Torino, NHL, Get Him Outta Here!!!!!!

How's everyone doing? Starting off, the Winter Olympics are finally underway from Torino. The USA team is already off to an arousing start, what with suspending their skeleton coach and finally firing him over a sexual harrassment scandal. They also lost their best slider, skeleton event, due to a failed drug test. Now, I know what you're thinking: What kind of drug do you have to take to be good at sliding down a hill? Well, for my money, it would be something that makes your grip tighter, since these skeleton sleds reach speeds over 90 MPH. But the drug that has gotten our guy suspended is a hair loss drug. The IOC claims that this drug is also used as a masking agent, defending their decision to suspend our best slider. That's a kick in the teeth, isn't it? I mean, you spend countless hours training for a particular event, only to get busted on something that you can pick up at any corner drugstore. My advice to any future Olympians out there is this: Once you begin your training, and you start competing in these national events, if you get sick.......chicken soup and orange juice.....that's it! It's not worth the risk to throw so many years of training down the tubes.
Speaking of throwing a career down the tubes, a grand jury has chosen to indict Maurice Clarett on charges of robbing two people behind a bar and carryng a concealed weapon. You remember Clartee from such fiascos as challenging the NFL over eligibility rules, filing a false police report at Ohio State concerning a car that was broken into (provided by a booster, of course), and failing to disclose information to investigators from the NCAA who decided to look into the Ohio State athletic program a little further. Oh, by the way, then-AD Andy Geiger suddenly resigned around that time, saying he wanted to pursue other opportunities. Remember that analogy about rats leaving a sinking ship? Anyway, Clarett is now behind bars, and I, for one, say good riddance. I keep hearing how sad a story this is, and I'll admit it's sad, but Clarett did all this to himself. He showed up at the NFL combine out of shape one year. He milked a hamstring injury when Denver took a flyer on him, and subsequently released him. Come on, how many shots do you give a guy? Don't give me that he had a tough childhood. Don't give me that he didn't have a chance in life. He had a full ride to a prestigious NCAA institution, and he threw it all away because he had too many people in his ear, and had his hand out for far too long. Put his name on the pile along with Lawrence Phillips, Cecil Collins, and J.R.Rider. Use this case as an example to future athletes. Maybe one of them will pay close attention as to what happens when you choose the wrong path. As for Clarett, we all have to pay the piper sometime. Coaches always talk about accountability, well Clarett is going to learn a hard lesson in accountability.
With the recent NHL gambling incident, one question comes to mind: Would this really be as big of a deal as it is now if the name Gretzky weren't involved? I mean, come on......when the story broke, and every news agency was reporting the name Rick Tocchet, nobody outside of die-hard hockey circles picked up on it. But now, add the name Gretzky to the mix, and now you have yourself a story! For those that don't know, here's the condensed version: Gretzky coaches the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL. Tocchet is one of his assistants. Tocchet is under investigation in New Jersey for being involved in a gambling ring. The ring is not all that large, but now when it involves an assistant coach, plus the Gretzky name, everyone is on board. The big question now is were any NHL games fixed during this ring to cover someone's bets. If they were, the NHL can close its doors. Gretzky's wife, Janet, is reported to have made bets in this circle. The perception there is that she's making wagers for her husband, so none of this will stick to him when it all hits the fan. And, for those of you out there who think I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, stop it! Baseball has CLEAR, WRITTEN RULES on every clubhouse door about betting on baseball. And when there is evidence that bets were made from the manager's office, there's your case! This is totally different from the Pete Rose deal, which, by the way, he's not going into the Hall, so that's a happy day for me. Anyway, with the NHL coming off the season-long strike, and them doing their best to try to win fans, this may knock a large hole into he bridge of goodwill that was being built between hockey and fans.

Enjoy the Olympics. More to come soon.

Patrick