Spring comes none too soon...

With full squads starting to report across Florida and Arizona, 2008 Spring Training is finally upon us. After a winter of discontent for the game of baseball off the field, we get back to playing games on the field. As the press conferences and apologies for offending parties subside, the talk will shift from performance enhancers to performances on the mound, in the batters box, etc. Not to say that the steroids subject will go away- it just won't be all that is discussed when the subject of baseball comes up.

And maybe, just maybe congress can get back to trying to fix the economy or health care or social security, and stop worrying about trying to fix baseball. I understand that there may be a moral obligation for these lawmakers to show that they won't stand for such activities. And what better way to do that than take the power away from these athletes, sunpeona and make examples of them- and broadcast it simultaneously on multiple networks. It all just reeks of grandstanding, and it accomplishes very little. How about introducing new legislature- harsher penalties for steroid dealers and traffickers? Because when all the dust settles, and all the camera crews pack up and head home, we are back square one. The Clemens-McNamee hearing isn't the first of its kind, and probably won't be the last. And the only thing that ever changes is Major League Baseball tightening its rules a bit. Congress basically doing the work that MLB should be doing itself. And don't get me wrong, most of the blame on this one falls on MLB- but I can't shake the fact that if all that is accomplished is baseball changing its business practices a bit here and there, then this is a sorrowful waste of time on the part of these congressmen and women. There are other, more pressing matters at hand. I am talking in circles, but that's how this topic always seems to go.

So baseball then. Hot dogs and home runs and sacrifice bunts. Beats the hell out of hearings and reports and depositions any day of the week in my book. Play frickin' ball already.

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Oh, and unrelated yet so related- Senator Arlen Spector (R- PA), has taken this congressional oversight nonsense a step further in his desire to further the investigation into "Spygate"- the New England Patriots' video taping scandal. Now, while I am willing to give congress a little leeway in regards to the steroid issue- there is valid concern to the public in that regard- I don't understand what Spygate has anything to do with anybody other than parties invloved. Is the distinguished Senator from PA worried that the children of the nation are going run out and purchase video cameras, to record the movemens of their upcoming Pop-Warner opponents? Give me a break already.

There is a Sports God...

Or gods, higher-power, infinite-ubiquitous presence, or what have you...

It had to happen sooner or later. Now, I can't actually speak for this- we'll call it- SportsGod, but I gotta think he (and yes, we'll call it he, to save on keystrokes.. cut me some slack) was getting pretty tired of opening the sports pages everyday and hearing nothing but good news out of Boston. Red Sox win the World Series, Celtics aquire Ray Allen & Kevin Garnett and go on to dominate the first half of the NBA season, the Patriots become the first NFL team to finish the regular season undefeated in 35 years... you get the point. The sun's out. The town that once made a habit of hanging their heads and believing in curses, is now feeling pretty darn good about themselves and their teams.

But into every life, or season, a little rain must fall. And one morning, (figuratively speaking of course because time of day is irrelevant to SportsGod), SportsGod woke up (also figurative because S.G. does not in fact sleep) and realized he could do something about this: So the Patriots lose, in dramatic fashion, ending their bid to end their season perfectly. They lose to one of the biggest underdogs in recent memory. And they lose in the Super Bowl- one of the, if not the most watched games in all of sports history.

Then, Curt Shilling, once an ace (now just an ass) for the Sox, continues his grand spiral into irrelevance- as it is announced he has a shoulder injury and may miss most if not all of the 2008 season. This one's not the end of the world for the Red Sox, but it is a gray cloud as the sun of spring training fast approaches.

Oh and those Boston Celtics, who started the season 30-3, have gone a mere 7-6 since January 9th... Okay that last one is reeeeally stretching it; I mean they are still 37-9 and sitting atop the Eastern Conference... Geez SportsGod or whoever you are, you are starting to slack off, making me look pretty pathetic here... I mean really, SportsGoddammit!

That said, SportsGod, thank you for having the Patriots lose. I know you can't please everyone, but in this case- and I am sure you know this, as S.G. is all knowing- you did please the correct people. And here's to 2008! And don't screw this one up.... honestly.