Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes

The Palmeiro story continues to fascinate. While I was at Courtney's in DC, I watched the testimony on C-SPAN, and the endless replays on ESPN and other networks. I believed Palmeiro then. To be quite frank, I didn't think that the testimony needed to happen. I saw what was going on as only political grandstanding, and frankly I would consider further efforts on the part of Congress to lecture Major League Baseball or the NBA on how to police themselves. Either make a law stating that the leagues have to abide by the World Anti-Doping Agency Regs, or don't do anything at all. Now, frankly I don't know what credibility Palmeiro still has, especially given how vociferously he refuted Canseco's charges in front of Congress, and the lameness of the excuse, if indeed he is lying, and especially given the way he's been portrayed before this, after 3,000th hit, as the sort of forgotten superstar of this era. What pisses me off more than anything, however, are two things. One, the number of commentators now saying that Jose Canseco is a credible source. There's nothing that says any of what Canseco said was true in the book, that Palmeiro, in fact, was lying to Congress in March. Jose Canseco is still the worst kind of person, with the worst kind of credibility imaginable, meaning, none. Second, because Palmeiro had an early slump, its no seemingly taken as gospel that steroids fueled his revival, which is the worst kind of bull. Baseball is a game of streaks and slumps, it doesn't mean everyone is taking 'roids. And there's no reason, that I can see, to look into perjury charges against Palmeiro.

The NBA trade is really quite weird to me. I think that Jerry Sloan just wanted to beat up on Greg Ostertag for a while before he leaves. I question if this trade makes the Heat truly better, too. Williams and Walker both need the ball, and frankly, in that offense, they shouldn't be getting it. I just see Antoine Walker ending up just camping out at the tree-point line taking ill-advised shots after Shaq passes to him out of the double. I see Jimmy Buffet being hit in the face several times by errant White Chocolate passes. I still believe the Pistons will make a big move for depth, they'll be fine. Its more important to make the right move, than just a move.

The thing about the new NHL, is that when they drop the puck October 5, not only will the game be different (with the lack of the red line) it will be the odd sight of all of these stars in new uniforms. Chris Pronger an Oiler, Peter Forsberg a Flyer (as is Derien Hatcher), and Darren McCarty will be a Flame. But, I suppose this will be something that's to be expected. Hopefully, by November these changes will have sunk in, but its also good to see that some things, like Steve Yzerman as a Wing, won't be changing.