Deepest Condolences to Tony Dungy & his Family

It was announced yesterday that Indianapolis Colts' head coach, Tony Dungy's 18-year old son was found dead in his apartment. So far it has been ruled as a suicide, but an official autopsy is being conducted. It's a tremendous tragedy when you read of young adults committing suicide with so much of their life ahead. And I cannot fathom the sadness and grief that surrounds the parents of a son or daughter who commits suicide.

As I heard of this news, I heard more and more of Tony Dungy and the kind of man he is. He draws tremendous sympathy and respect from virtually every reporter, player and peer because of the kind of life he leads.

In a day and age where many stars and athletes attribute God as their source of goodness, Tony Dungy actually lives it out every day. It's hard to find Christians who actually act like Christians and yet Tony Dungy has done so without being preachy or condescending. His sincere compassion for those around him is an active part of his life, and he lets his actions speak louder than words.

Some close to Dungy say that he'll come back for the playoffs, but that after that, for this man who's life never revolved around football, he may just retire and do something else. He's been quoted in Sports Illustrated that he considered doing a prison ministry after he was fired from Tampa Bay. And for a man who took seriously, his role as a father, this devastating circumstance may just lead him to a different road.

My prayers and thoughts are with the Dungy family, may the Lord deeply comfort them in this difficult time.

Dodgers keep on adding

The Dodgers acquired Kenny Lofton for a one-year deal yesterday, and also offered Hee Sop Choi to a one-year deal that he ended up taking. The Dodgers pulled a fast one over Choi with a lookey-loo in his contract (taken from 6-4-2’s blogsite) :

It doesn't contain a standard-guarantee provision, meaning Choi receives only a percentage of his salary if he is released before Opening Day. If he is cut during the final two weeks of camp, Choi will get $178,278. If he is cut earlier than that, he will receive $118,852.

Either Choi is too nice or he needs a better agent.

I think that will complete McCourt’s spending spree. All in all, I feel a little better about the Dodgers than I did a month ago when McCourt could hardly drag any GM out here to LA. It is said that the Dodgers look like a used-car lot, but at least we didn’t lose any of our minor leaguers. And I’d add that Colletti was smart enough to sign 1-2 year deals. It’s a gamble for both the team and the players, but at least we have young players on the wings and you never know if these “old veterans”, (a nice way of saying over-the-hill players) will make a decent run for it.

A short note about Johnny Damon going to the Yankees for 4 years, $51 mil. What can you say, except that I’m not naïve enough to expect players to play for love of the game or loyalty. I’d just like to see Damon in his clean-shaven face and short haircut for the first time at Fenway Park next spring. Warning: watch out for bottles and tomatoes on the field.

Where will Bengie Molina go?

One of the reasons why I like the Angels so much is because of guys like Bengie Molina. It's not only his clutch hitting that was valuable, but it was also the way he handled the young Irvin Santana. Santana, even with his tremendous year, had some jitters here and there, some moments when he was wild. But Molina would always settle him down, guide him along, make him the better pitcher he is today.

I think the Angels should have offered Molina arbitration, but now that the market for catchers have shrunk and he is probably a little more anxious to get signed, why not the Dodgers sign him to a 2-year deal? You can always use more than one catcher, especially when Navarro is as young as he is. And how can you not like Molina at the number 5 spot in the batting order with his last season .295 BA, .446 SLG and 69 RBIs? He would also be the closest thing to replacing LoDuca with his popularity and likability.

This guy is a real find and I'm just surprised that there has been so little interest shown in him.

McCourt–smart enough?

There's finally been some action in the off-season for the Dodgers. We just picked up Bill Mueller from the Red Sox which is a great move and the credit can go both to Colletti & Grady, whom Mueller had ties with in SF and Boston. And it's reported that the Dodgers are also after Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders and they've lured Johnny Damon to a meeting in Los Angeles. This also comes at the heels of the Bradley trade to Oakland, where the Dodgers practically gave away Bradley for a minor leaguer. I still think Bradley had tremendous potential and I bet/hope that he will flourish into a major player that will haunt the Dodgers like the way Konerko has haunted the Dodgers.

All of Colletti's moves have been decent at best, paying more than what is needed, but at this stage of Dodger history, we need to overpay to get players to come to LA. 10 years ago, players would have taken a little less to play in LA, but now we need to make the extra effort and I think that is what Colletti is doing (minus the Bradley deal).

All in all, McCourt has been quiet lately on the front and if he is as smart as he likes to think he is, he will contiune to stay out of the lime light and just submerge himself under the waters. If he is at all concerned with PR, then no matter how much he is actually involved in the decisions, he needs to let the fans and media think that he is taking a lesser role. This will be the first step towards rebuilding a reputable organization.

give me some salt & pepper & tabasco sauce

Alright. Give me some salt & pepper & tabasco sauce so that I eat every word that I published on Friday. For the past 6-7 years of being burned, I've been cautious, distancing myself from Bruin Football & Basketball, and just when I stick my neck out, I get run over by a freight truck going 100 mph. Boy, was that painful.

Did the Bruins go to a different game in a different state? Did they not know that in order to have a chance at beating USC, they needed to show up to the game?

I mean, I expected the Trojans to score a lot of touchdowns, that was no surprise to me, but where was the Bruin's offense? Where was the the team that was 5th in scoring points this year? Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong for the Bruins. And this I can say for sure, Dorrell did had a "successful" season, but he is no where close to being a contending coach, much less a coach sought after by the NFL.

I'll end with a shout out to those Bruin fans who stuck it out, in the cold, on the those top bleachers cheering for the last touchdown when the rest of the bruin fans had crawled out of the stadium. They were pathetic and it might have been the beer, but hey, you gotta give them props for facing the humiliation with gusto.

the big game

Tomorrow is the big game in LA. It's been a long time coming and has been hyped up the whole week. Will UCLA knock down USC? Even if UCLA wins, will it matter in the BCS bowl game standings? Will Reggie Bush lose the Heisman the way Vince Young did last week? Will Drew Olson continue to be overlooked to be one of the best QB's this year? Will USC make it 34 in a row and continue on in history? Will the biggest cross-town rival game in LA live up to the hype and excitement as the USC vs. Notre Dame game?

My brain says that USC has all the solid components to win over a very inconsistent and flighty UCLA team. There is no doubt that the USC offense will show up and be ready to put on an amazing show. And I almost do want to watch Texas and USC battle it on New Year's Day. But my heart says that UCLA has the moxi to put up a good fight. Sure their defense is pathetic and they're not as solid, but that's the beauty of college sports: a pure, reckless passion and love of the game, where kids don't get bogged down about multi-million dollar contracts or the politics of the NFL, but play for pride, teamwork and bragging rights.

Forget the records, the stats, what seems obvious on paper. This game is the last season game for all the seniors. It's the biggest rivalry in LA. It's the game that determines if Coach Dorrell will be at UCLA for the long haul. It's the game that means everything for the Bruins who have lost the past six matchups. It's the game that will make men of boys and super stars of stars.

Choosing what your heart says makes you vulnerable to humiliation, disappointment and embarassment on Monday when you go back to work to face your co-workers. My brain says USC will win, but my heart says UCLA will win by 7 and though I, my rational self, didn't think I would choose UCLA, sometimes, you just have to stick your neck out and go with what your heart says.

For the love of the game or money?

Recently someone told me that most people who read sports blogs read it mainly for one purpose: to gain info in order to help them win their bets. It made me think, do guys really love sports for the pure love of the game or is it just a tool for gambling?
When you see the fanatics, all decked out in sporting gear with their faces and hair painted in their team colors, are they rooting for the team or are they rooting for a chance to win a hundred bucks?