You know, I am laying around this Christmas Eve about 5:30 in the morning and I come to realize about all the trust we put into professional athletes and I also realize at this time of year, trust and faith is what Christmas is all about. So, for the next few minutes, I am going to rant and rave worse than Chamber, PVFan, Cane and Rocketeer combined.
There's plenty to love about sports, from Brett Favre to Roger Federer(yes, I do watch tennis sometimes) to Morgan Pressel and every year we hope and pray the sports world cannot get more corrupt. I am proven wrong. 2008 will have to go quite a ways to surpass the sleaze we've seen in the past 12 months.
Many fans will place mental asterisks (if not physical ones) next to Barry Bonds' career home run record because of presumed steroid usage. Do you really trust any baseball player to be clean anymore? George Mitchell's report named some other big names, and we know it's just the tip of the iceberg, because he got no cooperation from the players themselves. Do you think the players bear all the blame? Of course not. They were operating with undeclared approval from the commissioner and the clubs, in a time in which hallowed records took a back seat to attendance records. Which most of you know, baseball had to do something after the strike and no World Series.
I wonder if anyone has ever heard of personal responsibilty?
I bet it would be nice to see a referee make a tough call late in an NBA game and not think of Tim Donaghy? Not only did he ruin his future, he blasted the reputation of officials, referees and umpires in all sports at all levels.
Calling a game fairly and accurately is hard enough if you do not have to worry about point spreads and gambling debts.
I do not remember who said it, but one of my favorite sports quotes came from an NFL coach in the 1970s. Asked about the officials, he replied: "The problem is, they don't care who wins."? Let's trust that will always be the case.
We were already used to NFL players taking steroids and acting like children. But 2007 brought us stories of Pacman Jones' idiotic behavior and Tank Johnson's arsenal. Then came the horrific saga of Michael Vick's dog fighting enterprise and the arrogant lies he told until he could not scramble away from the truth. A brilliant career may be over, and he's even lost the support of Hokie Nation; which already dealt with one unspeakable tragedy this year. Then there is "Pimp Daddy" Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry, who might be busy this Christmas delivering presents to his nine children (by the way, ......NINE DIFFERENT MOTHERS).
Do we trust football coaches anymore? Nick Saban flatly denied he would leave the Miami Dolphins for the University of Alabama; then did just that. This year, Bobby Petrino bailed on the Vick-less Atlanta Falcons after just 13 games for greater security at Arkansas. Do not mention Rich Rodriguez's name if you want to be invited to Christmas dinner at a West Virginia alumnus's house. Plus, Merry Christmas to the 36 Florida State players who will be watching the Music City Bowl from home after being caught in a rampant Internet cheating scandal. Does anyone really believe this is an isolated case?
Well, since the time is Christmas, I have a few sport wishes of my own. Santa, listen up!
I hope that all the players, on or off the Mitchell report, that used performance enhancers, come clean without being subpoenaed.
I hope the NCAA passes a rule that says a college coach who leaves before his contract expires must sit out a year before moving to another school; just as athletes do.
I hope the Olympics in Bejing have the sternest drug testing in history.........WITHOUT A POSITIVE TEST!
I hope that some fans in the LPD realize that the VHSL is not conspiring to get them.
One last thing, I hope that something is done about the enrollment issue but it is done so that a state title still means something and not a hollow victory. (I do not want to get into this cause I could be here another hour.)

Well, I have ranted long enough. I know these are all fantasies (as is a Division I-A football playoff). But it's a time to dream, right? I am going back to bed.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!