Misses of the Week

Every week the sports media reacts to certain stories that they should leave alone and makes poor decisions that aren't spotlighted enough. From time to time I will provide some "Misses of the Week" that I either failed to cover previously or did not necessarily constitute a full column. This week...

Barkley back to gambling: After being embarrassed during the NBA Playoffs when a casino made it public that Charles Barkley owed them $40,000, he swore he would quit gambling for at least "a year or two." While that is laughable in itself (imagine an alcoholic saying he'd quit drinking for two years), what is even more crazy is how the media is jumping all over him for accepting an invitation to play in a charity poker game. Sure, it is not the best way to stay away from a casino, but gambling implies risking your own money; Chuck is playing for charity. Give the man a little slack.

NBC, Notre Dame sign new deal: Five more years?! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE watching football and all sports on NBC. I also hate that they've lost MLB and NBA coverage over the past decade to crappy FOX and ABC respectivley. The reason this deal bothers me is two fold. First, signing Notre Dame to their own television deal keeps them independent from a conference. We all know it is time for them to join the Big 10 and allow them to be a REAL conference with a championship game. Second, well let's be honest, Notre Dame sucks.

NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said the network doesn't look at year-to-year results when it comes to Notre Dame, calling the football program a premier brand that defines the network as much as the Olympics, the NFL and the U.S. Open golf championship. Really?! Maybe he should. Notre Dame is NOT what it once was and does not deserve this type of treatment, even if Tony Kornheiser continues to call them the "university of football in America."

Saturday News & Notes

Rose Won't Wither - Continuing the trend from two stories below, Pete Rose still can't keep his mouth shut. This time he claims he would have amassed 5,000 hits if he would have been on steroids. Pete, I thought we just went over this--stop.

Kimbo Slice Debuts - There is no more waiting as backyard brawler-turned-MMA superstar Kimbo Slice will fight in an EliteXC card tonight live on CBS. This is the first time MMA is being broadcast on network television and EliteXC is using Slice (real name Ferguson) as their poster boy for potential success. While his peers still question Slice's ability, there is no questioning his star power and potential to brutally dominate the sport.

I Thought Seau was Retired? - New England Patriots LB Junior Seau retired from football (and his Miami Dolphins contract) in 2006 by signing a one-day deal with the San Diego Chargers. Four days later, he signed with the Patriots and is now considering a third year with the team. What a stand-up guy, huh?

Dukies Hire Notre Dame AD - While Duke (outside of lacrosse and basketball) leaves little to be desired as far as a collegiate athletic program, hiring the AD that hasn't done much at all with Notre Dame makes you wonder if they are even serious about improving their programs?

More U.S. Friendlies with Euro Clubs - F.C. Barcelona has signed to play two friendlies in the United States by scheduling games in Chicago and New York against Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara at Soldier Field and the MLS's Red Bulls at Giants Stadium respectivley. This will be the club's third trip to the U.S. in the last five years.