President Obama gives credit for his happy marriage to ESPN’s SportsCenter. He says that he watches it everyday while working out and the First Lady says that she knows more about sports than she’d like…
Well, that’s what’s helped work for me and the Indignant Wife. She is a sports fan and we used to watch SportsCenter all the time. On top of being a knolwedgeable fan, she has very opinionated views, some of which I agree with, some not. She likes to watch football, and I’m not the only person who uses the NHL Centre Ice package on the satellite television in my house, let me tell you…

For a very long time, I have taken issue with the umpires, referees and people who officiate sporting events. Many times they are all too human instead of the objective adjudicators they are paid to be. NBA refs have “sent a message” to players they don‘t like; umpires have players they don’t like. Or they could just be inept, like in the Big Ten (still no response from the Conference, by the way).
I believe that for years, my favorite Chicago Blackhawks never got their fair share of calls from the referees in the league, mostly due to their dislike of Old Man “Dollar” Bill Wirtz. Since he led the Board of Governors, he not only screwed the players, but I’m sure he did his part to underpay the referees as well, and, fair or not, it took a toll on the team.
So, my long held belief is actively being investigated by the league. Vancouver Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows’ claims that referee Stephane Auger made payback calls against him. In Monday’s Vancouver game against the Nashville Predators, Burrows says that Auger told him during the pregame warmup he was going to get him back for an incident between the two teams on December 8. Nashville’s Jerred Smithson received a major and game misconduct for charging Burrows, but the call was later overturned by the league because it said Burrows took a dive. But instead of letting the players deal out their own justice in the form of a fight, Auger called Burrows for diving and interference in the third period, and then the official gave him a 10-minute misconduct with four seconds left in the game.
Officials are on the ice, field, pitch, etc. to officiate the game, not to make a point, or retaliate against an offense, or in the misguided belief that they, the referees, officials, are the reason people pay money to watch sporting events. If there is proof, the NHL should suspend Auger or fire him outright. It’s the league’s job to mete out punishment if warranted, and if not, that’s one of the great things about hockey – the players will officiate themselves by dropping the gloves.

I don’t think you could have grown up here in Chicago without knowing the radio ads for U.S. 30 Drag Strip in Indiana. Now, exactly where in Indiana, I couldn’t tell you, but I know about the strip because of the radio announcements.
“Sunday! Sunday!! SUNDAY!! At Smokin’ U.S. 30 drag strip….” And on would be a list of who was racing there this upcoming weekend, and then the spot would end with
an echoing, “Where the great ones run!”
I don’t know if those spots still run or even if the track is still open, but the spots are over because the voice who belted out the recognizable ads, Jan C. Gabriel died, appropriately, on a Sunday. He was 69 when he died of complications from polycystic kidney disease on Jan. 10 in his Lombard home, said his friend and business partner, according to the Chicago Tribune.
I didn’t know this man; I don’t know what he looks like; but I know he died. Alas, another part of my youth (a silly part, but a part nonetheless) died too.

Less than one week after failing to generate nearly enough votes to make Baseball’s Hall of Fame, Mark McGwire is finally coming clean (as it were). The beefy slugger sent a message to the Associated Press admitting what was painfully obvious: he used performance enhancing drugs.
According to the statement, this is due to his becoming hitting coach for the Cardinals, but this is just a way to try and show some contrition for his cheating. Also, Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa wants to get McGwire into Cooperstown since he has stated that he would consider pinch hitting McGwire, which would allow him to “un-retire” and retire again and “reset” the 5 year waiting period before being considered for the Hall of Fame.
Now, I must admit that McGwire probably didn’t need steroids as much as some other players. His “juicing” probably turned 430 foot homers into 500 foot behemoths. But still, it is cheating, and as such that should be considered. As I’ve said many times in this space, I believe the only way for baseball to put the “steroid era” behind it would be a one time, blanket amnesty on all players. If you took it, confess (no one expects the Spanish Inquisition) and there will be no penalty and you can be considered for the Hall of Fame. However, if you did juice and are still active, you face more frequent testing; and if you’re retired and are voted into the Hall, your plaque will state as such. And if you lie about not using and it can be conclusively proven, you are suspended from ever having a position in organized baseball.
Of course, McGwire may be facing contempt of Congress criminal action, and the other “face” of the steroid era, Barry Bonds, faces criminal charges of his own if he ever came clean. But maybe it’s time – instead of having this drip, drip, drip of offenders getting leaked to the press, let’s open the flood gates, get the shock and awe of who cheated behind us, and let’s move on.

• An important question: how stupid is Rod Blagojevich? Like Paris Hilton about 1 year ago, he seems to be everywhere – plugging his book, “Celebrity Apprentice.” And now he’s made a comment (and apologized for it) for saying that he (Blagojevich) was “blacker than (President Barack) Obama.” Of course, this is pretty stupid since the little twerp is whiter than snow, and as corrupt as they come, which is something that black politicians in Chicago only learned from their white counterparts. Won’t this guy go away, at least until his trial starts?
• Another molehill as mountain: what Senator Harry Reid said about now-President Obama isn’t troubling or problematic – just an honest comment. Flavor Flav couldn’t get elected President, so diction is right, and perhaps skin color was too (see Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” documentary if you question looks to African-Americans).
• Sarah Palin is going to be on Fox (“Faux”) News. No surprise there, but you know that there are liberal groups who will publicize anything stupid that she says. And you know that won’t take long.
• And under the Sarah Palin banner, there was a report today that she said that her vice presidential bid was “God’s Will.” Well, will you think that it’s also God’s Will when you don’t get elected president in 2012 and are a political joke for generations like Dan Quayle?
• The Blackhawks should learn from this weekend. They played 2 bad periods and lost the two games. First, leading 5-1 going into the 3rd period at Minnesota, they gave up 4 goals in the final period and ended up losing in a shootout. So, I thought they’d be fired up the next night against the Anaheim Ducks. Instead, they give up two quick goals in the first period and the veteran Ducks held on to win 3-1. The Hawks need to learn that they have to play hard EVERY period, otherwise, they can certainly lose games. I hope it’s a lesson they’ve learned well by playoff time.

I didn’t watch much of the Saturday NFL playoff games, mostly due to having lots to do with the Indignant Family. But it also came down to not caring much about the Jets, or Bengals, and the way Dallas had beaten Philadelphia one week ago, there was very little chance that the Eagles would be able to overcome that and win on the road, and they proved it.
Sunday’s games were more interesting to me. I ordinarily wouldn’t care much about the Baltimore Ravens, but some neighbors of mine as big Ravens fans and so I watched. And it was wonderful to watch the curmudgeon/troll/resident cheat Bill Belichick’s boys get stomped. Tom “the Father of our country” Brady looked very human, having an off day in a playoff game, something that had never happened before. Randy Moss was bored and disinterested and played that way. So, we won’t have to hear from the Boston area about football this season.
Then came the track meet. I knew that both Green Bay and Arizona could score, but Green Bay came into the game with the number one defense in the league. We knew that Arizona would be fired up after the preseason and week 17 plasterings the Packers had put on them, but the offense played the game of its life. And leading the charge was Kurt Warner. I always thought that Warner was a flash in the pan, a decent QB in a great system back when he was in St. Louis, but he threw more touchdowns yesterday than incompletions. The Pack couldn’t stop him.
And, as much as I hate to admit it. Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback. He could have crawled into a shell after throwing an interception on his first pass and then being down by 17 and later 21 points, but he brought the team back. Like his predecessor Mr. Favre, I have to respect him for his great talent and field leadership, but since he plays in Green Bay, I have to hate him and all he stands for.
So, as a Chicago and Northwestern sports fan, I am in a very familiar place – picking out the teams that I don’t want to win and rooting against them. In the AFC, I like Peyton Manning and the Colts; I’ve long been a Chargers fan (since John Hadl, or was in Dan Fouts). I have no great feeling for the Jets and as I said above, I have friends who are Ravens fans. The only team I wanted to see get bounced was New England and they’re already out.
On the NFC side, I always root against the Packers and they’re out. I admit that I’m all for the Saints. Ever since Hurricane Katrina, I’ve said that they deserve something to go their way. And I like Drew Brees, although I was very happy when he graduated from Purdue (he used to kill Northwestern). I don’t have much feeling for Arizona either, although owner Bill Bidwell is in the running for the worst sports owner in history. But I have to acknowledge admiration for Kurt Warner. It should be quite a shootout.
Now, like the Packers, I have very little love for the Vikings either, but they’re playing the Cowboys, who need to be ousted just to wipe that smug look off Jerry Jones’ face. They can’t both lose, can they?

A whole lot of little stories and random thoughts this time around:

• Congratulations to Andre Dawson on his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was richly deserved of a great player who did it all: hit for power; hit for average; played the field well, had a great arm, and was an excellent base runner. Like so many athletes, Dawson may have never achieved all that he could have, since the concrete hard artificial surface of the old Montreal Olympic Stadium caused considerable damage to his knees. But he was a great player and a true class act.
• At the same time, the baseball writers are silly. They refused entry to the Hall to Roberto Alomar, one of the greatest second basemen in the history of baseball. Based on numbers, Alomar could also do it all: hit, run, and especially field. But he spit on umpire John Hirshbeck and the petty sportswriters wouldn’t vote for him just so that he wasn’t a first ballot enshirinee. To this day, nothing has ever been said about what Hirshbeck said to make this “model citizen” before and after this incident on the field go off. What did Hirshbeck do or say? So, the petty sportswriters have to “penalize” Alomar; what a bunch of hypocrites!
• Chicago got the big snowfall predicted, but over a much longer period of time than usual, so things (from my perspective) weren’t as bad as they could have been. That should have the broadcast weather people upset, especially Tom Skilling, the Irwin Allen (the king of 1970s disaster movies) or Roland Emmerich (today’s distaster king). I’ve decided that Skilling gets an erection whenever he has bad news to broadcast.
• This one just in – Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the man charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane on December 25, pleaded not guilty Friday to six federal charges. Pled innocent despite the fact that he was caught red-handed trying to set off the explosives in his underwear? I think that Allah probably hates cowards, and if you plan on trying to start a jihad and fail, you should just own up to it. Maybe after you’re executed, you can get ½ of the 72 virgins successful suicide bombers are promised in the afterlife? As oppressed sexually as men are in fundamental Islamic communities, maybe he can get ¼ the number of virgins? You should get any if you plead innocent.
• I don’t hate the “Red Sox Nation” but I do think that the Sox are getting hosed signing third baseman Adrian Beltre. Yes, he won Gold Gloves in 2007 and 2008, but the Mariners signed him after he had one huge season at the plate while with the Los Angeles Dodgers that he has never repeated (performance enhancement?) Yeah, they only signed him for a relatively paltry $10 million for next season and the players option for 2011, but they may find out that once an underachiever, always an underachiever.
• If the NFL season is over, that means that it’s target practice on the head coaches and general managers of bad and underachieving teams in the league. Already the Redskins axed the lame duck Jim Zorn and replaced him with Mike Shanahan. The Seahawks fired Jim Mora. But more surprisingly, Mike Holmgren, new head of football operations for the Cleveland Browns, retained Coach Mike Mangini. Less of a surprise, the McCaskeys decided that there were $11 million reasons to keep Lovie Smith as Head Coach. The more things change…
• I believe in Jay Cutler. He has a cannon arm, can move around and he is only 26-years-old. I know that he threw the most interceptions in the league this year, but I think that was in part due to the now fired offensive coordinator Ron Turner. Turner started rolling Cutler out in the last couple of games and Cutler threw for 8 TDs and 1 pick in those games. In the paper on Monday, Turner said that he should have had Cutler rolling out much earlier in the season. Duh! (No wonder he got canned.) Cutler may be as flaky as a box of breakfast cereal, but I think he got a put in a bad situation this season and he can and will get better.