SeeperSports

Las Vegas is apparently going to be the site of the NBA All-Star Game in 2007. I'm no fan of All-Star Games, but I always thought leagues should have these showcases in cities that host member teams. For instance, could you imagine the NFL playing the Pro Bowl in Vegas or in Orlando?

Maybe Las Vegas isn't so bad after all. Paris could get the NBA All-Star Game in 2008 or 2009. It seems that France intensely dislikes anything American. Why would it want the NBA?

Whenever guys talk about the WNBA on sports radio, they always refer to the games as "horse races". Obviously, these people have never seen Becky Hammon of the New York Liberty. These idiotic callers would turn into drooling, babbling idiots if they ever tried to talk to her in person.

University of Wisconsin football coach Barry Alvarez will step down at the end of this season. He'll be focusing exclusively on his job as the school's athletic director. His successor as coach will be defensive coordinator Bret Bielema.

Bielema may turn out to be a good coach, but this is a big loss for the Badgers football program. In the early 1990's, Wisconsin was an easy win for teams like Michigan and Ohio State. Just a few years later, the Badgers became a worthy opponent, and they've stayed among the conference's best. Alvarez has led Wisconsin to three Rose Bowl victories. On top of this, he's a classy guy who seems to never make headlines for the wrong reason.

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At this point, it looks like four teams have a legit shot at winning the American League Eastern Division title. One of those teams: the Toronto Blue Jays, who found themselves 4.5 games out of first place late Wednesday night. The biggest question now is how long the Jays will stay in the race before fading out.

They'd probably be more competitive if the franchise was willing to pony up some more money on players. The Jays have one of the lowest payrolls in the game (about $45.7 million U.S.). Baseball is a money loser for parent company and Canadian corporate giant Rogers Communications. However, what's a $5 million U.S. loss compared to overall profits of $1.4 billion U.S.? Don't be so cheap!

It's all but official. Tomorrow, the New York Knicks will introduce Larry Brown as their new head coach. Insiders say he's getting a five-year deal worth between $50 million and $60 million.

If that's indeed true, the Knicks are spending way too much. For $12 million a year, he had better deliver a championship to Madison Square Garden.

Congratulations to my bowling team Mars Investigations, which locked up a league championship last night at Midway Lanes in Vestal, N.Y. (I'm 99.9999 percent sure of my math on this one.) Thanks to Marty Monforte, James Guinane, John Guinane, and Anne Seepersaud for their hard work this season.

Yes, I lifted our team name from Veronica Mars. I know it's kind of dorky. Yet, it's funny in its own right.

Opening the mailbag here (well, sort of): On the PBATour.com message boards, Tappioca wrote "Steve, great blog site!"

My response: Thanks, Tappioca. I hope you'll be a frequent visitor. I have reason to think that comment came from PBA pro Charlie Tapp. I met him back in 1991 when the tour came to my hometown of Sayville, N.Y. He's a class act.

Took yesterday off to head into New York City to wish Mom a happy birthday. Props also to my Dad and sister who celebrated birthdays this month.

Lance Armstrong heads into retirement with his seventh straight Tour de France victory. There's no better send-off for the man who has defined cycling and perserverance over the last seven years. Has there ever been another athlete in history who was better able to overcome a personal tragedy (cancer) and perform so well? Will there ever be another athlete who will make us care about cycling?

Now Lance can spend more time doing something that all of us guys wish we could do: hang with Sheryl Crow. All I wanna do is have some fun...

It's official! The NHL is coming back. I can only respond by saying one thing: BRING ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

I was surprised to learn that Flip Saunders is replacing Larry Brown as head coach of the Detroit Pistons. With a 17-30 record, Flip didn't exactly have a lot of postseason success while leading the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He'll certainly be expected to do well in the playoffs in Detroit. The Pistons won the title in '04, and almost repeated this season. If Flip doesn't take the Pistons deep into the playoffs, he won't be earning the pay in his four-year, $20 million contract. That deal was a little too generous. His Minnesota-like early playoff exits are not going to cut it.

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San Francisco Giants closer Armando Benitez could be coming back into action sooner than expected. A serious hamstring injury sidelined him, but he's said to be recovering very well.

This is not necessarily a good thing for the Giants. If you need someone to blow a big game, Benitez is your man. San Francisco is paying big money for Benitez, to the tune of $21.5 million over three years. The only advantage to his coming back is the Giants will actually be getting something for their money, and not paying someone to rehab.

In the meantime, Tyler Walker has looked promising as the Giants' closer, converting 14 of his 17 save chances. I'd rather give him the ball in a must-win situation.

Oakland Raiders legend Tim Brown retired in silver and black. The wide receiver spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But, he signed a one-day contract with Oakland, then retired.

A poll question on Yahoo! Sports asked if Brown belongs in the Hall of Fame. The answer should be obvious. He played in 255 games, had 1,094 receptions, gained about 15,000 yards, and caught 100 touchdown passes.

Should Brown be in the Hall of Fame? YES!

Time once again to talk about the baseball player many of us love to hate these days. Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers is indeed facing criminal charges for his attack on two TV photographers.

Rogers is charged with misdemeanor assault, and is free on $1,500 bond. If convicted, he could potentially receive a one-year jail sentence.

But, he probably won't spend much of any time behind bars. Neither one of the cameramen were hurt all that badly. And, first-time offenders (even if they're not ballplayers) charged with misdemeanors don't usually get sent to jail for any significant period of time.

Are you ready for some football? I am. In fact, I'm so ready for football that I'll watch the Canadian Football League.

On Saturday night, the MSG Network carried a CBC broadcast of Calgary vs. Ottawa. I was just going to watch for a few minutes while Court TV's Forensic Files was on a commercial break. But, I kept watching the game until it ended.

I wish our cable system in upstate New York had CBC. I actually enjoy watching curling. CBC did a great job covering last year's Summer Olympics. And, the network's treatment of hockey has an energy level unmatched by American coverage of the NHL.

Umpires are supposed to officiate games and keep things under control. They shouldn't be contributing to the mayhem on the field.

Red Sox pitcher David Wells is being suspended for six games for making contact with two umpires during a recent game. One of them was Chris Guccione, who ejected Wells. The two of them fiercely argued in each other's faces and needed to be separated.

A few weeks ago, umpire Eric Cooper and Mets catcher Mike Piazza were face-to-face, and they weren't showing each other any love. No physical contact here. Just a heated argument.

Certainly, sports are filled with emotions, but umpires should act professionally. You don't see football or hockey referees misbehaving. Why is it that baseball players get disciplined but umpires get a free pass? The MLB umps won't get a free pass here. They're rude, arrogant, overpaid bottom-feeders.

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Guest Commentary by Marty Monforte

The recent play of Jason Giambi has been a bright spot in a season some Yankee fans were eager to write off. Many people gave up on Giambi, believing his career was essentially over. Experts and fans thought we'd never see him turn into the feared slugger he used to be.

However, his recent power surge has given Yankee fans hope that he may at least be a solid sixth place hitter in a lineup stacked with productivity. He has raised his average over .280 and hit his 11th home run on Thursday night. His daily work with Don Mattingly has paid off; he is driving the ball much better and getting around on pitches much more frequently. Giambi looks like he's hitting his stride at the right time.

Pro hockey is apparently coming back, as the NHL's players and owners have reached a tentative six-year deal that includes a salary cap. Both sides need to officially ratify the agreement.

Whatever! I don't care one way or the other about what happens. When NHL hockey was "in session", I didn't watch. And, I didn't miss the NHL this past season when it wasn't around.

Bring on college football!!

Say what you want about the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), but it appears the people running the show are trying to get it right. The BCS has a new poll. Fed up with the alleged unfairness of preseason rankings, the BCS will wait a few weeks into the season before taking votes.

This is actually a good idea. All preseason polls do is rate teams based on last year's accomplishments and hype over this year's players. There's no real, hard data to work with. And, when was the last time you saw a preseason No. 1 win a national championship? Let the first few weeks serve as a weeding-out period. One month into the season, we'll be able to separate the contenders from the chuckers.

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is just hours away. Right now, I'm really not all that interested in what happens. It's funny, because I took part (twice, in fact) in the All-Star voting. Even though some of my choices will be participating, I still don't have any strong desire to watch.

The concept of the game is good, as fans can see a "dream" matchup between teams stocked with superstars. But, the game is not relevant, and certainly hasn't been since the 2002 game ended in a tie score because both teams ran out of pitchers. Speaking of pitchers, we all know they're not putting their 100 percent on the mound. Why should they? Who wants to get hurt playing in a useless exhibition?

The PGA's John Deere Classic is now in the books. In case anyone's interested, Sean O'Hair won.

But, hardly anyone was interested. The buzz centered around Michelle Wie, 15, who unsuccessfully tried to become the first female in 60 years to make the cut in a PGA Tour event. She'll try again, and I'm sure she'll make the cut eventually.

Then what? The novelty will wear off. She probably won't win a tournament title. And, she'd probably just become a footnote in the Tour's history.

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The movie selection this summer has not been impressive at all. We're getting an awful lot of remakes of films and TV shows. I'm sorry, but I just can't watch The Honeymooners without Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. Bewitched could never be the same without Elizabeth Montgomery and either of the two Darrins. The newest versions of The Bad News Bears and The Longest Yard could never measure up to the originals.

Some people working in Hollywood are so arrogant. They think they're so smart, cool, and glamorous. They treat the entertainment business like an elite country club where outsiders aren't wanted. If these people are so smart, why don't they come up with something original? These pompous buffoons think they can crank out a bunch of junk and we'll just hurry off to hand them our money.

It's hard to imagine a Summer Olympics without baseball and softball. However, this seemingly unthinkable concept will be a reality in 2012. The London Games will not have softball and baseball.

The reasons: Softball doesn't have a large fan following, and many top baseball stars don't want to play in the Olympics. I can live with the first reason. But, what is it with athletes not wanting to represent America? It used to be that people considered it an honor to represent the U.S.A. in the Olympics. Now, many athletes here think it's a pain in the neck. Their heads really are in the wrong places.

Given the state of baseball today, I'm sure some players don't want to be in the Olympics because they won't be able to get away with juicing.

I'm starting to see a lot of stuff on the Web regarding Fantasy Football 2005. I know many people are into this game, and I certainly don't want to put any of them down.

But, could someone explain to me how and why Fantasy Football is fun? I tried it once and didn't get a kick out of it. I don't have time to read up on everyone's stats. I have enough to think about without trying to devise trades that will get great players while disposing of garbage. Also, I feel that I'd rather take part in a sport (even if it's bowling) than be the owner of some mythical sports franchise.

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) drove a stake through the hearts of many New Yorkers when it chose London as the host city for the 2012 Summer Games. I wanted to see NYC get the Games, but the decision didn't surprise me that much. The whole bid project seemed doomed from the beginning.

The city never really got its act together on building a new stadium. That didn't help NYC's standing with the IOC. When funding fell through for the Manhattan project, the city proposed a new stadium in Queens. It came off as a desperate, last-minute move.

The city's leaders seemed overconfident about their chances. Flags with an NYC 2012 Candidate City logo were prominently displayed. That logo was pasted onto virtually every subway car. Being a candidate city isn't much of a reason to celebrate. Getting the Games is a reason to celebrate.

I hope NYC will try again. Maybe the next time around, the city's leaders will be much more organized.

Chicago Cubs star Derrek Lee is listed as day-to-day because of an injured left shoulder. He left Tuesday night's game against the Atlanta Braves after hurting himself during a first-inning at-bat.

I know I said that something crazy would happen to deny Lee the Triple Crown, but I'm not sure an injury is what I had in mind. What was I thinking about? Maybe Lee would get suspended for using a corked bat Sammy Sosa left behind. Or, possibly a malicious official scorekeeper would rule "error", denying Lee a hit that would give him a narrow victory for the batting title in a very tight race.

The Chicago Cubs are looking way, way up at the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central Division standings. But, there's still a reason to follow the Cubs as Derrek Lee is making a run at a Triple Crown. Yes, we're only halfway through the season, but Lee is almost right where he needs to be.

However, I don't think he'll get a Triple Crown. In typical Cubs fashion, something crazy will happen to deny him the glory. I don't know of any possible way Steve Bartman can mess it up for him. But, something else will happen. It will be interesting to see what that something else turns out to be.

Guest Commentary by Marty Monforte

The Boston Red Sox started slowly but have quickly come on. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are again providing the power hitting punch the Red Sox have relied on. Sparkplug Johnny Damon is one of the game's best tablesetters and coasting to a .300-plus average. This is his contract year, and he'll probably command a decent amount of money as a free agent. Red Sox pitching has not been great, but fortunately, the Red Sox play in the East where no one else has good pitching. Matt Clement has had a very solid season (9-1, 3.33) while Tim Wakefield (6-6, 4.05) and Bronson Arroyo (6-3, 4.02) have had respectable campaigns.

The Chicago White Sox, led by fiesty manager Ozzie Guillen, are a bit of a surprise. However, pitching has propelled them into a commanding division lead. Mark Buerle (9-1, 2.48) has been excellent and Jon Garland (12-3, 3.25) leads the AL in wins. Freddy Garcia has proven to be a very effective third starter as well. The White Sox lineup has been decent, but needs to improve. No one is batting .300 and only Paul Konerko has close to 20 home runs. If the hitting improves, this could Chicago's year.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim round out the AL leaders. They're the weakest of the division leaders, but could very well be in the mix come October. Bartolo Colon is having a solid season (9-4, 2.99) and if he stays in shape, he could be a solid anchor for the starting staff. John Lackey (6-2, 3.50), Jarrod Washburn (4-3, 3.35) and Paul Byrd (7-5, 3.87) are starters 2-4 in what has been the best starting staff in the league. However, the Angels have struggled to find consistency offensively, as only Vladimir Guerrero and Garrett Anderson are having noteworthy offensive years.

Who has a shot at catching the division leaders? In the East, Baltimore has cooled off after a surprising start. Pitching has been inconsistent, while the everyday lineup has performed well. The New York Yankees, easily the league's most disappointing team, have received subpar performances from Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano. Some wonder if Johnson is past his prime and if Pavano was a one-year wonder. Keep in mind that Roger Clemens struggled in his first year in New York as well (4.69 ERA), so Johnson and Pavano could turn it around.

In the Central, the Minnesota Twins are receiving solid seasons from youngsters Justin Morneau and Matt Lecroy. Veterans Torie Hunter and Shannon Stewart are also contributing. Johan Santana and Carlos Silva have ERA's under 4.00.

In the West, Texas may be the only challenger to the Angels. The Rangers have had very solid seasons from Alphonso Soriano (.284, 19 HR) and Mark Teixiera (292, 20 HR). Kenny Rogers and Chris Young are having solid seasons on the mound.

The second half of the AL race will no doubt answer many burning questions. Will pitching propel the White Sox and the Angels to a league championship matchup? Will the Red Sox defend their title successfully? What kind of impact will a healthy Curt Shilling have on the Red Sox? Can Johnson and Pavano show up in time to help the Yankees overtake the Red Sox? Can Texas and Baltimore get enough pitching to make a run?

It appears that Kenny Rogers is getting what he deserves. MLB suspended the Texas Rangers pitcher for 20 games and fined him $50,000 for his recent outburst against two television photographers. The players' union filed an appeal on his behalf. So, he can keep pitching until the appeal is heard.

I hope that appeal is unsuccessful. The players' union should stay out of this, anyway. Rogers was completely out of line. There was no excuse for him shoving the photographers and damaging one of the cameras. He should be happy the suspension is only 20 games.

No word yet on whether criminal charges will be filed. I hope they are. Players have to learn they can't get away with doing whatever they choose.

The Yankees are basically on the verge of sinking. In an effort to stay afloat, they're getting rid of some dead weight. The Yanks cut inept relievers Mike Stanton and Paul Quantrill. Their respective ERAs are 7.07 and 6.75.

Unfortunately, the Yankees are still on the hook for Quantrill's and Stanton's salaries this year, which combined are about $7 million. What a colossal waste! Quantrill is making $3 million this year, while Stanton is making $4 million. Is there any better proof that salaries in Major League Baseball are way too high?