Angels Turn Tide on AL Rivals

The Los Angeles Angels kept swinging in the free-agent market and they finally hit one out of the park on Thursday.

Angel fans can forget about not keeping Mark Teixeira and missing out on Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre in year's past, because Albert Pujols, the best hitter of this generation, will be calling Angel Stadium home.

The deal that brought Pujols to Southern California will cost owner Arte Moreno $254 million over the next decade, that's nearly $70 million more than Moreno paid for the franchise when he bought it in 2003.

It's way too early to start talking about whether signing Pujols, who's turning 32 next month, to a 10-year deal is worth it, because the Angels sent a giant message they want more than division banners.

Now if the Angels raise more World Series pennants, more than Pujols, its other free-agent signing Thursday could push them over the top.

The Halos essentially stole C.J. Wilson, the best free-agent pitcher on the market, away from division rival Texas.

Just how valuable was Wilson?

Last year, Wilson had the fourth highest Wins Above Replacement (WAR) rate at 5.9 in the American League, finishing ahead of Angels ace Jered Weaver. WAR is an attempt to summarize a player's total contributions in one statistic.

Take six wins away from Texas and add six for the Angels, and Los Angeles takes the AL West crown.

Wilson was an integral part of the Rangers rotation, going 31-15 with a 3.14 ERA the past two seasons. He was the ace in Arlington, but now Wilson will likely be the No. 3 starter in Anaheim behind Weaver and Dan Haren.

It's a huge addition to the rotation for the Angels, but it's an equal loss for Texas. 

The Angels have watched the playoffs from home the last two years, while the Rangers have made it to back-to-back World Series.

Those fortunes could be changing, because the Halos just got significantly better.

Expanded Playoffs Reward Mediocrity

Major League Baseball has decided to dramatically change its October look, and not for the better.

The playoffs will be expanded by two teams as early as next year. That means one-third of baseball's 30 teams will make the postseason, in what feels like another Yankees-Red Sox exception.

The first Yankee-Sox playoff exception states if the team with the best overall record and the wild-card team are from the same division, the wild card team will face the team with the second-best record.

Since Boston has been absent from the last two postseasons, and New York was left out four years ago, a fifth playoff team appears they are getting a backdoor playoff admittance. If a fifth playoff spot existed, the Red Sox, and their rabid fans, would have watched at least one game in October.

Ensuring more big market teams make the playoffs isn't the whole story.

Commissioner Bud Selig and Co. are trying to fix the September problem that many division pennant races, particularly in the AL East, lack drama because both teams are resting up for October.

In order to put the premium on winning a division title, MLB is only further watering down its laborious 162-game season.

This past year, the additional wild-card teams would have meant the most exciting night of baseball in years wouldn't have mattered. All teams would have lived another day.

"You don't do things for one year. You do things for a long period of time," Selig said.

Rewarding mediocrity is not going to help over the years.

Under the expanded playoffs, it will happen that a 97-win wild card team is going to lose to a team that finishes seven to eight games behind them.

Playoffs ought to reward the best teams, and expanding the postseason will do just the opposite.

MLB is breaking something that isn't broke.

The Bird is Back!

Everything old is new again, and that's especially true in Baltimore.

The Orioles announced a much needed uniform upgrade this week, bringing back its retro cartoon bird to grace hats for nearly all of the 2012 baseball season.

The new-old logo replaces the ornithologically-correct Oriole, which was given it's own makeover in 2009 and from far away was little more than a blob of color.

The cartoon Oriole Bird should evoke the glory days of the franchise. Cartoon birds were employed on caps from 1966 to 1988, a span that included six pennants, three World Series titles and 18 consecutive winning seasons.

The logo overhaul is one of the first positive things this franchise has done since erecting Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Despite showing some age at 20-years-old, Camden is one of the best places to watch a major league baseball granted it's not 95 degrees with 90 percent humidity.

A new logo doesn't change the fact the Orioles have experience 14 straight years of losing. Every year they start with the disadvantage of having to chase the Yankees and Red Sox who have unlimited resources.

But it's a promising sign, ownership may finally be figuring things out.

Two-Point Conversion Magic

TCU's Josh Boyce pulls away from a Bronco defender to score a two point conversion.

As much as I malign Boise State's Smurf Turf, because it's deserving, there's a mystical power over the field when it comes to two-point conversions.

The latest evidence happened Saturday, when the TCU Horned Frogs walked out of Bronco Stadium with a rare, dramatic come-from-behind win.

TCU converted a successful two-point play late in the third quarter to draw even with Boise 28-28.

Then with Boise State seemingly in firm control 35-28 late in the fourth quarter, Broncos backup running back Drew Wright fumbled.

Horned Frogs quarterback Casey Pachall torched the Broncos secondary, marching his team down the field, before firing a 25-yard touchdown pass with 1:05 left in the game.

Again TCU coach Gary Patterson made a gusty call and it worked. Pachall tossed a short pass to Josh Boyce, who fought his way into the end zone for two-points putting TCU up 36-35.
Any victory by a road team on the blue turf is basically unprecedented. And there's a reason: the refs.

Boise State got bailed out by the officials on a phantom pass interference call after a fourth down incompletion on its final drive. But, redshirt freshman kicker Dan Goodale badly missed a 39-yard field goal attempt a few plays later.

The Horned Frogs win ended Boise State's 65-game regular season home winning streak and 47-game home conference streak.

The Vandals celebrate after Joel Thomas scored
on a two-point conversion to win in overtime (1998).

The last conference loss Boise suffered in Bronco Stadium was to the arch-rival Idaho Vandals in 1998. Then members of the Big West conference, the Vandals choose to go for two-points in overtime and won 36-35. Just a little poetic.

The Vandals also won the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl on the blue field, by making a successful two-point conversion with just four seconds left in the game.

And while it wasn't in Boise, who can forget the Broncos signature Fiesta Bowl win using the Statue of Liberty to beat an average Oklahoma squad in 2006?

The magic of two-point conversions has been woven into that ugly blue field.

Penn State Misses the Mark

Penn State University missed the mark not once, but twice, in the child-sex scandal that's turned State College, Pa. into "not so" Happy Valley.

First, there were massive failures at several levels to report an alleged rape of a child by former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in 2002.

Those failures start with the former graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, who witnessed the alleged assault but did not call police. McQueary first told his father, then met with Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, according to a grand jury report.

Exactly what was said during McQueary's meeting with Paterno is unclear from the record, which states Paterno called athletic director Tim Curley the next day to tell him a graduate assistant had seen Sandusky "fondling or doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy."

Curley involved Gary Schultz, the school's senior vice president, and met with the graduate assistant about a week and a half after the attack was reported. Both Curley and/or Schultz should have filed a report with Child Protective Services, but didn't.

No police agency was notified and the none of the men sought out the identity of the boy to protect him  from Sandusky. That's a tragedy.

But Penn State missed the mark again in the way it fired Joe Paterno Wednesday night.

John Surma, the vice chair of the board of trustees, said Paterno was told by telephone he was out.

By phoning Paterno, instead of delivering the news in person, the university showed its greatest cheerleader no dignity. That could cause a fissure between State U and its alumni for years.

Paterno was the epitome of Penn State.

He helped transform the rural college town in central Pennsylvania into a nationally respected university, not just on the football field, but as the star fundraiser. Paterno led the efforts to build a new college library, which now bares his name.

In a statement after his firing, Paterno said: "I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief."

He went on: "I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today."

Paterno did 46 years of good as head football coach, and it would be sad to see all of the lives he positively touched get erased because a terrible mistake.

Now that the media's got it pound of flesh, and JoePa's out, I hope the real outrage falls back to the accused child molester. Jerry Sandusky has been largely forgotten in this national firestorm.

Winning Isn't Key, Timing Is

The Cardinals were only the best team when it mattered (AP Photo)

Fresh off their second World Championship parade in six years, the St. Louis Cardinals are going to go into the history books as one of the baseball's more improbable champions.

The Redbirds were 10 games out of playoff contention on Aug. 1, a strike away from defeat before staging a legendary comeback in Game 6, and erasing an early deficit in Game 7 to claim its 11th World Series title, second-most all-time.

They'll no doubt go down as the "Comeback Cards" or "Cardiac Cards."

But it shouldn't come as a surprise that St. Louis, who eked into the postseason, rolled to another World Series title.

With the advent of the Wild Card, baseball's playoffs are not about the best team winning anymore, it's now about who's the hottest team come October.

Over the past five years, World Series winners share one common factor, they all carried winning baseball from September in to October.

Just one World Series Champ in the past five years can truly claim to be the best team. The 2009 New York Yankees had the best record in the regular season (103 wins), but the Bronx Bombers played great in September that continued into the postseason.

Only the 2007 Boston Red Sox had a final month regular season winning percentage that was less than 63 percent. The Sox went 16-11 down the stretch, which translates to a 0.592 winning percent.

In the '07 World Series, Boston cooled off the then red-hot Colorado Rockies, who grabbed the Wild Card by winning three out every four games in September.

The Rockies were a perfect 7-0 in October and might have won the World Series if they didn't have to wait nine days between the NLCS and the start of the Fall Classic.

This year, St. Louis won nearly 70 percent of their games down the stretch, going 18-8 catching Atlanta for the NL Wild Card.

The Cards had to win to clinch a playoff spot, and did so on the final day of the regular season.  That's nearly identical to last year's World Champs.

Like the Cards, the San Francisco Giants barely made the postseason winning the division on the final day of the regular season. But playing desperate and winning in September, San Fran was 19-10, was key for the Giants ending a 56 year pennant drought.

It doesn't pay to be the best team in the regular season anymore. It only pays to win in September.

NCAA Hides Behind Statistics

As the saying goes, there's lies, damn lies and statistics.

In the name of higher academic standards the NCAA board of directors decided to talk big, but in reality do nothing.

On Thursday, the NCAA decided that in order to play in the postseason, schools must have a four-year average Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 930 or better. That equates to graduating about half of the players on a given roster.

For that, the headlines will praise them. Already the Knight Commission, a college sports watchdog, commended the change.

But APR does not equate to student athletes actually graduating from college.

Of course, like all good formulas it can be manipulated.

APR is calculated by allocating points for eligibility and retention, two factors that research identifies as two indicators of graduation. Each player earns a maximum of two points per term, one for being academically eligible and one for staying with the college.

It's not hard to keep athletes academically eligible.

BYU could struggle with
the new APR rules.

Football factories, Boise State now included, have it down to a science with most freshman and sophomores studying general studies (or football). Just because a player is eligible does not mean they walk away with a degree.

APR is also weighted to help the Alabamas of collegiate sports, while it hurts some of the smaller Division I institutions.

Places like Idaho and Washington State have their APR's killed due to retention struggles. Winter's brutal on the Palouse.

Also under the new rules, BYU might have seen a postseason bowl ban turning in an APR score below 930, despite the fact that most of the athletes really do earn a diploma.

But this should standout as a red flag. Among the "Big Six" BCS conferences, the SEC, known for its academic prowess, had exactly zero schools below the new APR benchmark.

APR scores have been trending upward in recent years as universities figure out how the beat the system.

NCAA President Mark Emmert says the higher APR benchmark sends "a clear signal to the world about what we care about and what we stand for."

Unfortunately, Emmert and the NCAA are going to hide behind their statistics. They may talk tough, but the system can be beat, and this reform is just a smoke screen.

Too Late For A Real USA Conference

A real Conference USA is happening!

Last week, word dropped that the Mountain West Conference (or WAC 2.0) and Conference USA agreed to form a football alliance. They hope the move will help solidify both conferences and maybe lead to an automatic BCS bid.

Sadly, this announcement comes too little too late in the conference shuffle.

There's a perceived pecking order in college sports, right or wrong. 

In the last conference shuffle, the ACC poached the Big East who gobbled up the best of C-USA. That's likely going to happen again with newest ACC expansion.

So when the Big 12 lost two members last fall, anyone who remotely follows college football knew at some point the Big 12 would make a push to get back to 12, the minimum number needed to hold a conference championship game. The conference appears to be losing even more members, so will likely push to add more.

A year ago, I suggested the WAC and C-USA should merge, creating an All-American conference stretching from the Carolina coast to Hawaii. That move would have gotten the schools ahead of the eight ball.

More than adding to the collective bargaining power to lobby for a BCS spot, a merger a year ago would have provided stability. It is a lot easier for a 18-team conference or alliance to survive members jumping ship than a nine team conference.

At this point, the 22-school football alliance between MWC and C-USA feels like a last gasp to stay relevant. 

Next year, the MWC will add three so-so football schools, but two of its best schools (Air Force and Boise State) could jump ship. Same goes for the best football schools in C-USA. Central Florida, Houston and SMU all have reportedly received invites to the Big East.

There's too many variables to write this merger off at this point. But with the best schools likely to move up the ladder, it's hard to imagine this experiment working out any differently than the 16-team WAC.

The main reason the mega WAC broke up, was because the four time zones and 3,900 miles separating Hawaii from Texas was too much of a travel burden for its members. 

College football is big business and big money, so this could work out. Only time will tell, but both conferences are playing catch up. That's a bad place to be.

Conference Mayhem Spiraling Out of Control

Conference turmoil is hanging over college football like a dark cloud.

The chase for more television money and prestige is killing the fun of old fashioned regional rivalries.

When the University of Pittsburgh exits the Big East, it's going to try to keep the Backyard Brawl going with West Virginia who's a mere 75 miles down the road, but no guarantees.


Looks like a growing blood feud is going to keep Texas and A&M from playing its traditional Thanksgiving weekend matchup, when the Aggies jump ship to the SEC.

The constant barrage of rumors of schools trading up, is nearly as annoying as the excuses they give during the shuffle. The real reason behind any move these days is money.

Still it doesn't stop school admins from spouting their spin.

Take mid-major darling TCU, which became the latest team to jump conferences this week, moving from the Mountain West to the Big East to the Big 12 in just 315 days.

TCU's athletic director Chris Del Conte made sure to puff up academics during the switches. 

Del Conte on the Big East, Nov. 2010:"Every single time we have an opportunity to think about where we're going to go, that's the leadership of our chancellor that says, 'Guess what? We dare to be great academically and athletically.' This decision [to go to the Big East] is great for TCU. ... The academic institutions that we're going to be associated with is unbelievable." 

Del Conte on the Big 12, Oct. 2011: "Joining the Big 12 connects us not only to schools with whom we share a rich tradition in sports, but also to schools committed to academic excellence."

Conference changes are going happen. But it used to be based on geographic and academic ties.

I'll give TCU the benefit of the doubt here, because it is now linked to a Texas-centric conference, than one centered around NYC.

Could the conferences at least wait until summer to do their school shopping?

It's crazy, it's distracting and at the end of the day it's ruining the fun of college sports. I just hope the revolving door stops spinning soon.

Sometimes Football Is Unwatchable

Wisconsin has bullied its way past powder-puffs for a perfect record so far.

The college football season is at its tipping point.

Teams are about to get into the heart of its conference seasons, and I hope the games get more interesting.

Up until this point, college football has been battered by a barrage of scandals, conferences cannibalizing one another for money and an uninteresting slate of non-conference games.

Aside from Oregon-LSU, which wasn't going to end well for the Ducks, and Oklahoma-Florida State, before the Seminoles free fall, it's impossible to name another marquee non-conference matchup that truly stands out.

Right now there are 13 undefeated teams, most of which have been unchallenged all season. And that's because of the Texas-ifcation of scheduling.

Why blame Texas for this mess?

In it's most recent trips to the national title, Texas has played a heavy dose of powder-puffs like Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Rice and Wyoming during its undefeated run to the title game.

Having an undefeated season no matter what has become the end goal, and it's being replicated with some success.

In 2007, Kansas climbed to No. 2 in the polls playing FIU and Southeastern Louisiana; a year later, Texas Tech played two I-AA schools, UMass and Eastern Washington, rising to No. 2 in the polls before it stumbled.

BCS conference schools have taken notice, it's not who you play, but that something-and-0 record that's all important. And it's making for and more early season snoozers.

Wisconsin clearly has grabbed the Horns mantle this year, blowing out UNLV (1-4), Oregon State (1-4), Northern Illinois (3-3) and I-AA South Dakota in route to No. 4 in the polls.

Right behind the Badgers, No. 5 Boise State is in the same boat.

The Broncos are becoming a perennial Top 10 team despite following the Texas recipe for success. So far this year Boise's big win came over a No. 19 Georgia team, which had no business being ranked to begin with.

To the average viewer, there's really no reason to sit down and watch college football until now.

It's been a season to forget so far, here's hoping that changes this weekend with a few upsets and more importantly some late-game theatrics.

MLB Can't Toot Its Horn, But Don't Buy It

MLB playoffs are in full swing and Bud Selig and Co. want you to believe it's not the same old October story.

But it is.

Three of the eight playoff teams this year (Milwaukee, Arizona and Tampa Bay) are in the bottom half of team payrolls.

Arizona went from worst to first, while the Brewers won its division for the first time in 29 years, and those bottom dwellers are who the commissioner wants fans to focus on.

They want you to believe there's a weakening correlation between player payroll and postseason participation.

While the statistics show that narrative is true, it doesn't tell the whole story.

In the first five years of the wild-card (1995-1999), just one of the 40 playoff spots was earned by a team in the bottom half of player payroll.

However, in the past five years (2005-2010) things have opened up with 12 of the 40 playoff spots going to the bottom payroll teams.

Selig was recently quoted saying: "I used to say, my job is to try to make the dollar less important than good management. I think we have done that."

Actually, Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane did that. Beane changed the way nearly every organization approaches the game.

Still, it takes money to win.

In fact 10 of the 13 MLB teams that had records above .500 in 2011, were in the top half of league payroll.

It's great that three of the four most recent World Series participants ranked among the bottom five in payroll -- the Texas Rangers last year, the Rays in 2008 and the Colorado Rockies in 2007.

But the glass ceiling remains, only the Florida Marlins in 2003 won a World Series with a low-budget team.

Despite what they may claim, baseball's still got an October problem. And money still buys championships.

Dodger Sets Dubious Records

It was 70 years ago Ted Williams set a baseball record that has been untouched by any professional since, hitting .400 for a season. The Boston great actually hit .406 in 1941.

As the 2011 season ended, another record was set that probably won't be broken for a while. LA Dodgers infielder Eugenio Velez set a two dubious marks for futility.

Velez grounded out to second as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of Dodgers forgettable regular-season finale.

That meant he finished the season with a .000 batting average. That's right.

The LA infielder went 0-for-37 for the year, the most at-bats in a hitless season by a non-pitcher.

But Velez also broke the modern-day major league record for a non-pitcher by going hitless in 46 consecutive at-bats.

Ouch!

Actually, he hasn't recorded a hit since May 2010.

The previous record of 45 straight hit-less at-bats belonged to Pittsburgh's Bill Bergen (1909), Dave Campbell who played for San Diego and St. Louis (1973) and Milwaukee's Craig Counsell (this season).

Velez hasn't always been horrible at the plate. In his first three season with San Francisco, he batted a respectable .264.

So I suggest admiring this recording setting bad season, since the chances are good we won't see a swing do so little for a long time.

A Not So Wild Idea

Even in Major League Baseball's long, arduous season every game matters.

In what will likely go down as one of the wildest endings to a regular season ever, two teams popped champagne, while two picked up the pieces from their epic September collapses.

It all transpired simultaneously, in minutes, and much like March Madness was spectacular nail biting drama.

And to think it could all be naught if MLB gets its way and adds another wild-card. Before we get there here's how it played out in real time:

9:56 p.m. (EDT): Atlanta Braves rookie sensation Craig Kimbrel wilts under the pressure. Three walks to Phillie batters results in a game-tying sac fly from Chase Utley. Free baseball in Hotlanta.

10:23: Evan Longoria caps a six run inning with one swing of the bat. His three-run homer cuts the New York Yankees seven-run lead to one.

10:26: The St. Louis Cardinals finish off a 8-0 thrashing of the Houston Astros and tune into to watch the Braves games.

10:47: Tampa's down to its last strike, when Dan Johnson (batting .108) smacks a pinch-hit game-tying home run. The Rays are heading to extra innings.

10:58: The Boston Red Sox resume their game against the Orioles after a popup Baltimore thunderstorm.

11:17: BoSox's Carl Crawford, who hasn't lived up to his mega contract, doubles, but Macro Scutaro hesitates as he runs to third and is gunned out at the plate. Red Sox still lead 3-2, but an insurance run is lost.

11:28: Philly's Hunter Pence squibs a broken-bat single in the unlucky 13th inning in Atlanta. Phillies lead 4-3.

11:40: At the start of September, Atlanta led the NL wild-card by 8 1/2 games. Braves Freddie Freeman grounds into a double play. Game over, season over -- St. Louis is October bound.

11:59: Orioles Nolan Reimold is down to his last strike, but ties the game with the second of back-to-back doubles off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.

12:02: The wheels fall off in Baltimore. O's Robert Andino smacks a single to left field. Crawford can't make the sliding grab and his throw to the plate is off the mark. Red Sox await their fate that hinges in St. Petersburg.

12:05: Tampa's Evan Longoria hits another home run just feet from the foul pole that just clears the fence. Tampa Bay completes two improbable comebacks -- winning 8-7 after trailing 7-0 and catching Boston in the standings who once held a 9 game wild-card lead on Sept. 3.

The Red Sox collapse was the biggest blown lead in the final month ever, and the Braves weren't too far behind.

But all of Wednesday's drama wouldn't have mattered if Bud Selig's proposed plan to add a fifth wild-card team was in effect.

All four teams vying for the final playoff spots would have mirrored the Yankees pre-playoff mode, playing the next best guy on their 40-man roster.

The idea of a second runner-up making the baseball's postseason is ludicrous. The Red Sox don't deserve another chance after a 7-20 September. Neither does a team that finishes 6 games behind the first wild-card participant (like the same Red Sox did last year in missing the playoffs).

Baseball should not be trying to emulate the NBA. The Association plays a way too long season, followed by even longer playoffs which half the teams make. What's the point?

A 162-game season is designed to reward the winners and punish the teams that don't deserve to play in October. Wednesday night proved just that.

Cy Young, MVP Hinge on Winning

The MLB season is drawing to an end, which means awards season is right around the corner.

Voters, of which I am not, will face their typical dilemma, how much does winning matter?

You can basically chalk up that college football's Heisman award will be given to the best player on the best team.

Looking at past MLB award winners, playing on a winning team does matter. That's unfortunate, because two of the players who are having the best seasons this year play for the dreadful LA Dodgers.

Southpaw Clayton Kershaw picked up his 20th win of the year Tuesday night. Kershaw, by himself accounts for 25 percent of all LA's wins and has beaten San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum four times.

His numbers are off the charts this year, 2.27 ERA (1st in the NL), 20 wins (tied for 1st), 242 strikeouts (again 1st). But his team is third the NL West, 7th best in the NL and barely pushing .500.

Kershaw's competition for the award, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee of the Phillies and Ian Kennedy of the Diamondbacks, are all on playoff bound teams.

Here's the head-to-head comparison:

Kershaw: 20 Wins (1), 2.27 ERA(1), 242 K's (1), 5 Complete Games
Halladay: 18 Wins (3), 2.41 ERA (4), 217 K's (3),  8 CG
Lee: 16 Wins (5), 2.38 ERA (3), 232 K's (2), 6 CG
Kennedy: 20 Wins (1), 2.88 ERA (9), 194 K's (7) 1 CG

You can make a case for any pitcher, though Kershaw's numbers are slightly better than the rest. The determining factor for whoever takes the award the home might be team wins, advantage Phillies aces.

Same goes for the NL MVP race.

Again, outfielder Matt Kemp is having a tremendous season for a woeful team.

Kemp's leading the NL in RBI's (116), second in homers (35) and third in batting average (.322).

Still it's hard to make the argument for an MVP to come from a .500 ball club.

All of Kemp's competition in the MVP race, Brewers Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun and Diamondbacks Justin Upton, are on playoff bound teams. Who knows if the Cardinals make the postseason, you can never discount Albert Pujols.

I'm happy there's finally some baseball drama this September, but you just have to look at the individual level. Like in the pennant races, winning is everything.

19 Years and Counting ...

It was sure fun while it lasted.

The Pittsburgh Pirates managed to climb seven games above .500 in late July and even spent a few days atop the division, in July.

Then reality set in.

The Bucs soft-toss pitching staff started getting hammered. Kevin Correia, Charlie Morton and company have allowed the most runs in the NL since the All-Star break. And the offense, which was never good, couldn't buy a hit.

Since July 29, Pittsburgh is 5-11 in one-run games since the break and allowed at least 10 runs eight times in that same span.

Add a 10-game losing streak that started immediately after a controversial (to say the least) 19-inning loss in Atlanta where the Pirates got the brunt end of a blown call, and you have a recipe of the same.

The Pirates fell for the 82nd time last Wednesday, clinching the clubs 19th consecutive losing season. A streak untouched by any team in American sports.

In 19 years since the Pirates last had a winning season, Major League Baseball added four teams (Florida, Colorado, Arizona and Tampa), all have made the World Series, and two have won it.

Things are starting to look up for the Pirates.

Still there's a glimmer of hope for the faithful fans.

Instead of dumping all the players that had pseudo major league talent, the Pirates were active buyers at the trade deadline, not breaking the farm system adding two veteran bats (Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick).

Pittsburgh has been more aggressive during the draft, this year shelling out $13 million to sign top picks pitcher Gerrit Cole and high school outfielder Josh Bell.

The mastermind behind the Pirates new strategy, general manager Neal Huntington, has signed on for a few more years, as has outfielder Jose Tabata.

Future success might hinge on Pittsburgh going outside its comfort zone to lock up the team's only bone-fide star, Andrew McCutchen. And outside third baseman Pedro Alvarez the team still needs to find some power hitting.


There's a long way to go still.

While I doubt the streak is going to stop at 19, for the first time in two decades there's room for optimism.

A Texas Sized Mess

Texas isn't bigger than an entire conference, and could get gored.

College conference cannibalism has made a mid-season return. It's back in full fury.

So if the idea of Syracuse and Pittsburgh moving from the Big East to the ACC isn't sitting well, blame Texas.

Greed is a systemic problem in college football right now, but the University of Texas' push to create its own TV network dedicated solely to "burnt orange" caused a political earthquake in the Lone Star state, now everyone's feeling it.

Briefly here's what happened.

The Big 12 conference lost two of its members (Nebraska and Colorado) to other conferences who wanted to expand to hold a cash cow, also known as a championship football game.

Texas toyed with new Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott's idea of creating a 16-team super conference, but decided it was better off in the midwest. But they got their own prize, the OK to create their own TV network.

Already there's one red flag. Conferences have networks, not individual schools.

Equally culpable in this mess, ESPN, who got involved and brought with it a $300 million over 20 years to partner with the Longhorn Network (LHN).

Here's where things spiraled out of control.

Texas planned to use the LHN to televise high school football games, many of which would showcase its own recruits. Not only does break an NCAA rule, but it would create a glaring recruiting advantage.

So Texas A&M, always the little brother of the Longhorns, said enough is enough is jumping ship to the SEC.

Now the Big 12 conference, not only has math problems with nine members, but everyone else in the league senses it's going down and is looking to leave too.

So as the major conferences grow even larger, the fans and anyone who stills cares about college basketball are losing out.

Think it will be the same to have Syracuse playing for a basketball title in Greensboro, N.C. instead Madison Square Garden?

Think Pitt fans will travel down to Chapel Hill to watch a football game? They didn't even travel to Charlotte to watch a bowl game.

I didn't go to school that it made sense to travel to watch games, but friends I know who were at those schools talk about road trips as part of the college experience.

That's not possible with geographic sprawling conferences.

Conferences used to form based on geography, convenient for travel and for creating rivalries.

Kiss that goodbye. Right now, it's all a big money grab.

And the great conference swap happening right now is thanks to Texas and ESPN.

Bye Bye Boise State Blues

Boise State got its big wish this past off-season, they graduated from playing the "Little Sisters of the Poorer" (the WAC) to just the "Little Sisters of the Poor" (the Mountain West).

But its acceptance into the Mountain West brethren will cost Boise its camouflaged fashion.

The Broncos blue uniforms on the ugly Smurf Turf, where they have won 63 straight regular-season games, must go.

The prohibition only applies to Boise State, one of a handful of teams to color coordinate its uniforms with its turf, and was part of the school's agreement to join the MWC.

MWC commissioner Craig Thompson called the blue-on-blue motif a 'competitive advantage.'

While San Diego State's coach Rocky Long pointed out the blue field forces players to "track the ball differently."

"I think they ought to get rid of that blue turf. I think it's unfair," Long said back in April.

It's a breathe of fresh air that the conference is calling Boise's bluff, and it will at some point cost the Broncos a couple home wins.

But this news it not all good news.

By doing away with blue uni's for conference home games, the Broncos will have to use a combination of colors, which could include its orange-on-orange assault on the eyeballs.

The Broncos fashion blitz is only going to get worse.

Nebraska "Husked" Helping Athletes Learn

College football is ready to kick off a new season, but it's probably not ready for reform.

From Columbus to Auburn, Chapel Hill to Coral Gables, scandal is hitting major programs like the plague.

NCAA investigators might be more interested in a couple tarnished early season matchups than the fans. The luster is off the Oregon-LSU game at Cowboys Stadium. And Ohio State at Miami is in a league of its own weeks later.

But the scandal that popped up this summer that was most amusing: Nebraska was trying to help its student athletes learn.

Despite a commitment to learn, it's against NCAA rules to provide textbooks beyond required reading.

So because Cornhuskers athletes got about $60 for "recommended" textbooks, the university had to self-report to the NCAA and fined itself $28,000.

We'll know if the hammer will come down harder on Nebraska in October, but it's ridiculous that they are even in this position.

Fighting for the 'Fighting Sioux'

The long arm of the NCAA has been busy this year.

With allegations surfacing that 72 Miami Hurricanes were showered in cash and other impermissible gifts, eight major football programs have landed in trouble.

But instead of moving with its full force to clean up college football, the NCAA is still crusading to banish nicknames that are "abusive and hostile" and politically incorrect.

That's why North Dakota's Board of Higher Education decided to retire the Fighting Sioux moniker last week.

They did so to avoid NCAA sanctions in their attempt to move to Division I, which would include refusal to let UND host postseason NCAA tournaments and a ban on uniforms depicting the logo.

The problem with the NCAA ax aimed at nicknames, is that the organization only deemed American Indian specific mascots as "abusive and hostile" while ignoring plenty of other equally offensive mascots.

In a matter of minutes a laundry list can be generated of schools with "hostile" nicknames, which are not limited to: the Crusaders, which brings up medieval religious violence; Cowboys, associated with conquering the West; and the Fighting Irish, another national caricature which brings up notions of drunkenness.

While there's certainly a difference between "Redskins" and say "Seminoles," seems like a silly ban to just go after the Indian nicknames.

The University of North Dakota could have kept the 'Sioux' name but dropped the 'Fighting' under NCAA rules, if two Sioux tribes agreed on the name, but they couldn't.

Dropping the 'Fight' may have bolstered UND's chances to keep the moniker. Chief Sitting Bull was a great warrior, but also a spiritual leader, something "Fighting Sioux" doesn't exactly represent.

Regardless, you can chalk another victory up for the NCAA and its rules, but shouldn't they really be worried about other issues.

The Spud Bowl Is Happening

College football is right around the corner. The next crop of players are starting to report back to campus for training camp.

The extremely arbitrary, and way too meaningful, preseason polls are being unveiled.

And when the season kicks off, there will undoubtedly be an excessive amount of criticism over the BCS and college football's bowl system.

But one bit of news this week makes bowl games all the more awesome: there's going to be a spud bowl.

That's right. The Humanitarian Bowl, played on Boise State's ugly Smurf Turf, has been renamed after Idaho's claim to fame -- the potato.

On Dec. 17, the Famous Idaho Potato will kick off in Boise.

The spud bowl logo's was clearly designed to look good on top of a heinous blue field, and its' complete with sour cream and chives on the potato - um football.

Idaho's not just potatoes, but mostly.

And as a former Idahoan, I'm glad the state's biggest football game is now named for the claim to fame. After all Idaho has been the nation's largest producer of potatoes every year since 1957.

Now, where can I get a spud to eat.

Fixing MLB: Salary Cap

The Yankees would be stretched if they had to develop their own prospects.

The National Football League's biggest strength over the past decade has been the leveling of the playing field with a salary cap.

The biggest team the Dallas Cowboys has to play by the same financial rules as the Buffalo Bills.

Leveling the playing field with salary cap is one thing that would help MLB.

Unfortunately, during All-Star game festivities last month, commissioner Bug Selig crushed any hope of even entertaining a cap.

Citing Pittsburgh and Cleveland's resurgence, Selig claims the economic system in baseball has changed, and it's working. At the break, he suggested, the league had about 20 clubs who were still very much in it.

Really that number is much smaller, it's always smaller.

In the past decade there have only been four teams with a pay role outside the top half of the league to play in the World Series (Florida in '03, Colorado in '07, Tampa in '08 and Texas last year). Only one team in that group has won.

Every year, half the league really has no hope of winning a world title. League pennants are nice, but at the major league level you play to win it all.

Salary caps put a stronger emphasis on organizational identity, and it itself would help pull the Yankees and others back with the rest of the league.

Sadly, Selig seems to have bought into the idea that having the Yankees, Red Sox and other big market teams dominate October is best for baseball.

Let's be honest, who was the last prospect the Yankees actually developed into a star?

Derek Jeter comes to mind, but he's 37, and the Bronx Bombers lucked out he didn't get traded. More recently, Robinson Cano fits the shoe, but again the Yanks got lucky he's not another team.

It's been fun to see fans coming out and filling the ball parks in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. No one wants to suffer through a season with 100 losses, but they occasionally happen.

When you put a good product on the field people will come. And baseball needs a good product in 30 cities, not just eight.

The way to do that is mimic the NFL, and make all teams play by the same financial rules.

Raising the Jolly Roger

One of baseball's feel good stories of summer, near and dear to my heart, might just walk off the plank.

Two weeks ago the Pittsburgh Pirates were actually leading the NL Central. That never happens.

Then at the trade deadline, instead of shipping away the entire starting lineup, the Pirates actually added two over-the-hill bats. Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick are minor upgrades, but again that never happens.

Even after getting back to "normal" in recent days, a strange tide is rising along the Three Rivers.

There's hope for Pirate fans, hope that hasn't existed since 1992. Sadly that year is seared into memory.

Three outs away from a pennant, an unfortunate series of events culminated in a Barry Bonds throw that couldn't catch former Bucco Sid Bream, the slowest man in baseball, running on one leg.

After watching the NL pennant slip away the previous two years, Pittsburgh struck out.

It's been 18 years and counting since they've even sniffed at winning, until now.

Following the Pittsburgh's 2011 season, I've maintained that I'm anxiously optimistic that the organization could really be turning around.

While the tide is rising, this season success is starting to fell like a facade.

Aside from centerfielder Andrew McCutchen, who's a bona fide star, the Pirates have two serviceable young guns (Neil Walker and Jose Tabata) and not much else. Offensively it shows, they're at the bottom of the NL in just about every batting category.

Somehow pitching has been the strength of this team. But it feels like the soft-tossing starting rotation was built on a house of cards. Kevin Correia, Paul Maholm and Charlie Morton had all been surprisingly good through 95 games, but not so much recently.

Just like 1992, this season appears to have been derailed in Atlanta.

A horrendous home plate call in the 19th inning cost Pittsburgh a chance at win. Where did umpire Jerry Meals have to go at 2 a.m.? Then the next night, they again lost in extra innings.

As the Pirates fade out of the pennant and into oblivion, it's easy to overlook all their success. This team is relevant again.

I hope the Buccos can right the ship and get back on track today. Is 82 wins too much to ask this year?

Fixing MLB: Rules of the Game

Melky Cabrera fails to make a play on a ball that lands fair but was call foul in the '09 Playoffs.

Everyone rails against blown calls in baseball, especially when their team gets the short end.

But whether in the playoffs or a Wednesday game in July, baseball just wouldn't seem right if everything was perfect.

We've reached and passed the point where technology could completely take over umpiring.

Anybody watching a game on TV these days knows exactly whether the ball crosses the strike zone. And if you slow down most close plays on the bases, about eight of the 10 times you could tell if the runner was safe or out.

Still, uncertainty sneaks up.

I'm not ready for robo-umpires just yet. One addition that wouldn't dramatically change baseball if they added it today, would be instant replay on fair or foul calls in the outfield.

It's hard not to think about Joe Mauer's 2009 Playoff extra-inning base knock that was taken off the board. It was clearly fair by several inches and everyone knew it but the umpire.

Umps during the regular season typically don't have the best view on plays in the outfield. Add replay on calls down the line, if it's called wrong, it essentially turns into a ground rule double.

A simple fix that wouldn't expand replay too much more.

Strike Zones Enforcement

The other rule change MLB should start implementing today, make umpires call the full strike zone and dock their pay if they don't.

Even without the full strike zone most of the time, pitchers have the upper hand on batters right now. Strikeouts are up, in fact there are three more punch outs per game this year than 20 years ago.

But MLB should be concerned about game length which stands around 2 hours 55 minutes. If the full strike zone were in place it would help length.

It's not a cure all, since you can't stop managers from using three relief pitchers to throw to one batter each. Any little bit to speed up the game and get that average time to 2 hours 30 minutes is a good one.

Still, MLB is ailing from other issues. More on that coming up.

'Field of Dreams' Gets a Web Sequel

"Field of Dreams" holds a special place among the dozens of movies I love. When baseball season starts it's been a tradition to watch the classic sports flick and of course eat a hot dog.

So it caught my attention when I saw "Field of Dreams 2" was trending on Google.

I thought Hollywood couldn't be that desperate, it's going to make "something totally illogical" -- a sequel to "Field of Dreams."

Nope, we're spared of that for now. It was just the people over at Funnyordie.com poking fun of the NFL lockout.

Taylor Lautner, a household name for his shirtless role in the "Twilight" films, channeled his inner Kevin Costner in the spoof. But, Costner and Ray Liotta, who starred in the original, make a couple cameos. So do a litany of NFL stars.

I don't know how they come up with this stuff, but check it video if you haven't already:

Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout with Taylor Lautner from Taylor Lautner

Fixing MLB: The Season Structure

One of the issues plaguing Major League Baseball is happening right now.

American Leagues pitchers are venturing into uncharted territory having to bat, while most National League teams are adding a mediocre bat to its lineup in the form of a designated hitter. It's the joys of interleague baseball.

Aside from ruining the fun and specialness of the World Series, interleague play creates a lot of matchups that nobody cares about. For every great series like Yankees-Cubs and Angels-Dodgers, there are just as many Rays-Brewers and Rockies-Indians.

MLB should do us all a favor and end this. There's no reason to get excited about playing a team you won't see for another three years.

All-Star Game

Bud Selig has a number of black marks on his tenure as commissioner. One of the bigger ones, calling the 2002 All-Star game in his hometown of Milwaukee an unsatisfactory tie game.

But Selig out-did himself the next year, by "fixing" the Midsummer Classic and making it determine who had home field advantage for the World Series.

It's absurd to have a glorified exhibition actually count.

MLB should abolish the rule today.

Let's actually validate the 162 game regular season and when two teams meet in the World Series, award the one with the best regular season record with home field.

It works for the NHL and NBA. It would be perfect for baseball too.

Shorten the Season

In an effort to make sure baseball stops before Thanksgiving, Selig put a blemish on Opening Day. Rather than starting on the first Monday in April, baseball started on March 31 a Thursday.

That hardly solves the issue that baseball, a summer sport, typically slogs through the unpredictable autumn weather. It's a bad mix.

It would be great to just ax eight games and go back to 154, but that won't every happen. So MLB needs to shorten the postseason. It's very doable, just cut down on travel and off days just plough through the postseason.

There's something wrong that teams can essentially have a two man starting rotation and win a pennant (aka 2001 Diamondbacks).

Teams should have to go four or five deep and mirror the regular season. Just tighten up the postseason would help capitalize on lost potential, since football (both pro and college) doesn't really get good until October.

But these aren't the only tweaks needed to make the game better, and I'll be writing more in the coming weeks.

MLB Wrong in Discussing Realignment

Any mention of change by Major League Baseball is big news. That's why sports writers coast-to-coast have been giving their two cents on the big "r" word -- realignment.

Commissioner Bud Selig has sanctioned a committee to study a possible shake up, making both the American and National Leagues even with 15 teams a piece. That would be the fair thing to do.

As a baseball traditionalist I wouldn't mind going back to the old days where there were two leagues, no divisions and teams were actually rewarded for playing its full grueling 162-game schedule.

As it stands with 30 major league teams, the only good way to avoid major changes, such as boring interleague games all season, is to bring up a forbidden word -- contraction.

Two 14 team leagues would work perfectly, with the four best making the playoffs, as would two 16 team leagues, but there aren't enough great ball players to fill out 30 teams, much less 32.

Now if MLB were to expand there's not a great option out west, where a new team would be needed. Portland, Ore. is one option, but the city's ill-supported Triple-A team just left. Indianapolis might work in the heartland, but MLB does not need to put another team in the Midwest.

Other top markets all have flaws too. Sacramento cannot support one pro-franchise, and Raleigh and Charlotte, which are in basketball-football states, are also out.

Contraction is a sticky issue, but doable if fairness is truly the aim of "realignment."

The easiest contraction target is Toronto. Sure, the Blue Jays had a few good years in the 90s, but Canada has room for only one true love, hockey.

Miami is the other best option. On a list of 40 things to do in the summer in Miami, going to watch pro-baseball is 41st on the list.

Cutting MLB to 28 teams, would mean more stars per team, and more importantly actually provide a balanced schedule. One teams plays the 13 others, 12 times each, that's 156 games (six less than right now).

With the issue of balancing the leagues out without making some big decisions MLB can focus on fixing its other ailments. More to come on those soon.

The Pious Arm of the NCAA Must Go

It's been a scandal ridden off-season for college football, with Columbus, Ohio serving as the epicenter.

Beloved Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel basically had no choice but to resign amid a coverup that athletes received extra benefits against collegiate rules. Then, Ohio State's star quarterback Terrelle Pryor said enough is enough to the media pressure, and left school for his role in the mess.

Coupled with what's going on in Columbus, with the fact that athletic administrators in Southern California were packing up its 2004 BCS championship crystal, and the bad headlines are everywhere.

That recent news comes on the heels of a scandal-plagued season, with NCAA investigators scrambling from coast-to-coast, and completely botching the Cam Newton pay-for-play fiasco.

The NCAA is a voluntary association, whose schools agree upon the rules, but it has turned into bureaucracy run amok. The organization has so many arcane rules it cannot even remotely begin to keep track of what's going on at college campuses.

The NCAA did not uncover the Ohio State scandal, and it certainly did not light the world on fire by exposing the Reggie Bush scandal. The NCAA's investigative arm cares a lot more about the public perp walk than the nitty-gritty of catching all the criminals.

So why even waste time with the pretense of the NCAA?

The money's there for major college football to split. The Pac-12 conference just inked a $3 billion, 12-year contract with ESPN and Fox, just the newest of the mega television contracts.

It would be a complicated divorce, but doable.

If the university brass from the Ohio State's, Florida's and Texas' wanted to form an independent group, they could. And it would probably bring change to college football much faster than the NCAA is willing to adapt.

How’s That for Making Love, Not War

Richard Lam captured proof that not everyone was tearing apart Vancouver following the Canucks pitiful loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup.

The image of a couple stealing a smooch amid chaos of riots has garnered lots of attention.

While a picture is worth a thousand words, it can also be deceiving. What looked like a romantic embrace was something else entirely, it was a moment of terror.

As the Toronto Star reports the couple, Scott Jones and Alexandra Thomas, got knocked down by a surge of police in riot gear. Just so happened that as Scott was trying to console and calm Alexandra down, a photographer caught the moment on tape.

But no matter the reason, this image has a shot at standing the test of time.

Who Says Hockey Doesn't Matter

Thousands of people gathered Wednesday in downtown Vancouver hoping to watch their Canucks hoist its first every Stanley Cup in 40 years of existence.

As the national anthems were playing, huge banners were hanging inside Rogers Arena with a simple message: "This is what we live for."

As the game ended in an anti-climatic 4-0 thumping at the hands of the Boston Bruins, Vancouver fans turned violent. Hockey really is what they live for north of the border.

The mostly young group of Canuck overturned vehicles and set fire in the blocks around Rogers Arena. The surreal rioting scene capped off one of the strangest and dirtiest Stanley Cup finals in recent memory.

Boston's Nathan Horton and Vancouver's Mason Raymond had their season end prematurely in dirty plays, and a new rule was created to keep players from thrusting their fingers at one another.

In the end the series was determined by Bruins goalie Tim Thomas standing on his head. Thomas, who plays an unorthodox and rather ugly style of net-minding, set the NHL record for most saves in playoff history.

Despite the ugliness, Vancouver which proved its world class hosting the Olympics, will recover.

While the rioting was likely an excuse for drunk, young idiots to go crazy, Canada hasn't had a team raise Lord Stanley's Cup since 1993. You can't say that doesn't bother them.

A Year Later, Far From Perfect

The moment is etched in baseball history.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga runs over to cover first base for the 27th out in his thus-far perfect game, except it didn't happen.

Umpire Jim Joyce threw his arms wide, calling the runner safe. Replay clearly showed the runner was out. Joyce later apologized for the blown call.

Galarraga struggled after the "28-out perfect game," being demoted to Triple-A Toledo for a time, and finishing the year with 1-7 record and a 4.52 ERA in his final 15 starts with the Tigers.

In January, Armando got a fresh start in Phoenix, but things soured quickly in the desert. In eight starts with Arizona Diamondbacks Galarraga went 3-4 with a 5.91 ERA.

Today, he's laboring with the Triple-A Reno Aces. Galarraga really is slogging it out: 0-1 record, 11.00 ERA, given up 16 hits it two starts, and has 8 K's to 9 walks.

At 29-years-old, Galarraga has some time to turn it around.

But no matter what else happens in Galarraga's career, and right now it doesn't look like much, June 2, 2010, will be remembered forever.

Good or bad, not every ball player is immortal.

You've Gotta Root for Dallas Now

There's an old sports cliche that says it's not over until the final whistle or horn.

Apparently, that doesn't hold true when it comes to planning a victory parade.

A company in south Florida is already soliciting workers for a Miami Heat victory parade via Craigslist.

That's right. The unnamed company wants people to sell Heat Championship gear during the parade IF AND WHEN it happens.

While it's doubtful the group has any ties to the team, it seems ill-advised to start advertising for something that may or may not happen. Last time I checked you have to win four games for a title, not two.

Still, the company deserves some credit for creatively borrowing from its new Heat hero, "WE NEED YOU--NBA CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE. TAKE YOU TALENTS TO SOUTH BEACH."

An eternity ago in sports years, the City of Dallas prematurely released a map of the Mavs victory parade route in 2006. That didn't pan out too well.

Even if you don't care for the NBA, you've gotta root for the Mavs now, even if it's just so you can smile at some real life irony.

Sharapova's Making Noise Again

Maria Sharapova has always made noise on and off the court.

At this year's French Open, the Russian star made a splash debuting an Eiffel-Tour inspired dress. Designed by Nike, the outfit features side stitching that mirrors the iron lattice design of the pinnacle Parisian landmark.

Then as the tennis has played out at Roland Garros, the door has seemingly opened for Sharapova to complete her career Slam. For the first time in the Open era, all three top seeds lost before the quarters.

Sharapova hasn't made it easy.

She was on the brink in the second round, down a set and two breaks to 17-year-old wild card Caroline Garcia, before rattling off 11 straight games. The seventh seed also scratched out a fourth-round victory, battling through five set points.

It certainly appears Sharapova is finding her groove after dealing with nagging injuries to her right shoulder and elbow. But one thing that needs no recovery is the Sharapova scream.

It's real, it's loud and it grabbed my attention when I attended the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March.

Tennis Just Isn't the Same

The French Open is starting to enter the thick of the tournament.

Great tennis has already been played at Roland Garros, with five-time champion Rafael Nadal surviving his first match that lasted 4 hours, 1 minute against American John Isner.

And Kim Clijsters, who seemed to have everything under control, unraveled in a three-set 2nd round loss.

But it's tough to watch this tournament the way I used to. That's because I learned how great it is to watch a tennis tournament in person at Indian Wells.

The desert oasis is home to one of the most well attended tournaments outside the majors the BNP Paribas Open. And fans get up close and personal with the players.

It really is an amazing experience, with the best players in the world sweating it out feet in front of you. Now, I'm spoiled.

This year at Indian Wells, Novak Djokovic served notice he's doing something special. His three set win over Nadal, improved his record to 18-0 at the time.

I'll be watching to see if his streak continues, but it just won't be the same.

And There Was One ...

As a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, it is nauseating to think about the amount of talent that's been traded away from the Three Rivers over the past two decades.

But there's a reason why the team hasn't turned in a winning season in 18 years.

As it stands, since the start of general manager Neal Huntington's reign over the club, catcher Ryan Doumit is the only 2008 Opening Day starter left on the roster, and pitchers Paul Maholm and Evan Meek are the only other 25-man-roster holdovers.

It's truly an epic roster makeover.

That makeover started in 2008 with two trade deadline deals, one of which shipped All-Star Jason Bay off to Boston for four prospects.

Right now, it appears the Pirates have nothing to show for the Bay deal.

With Brandon Moss and Andy LaRoche already gone, Pittsburgh released pitcher Craig Hansen last month, who appeared in 21 games for the Bucs.

Hansen posted a 6.95 ERA with twice as many walks (24) as strikeouts (12) and was hampered by a rare nerve ailment over two seasons.

For the Buccos to salvage anything from the Bay trade, Bryan Morris probably has to win a Cy Young award. But Morris is still in the minors.

The Jason Bay trade probably won't go down as the worst deal, but it could come in a close second to the highway robbery that sent Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs.

That's just life in Pittsburgh.

Friar's Latos Flummoxed So Far

San Diego Padres ace Mat Latos looks like the hard-luck pitcher for 2011.

Most analysts did not think Latos could repeat his rookie year success which saw him earn 14 wins, strike out 189 and post a sub-3.00 ERA (2.92).

But one month into the new season it looks like Latos is going to be that pitcher who just can't buy a win.

Through his first five starts he's 0-4 with a 4.55 ERA. If you toss out Latos' worst start his ERA is sub-4.00, so he's not pitching horribly.

Last night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Latos did everything in his power to notch a "W." He allowed two runs on five hits over six innings and led off the third inning with a homer into the second deck in left field.

It was the first ever home run for Latos, a career .088 hitter, and the first homer by a Padres pitcher in Petco Park which opened in 2004.

What happened, the bullpen promptly blew the lead taking Latos off the hook for the win.

The six runs San Diego managed scored in the comeback win is rare. When Latos takes the mound the Padres are averaging a paltry 2.2 runs per game. Such is life these days in San Diego, so far the Friars have been blanked eight times this season.

Looks like if Latos wants a win this year, he might just have to be perfect.

The Thrill of Victory After 310 Tries

No. 1 for a night: Caltech's basketball team started losing before these guys were born.

March Madness is almost upon us. And for NCAA Division III teams the bracket is already out.

One school that will navigate the weird 61-team draw to experience the thrills of winning it all (I'm hoping it's my alma mater).

But, it's hard to imagine the feeling will be greater than what a fellow DIII school experienced last Tuesday.

Caltech, known for its brains not its brawn, won its first league basketball game in 310 tries. That's 26 years of being a doormat.

I've played on my fair share of bad teams from little league to high school and college intramurals, but I can't fathom a lifetime of conference losing.

The streak dated back to Jan. 23, 1985, before its current players were even born.

Google bound Ryan Elmquist hit the winning free-throw with 3.3 seconds left lifting his team to the 46-45 win over Occidental, starting a completely appropriate storming of the court celebration.

Caltech ended its season with five wins in all, none bigger than the fifth.