1) Not even the biggest story of 2006 – Game of Shadows revealing cold hard facts on Barry Bonds’s egregious steroid (ab)use – was enough to convince the media, GMs, managers, players, or fans to care about steroids and baseball. They said they care, but they really didn’t. It comes down to a separation mentality among the aforementioned group of parties, especially fans.

During the MLB season, everyone wants to ignore the 800-pound gorilla and enjoy the spirit of baseball. It’s the off-season where boredom sets in and some people show a little concern over steroids until it’s time for spring training. During the season, there are all kinds of pea-sized topics to discuss like Brad Lidge blowing a save or Luke Scott competing for a starting job. These little things in baseball – as in life – distract so many people from the big picture that it’s suddenly a shock when a star player tests positive for steroids.

2) The Hall of Fame is a sham. Suddenly, the same writers who are so concerned about throwing motion and finding an eighth inning set-up guy put on their moral hat and play judge, jury, and steroid ignorer. Who’s to say today’s invitees, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr., didn’t fool around with a needle or two? To be perfectly clear, I’m not accusing, suggesting, or even hinting that Gwynn or Ripken were ever on the juice. There is zero proof at this time.

Yet, how can sports writers separate the McGwires from the Gwynns in the steroid era? Is there some sort of filter? How can there be a filter when no one other than Jose Canseco, Mark Fainaru-Wada, and Lance Williams have stepped up to acknowledge names, dates, and times?

What’s most disconcerting is that the same sports writers who have ignored steroid evidence in Canseco’s book and Game of Shadows are the ones checking “No” for Mark McGwire. They’re not willing to call for changes in a sport that has a horrible record of dealing with steroids, but they’re falling all over themselves looking for a TV spot to preach about their own personal moral integrity or the so-called “referendum” on steroids by not voting for McGwire.

Ultimately, this issue will never be resolved unless enough players or former players blow the top off the issue or someone captures video of a player injecting himself with a needle before Game 7 of the World Series.

Hall of Fame discussions will continue to be dominated by speculation. Writers will play moral judges during the off-season for the next 20 years.

It will come down to who looked like they were on the juice and who looked like there’s no way they could have been on the juice. Is this what the Hall of Fame has become? A guessing game on who took the juice or not? Sad, but true.

AP
1. Florida
2. Ohio St.
3. LSU
4. USC
5. Boise St.
6. Louisville
7. Wisconsin
8. Michigan
9. Auburn
10. West Virginia
11. Oklahoma
12. Rutgers
13. TEXAS
14. Cal
15. Arkansas

USA TODAY / COACH POLL
1. Florida
2. Ohio St.
3. LSU
4. USC
5. Wisconsin
6. Boise St.
7. Louisville
8. Auburn
9. Michigan
10. West Virginia
11. Oklahoma
12. Rutgers
13. TEXAS
14. Cal
15. BYU

Tracy McGrady was clutch down the stretch, with 25 of his game-high 31 points coming in the second half. He also led the team with eight important assists to make up for Rafer Alston, who’s in the midst of a terrible slump.

Jeff Van Gundy’s trademark defense kept the Rockets in the game during the first half, then shut down the Bulls in the second half, allowing only 11 points in the third quarter and 26 points in the fourth quarter.

The Rockets showed resilliency down the stretch and an important ability to win in crunch time on the road. With the Lakers coming to town Wednesday night, they needed a momentum boost against the team that ended the Mavericks’ double-digit win streak on Sunday.

Big 10/Midwest BCS Results:
Michigan blown out. CHECK
Notre Dame blown out. CHECK
Ohio St. blown out. CHECK

I’m just waiting for Kirk Herbstreit to make excuses on the ESPN post-game show.

CHECK THAT: It’s Lee Corso who’s making the excuses for Ohio St. and Herbstreit is being the realist explaining how Florida dominated both sides of the ball.

Applewhite told the Chronicle, “I have been contacted, and I do have some interest, but I have not been offered the job. I’ll sit down with my wife, Julie, and we’ll make a decision this week. Right now, I’m still committed to Rice and the recruiting class we have coming here.”

You never know what the Raiders are thinking when it comes to the draft. They need a QB, but the siren song of Calvin Johnson is irresistible. Just look at the acquisition of over-the-hill Randy Moss two seasons ago.

790 The Zone in Atlanta just announced Calvin Johnson is entering the NFL Draft, so let’s add him to the board. I’ve taken Adrian Peterson off the board until he declares for the draft …

1. Oakland – Calvin Johnson (WR – Georgia Tech)
2. Detroit – JaMarcus Russell (QB – LSU)
3. Cleveland – Joe Thomas (OT – Wisconsin)
4. Tampa Bay – Alan Branch (DT – Michigan)
5. Arizona – Amobi Okoye (DT – Louisville)
6. Washington – LaRon Landry (S/CB – LSU)
7. Minnesota – Tedd Ginn, Jr. (WR – Ohio St.)
8. Houston – Leon Hall (CB – Michigan)
9. Miami – Brady Quinn (QB – Notre Dame)
10. Atlanta – Gaines Adams (DE – Clemson)
11. San Francisco – Glenn Dorsey (DT – LSU)
12. Buffalo – Levi Brown (OT – Penn St.)
13. St. Louis – Adam Carriker (DE – Nebraska)
14. Carolina – Brian Brohm (QB – Louisville)
15. Green Bay – Jeff Samardzija (WR – Notre Dame)
16. Pittsburgh – Paul Posluszny (LB – Penn St.)
17. Jacksonville – Darrelle Reveis (CB – Pittsburgh)
18. Cincinnati – LaMarr Woodley (LB – Michigan)
19. Tennessee – Dwayne Jarrett (WR – USC)
20. NY Giants – Marshawn Lynch (RB – Cal)
21. Denver – Justin Blalock (OG – Texas)
22. New England (from Seattle) – Eric Wright (CB – UNLV)
23. Dallas – Quentin Moses (DE – Georgia)
24. Kansas City – Marcus McCauley (CB – Fresno St.)
25. New Orleans – Dwayne Bowe (WR – LSU)
26. NY Jets – Tony Ugoh (OT – Arkansas)
27. Philadelphia – Quinn Pitcock (DT – Ohio St.)
28. New England – Anthony Spencer (DE – Purdue)
29. Indianapolis – Jarvis Moss (DE – Florida)
30. Baltimore – Kenny Irons (RB – Auburn)
31. Chicago – Troy Smith (QB – Ohio St.)
32. San Diego – Tim Crowder (DE – Texas)

Was Romo a little too cocky after a few weeks of success during the middle of the season? How about hooking up with Jessica Simpson, then Carrie Underwood? Was this a pre-destined fall from grace after such a meteoric rise? Will his sudden ascension to the Pro Bowl from obscurity be overshadowed by his Leon Lett quality field goal disaster for the ‘Boys?

Romo’s post-game press conference was almost a funeral procession. He nearly broke down into tears as he tried to wrap his head around what went wrong on the field goal attempt that cost the Cowboys a trip to the second round. It’s as if Romo was coming to grips with the fact that as quickly as you ascend to greatness – on the verge of being anointed with the holiest of holy oils with the Cowboys – you can crash down to earth with Icarus-like speed.

Will Romo be a flash in the pan; a one-hit wonder with a disastrous fall-out in 2007 after bobbling the game vs. the Seahawks? Fortunately, time heals all wounds. Or, if you’re like Brad Lidge and still haunted by a home run that landed on the train tracks off the bat of Albert Pujols, something as historically disastrous as botching a game-winning field goal will live on in playoff lore forever.

Can Romo bounce back? He was humbled this night, which may mean more for his growth over the next five to ten years as an NFL quarterback. Cowboy fans might remember this bobble fondly as the night Romo had to swallow his pride. Or, if Romo retreats into mediocrity, Cowboy fans will remember this as the night a legit playoff run slipped out of reach.

FCC fines NBC a record $250,000 for on-air fellatio of Notre Dame « It’s a Definite Maybe

In the few games Wells has played this season, he’s looked like a player straight from the NBDL with the game flying past him. At other times, he’s looked like a potentially dominant forward with an understanding of the Rockets offense. Unfortunately, Wells doesn’t have the conditioning or complete understanding of the offense to jump right back into the scheme once his back is healed up and he’s ready to play.

Even if he is healthy, Van Gundy probably won’t put him right back into the normal rotation with the current roster on a 5-1 run since Yao Ming went down. Wells is obviously this year’s version of Stromile Swift – an over-paid free agent bust. But, if he can get in a groove with the offense after returning, he can contribute as a highly overpaid roleplayer.

• The UT-Iowa Alamo Bowl game last Saturday drew the highest viewing audience (5.5 million households) for any ESPN bowl game in history. ‘Horns fans not only travel well; they know when to park in front of the TV.

• Texans games led the Houston market only ten weeks out of the year. The Texans are a ratings disaster, as we know. With games starting at noon nearly every Sunday this past season, the Texans are at an automatic disavantage with late-risers and church-goers catching the game around the second quarter. Plus, the Texans run the most boring offensive scheme in football. Nothing says ratings disaster like a three-yard hitch route. Also, don’t forget that Houston is one of the top markets for ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, which consistently beat Texans games this past season in the ratings. Houstonians would rather watch Hall of Fame football players work the floor in shiny shoes, than watch another David Carr disaster.

• The BCS moved to FOX, but the fans didn’t travel well. The Louisville-Wake Forest snoozer set a record low for a BCS game with a 7.0. Even the OU-Boise St. classic drew a disapointinly low 8.4 rating. Considering that the game went well past midnight in the central time zone, it was more of a battle over snooze than whether the game was interesting or not. Also, remember that sports fans like their big heavyweights like USC and Texas, and aren’t necesarily big fans of a Cinderalla story. Familiarity is life’s easiest comfort. Same goes for the announcers. FOX scrambled to put together a group of announcers with a shred of name credibility, but combinations such as Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw in the broadcast booth was like nails on the chalkboard for LSU-Notre Dame.

• Rockets ratings continue to slide on FSN. Is it Bill Worrell getting old, Clyde Drexler not providing enough analysis, or the product not being fan-friendly? I enjoy watching Rockets games, but listening to Clyde on the mic is painful after an hour. I long for the Worrell-Murphy tandem that dominated airwaves during the Rockets’s heyday. The product isn’t TV-friendly, though. Sure, I’ll take two hours of Yao dominating the point or Tracy dribble-driving past wannabee defenders, but it’s not Showtime or Jordan/Pippen. There’s a San Antonio Spurs hard hat and lunch pail feel to Rockets games that doesn’t translate into buzz-worthy basketball and ratings success.