Friday Sporties

-So, Basketball Hall of Fame Committee, let's review: You take so long to induct Dennis Johnson into the Hall that he had to be put in posthumously, but Dennis Rodman gets in after just a couple years of waiting? Are you kidding me? I'm not disputing that Rodman is a Hall of Famer - he was an amazing rebounder and defender and, most importantly, every team he went to got better with his arrival. However, he is in no way better or more important to the game than Dennis Johnson was, meaning he should have had to wait just as long for his induction. Also, I know DJ had some off-court problems, but they are nothing compared to Rodman, so don't even try to tell me that was the reason. I just wish the voters would be a little more consistent with their standards.

-I find myself chuckling at all the sports writers who spent the week saying that this Butler-UConn Championship Game tainted the entire tournament and we'll remember it as the worst ever. No, we won't. Not because the game wasn't that bad (it was), but because no one remembers details of sporting events anymore. It's simply how people roll nowadays. I'm willing to say that if you bet 10 people $100 bucks each to name the last 10 National Championship games, winner and loser, that not only would you not lose any money, you wouldn't even have to sweat it out. Hell, the other day someone had me remind them of who won LAST YEAR. All we'll remember is that UConn won and Jim Calhoun got his third title. Anything more than that will have faded into the memory banks within a couple of seasons.

-Late this afternoon word broke that Manny Ramirez was retiring from baseball. Apparently, the league offices wanted to talk to him about another positive drug test and, facing a 100-game ban, Manny just said 'no mas' and walked. Now normally I would say that this looks bad and by running from the issue Manny risks having this be the first thing people think about when his legacy is brought up. Rather than knowing what the test actually said, people are just going to start speculating what it might have said, and rumors do more damage than the truth, no matter how bad that truth may be. If he's not careful, this could really impact Manny's Hall of Fame chances. That's what I would normally say. But since this is Manny, who I'm not sure has ever given two seconds of thought to what his legacy might me, I'll just say I hope he enjoys his retirement.

-I have a friend who insists that, due to the number of games they have to play, baseball players are just as tough as football or hockey players. Well, his argument took a big hit with news that Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez was forced to go onto the disabled list with a cut on his thumb cuticle. I understand that it was on his throwing hand and pitchers need to be able to grip a baseball with their fingers in specific places, but there is no way you are going to convince me someone is tough when they have to be shut down over something that sounds like a mishap that occurred during a manicure.

-As if you needed more proof that LeBron James is only going to look after himself and work to build his brand and imagine versus worrying about actually winning, look no further than the news that he is partnering with the owners of the Red Sox in purchasing the Liverpool football club. James, who famously wore Yankee hats to Indians games while playing for the Cavaliers and said he was a die-hard Yankee fan even though he'd lived in Ohio his entire life, is now essentially sleeping with the enemy. God, the guy can't even be loyalty to a team he cherry-picked as a front-running fan. Looking back, I can't believe anyone ever thought he would stay with in Cleveland.