a favorite, is struggling, but looks like he'll hold on.
At least I know something about golf.
But as a sports writer, I need to get more into racing. It's popular, and most of my readers love it.
It's my responsibilty not to be clueless.
So I'm watching Daytona.

Update
Boy, I sure called that one. Mickelson's bogey on 17 sent him into a playoff with Charles Howell III, which Howell won.
As for Daytona, I watched most of it, and while Kevin Harvick's last-lap comeback against Mark Martin made for an exciting finish, I had trouble with the crashes.
It was hard for me, as a new follower of the sport, to get excited about the finish while a car was on fire a few feet away from the victors.
But I won't give this up. My quest to understand and follow NASCAR will continue.

Cleveland meteorologists downplay global warming
Don Webster even takes a shot at Al Gore. Never before have I been so proud to be from Cleveland.

It was just a matter of time
Just about the only positive of Hillary Clinton running for president is she will be subject of Christopher Hitchens' columns more and more. And if Senator Clinton continues on her current path of blaming her support of the Iraq war on the Bush Administration, Hitchens will make her look stupid, even if so many others choose to look the other way.

Dakich should go
This is not a column I want to write.
Dan Dakich was Bowling Green's men's basketball coach when I arrived at Bowling Green in the fall of 1999, and was there when I left in 2003.
In the years that have followed my graduation, Dakich has had highs and lows. But last season was a disaster, and this season is no different.
Dakich's best season was probably in my freshman year, when the Falcons won the MAC in the regular season, only to be bounced by Miami in the tournament.
They have never made the NCAA Tournament under Dakich, and in recent years, there has been some cause for alarm. Forgiving the coach's disappearing/reappearing act in the spring of 2002, he has had some issues with players.
Everyone remember Ron Lewis?
Then there was Buffalo this week. My friend Matt Sussman recapped it:

With time running out, Buffalo’s desperation shot sailed wide and out of bounds. The buzzer sounded, with the scoreboard reading Bowling Green 77, Buffalo 75. The Falcons retreat to the locker room.
But wait, folks!
The referees examine the clock via instant replay. Apparently there should be 0.6 second still on the clock.
BG is still in the locker room.
The Bulls are still on the court, as are the refs. One of the refs enters the tunnel that leads to the visiting locker room. Then returns.
BG is still in the locker room.
The scoreboard officially says 0:00.6. BG eventually comes out of the locker room. And a technical foul is called.

Just embarrassing.
Dakich has shown he can coach basketball. But I think it might be best for him, and the program, to part ways. I realize it's not exactly the same thing, but Curt Miller has turned BG's women's program into one of the best in the country, and BG continues to be very competitive in several sports (I tried to work in a women's soccer reference in, but couldn't find a proper place).
The point is I don't think the problem is the University.
I think the problem is Dakich, and a change is needed.

Waltrip's crew chief suspended
This is becoming a bigger issue by the day. While I think suspending drivers is the next logical step, taking away points ought to act as some kind of deterrant for would-be cheaters.*

*It took three years, but there it is; your first NASCAR post.

Obama
Though I have often complained about the coverage Barack Obama has received since he arrived on the national scene, and doubt I would vote for him, I have to admit I'm starting to like the guy.
Perhaps I shoud clarify that: Watching his speeches, Obama sets himself apart from almost everyone else with his (seemingly) genuine optimism. He has a charm, and it's difficult not to get caught up in his storm.
He's not unlike Bill Clinton in that way. I disagreed with Clinton on a number of things (though not as many as you might think), but the man was difficult to dismiss because of his charisma and his cunning.
To this day, even though I'm convinced Clinton is a scoundrel, it's hard to not like the side he shows us.
This is not to equate Clinton to Obama. I have no way of knowing what kind of person Obama is, but he seems like a good person who wants what's best for his country. Two years ago, he dismissed speculation he may run for President in 2008. A few days ago, he announced he was in.
I could write about his pledge to Illinois voters, but really, I can't blame him for changing his mind. I doubt two years ago he was thinking about the Presidency, but the last two years have convinced a number of people he's the man for the job.
Obama is hot right now. Who knows what the political climate will be like in 2012? The time is now.
My gut tells me he won't win. I could give a number of reasons, but they really boil down to two words: Hillary Clinton.
The former First Lady and current New York Senator is still the party's biggest star. By 2008, she will have been a senator almost eight years. It's still not much, but it will give her an edge in experience.
As far as campaigning goes, she has been in that business far longer. She has been involved deeply in two presidential elections already, and her side has won both.
I don't like the Clintons, but they have been on center stage far too long for me to underestimate them.
I think the media will eventually turn on Obama in favor of Clinton, and I think Clinton will prevail in the primaries. The Clintons win, and I fear Obama will be the strongest competition standing in the machine's way.
Obama has already seen some skeptical pieces written about his hopes. He can expect many more.
The most disturbing part of this is most are talking about the Democratic side of things, while no Republican has broken away from the pack. I could go for a John McCain-Rudy Guiliani ticket, but I doubt the majority of voters on my side will agree.
I honestly think McCain and Guiliani are the only ones who can challenge Clinton. But I don't think they'll get the chance.
And that's what concerns me most.

Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling Recap
There are, of course, two schools of thought on the project I am about to undertake:
1. Some people don't want me recapping wrestling because they think it's stupid.
2. Others appreciate when I apply myself to wrestling recaps.
Either way, this is an experiment. Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling is aired on Sports Time Ohio from 10:30 p.m. Saturday nights to ... well, I'm not really sure, actually. STO doesn't have a program guide, and I only know about CAPW because I saw the commercial for it while watching the John Carroll-Heidelberg basketball game.
So really, I have no idea what to expect. But why not give it a shot?
---
I'm greeted by a preview, with an announcer telling me matches tonight will include:
-Evan Steele v. The Bouncer (no idea on either)
- Jason Bane v. Heavyweight champion Tracy Smothers (him I know).

We start in the locker room, with Tracy Smothers and some guy I don't know. Apparently "Crystal" is out of town and Smothers mocks the Browns and I can't really hear much else. Then Gypsy Joe comes in and strangles the unknown guy. Two minutes in and I'm lost without a map.
Smothers pulls Joe off and everyone seems to be getting along.
First match:

-"Real Deal" Evan Steele v. the Bouncer
The announcers aren't identified at first. The website tells me it's Joe Dombrowski and Jamie Scott. The Bouncer looks like a cross between Tommy Dreamer and Animal. Bouncer appears to be the face here, and the announcer lets me know Steele is in his CAPW debut. Steele does a nice "cannonball splash" (a running charge with a flip). Steele is about half the size of Bouncer, and Bouncer is doing quite a bit of selling. Steele uses a standing shooting star press. Well, he has no chance to get into WWE. He can move and he's not too big. Bouncer catches Steele off the rope with a sit-down power bomb. Steele kicks out of a power slam, then goes back on offense. Bouncer wins with something that resembles a black hole slam. That's not to be critical, I just don't know what the move is, and the announcer gave it a name I can't spell.

-Quick cut in tells me CK3 will face Chris Cole in a last-man-standing match next week.

-Greg Valentine will wrestle Sunday for CAPW. I saw Valentine lose to Warlord in November of 1991 in Richfield. The match wasn't even advertised, but I have always been a fan of Valentine, and was happy to see him. The sad thing now is Gorilla Monsoon is not around to stress how you need to get to the Hammer early, because he doesn't get going until later in the match.

- Main event: CAPW TV champ Jason Bane v. Heavyweight champ Tracy Smothers
I was kind of hoping Smothers would cut a promo on John Layfield. Smothers was involved in the greatest tag team match I have ever seen, when as a member of the Southern Boys, he faced the Midnight Express at the Great American Bash 1990. He's joined by Gypsy Joe and JT Lightning, the guy I didn't know from the beginning of the show.
Tracy cuts a promo against the crowd, which has taken to chanting "Tracy Sucks" st him. Lightning calls the crowd "Hillbillies, crackdealers, thieves, welfare recipients." Interesting equation there. Whatever happened to just picking out a kid in the crowd and calling him "fat boy?" It worked for Ric Flair. Lightning says he will "bust you in your pie hole."
Smothers than decides to get heat by saying "the Cleveland Browns are not the Cleveland Browns anymore." Tell us about it. Then Smothers refers to Art Modell as his uncle. That's effective, I'll give him that. And Smothers keeps going, bragging he worked out three days this week.
Smothers has not gotten in the ring yet. It seems as though there has been a half hour of stalling. Tracy's catchphrase seems to be "we'll kill everybody."
Anyway, Bane wins the title with a clothesline after Smothers hit Joe with the belt. Then the decision gets reversed because the referee saw the belt. Years go by, but the Dusty Finish will live forever.
Bane wants revenge, so he wants a handicap match Smothers, Joe and Lightning against Bane and Greg Valentine.
And with that, we get some more promos, and we're done.
Eh, that was weird. A lot more language than I would have expected on STO, and one OK match. I'll tune in next week, just to see who else comes in.

"It's a yes or no question."
Tim Russert gets grilled.

Shapiro, Indians close on deal
This must be depressing forIndians GM Mark Shapiro. He must have finally decided he can't do any better. It's good for the Indians, but the GM has to know the challenge in front of him. With limited funds, he has to hit on almost every move.
When he doesn't 2006 happens.
Still, it's a Major League job, and every one of them have their own set of challenges. So maybe it's not as bad for him as I think.

MLB: Screw the fans, there's money to be made
For the last three seasons, I have ordered the MLB Extra Innings package. I did this at a considerable expense, but it was worth it, especially during the spring, when I had a chance to watch teams I don't normally see.
Plus, I am baseball-crazed.
But this season, I likely won't be able to get the package. MLB has made a deal with DirecTV to only make the package available there for the next seven seasons.
This is in many ways deja vu. I get Time Warner Cable, and it didn't carry the NFL Network (still doesn't). That meant I couldn't see NFL games. I wrote letters, wrote a column, and did what I could, but the two rich sides didn't care about me or countless others. They didn't make a deal, and a whole season passed.
Making $100 million means more to MLB than catering to the fans. That's not a shock. Still, it is a slap in the face to fans like me. We have dealt with player strikes, competitive imbalance and steroid scandals.
We keep coming back because we love the game.
MLB doesn't care about us, their most hardcore fans. I know that.
But it's still depressing.
If that's not depressing enough, it appears our best chance of stopping the deal is Sen. John Kerry.
We're doomed.

In Style: Dungy wins Super Bowl his way
The significance of this Super Bowl to me was the success of Tony Dungy. His victory should show, without question, that any kind of coach could be successful. This has nothing to do with Dungy's race, but everything to do with his style.
We have been told throughout the years about fiery coaches who put the fear of God in their players. That has often been used as a prototype for new hires. Vince Lombardi has the trophy named after him, while Bill Parcells, with his rather abrasive style, is seen as a genius.
When a team is struggling with a player-friendly coach, some in the media write dreamily about what an intense, in-your-face coach could accomplish.
Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden and others have won Super Bowls with this. Gruden, in fact, replaced Dungy when the Buccaneers decided the latter couldn't win the big one. It looked like a masterstroke when the Bucs won the Super Bowl in 2002.
But Dungy has proved he could win it all, and without promising Colts' management anything other than to be himself. Unlike many coaches, where swear words are perfect descriptions for anything, Dungy refrains from such language.
He rarely raises his voice, and he's generally beloved by all who play for him. It's a style Lombardi and Cowher might scoff at, but by winning a title, Dungy has silenced critics of him (which were rapidly diminishing anyway).
This is not to suggest one coach's personality is better than another. It just means coaches come in all different forms.
And all different kinds can win.

24
This season is jumping the shark. The twists and turns are becoming way too obvious. We've seen the "authorities leave an important suspect/witness unattended so supposed loving family member can kill them" before.
In season one, it was in a hospital. That alone was hard to believe, with the security and agent Jack Bauer outside.
This year, Mr. Bauer asks for five minutes with the most crucial witness in American history. With no surveillance, no guards within earshot.
Sure.
I just don't buy Wayne Palmer as President. I know I've written that before, but it becomes more and more clear each week that a major character every year -- the president -- is a weak character without any actual depth.
It's becoming a cartoon.

Super Bowl
Picking the Super Bowl has never really been my thing. Maybe it's because the game always feels like an afterthought in the middle of all the hype, commercials and woredrobe malfunctions.
However, I did submit a pick to my friend Matt Sussman at Blogcritics. I can't say I put a whole lot of thought into it. But I have seen the Bears and Colts play numerous times during the season, so based on that, I decided the Colts were the better team.
Ringing endorsement, no?
OK, let's break it down then:
Offense: I could go position by position, but what's the point? Everyone knows that statistically, the Colts are the more polished product. Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and a solid offensive line have given Indianapolis all the support it needs on that side of the ball.
The question is whether the Bears offense can score points. Not for themselves; we know that's a struggle. The question is whether the Bears, and specifically Rex Grossman, can avoid turning the ball over.
I'll make a prediction now: If Chicago doesn't commit any turnovers, it will win.
I took the Colts because I think Grossman will hurt the Bears.
Defense: The Bears have a better defense on paper, although the Colts had a decent run through the first two games of the postseason.
The Bears' strength this season has been creating turnovers. If they can rattle Manning early (Brian Urlacher and company have a way of doing that), they may be able to build an early lead, and then put the pressure on.
The other key to this game will be ball control. For much of the season, the Colts' run defense was poor. If Thomas Jones can explot that defense, and the Bears don't have to rely on Grossman to win the game, I think the Bears have a chance to take it.
But honestly, I like the Colts because I think top to bottom, they are better. Much like how the AFC is stronger than the NFC.
The Colts were 3-1 in interleague games this year. The Bears had three losses all season, two of which came against AFC teams. Chicago lost to New England, which the Colts knocked off two weeks ago.
In their other loss, the Bears were beaten soundly by a mediocre Dolphins team. At home.
If the competition is tougher in the AFC, there's reason to believe the Colts are tougher than the Bears.
Again, I could be way off on this. But I stand by the Blogcritics pick.
Colts 28, Bears 19

Favre
Some have termed his return in 2007 as good news for the Packers, rather than something that will set them back in the long run.
I suppose it comes down to what you want to believe. In his prime, he was one of the best quarterbacks ever, they type of player who could lift his teams to greatness.
But his prime was, at best, five years ago. Every time I have seen Favre recently (the Packers-Browns game in 2005 and the Vikings Thursday night game are the two examples that come to mind) Favre has looked below-average at times. Brett Favre is not the player he once was, and everyone knows it.
In 2006, he completed 56 percent of his passes, the lowest average in his career. He threw 18 interceptions this season, but is just one year removed from a 29-interception season.
But instead of having an actual discussion about his diminishing skills, and how they may harm the Packers and their rebuilding process, we get a glorified look at who Favre was, not who he is.
I am not writing this to be cruel to Favre. If he wants to keep playing, that's his call. If the Packers want him to be their franchise quarterback, more power to them.
But if they think Favre can lift their franchise to Super Bowl contention, they are looking at the world in green-and-gold colored glasses.