Weekly Sporties

-Last week I wrote about how it feels as though Bobby Valentine doesn't like it when things are going too smoothly and feels the need shake things up just to make them interesting. We got another piece of evidence for that theory this week when, after sweeping the Minnesota Twins, the Red Sox manager told the assembled media that he had originally filled out the wrong line-up for the game because he thought the pitcher they were about to face was a lefty. It was only after catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (who probably only noticed because he sits against lefties) pointed it out that the correct line-up was put out there. Now I'm sure Valentine, who might be the first manager in history who thinks talking to the media is the best part of his job, just thought of this as nothing more than a funny story which the media guys would get a kick out of. While that may be true, he still didn't have to share it. While they are getting better the Red Sox still haven't reached .500 on the season and one of the concerns of the baseball fans in Boston is that with all the time he has spent in the booth the game has passed Bobby V by. This is not the kind of thing which will calm those concerns. My advice to Bobby is this: win first, then worry about keeping the beat writers entertained.

-Every year I tell myself I will not get sucked in to the NFL Draft. After all, when you get right down to it the draft is nothing more than a list of names being read. But, every year I find myself glued to the television, angry when the Patriots don't trade up to take a player I decided they should take almost six whole days ago. That doesn't change the fact that the entire thing is just a big show. The NFL knows everyone is watching and they want to put their best foot forward. As a result no detail is left uncovered, as they stall the proceedings long enough to make sure all the pictures are taken before the next draft pick is announced and this year they added the touch of having players' names on their new team jerseys before they reach the stage. And after every pick the TV cameras make sure to find a fan of that team in the stands. It's that last part that stuck with me. Seriously, where are these Jacksonville Jaguars fans coming from? I'll grant you that New York, just based on size and diversity, is probably home as many obscure sports fans as any place in the world. If you want to find a fan of any team outside of their home state, you would start by looking in New York City. But the Jaguars barely have any fans in the city of Jacksonville and I'm supposed to believe they have fans so loyal they would fly up to New York to watch them draft seventh in what was thought to be a 6-player draft? (The Jaguars eventually traded up, but there was no way of knowing that was going to happen.) After thinking it over, I'm pretty sure those are actors. It's all part of the NFL's big show.

-There was another story which happened last night that almost feels like it was a made-for-TV moment. On the first night of the draft Mohamed Sanu, a wide receiver out of Rutgers, was sitting by his phone. He had been projected as a second or third round selection but, as we all know, hope spring eternal. So, when his phone rang and the voice on the other end of the line told him they were calling from the Cincinnati Bengals and he was about to be their picked, he had no reason to doubt it and began celebrating. It was only after another name appeared on-screen that he knew he had fallen victim to a viscous prank. They called the number back and discovered it was another student at Rutgers who didn't know Sanu but got his number through a friend of a friend and thought it would be really funny. The good news is that this story has a happy ending - during last night's third round Sanu's phone rang again and this time it was really and truly an NFL team calling to let him know he was going to be drafted. That team? The Bengals. So, in the end all was well that ended well. Still, I think Sanu learned a valuable first lesson for his life as an NFL player: be very careful who you give your cell phone number to.

-Because the NFL is basically one giant TV production, it was not a shock to hear this week that its lowest-rated program, the Pro Bowl, is probably going to be cancelled. I'll give the NFL credit for trying to keep this thing going. First they moved the game to Miami so players wouldn't have as far to fly and then they put in on during the week before the Super Bowl so people weren't being asked to watch football after football season was over. However, those moves still weren't enough to build up any interest in what was basically a glorified scrimmage. The main thing they needed to happen was to have players to care and there was nothing they could do to force guys to risk an injury which could screw up next season for a game that didn't really matter. So, it is probably going to be suspended for this year and then formally cancelled after that. The odd part is that they will still have to name rosters for a game that will never be played because a lot of players have bonuses written into their contracts for making the Pro Bowl. At least Brandon Marshall, the last Pro Bowl MVP, will be the answer to a very fun trivia question some day. Given how his career has been going lately, it may be the only way he'll ever be remembered.

-Here's one from the "when it rains, it pours" file. After their head coach lost his appeal last weekend, the New Orleans Saints were saying the positive side was they could now start to think the bounty scandal was almost behind them. All that was left were learning what the player suspensions were going to be and then it was back to the business of football. At least, that was the plan until Monday, when a source revealed to ESPN that for years GM Mickey Loomis had a special listening device wired into his box which would allow him to listen in to the communications between opposing coaches. While this might not have helped in the moment, it could always help against guys you would play again, like division opponents. Furthermore the FBI is investigating because it could violate federal anti-spying laws. When the Patriots got caught up in SpyGate I told anyone who would listen that the reason you never heard many teams condemning them is because every team was cheating in one way or another. Well, it turns out the Saints were cheating a lot worse than anyone could have imagined. This is why you never want to get caught in a very public scandal, because after the lid is off people are going to dig and dig until every skeleton in your closet has been found. If the Saints have done anything else wrong they may either want to confess or start preparing their defense, because it doesn't seem like keeping secrets is their strong suit.

-Another guy who probably would like people to stop digging into his business right about now is NBA players union executive director Billy Hunter. During the lockout Hunter and Derek Fisher, the President of the players union, had a lot of back-room disagreements over how the players should be negotiating with the owners. Apparently, that animosity did not end when the lockout did and Hunter recently tried to have Fisher ousted from his position after Fisher called for an audit of the union's finances. Fisher survived the vote but, probably not coincidentally, several stories soon began to surface that alleged Hunter has been using the players union as his own personal family trust. Apparently everyone related to Hunter is a lawyer and every one of them has been on the union's payroll for a few years. But, the most damning claim was that Hunter talked the union into backing a bank with large ties to his son, all without mentioning the conflict of interest. Technically there is nothing illegal here, but it just doesn't look very good. In light of these reports, the federal government has said they want a look at the union's finances as well. Now, I've often wondered what the heads of these players unions do when the isn't a lockout and they have nothing to negotiate. That, plus the fact many players feel they got a raw deal in the latest collective bargaining agreement could add up to the end for Hunter's time. I just hope he isn't expecting his kids to float him a loan, because I think most of them are about to join him on the unemployment line.

-Last week I told you the story of Wisconsin saying they wouldn't allow redshirt freshman Jarrod Uthoff to transfer to a large number of schools. It was only after a lot of public criticism that they relented on their demands. Well, if you expected that public scrutiny to impact how other players were allowed to transfer, I have some disappointing news for you. This week Dominique Ferguson, a player at FIU, announced that after the school fired head coach Isiah Thomas, he asked for a transfer and the school informed him it wouldn't be letting him out of his scholarship for anyone. They weren't just keeping him away from a few select schools, they were keeping him away from every other school. Thinking he was out of other options Ferguson declared for the NBA draft. This is a bad idea all the way around. Now, coming out of high school Ferguson was a highly recruited prospect and he probably has some game, but after averaging less than 9 points 6 rebounds against inferior competition in two seasons at the school, he has almost no chance of getting drafted. But, this looks even worse for FIU. Seriously, at the end of the day they still claim to be an institution for higher learning, so how is forcing a kid's hand to the point that he drops out of college backing up that claim? Aren't they supposed to be getting the kid prepared for the next stage of his life, not hampering it? On top of that, good luck every getting another recruit to come to your school ever. If you wanted to build yourself into an actual D-I program this wasn't the way to do it. Allow me to put it another way: you'd never see a school like Kentucky pulling this crap.