Time for a makeover

Some thoughts about the NBA All-Star game ... if you want to call it that ...

1) The whole weekend seems to be a large waste of time and effort, especially if the league is going to stage it in Jerry Jones' cavernous stadium in Dallas. More than 100,000 people stuffed their way in to see what looked like ants in short pants running around on the floor. Great revenue, yes. But not a worthwhile experience for about 80 percent of the fans.

2) Speaking of things that aren't worthwhile, will someone ever have enough courage to say, "Enough with the idiotic slam dunk competition?" Charles Barkley of TNT came close by saying it needs a makeover. It's at least 27 years old – reborn here in Denver, as a matter of fact. What we see one night during the all-star weekend is what regular fans of the league see every night. There's nothing new ...

3) It was nice to see the NBA's best take a page from the NHL or another perennial loser of an all-star game, the NFL's Pro Bowl, and not play defense. That's what fans want. But it's no better than the end of the first hour of a pick-up game in your yard and doesn't make for a good use of 2 1/2 hours.

4) A halftime concert now? Glad I have a good book to read.

Which is worse?

We present a very non-scientific poll today ...
Which of these is worse?
1) The fact that Lane Kiffin, the new coach at Southern Cal, has a commitment from a 13-year-old recruit in Delaware; or
2) The fact that, according to reports, the 13-year-old has a personal coach; or
3) That Kiffin might be at Southern Cal in five years when this alleged 13-year-old prodigy is eligible to go to college?
Commitments have a way of not meaning a lot, especially when a coach bolts (see Pete Carroll).
It's disturbing that a 13-year-old has a personal coach. His biggest worry should be developing skills to become a rounded person, not the 2010 version of Todd Marinovich.
If anyone knows whether this child is allowed to eat a hamburger or otherwise behave like a normal teenager, speak up.

Hey Denver – we've got letter-signers, too

Just in case the Denver papers and TV weren't aware, there is a wonderful world of athletic talent outside the city's boundaries.
Five football players – Marquis McNeil of Prairie View, Ryan Delay of Brighton (both stories will be at www.thebrightonblade.com the middle of next week); Jake Bernhard of Fort Lupton (www.ftluptonpress.com); and Anthony Hernandez and Demo Schmidt of Frederick (www.cvfarmerandminer.com) – signed letters to play at NCAA Division II schools yesterday.
No, it doesn't carry the glamor of a kid from a private school signing with a Division I program. But it does speak to the athletes' talent level and, in many cases, to the types of people they are.

Slam duds

Five people to call and/or analyze the NBA slam dunk contest in two weeks?
Come on ... the last TNT could do is get one per competitor.
That way, I would be sure to miss it.

Schemmel is a good choice

The winner of the Colorado Rockies New Announcer Sweepstakes is Jerry Schemmel.
Local types know him as the veteran radio voice of the Denver Nuggets. He's also one of the survivors of that horrible plane crash in Iowa many years ago.
Schemmel will be good. He knows the area, he's known in the area. And he's a straight shooter.
It might be a good enough pick to keep the sound on the TV turned down again this season.

Carroll bolts -- so what else is new?

Former USC football coach Pete Carroll thinks he's found Nirvana as the new coach in Seattle.
More power to him. But I'm not convinced.
Why? Four letters - N-C-A-A.
They are hot on the Trojans' heels for two problems with benefits provided to football players. Carroll doesn't want to be anywhere near the program when the NCAA gets finished.
But now that he's gone, there's one person who can explain the rather grotesque lack of oversight in the Trojans' athletic program (The NCAA would like to have some answers about what sort of bennies O.J. Mayo got while on the basketball team.)
The one person is Mike Garrett, the school's athletic director.
Don't hold your breath. His case of laryngitis is into its third month.

Hey Mark? clam up

Mark McGwire's performance in front of Congress was forgettable ... his words seem to indicate a certain amount of forgetfulness, too.
So imagine the surprise when he decided to come clean for the Associated Press.
Well, sort of.
He said what most everyone knew – that he was a user and that it was stupid.
He also said he did it for health reasons, not strength.
All those who believe that .....