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The New York Mets suck. Going into today’s game against the Brewers, they’re a mediocre 37-37, including a 3-5 record in extra innings and a 12-12 record in one-run games. They’ve scored five fewer runs than they’ve given up. Adding K-Rod in the offseason was supposed to fix the weakest part of their game from last year: the bullpen. There really hasn’t been any improvement. Out of their “big 4”, only David Wright has managed to stay uninjured this year, and with the new ballpark, he’s not hitting as many home runs. They currently have $69 million worth of players currently on the disabled list. What’s going on?

Year in and year out, the Mets are the favorites to win the NL East. But year after year, they keep choking it away. In 2006, they dropped the NLCS in Game 7 to the eventual champion St Louis Cardinals, one of the more unlikely World Series Champions ever (with a regular season record of 83-78). The 2007 season saw the Mets in one of the most epic collapses in baseball history, dropping 12 of their final 17 games and losing the division to the Phillies by one game. No other MLB team has dropped a division lead that large (7 games) in such a short period of time. 2008 was history repeating itself for the Mets, losing 10 of the last 17 (including 3 to the Phillies), blowing a 3 and a half game lead, and losing the division to the Phillies yet again. The Phillies didn’t squander the opportunity – they won the World Series and became the first team in Philadelphia to win a major sports championship in 25 years.

Tonight’s game against the Brewers was an embarrassment. They allowed at least two baserunners for each of the first eight innings (the Brewers obviously didn’t bat in the 9^th, having won the game by a score of 10-6), and after cutting the lead from 3-0 to 3-2, gave up a grand slam in the bottom of the 6^th. Brewers pitcher Braden Looper (a former Met himself) even gave himself some run support, driving a ground ball just out of reach of Jose Reyes, scoring Frank Catalanotto. After a rally in the 9^th due to some horrendous fielding by the Brewers, Trevor Hoffman came in and did what he does best – shut his opponents down. The loss dropped the Mets below .500 with a record of 37-38. They really have no excuse for not leading the division. After all, division-leading Phillies can’t win at home, doing all their damage on the road.

So what’s the reason for their losing ways? Is it the coaching staff? Shouldn’t be. The Mets couldn’t even win games under Willie Randolph, much less get the division lead and choke it away. Is it the front office staff? Quite possibly.

Steve Phillips, current Baseball Tonight analyst, put together the Mets team that made it to the World Series in 2000 against the cross-town Yankees. Also, before Phillips’ reign as GM before being fired in 2003, the Mets hadn’t made the playoffs in back to back seasons.

Omar Minaya, the current Mets GM, has had a few winning seasons under his belt, but he keeps shelling out big bucks and not getting the desired results. K-Rod was supposed to be the missing piece to get the Mets to the World Series, but you can’t get there if you can’t win games. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t been fired yet. With only one playoff appearance in 4 years, going on 5, and having already fired a competent manager, Minaya should be on thin ice. If they don’t make the playoffs this year, don’t be surprised if he’s the scapegoat, and rightfully so. Spending money on superstars that don’t pan out and a new stadium, the fans deserve better than a group of underachievers. It may be time for the Mets to cut their losses and try a new direction.

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After an inspired and valiant effort, the USA soccer team fell 3-2 yesterday to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final. I must admit, I’m a cynic as far as soccer in America goes. It’s not one of our four major sports, and aside from gym class and “beehive soccer” played by children in elementary school, it’s hardly noticed at all. When was the last time you watched a MLS match? Even with David Beckham playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy, ratings haven’t improved. It’s not something most Americans really care about.

I digress. I didn’t think the USA had any business advancing instead of Italy in group play. If Italian player Andrea Dossena hadn’t scored an own goal to give Brazil their third goal, the United States would not have advanced – Italy would have. Or if Italy had scored a single goal against Brazil, they would have advanced due to the goal deficit tiebreaker.

But neither of these scenarios happened. The American team miraculously advanced. Again, I admit I had no faith in them. I thought the Spanish team, winners of 15 straight and having not lost in 35 straight, would be too much to handle. Shockingly enough, the Americans did it again, shutting out Spain 2-0 to advance to the finals.

I had mixed feelings before the rematch with Brazil. I know Brazil is always an international powerhouse and if you know nothing about soccer and you’re placing a bet, Brazil is your team. They’ve won 5 World Cups, more than any other nation (Italy has 4, Germany has 3). They’re also 13-1 all time against the USA. I almost wanted to believe in the American team. They lucked their way into the knockout round, but then proved they deserved to be there with the shutout of Spain.

Watching the game yesterday afternoon, I was surprised a little that the American team drew first blood only ten minutes in. But when Landon Donovan (hands-down the best American player – seriously, what’s he doing still in MLS instead of Champion’s League or something like that?) scored in the 27^th minute to give the Americans a 2-0 lead, I was downright shocked. I actually thought for a minute about the Miracle on Ice and this may be their similar moment for soccer.

Needless to say, it didn’t happen. The Brazilians scored nearly immediately after coming back from halftime, then twice in the final 16 minutes to tie and take the lead. They won 3-2 and took home the gold and their 3^rd Confederations Cup.

But what about the aftermath? As much of a pessimist I can be about American soccer and how it’s not valued in our culture, I can safely say after the performance they gave with their backs against the wall, the American team may have arrived. They will likely qualify for next year’s World Cup, and I think they can legitimately compete against the stronger teams of the world. After all, shutting out Spain and nearly defeating Brazil is no small feat. The coaching change to remove Bruce Arena and replace him with Bob Bradley was a brilliant move. Shortly after taking control, he led the Americans to victory in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, defeating Mexico 2-0 in the finals. He’s got this team inspired and out to prove their skills to the world.

I expect the Americans to win the 2009 Gold Cup when it starts this Saturday. They have a new sense of fighting spirit, and as defending champions and holders of home-field advantage, are the heavy favorites in my mind. I’ll be watching and supporting the American team in hopes that they have finally turned the corner in international soccer. This 4^th of July, take some time to support your country as they try to beat others at their own national pastime.

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Joey Logano has made NASCAR history. With his win on Sunday, he has become the youngest driver to ever win a Sprint Cup series race. At 19 years 35 days old, he is the only teenager to ever win a race in NASCAR’s most challenging circuit. Also, he is the first NASCAR driver to have been born in the 1990s and win a Sprint Cup series race. The previous record holder was his teammate, Kyle Busch, at 20 years 125 days. Not to mention Logano is also the youngest to win a Nationwide series race, doing so last year at the age of 18 years 21 days. It was only his third Nationwide series start. He is the youngest to start the Daytona 500.

Logano began racing when he was six years old and has been successful at every level so far. This year, he took over the #20 Home Depot Toyota from Tony Stewart, who left to form his own team, Stewart Haas Racing. Along with teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, he is bringing prestige back to Joe Gibbs Racing, and could make them a legitimate contender to the established greatness of Hendrick Motorsports sometime in the near future.

So what does this mean for the world of racing? Logano’s nickname is Sliced Bread, and it’s easy to see why – he may be the best thing for racing in a long time. At his age, it sends a message that it’s not just showboating high school basketball players that can go pro and make millions right out of high school. Logano has a great chance to be a role model. If he keeps winning races, and history shows he will, he could be an up-and-coming superstar.

Never mind the fact that his first win was a rain-shortened race. It was only cut short by 28 laps. David Reutimann won the Coca Cola 600 earlier this season in a race that was cut nearly in half by rainy conditions for the first win of his career. Logano earned this win. He’s the future of the sport, and the probable rookie of the year. Congratulations to you, Joey Logano. Keep up the hard work and the rest will fall into place.

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Just announced on ESPN, the San Antonio Spurs have traded Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto to the Milwaukee Bucks for Richard Jefferson. It’s a curious trade, and I’m not sure the Bucks know what they’re doing. This is a bad trade.

The Spurs are essentially robbing Milwaukee blind. First of all, Jefferson is the youngest player in this trade. By a whole five years. Are you kidding me, Bucks? You’re dealing arguably your best player (the only other consideration being Michael Redd) away for three guys aged 38, 36, and 34? Granted Bruce Bowen is still an excellent defender, but he’s got 9 years on RJ. You traded away a former All-Star and legitimate scoring threat for three out of the five oldest guys on the Spurs roster. They’re so old they were already living when the Spurs merged their way from the ABA to the NBA.

Some of the analysts call it a salary cap move, that they want to be able to re-sign some of their other stars. Let me get this straight. You went 34-48 last year and you think it’s a good idea to trade away your best player so you can keep the same team together? The same team that helped you into the draft lottery yet again? I’m aware the NBA has a luxury tax but I really can’t justify this move. This is the kind of management that has kept the Bucks out of the playoffs for 4 out of the last 5 years, and that one playoff appearance was with a plain 40-42 record. Well done, guys.

The Spurs, on the other hand, have stumbled on to a goldmine. Already full of solid role players such as Michael Finley, Drew Gooden, and Roger Mason and superstars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, swapping out Bowen for Jefferson is a genius move. Looking at their career stats, Jefferson averages more than 10 points per game more than Bowen, pulls down more rebounds, dishes out more assists, even gets more steals than Bowen. Not to mention an astronomically better free throw percentage. The Spurs, an already frighteningly good team, have made themselves better.

The season is far from starting, but this looks like the Pau Gasol to the Lakers trade all over again. At least Memphis got a few first round picks out of the deal. All the Bucks got were some old players, any of which could retire after just one season with the team. It’s a reasonable assumption, and a probability if the Bucks play as bad as I expect them to. Really, the Knicks might be making fun of them for being a total bust next year.

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Excuse me if I seem cynical or unpatriotic for what I’m about to say. The US men’s soccer team had no business advancing in yesterday’s Confederation Cup. They had no business celebrating such a hollow victory. Here’s why.

First of all, Brazil did most of the work. They beat down on Italy 3-0 in yesterday’s match, which is one embarrassing beatdown as far as soccer is concerned. Then again, for Brazil, this is business as usual. They’re the 5^th ranked team in the world, and have previously won 5 World Cups, more than any other nation. Granted, Italy isn’t a slacker either. Ranked 4^th in the world, and defending World Cup champions, they really had no business giving up 3 goals in any match. And that own goal to make the third goal for Brazil was just shameful. Without that goal, USA would have had to beat Egypt by 4 goals instead of 3, so Italy effectively shot themselves in the foot. Did they forget to show up, just blindly assuming Egypt or the USA would just win 1-0 or draw? Looking back, that wasn’t a wise decision. They’ve got a lot of work to do before next year’s World Cup if they plan to defend.

It’s beyond me why USA soccer is always ranked so highly. Before I even get to the rankings, consider the fact that soccer has never been one of the major sports in this country. The “big 4” is composed of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League. If a fifth sport would be added to the list, it would be NASCAR, the fastest growing sport in the country. Major League Soccer is hardly staying afloat, having to stoop so low as to lure away British superstar David Beckham to a team in Los Angeles to try to boost ratings. It hasn’t really worked. Most Americans just don’t care about soccer, and that includes me. Well, American soccer anyway.

There’s no competition, no fighting spirit in MLS. It’s downright boring. The players are likely overpaid, as most athletes are, and they don’t seem to love the game. International soccer, however, is another story entirely. I love World Cup and UEFA Cup soccer. The excitement of watching countries that feature soccer as their national pastime, the teams out there trying to win to bring home some pride for their nation – that’s what sports are really about. Not paychecks, not about the fans even. Sports are about pride, and that’s something team USA just doesn’t have or inspire.

Currently 14^th in the world, when was the last time this team did anything worthwhile? Let me refresh your memory of USA soccer. 2006, they were spanked by the Czech Republic, managed to tie Italy, and were humiliated by Ghana, a team that should have been an easy victory, not making it out of group play. Coach Bruce Arena lost his job over that sad attempt. To be fair, in 2002, they didn’t do half bad, advancing out of group play and eliminating Mexico before being beaten by the powerhouse Germany team. In 1998, team USA lost all three group matches and was ranked 32 out of the 32 participating teams. The 1994 World Cup was hosted in America, and the host team is automatically qualified, a practice I don’t believe in. You shouldn’t get a special entry for just hosting the tournament. I digress. The USA team survived group play, but was eliminated by Brazil in the next round. The previous World Cup, in 1990, had the Americans lose all three games in group play. You get the idea. USA soccer is a mediocre team that only advances by beating mediocre teams, as was the case in yesterday’s match against Egypt, ranked 40^th. It’s not a surprise that USA could score 3 goals against such a relatively weak team.

We’ll see next round how “good” USA soccer really is. In the semifinals, they’re set to face Spain, the highest ranked team in the world. Spain is on a roll, having won 15 straight international matches. That’s right, they won that many in a row. No draws in there, as is common in soccer. 15 straight wins. That’s impressive in any sport. If you ask me, team USA doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance. They’re all hopped up on adrenaline from a freak accident that let them slip by into the next round and the grim reality hasn’t set in yet. Spain is a much better team, and it will show.

This isn’t USA hockey at the 1980 Olympics. There will be no miracle. This isn’t even the World Cup yet and the US team is already getting cocky. Give it til next year in South Africa and you’ll see what I mean. I believe in miracles, but I don’t believe in USA soccer.

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Father’s day is a day to honor and reflect on good times. On a day like today, it brings to mind sports. I remember watching football games with my dad when I was younger, and to this day, we always talk about football regardless of season. Sports are a great way to bond with your father or son, and in honor of the impact sports has on our lives, I’d like to post today about great father-son combinations in sports.

First off, and certainly one of the more prolific on my list, is the Griffey family. Ken Sr. gained fame as a consistent contact hitter in the mid to late 1970s as a part of the Cincinnati Reds and their “Big Red Machine”. His oldest son, Ken Jr., was drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners in 1987, and due to his success in the major leagues has often been considered as the greatest first overall pick in baseball history. He made his debut in 1989, and was joined in 1990 by his father, making them the first father-son combination to play on the same MLB team at the same time. On September 14^th of that year, they homered back-to-back in a game against the Kansas City Royals.

Overall, their combined statistics and awards are staggering. Between them, they have a regular season and All-Star Game MVP (regular season for Jr., All-Star for Sr.), 16 All-Star appearances (3 for Sr., 13 for Jr.), 7 Silver Slugger Awards (all by Jr.), 10 consecutive Gold Gloves (all by Jr. from 1990-1999), 2 World Series championships (1975 and 76 by Sr.), and 770 home runs (152 by Sr., 618 currently by Jr.). It’s also interesting to note Jr. wore #30 during his first 5 years in Cincinnati (in honor of his father), and hit his 500^th career home run on Father’s day with Ken Sr. in attendance. It also tied them on the all-time hits list for the time being. All things considered, the Griffeys are one of the great father-son teams in baseball history.

I wrote earlier in the week about the Earnhardts in racing, so I’ll talk about the Petty family this time around. The first family of NASCAR, it doesn’t begin with The King. Modern NASCAR fans don’t remember his father, Lee Petty, who began his career at age 35. He was part of the first ever NASCAR race at the old dirt track Charlotte Speedway in 1949, finishing outside the top 10. He would go on to win the championship three times (1954, 58, and 59), and won the inaugural Daytona 500, literally in a photo finish. Lee Petty won 54 career races, but his true legacy lives on because of his son, Richard.

He began racing in 1958, and looking at the numbers is without question the greatest driver in NASCAR history. Richard Petty won 200 races in his career, a record harder to break than Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak (2^nd on the list is his contemporary, David Pearson, with only 105 career wins). He won 7 Winston Cup championships, a record matched only by Dale Earnhardt Sr. He won the Daytona 500 an unheard-of 7 times. In 1967 alone he won 27 races, including 10 in a row. To paint a clearer picture, Bobby and Terry Labonte, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and the late great Benny Parsons never won that many in their careers. Those numbers are just staggering, and to add further to the legacy of Richard Petty, he and his family founded Victory Junction, a camp to bring joy to children with terminal illnesses. Coincidentally, the camp opened June 20^th, 2004, the same day Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 500^th career home run. Also, Richard’s son, Kyle Petty, and his son, Adam Petty, were NASCAR drivers. Adam died in 2000 during a wreck at New Hampshire, and it was his dream to found the camp that became Victory Junction. He has two other children, Austin and Montgomery Lee, who will no doubt continue the family’s legacy.

Moving the conversation to hockey, the Hull family comes to mind first. Bobby Hull began play in 1957 and is considered one of the greatest left wingers of all time. He finished second in rookie of the year voting, and later became the first player ever to score more than 50 goals in a single season. His slapshot was once recorded at 118 mph and he could skate at nearly 30 mph. Along with Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, he was one of the greatest players of the Original Six era. Hull scored 610 goals and 560 assists over his career, won the Stanley Cup in 1961, won the Art Ross Trophy (most points in a season) three times, back to back Hart Memorial Trophies (league MVP) in 1965 and 66, and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (awarded to the league’s best sportsman) in 1965.

His son, the great Brett Hull, may be even better. Brett played in the NHL from 1986 til 2005, scoring 741 goals. Only Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe have scored more than that. He has 650 career assists, and is the only person other than Gretzky to score 50 goals in his first 50 games more than once. He has won both the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Lady Byng Memorial trophy. He scored 33 career hat tricks, 38 power play goals in the playoffs (which is best all-time), 24 playoff game-winning goals (also best all-time), scored 70+ goals in a season three straight years (86 being his career best in 1990-91), and is the only player in hockey history to score 50 goals in a season in the NCAA, minor league hockey, and the NHL. Not to mention two Stanley Cup victories in 1998-99 with the Dallas Stars, and 2001-02 with the Detroit Red Wings.

Combined, Bobby and Brett Hull hold several hockey distinctions. They are the only father-son combination in any professional sport to both have their numbers retired. They are the only father-son team each with 50 goals in a season and 600 career goals, and the only combo to win the Hart Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy. Brett also honored his father by wearing his number 9 jersey for the last five games of his own career, with the Phoenix Coyotes, formerly the Winnipeg Jets that his father had played for late in his own career. Brett has a young son, Jude, that plays goaltender. Chances are the Hull family name will continue to thrive in the NHL.

I don’t want to make this too long, so I’ll start to wrap it up. Regardless of what sport you bonded with your dad over, whether it’s baseball, hockey, basketball, football, racing, golf, etc, it’s a memory worth holding on to. Go throw the football around, play a game of HORSE, sit down and watch the race. Do something to commemorate today if you’ve got the means to. Make Father’s Day special this year.

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A recent trend in punishments for college football programs is the vacating of past wins. Being the cynic I am, I don’t agree with this practice, and here’s why.

The old system worked. If a school cheats at recruiting, or if they put academically ineligible players on the field, they deserve to be punished. The NCAA used to put schools on probation, which would limit their number of available scholarships as well as banning them from postseason bowl games for a certain amount of time in more severe cases. The team, as a result, is unable to sign as many players per recruiting class, forcing players to walk on to the team and ensuring a lesser talent level. Without the talent level or legal ability to play in a bowl game for x amount of years, usually three, the team loses some of its prestige and money. A devastating blow to the program in such a manner ensures the coaching staff won’t try to pull a fast one on the NCAA again.

For some bizarre reason, the practice recently has added vacating past wins to the loss of scholarships. First of all, how do you vacate a win? Do you go back in time and forfeit, changing the records of both the team and their opponents? No, you can’t do that. And to change the records after the fact creates controversy due to the fact that a possible fraudulent loss could have been the difference in a team’s season, whether it would have resulted in a national championship or bowl appearance, or even to save a coach’s job. It doesn’t mean anything to go back and say the win is vacated. You can’t change what happened, so don’t label it with some bogus asterisk.

By vacating wins, you’re also tainting a coach’s legacy whether it’s his fault or not. Take the recent example of so many Florida Gators and their arrest records. Urban Meyer is catching heat for it for no reason – the overwhelming majority of those players with arrest records were recruited by former Gator coach Ron Zook. A similar situation exists with Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. It was under Mike Shula’s watch that Alabama players abused their scholarships to obtain free textbooks and other materials for other students, yet Saban’s team has to forfeit 21 wins. An appeal has been made, but the point remains valid; Shula isn’t even at the school anymore, so what is the point of vacating wins and punishing current players?

Even being a Gator fan as I am, I’m most appalled by the current situation involving Bobby Bowden and Florida State’s current vacating wins scandal. A number of students cheated in their classes, and became academically ineligible as a result. I’m not disputing that. If you cheat, you should be expelled immediately. The fact that the school did not expel these students, nor did they notify Coach Bowden of their cheating, is what angers me. Here is one of the greatest coaches of all time in any sport, nearing 80 years old, and being told he has to surrender 14 wins because of something he didn’t even know about. Bowden is currently one game behind 82 year old Joe Paterno for the all-time wins record, and both are active coaches. This effectively gives Bowden, the former holder of the record, absolutely no chance to win it back.

NCAA officials, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Are you honestly going to deprive a great coach and innocent man the chance to regain his record? Are you honestly going to smear his good name over something the Athletic Director should have been punished for? I hate the Seminoles as much as any Gator fan, but this is injustice. There is no telling how this will affect Coach Bowden, and given his age, it could be more serious than the NCAA has considered. You could be putting his already questionable health at risk by inducing stress over this whole situation, and that’s not right.

Florida State has appealed the ruling, but let’s face facts – it’s not going to happen. They already lose scholarships for this violation, and I think a postseason ban is more appropriate. Playing one fewer game every year for three years is a much more fitting punishment than giving up two years worth of victories. The NCAA needs to take a long, hard look at itself and re-evaluate this travesty of a system before it’s too late.

Let me give you something else to think about – Spygate. Remember that? The New England Patriots were caught filming the opponents’ signals on the sidelines, then reviewing the tapes at halftime. At least nothing Florida State or Alabama did was directly cheating; nothing occurred to change the outcome of the game. The Patriots were cheating to ensure being able to read the defense and offense, hence calling audibles and turning the tables in their favor. But wait a minute, that’s not all. New England had just won three of the last four Super Bowls, which included this practice as far back as taping St Louis Rams practices the week before their first Super Bowl win. All the NFL did was take away the Patriots’ first round draft pick the following year.

Are you kidding me? Cheating that directly affected the outcome of many games, including Super Bowls, and all you’re giving them is a slap on the wrist? That’s just disgusting. All three Patriot Super Bowl wins were by three points each. You’re going to take away wins from Bobby Bowden over something he didn’t know about and let Bill Belichick keep wins and championships when he personally ordered the cheating practices? Give the Rams, Panthers, and Eagles the Super Bowl rings they deserve. After all, they nearly won in spite of the dubious practices of the Patriots. If you’re going to vacate wins for college, do it for the professional games too.

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Whether conscious or subconscious, all men try to live up to the legacy of their fathers. The world of sports is no exception, with more father-son sports combos than one can name off the top of their head. Family tradition in auto racing is particularly impressive, with the offspring of Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, and many others following in their father’s footsteps. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is no exception, and while he is one of the highest earners in all of NASCAR, it’s because of his endorsements and family name, not his success on the track.

His career began in 1996, running a limited amount of races in the Busch series. He became a full-time driver in 1998, moving up to a full-time Winston Cup driver in 2000. Racing on his father’s team, Dale Earnhardt Inc, Dale Jr. finished an impressive 16^th his rookie year, with wins coming at Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. After the shocking and untimely death of his father on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale Jr. became the only Earnhardt driver for DEI.

In the years since, Dale Jr. has proven himself to be a consistent driver, winning at least one race every year except 2007, and finishing every season in the top 20. Unhappy with team ownership and issues involving his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, Dale Jr. left the team to join powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. He had finished in the top ten of the standings four times previously, as high as third place in 2003. With this move, it seemed a Nextel Cup championship would be in his near future.

But it hasn’t happened yet. Not only that, he’s not even close right now. With just one win and a 12^th place finish last year, Jr.’s first season with the highest-profile team in all of racing was a massive disappointment. This year isn’t an improvement, with just one top 5 finish and currently 18^th in the standings.

Why isn’t Dale Jr. living up to expectations? He has great teammates, which include Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Brad Keselowski. The sad thing is they’re all more successful than Dale Jr. as of this point in the season. Johnson, Martin, and Gordon are all higher than Earnhardt in the standings, and Keselowski, in spite of being in 41^st right now, has won a race this year – Dale Jr. hasn’t.

I may be judging him too early, but I can’t help but be concerned. His father, the great Dale Earnhardt Sr., won 7 Winston Cup titles, the first of which at the age of 29. Dale Jr. is 34 and hasn’t so much as sniffed a title, so you can’t defend him with the argument of he’s still too young. Dale Jr. has, however, matched his father’s career Daytona 500 win total – six years to the day after his father won his only 500.

Maybe Dale Jr. won’t ever be as good as his dad. But maybe he’s content not to be. Each man needs to leave behind his own legacy. Maybe Dale Jr.’s legacy isn’t to be a multi-time NASCAR champion. Maybe he’s not meant to win 76 races. His career is far from over, and he still has time to find greatness in his own way. A piece of advice for Dale, and to anyone else out there – whatever you do, make your dad proud. You’ll be successful in that regard, and it’s more valuable than any trophy or award.

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The college football season is rapidly approaching, and the Florida Gators will try to capture back-to-back championships for the first time in school history. Both previous attempts ended in heartbreak, with the 1997 Gators losing to both LSU and the University of Georgia, and the 2007 Gators dropping three out of four games midway through the season. The Gators are the definition of college football excellence, being the winningest program in Division 1 since 1990. But how will Florida fare this year?

Taking a look at the 2009 schedule, the Gators have their best opportunity yet to win a second consecutive title. Three out of their four non-conference games are against weak opponents (Charleston Southern, Troy, and Florida International), and all four non-SEC opponents take on the Gators in The Swamp. Their schedule does not contain Alabama, Auburn, or Ole Miss. Not to mention 2007 Heisman Winner Tim Tebow will play his senior year for the Gators instead of entering the NFL Draft. Tebow has some help too – every defensive starter from last year has returned this year. It’s easy to like the Gators as a repeat pick, but there are a few other things to consider before crowning the champions this early.

First of all, and most surprising, the Gators have never had a perfect undefeated season. Look it up if you didn’t believe me - I couldn’t believe it myself. Florida went 5-0-1 in 1911, but they were not in a conference, it did not take place in the modern era, and they didn’t win the national title that year (Princeton did). Every national championship year has consisted of exactly one loss, including the 1997 team losing to their hated rival Seminoles, only to get revenge in the title game.

Speaking of Florida State, all three championship seasons featured a win over the Seminoles. And while the easy non-conference schedule guarantees at least three easy wins, and probably a fourth over FSU, a loss will hurt their chances at reappearing in the BCS title game.

To consider past champions, if you’re going to lose a game, do it early on; a late-season loss is a BCS rankings killer. At least if it happens early enough, other top teams will fall as well, and a chance arises to reclaim one of the top two spots. A prime example is last year’s Oklahoma team, losing to Texas in the Red River Shootout, and later annihilating Texas Tech late in the season to controversially win the Big 12 South title.

The biggest obstacle the Gators will face all year is avoiding trap games. Every year, a high-profile team takes a seemingly weaker opponent lightly, and after what Appalachian State did to the University of Michigan a few years ago, no win is a guarantee anymore. The September 19 matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers has such potential. After a season of mediocrity in 2008, Lane Kiffin has lit a fire under his team. And with his father, the great defensive mastermind Monty Kiffin on his staff, this team is going to be back to prominence soon. The fact that the game is in The Swamp makes it even more alluring. After all, the Wolverines dropped the ball in the Big House to App State, so home field isn’t a guarantee either. Other trap game possibilities are road games against Kentucky and South Carolina, and their former coach Steve Spurrier. The Gators are 3-1 against the Old Ball Coach since his return to the college game, and there’s no doubt he wants to beat them as many times as he can.

The last three seasons, and four out of the last six overall, the SEC champion has appeared in the BCS National Championship, and all four teams won. The SEC Championship game may be the toughest game of the year for the Gators, with all likelihood of a repeat of last year’s game against Alabama. If they can win that game, Florida is home free, and you can expect to see Tim Tebow hoisting the BCS trophy for a third time.

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As reported today on the 6 pm Sportscenter, Broncos WR Brandon Marshall has asked for a trade. What’s the deal here? Does any current Bronco player even want to play for Josh McDaniel? The answer is yes, the ones without egos the size of INVESCO at Mile High. First, crybaby Jay Cutler, who demanded a trade after learning the Broncos had tried to trade him. Now their star wide receiver wants out too. I say good riddance, and here’s why.

Brandon Marshall is a poison. His legal troubles are nearly limitless, but to name a few, being indirectly responsible for the death of teammate Darrent Williams (the gunman had previously had an altercation with Marshall’s cousin), domestic violence (three times at that), driving under the influence, driving without license or insurance, and battery. Can someone please explain to me why this guy isn’t in jail yet? Mike Vick gets busted for fighting dogs once, gets slapped with nearly two years, and this guy beats his girlfriend annually and still isn’t behind bars? Don’t get me wrong, Vick is a pretty lousy human being, but Marshall makes me sick.

Not only does he break the law, he’s a distraction. Remember that touchdown celebration Brandon Stokley had to stop? The one that would have given the Cleveland Browns a chance to score again after the Broncos just took the lead? No good teammate would do that. After you score the go-ahead points, you quietly go back to the sidelines like classy players from the past (namely Barry Sanders) would do. You especially don’t perform a celebration with a prop (Marshall planned to use a white glove) since that counts as unsportsmanlike conduct. A 15 yard penalty during crunch time when your team is trying desperately to make the playoffs just because you want to voice some political opinion? Save it for post-game interviews and let football be about the game, not ulterior motives.

So you get rid of one problem in dealing Jay Cutler, replacing him with the very competent, underrated Kyle Orton. It’s not like 1000 yard wide receivers are a commodity in this league. Eddie Royal was just twenty yards shy of that mark during his rookie year last year, and had just one fewer touchdown than Marshall. Let a good kid step up and take the spotlight, and please, get rid of that troublemaking wide out unless you want another Terrell Owens situation. And to be fair, if you wanted that, you could have signed him when Dallas cut him.

With the addition of Orton, the Broncos need to change focus. He works best in an offense much like Ben Roethlisberger; keep him under 25 attempts, run the ball down your opponents’ throats, and he won’t make any critical mistakes. The Broncos just drafted running back Knowshon Moreno from Georgia in the first round of this year’s draft, so all the pieces are in play. Deal Marshall, use your game managing quarterback with one bright young receiving star, and focus on the two-back running back system. It’s a smart move; if you can pound the ball through defenses like the Panthers or Giants did last year with their two feature backs, what reason do you have to air it out every time? Both those teams won their divisions, and the Giants previously won a Super Bowl with that blueprint. And if you remember correctly, the last time the Broncos were Super Bowl contenders, they had a pretty good running back named Terrell Davis, one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever seen at managing games in John Elway (though his stats don’t look like that of a game manager), and a star receiver in TE Shannon Sharpe. It worked before, it’ll work again.

So where do you send Marshall? Why, to a team desperate for receiving talent and a total disregard for the character of their players – the Oakland Raiders. Al Davis should be chomping at the bit for this opportunity. He seems to like guys that pose problems, i.e. JaMarcus Russell, who held out of training camp for so long because of a contract dispute he didn’t hardly get to play his rookie year. Maybe Marshall could reunite with former teammate and fellow loudmouth receiver Javon Walker, the other player present when Darrent Williams was shot, and the guy who demanded a trade to get away from that god-awful excuse of a quarterback Brett Favre. Those two were meant for each other. Denver, heed my warning and do the right thing. For your image, for your fans, and for your self-respect.

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