Andre Agassi, Steroids, College Football, and Why the Phils Could Remember Last Night for a Long Time

Things I contemplate while wondering why T.O. needs a bike helmet while riding a stationary bike…..

Watching Andre Agassi play at the U.S. Open last night against a cramped by game 21 year old named Marcos Baghdatis (who I had never heard of but who was the #8 seed, which shows you how much my mind has drifted away from a sport I loved growing up) was indicative of what is so special about sports. The quality of play was fantastic, the level of drama was at an incredibly high level, the enthusiasm of the crowd was enormously exciting, and at the end of the day, the good guy prevailed, giving us at least one more date with a guy who has gone from obnoxious, cocky punk to admired, respected, beloved, 8 time major champion. What seems so natural now would not have been believed 15 or 18 years ago. This run that Andre is making in New York brings back memories of an over the hill Jimmy Connors ran all the way to the quarters at age 39 or so (not 100% sure of the facts but the analogy is sound). Not sure if Andre has it in him to keep going past this weekend, but I for one will be watching, and rooting, for the guy who has gone from image to class.

The Phillies may well look back at last night’s game if (when?) they fall one game short of the wild card spot and kick themselves. Actually, they may as well have an opposing pitcher throw at them instead, as it will hurt just as much and be more indicative of a season in which they have set the all time club record for most times hit by a pitch. But I digress. You just cannot, under any circumstances, give up leads in both the 9th AND 10th innings against a terrible, last place team. Does not matter if your bullpen is stretched thin and tired. Does not matter if you traded away half your team a month ago. Does not matter that the game was on the road. If you want to make the playoffs, you simply cannot allow it to happen. Period. Exclamation point! This game was so indicative of the stuff that has left this team just short the past few years. It left as bad a taste in my mouth as any Phillies game in a while. And it is such a shame to overshadow things like Ryan Howard breaking the club’s all-time single season home run record. This team can still get to the Wild Card. But wouldn’t it be so much easier if they stopped doing stuff like this to themselves….

It is clear that athletes around the world are cheating. Justin Gatlin. Floyd Landis. Sammy Morris. Marion Jones (typical Tar Heel!) This is not fair. And what I mean by this not being fair as that I am confident (and it is a pity) that these guys are guilty, but that they represent just a fraction of the athletes cheating. So my proposal is that until they can come up with a foolproof way to catch every cheater, they need to level the playing field and let them do it. If these athletes think it is important enough to risk their longevity, or their ability to have children, etc. for a little more potential glory, then let them do it. They could make Mark McGwire the President’s Secretary of Illegal Drugs Turned Legal. It helps us as fans. We know it is a legal playing field. We can enjoy imoproved performance on the field. And it adds some intrigue to the death pools around the country. Let Them Cheat!

The United States lost in its pursuit of the Gold Medal this morning (at 3:30 am) when Greece beat us 101-95. I do not know why this should surprise anyone. The U.S. has the most talent of any team in the world, but the fact of the matter is that our team does not spend enough time playing together as a team, and is at a severe disadvantage against other teams that play together all year long. The fact that they have put the U.S. team together for three years and it will stay together through the 2008 Olympics should help (plus their stars, Wade, James, and Anthony will all be two years closer to their prime), but they will still be fighting an uphill battle. I am sure all the Coach K haters will come out and take this opportunity to bash one of the greatest coaches ever on any level, but the fact of the matter is that Coach K did a perfectly fine job picking and coaching this team. The problem is simply in the cohesion of our squad as a unit. Case closed.

Finally, I was so happy that college football started last night. I was like a kid in a candy store. Good to see my radio prediction of Couth Carolina “winning and winning big” from earlier this week came through, with the old ball coach and his charges getting a 15-0 win in a defensive struggle. I will make some predictions each week for both college and pro football. We will keep track. Follow my advice at your own risk. Here we go for this weekend:

• Notre Dame at Georgia Tech OVER 50.5; I do not see Notre Dame having an answer for Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech. We know the Irish will put up some points; look for Georgia Tech to hang in, and for this game to go over. If you want to play a side, take the home dog, as Tech should keep it close.
• Florida State (+3) at Miami. Drew Weatherford will be the most improved player in the country this year. Miami will miss all those suspended players. Florida State will win outright, so getting points is an unnecessary gift.
• Cal (-2.5) at Tennessee. Cal gets Nate Longshoreman back at QB and he will make all the difference in the world in Tedford’s scheme.

Georgia Tech, GT/ND Over, FSU, and Cal are the plays. Good luck.