IT'S GETTING PAINFUL

***THE GASOLINE GANG RIDES AGAIN***
They can't get anyone out. Even Rivera is serving up gopher balls like a batting practice pitcher. It's one thing to hope your offense can bail you out once in a while, but you can't count on 10 runs a game from a lineup that has a .198 hitter batting third. They get hits, they get men on base, but nobody gets the BIG hit. Even when someone does manage to drive in some runs, the bullpen can't wait to get back in there and give up another dinger. Don't expect A-Rod to be a big savior; if he shows any kind of life, he'll be pitched around. The ace (Did I spell that right?) goes tonight. I can hardly wait.

***MANNY IS SUSPENDED***
It is well known that Picasner is no big fan of Manny, but this seems silly. He's been suspended for 50 games for taking a banned substance. My understanding is that it is NOT a PED, it's a female hormone. I guess MLB doesn't want to see any man-boobs on the field. Well, they're too late: Manny's been a boob for some time. They say it's a drug that is used to mask steroids that people use. Then how did the steroids or this "mask" go undetected for so long? This is all getting tiresome.

***RED SOX UPSET WITH CHAMBERLAIN***
It seems the Sox are livid that Joba has hit some of their players, especially, Youklis. Well, too bad! I seem to recall one Pedro Martinez, who made a living plunking Derek Jeter at least once every time he pitched, and threatening to bean Posada during another little ruckus. That's in between beating up old men. Is the shoe a little tighter now that it's on the other foot? Suck it up, Red Sox.

***I LIKE THIS***
Former college quarterback, Sam Keller, is suing the NCAA and it's video-game partner, EA Sports. Apparently, they use the names and likenesses of college athletes in their video games. Of course, the players are not allowed to receive any compensation for this, nor do they get to decide if they will allow it. The NCAA & EA Sports get all the money. The suit asks for a jury trial, so the NCAA won't be able to hide behind closed doors on this one. I hope there is no settlement and the NCAA is shown to be the bully that they are, and the monetary penalty will force a reorganization and review of their policies.
I recall the time Steve Alford, a guard for Indiana University, was almost suspended by the NCAA. Why? It seems he posed, in uniform, for a calendar put out by a local sorority to raise money for a charitable organization. The NCAA claimed HE DIDN'T ASK FIRST. They wanted to be able to perform an audit to see exactly where the money went. Oh, and let's not forget that the NCAA investigators would have been paid out of the funds that were collected. Why didn't this happen and how did we find all this out? Coach Bobby Knight got involved and started disclosing these little facts and threatened to make it a national controversy. The NCAA backed off. And Bobby put down the chair he was holding.