Dome Pondering

Joba Chamberlain made the biggest mistake of his life. No, it was not a hanging slider to blow a save or a hold. No, it wasn't a pitch up and over the head of Kevin Youkilis (again). In fact, his mistake did not even take place on the baseball diamond. Joba Chamberlain's biggest mistake this week revolved around his recent DUI back in his hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska. After being well over the legal limit, speeding, and having an open container in his car, Joba's judgment lacked the sharpness usually displayed in his blazing fastball and wicked slider. And there lies the problem. The problem being that Joba's recent mishap is directly tied with his on-the-field talent. Joba's recent DUI was met with mere passes and excuses such as, "he deserves a second chance." Or, "He's only twenty three, he's young, he will make mistakes." Although everyone does deserve a second chance (and a third as suggested by Hank Steinbrenner), lets not forget ...

$700 Billion Rescue Plan. Passed. On October 6th, 2008, the global market took yet another huge hit as the Dow plunged below 10,000 points, with effects looming to spread beyond Wall street to what most politicians and financial economist coined as, "Main Street." It seems the "Rescue Plan" which lends financial firms over $700 billion of American tax dollars is not stabilizing the market, or even fooling investors into committing to it. In fact, most are beginning to repel from the market, due to its unpredictability, as the bottom of the global economy continues to fall out. $700 billion dollars. A Rescue Plan is what the government has tried to spin it. However, lets be honest and call it what it is - a bailout. A simple, "Uncle Sam, we messed up badly, now fix it." It's very much understandable for the reason for this bailout. If several more financial firms fall under- mortgages, 401k's, loans, and employment go with them. And attempting to fa...

With the change of the calendar to the tenth month of the year comes October. Playoff baseball. It is the time of the year where each pitch is as important as the next to come. Where lineups and today's starting pitcher are reviewed as the tale of the tape before a big fight. It is where each call, each bounce, and each inch can change an inning, a game, and a series. It is a month where baseball reigns supreme. A month where goats become heroes, and heroes can become legends. It is also a month where Bartman and Buckner happens. It is unpredictable, unfathomable, and downright the best sporting month of the year. It's October. It's playoff baseball. And it cannot be scripted. Nonetheless, part of the fun is attempting to do so, so here goes... ALDS - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim defeat Boston Red Sox in four games. Anaheim takes care of business out west before dropping game three in Fenway. Game 4 will see John Lackey take the hill and dominate the sox for eight innings ...

After the lights were shut off for the last time on September 21st, 2008 in Yankee Stadium, many have reported and reminisced on the history of the historic stadium. It's been written and talked about everywhere. The perfect games. The legendary players. The Papal visits. The football games. The big fights. The world series games. Yankee stadium was the stadium. And like many, yours truly will be sad to see the stadium at 161st and River Avenue go. It was a place that I too grew up with. There were many, many games in the early nineties watching a putrid Yankee team, yet rooting for my favorites in Mike Stanley, Jimmy Key and my main man, Don Mattingly. There were many arguments of how much the Yankees were going to miss Roberto Kelly (Only to be replaced by some guy named Paul O'neil). Getting excited about Kevin Maas. Experiencing Derek Jeter replacing Tony Fernandez...and watching him grow over the years. Accepting that Kevin Maas was not the guy. The surprise of the 1995 s...

With all the problems that face this great nation moving forward into a new presidency, Monday, September 15th, 2008, added yet another to the growing list. Lehman Brothers. Meryll Lynch. Never before have financial and investment banks become as popular as they have in the last 48 hours with the United States market and fiscal atmosphere continuing to crumble. An atmosphere that includes a wacked housing market, a shattered credit market, an unemployment rate nearing six percent, a Meryll Lynch buyout, AIG borrowing over forty billion, and The Lehman Brothers becoming another paragraph in Chapter 11, the next presidential regime has as big of a financial problem since President Roosevelt on the heels of the depression. Oh yeah, lest we not forget Hurricane Ike, the damage that it has done, the cost of relief, and the impact on the American oil and energy refineries. However, in this race for the White House, we continue to see the typical political "strategies" played out b...

Don Haskins. 38 Seasons with the University of Texas-El Paso. 719-353 record. Seven Western Athletic Conference Titles. 1 National Title. With all those accolades, many still know him as the coach from the Disney movie and his biography, Glory Road as well as his famous decision to start five blacks against Kentucky University in the 1966 NCAA Championship game. The title, very fitting for the biography and movie, as Don Haskins led a life of glory: One of simplicity and truth. Haskins was a man of respect, honor, and integrity as he represented and expected the same qualities in and from others that he held for himself. He did so without discrimination of gender, color, race, creed, nationality or anything else society attempts to divide itself with. In a time when discrimination and segregation was as thick as the Texas heat he enjoyed, Haskins turned a small school in south Texas into an NCAA powerhouse through hard work, sacrifice, and what was then considered, controversial recru...

In what may be the biggest transaction of the year in the professional wrestling industry, Gail Kim has decided to "jump ship" from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling to the larger World Wrestling Entertainment. Kim, regarded as one of the best female wrestlers in the world today decided not to extend her contract with TNA wrestling after receiving what was describe as a "large financial offer" from rival, WWE. The signing has solidified the market demand for not only talent, but top female talent in the professional wrestling industry. Yes, you read correctly...demand for female talent.

B-R-E-T-T. Brett, Brett, Brett!! For the time being, that chant is falling on deaf ears as Brett Favre has been pushed off the main pages and out of the headlines. And with the coverage Favre has been drawing for his momentous change in uniform (shade of green), it would take a special event and person to do so. Especially, in the world of ESPN. Right now, everyone wants to be like Mike. Michael Phelps that is. What Michael Phelps has accomplished in Beijing in the 2008 Olympics far exceeds the standard of special. Phelps' accomplishments were historic, impressive and downright transcending. If you had the opportunity to witness one of Phelps' races in the Olympics you understand the magnitude of his feat. Phelps' ability to not only defeat the best in the world, but dominate them by body lengths is immeasurable. He possesses the type of God-given ability that causes you to shake your head in disbelief of his athleticism, poise, and dominance. Simply put, Michael ...

So who needs a 401k plan when employers are now offering millions to former employees? NFL players might, especially with their latest issues regarding retired players. Brett Favre, well informed about that issue, defintely looked into his own retirement plan. After the Green Bay Packers offered the legendary quarterback up to twenty million dollars to stay retired, NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has now reinstated the quarterback for the 2008 season. Favre declined the twenty million dollar package and will report to Packers camp. Can it become anymore ridiculous? Of course it can! The Green Bay Packers have now stated that the starting quarterback position will now be a competition between the now un-retired Brett Favre and, who now might be the "World's most ticked off athlete", Aaron "Just Go Away Brett" Rogers. Favre, the NFL, the Green Bay Packers, and yes, even you ESPN, have mishandled this situation from the beginning. What began as a rumor, morphed i...

So what if Lisa Leslie was thrown to the ground? Yeah, I said it. Not quite the introduction your were looking for, huh? Well, neither was the coverage the WNBA has received as of late for its version of the "Brawl at the Palace". Despite the irony of the location of the WNBA's first throwdown, everyone has seemed to approach this situation as if it is a huge black eye on the league in its entirety. From all of the WNBA analysts to the sport beat writers that cover basketball as whole, all look upon this situation as marring the game. Now yes, it is totally agreeable that disagreements, fights, and brawls occur in professional sports. It happens all the time. And yes, it is definitely unacceptable behavior for professional athletes, the game, and the many youngsters that idolize them to partake in such a manner. It should not be condoned, and is totally unacceptable. After all, the WNBA's motto is "Expect Great." On the other hand, treating this si...