Monday Sports Scrapple

Pete Rose had applied for reinstatement to major league baseball.  No.  A thousand times, no.  He bet on baseball, the mother of all sins.  He lied about betting on baseball.  He only admitted to betting on baseball when he had a book to sell.  Pete Rose is an awful person, and the game is far better off without him.  Sadly, there's a new baseball commissioner, and I think the bum actually stands a chance this time.

Baseball is on thin ice with me.  The games are too long.  Too many teams get in the playoffs, and it was nearly impossible to find the games.  The return of Pete Rose could push me over the edge.

I'm not a basketball fan, but I do keep up on what's going on.  It's part of my job.  I see there were some upsets in the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament, and that always makes it interesting.

I worked for the CBS station in town for several years, and I used to mosey out to the outer lobby when CBS would blow out the afternoon soaps for basketball.  I used to take a seat on the bench out there, and listen to our poor receptionist take calls from irate people who were missing "their stories."  The woman was sweet and patient, and she explained time after time that it was a network decision, not a local woman, and "the stories" would pick up on Monday where they left off, before basketball.

Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim announced his retirement, three years from now.  He presided over a dirty program.  He should resign in three minutes, not three years.

The Indianapolis Colts have come up with a plan for a nine point play.  If you make a touchdown and two point conversion, you can take a shot at a 50 yard kick for an eighth point.  I'm a traditionalist, but color me intrigued.  Dome and warm weather teams clearly have an advantage here.  It was nice, this past season, see a return to a running game for a lot of teams.  I suspect we'll see some kickers drafted in the first round if the plan goes through.

Chris Borland retired after his rookie season in the NFL.  Reason?  Fear of concussions and long term health damage.  Look, every job has risks.  Some more than others.  Borland decided the money isn't worth the potential damage.  I assume he has a "plan B" for making money, and he actually got an education during his college years.  Some see this is a game changer for the NFL.  The sport will be in decline because it can't keep its participants safe.  I'm not so sure.  There are hundreds, maybe thousands, out there willing to take Borland's place.