I'm back!

So Coach K is staying put at Duke, passing up millions of dollars and equally as many headaches with the Lakers job! I cannot tell you how glad I am that he is staying put. At this point in his career, especially when you consider he has a lifetime contract, he really should not be attempting the pro game. He’s a lifer at Duke barring any major scandal. As per usual, Ron Cook continues to just not get it. He wrote in yesterday’s Post-Gazette that Coach K should have taken the job. Please, PLEASE don’t make me have to get out that laundry list of NCAA coaches that have struck out in the pro game! How and why a two-bit columnist from a town that hasn’t had a major league basketball franchise since the 70s feels the need to opine on this story is beyond me. What, Pitt basketball has a couple of good seasons and now all of a sudden everyone is David Aldrige? I think The Rock put it best many moons ago when he said, “know your role and shut your mouth!” Hey, Steelers training camp opens up later this month, concentrate on a topic you’re somewhat familiar with.

The Pirates winning streak was snapped at 10 last night in Miami. It was still a valiant effort to come back by the boys in black and gold. I’m glad to see that Jack Wilson will be representing the Bucs in the All Star game in Houston. Also, what a nice schedule the guys get, three game series in Miami followed by a four game series in San Juan against the Expos. That will provide for a nice base tan leading into the all star break! Jason Kendall is one of the final internet vote in guys on MLB.com. I’d say vote for him, but, well, if you don’t know how I feel about JK then I’ll just go on what my mother told me. If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone… you know the rest!

Is there a reason why Tampa Bay’s recent winning streak has garnered major national attention, yet the Pirates’ similar streak has not? I guess Dick Vitale isn’t on Mike and Mike every Monday pumping up the Pirates now is he?!

Did anyone really think that with the #48 of Jimmie Johnson pushing him, that Jeff Gordon would be denied Saturday night at Daytona in the Pepsi 400? Hoorah! Pepsi Edge for EVERYONE! Actually, it’s a good thing because I like it better than Coke’s C2! It appears that the Hendrick Motorsports team has things back on track and they could be closing the gap in DEI’s dominance of the restrictor plate races.

Not that I’m ready to say that competitive eating is a sport BUT, is there anyone more dominant in their sport than Kobayashi is at eating hot dogs? Perhaps Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in Formula 1 (don’t get me started on whether racing is or isn’t a sport; that’s a topic for another day!) I have a problem with the contest rules though. I don’t like how they can eat the dogs, then dip the buns in water (which is disgusting by the way) and eat them separately. The contest should be done in the same manner you would sit down and eat a hot dog.

No big surprise yesterday as John Kerry picked John Edwards to be his running mate on the Democratic ticket that hopefully will beat Bush/Cheney. I would have actually liked Edwards better as the presidential candidate but he never had a shot against Kerry, or Gephardt for that matter with his strong labor backing. I love the over-analysis on TV about the pick, like the VP makes any difference in anything. It’s the most overrated, unimportant position in major politics. It was neat that Kerry was in the great city of Pittsburgh when the announcement was made though.

Dennis Roddy had a story in the Post-Gazette over the weekend about ousted Tribune Democrat editor David Levine. I’m glad this story was run in the burgh so the rest of Western Pennsylvania can see what a putz this guy is. Good riddance to this joker who recently wrote that AAABA baseball games should be held at Trojan Stadium! The new publisher said he was looking to go in a more positive direction. All I can say is they got what they asked for when they hired a guy as their editor that spent time with the New York Post. Yes, that same New York Post that ran the cover story yesterday that Kerry had picked Dick Gephardt as his VP! The same New York Post where Peter Vecsey writes columns ripping Jim Gray as often as Ann Coulter rips liberals! I could go on and on and on about the Big Apple’s bastion of journalism.

Although I despise most reality based TV programs, I stumbled upon one which I really enjoy. “Airline” on A&E is a really neat program that takes place in airports around the country and follows customer service reps and flyers through the trials and tribulations of flying. Sometimes, exchanges between airline employees and disgruntled customers get heated and it makes for good viewing. Does this change of heart make me a flip-flopping, tax-and-spend liberal?! I just couldn’t resist!

Bye now.