From the cradle to the gridiron

The story of Todd Marinovich always made me a little sad. Marinovich was a kid whose father brought him up to be a quarterback. At a young age, he was told what to do, what to eat and how to train, and never experienced being a kid.

Marinovich went on to have a very successful career under center at USC and he signed a lucrative deal with the Raiders in the early 1990s. But he never made it in the NFL and later had substance abuse problems. After stints in the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League, he was out of professional football by 2001.

He had a big heroin problem and ran into several legal issues a few years back. So why do I bring this up?

Because newly appointed USC football coach Lane Kiffin on Friday offered a scholarship to 13-year-old quarterback David Sills of Delaware, and Sills gave a verbal commitment. On a side note, is there a more scummy person in the world than Lane Kiffin? Sills is coached personally by Steve Clarkson, who has mentored many a young quarterback, including current USC signal caller Matt Barkley. Clarkson refers to himself as the "Dream Maker."

"His skill set is off the chart," Clarkson said of Sills. "I've never seen anyone at his age do what he's been able to do. He's already six feet as a 13-year old, and he's breaking down NFL footage."

What about going to dances, or the mall or just hanging out with friends? Sills, who said USC has always been his dream school, would be a member of the recruiting class of 2015, which is five years away.

"Well, we're going to be out to California in a few weeks and we'll meet Lane then," Sills' father, David Sills IV, said. "We're excited to meet him. And we're excited to verbally commit. Hopefully it all works out in the future."

Hopefully, it doesn't work out like it did for Todd Marinovich.

Weir what you want

There's few people I hate more than anyone who belongs to or associted with PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. I certainly do not hate animals, but I, like most people, take things in stride.

PETA's latest travesty involves U.S. Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, who was wearing a piece of fox fur on an outfit during a tuneup for the Winter Games. PETA called for Weir to use faux fur in Vancouver.

At first, Weir said he sympathises with PETA, but stood his ground. On Tuesday, he said he would, in fact, wear the faux fur, but made it clear that he wasn't doing it on the account of the crazies at PETA.

"I would like to announce that due to pressures and threats from a certain animal rights group, I will be changing the genuine fox fur on my free program costume that I will use in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., to white faux fur," Weir said in a statement first posted on icenetwork.com. "I made this decision after several threats were sent to me about disrupting my performance in the Olympic Games and my costume designer, Stephanie Handler, was repeatedly sent messages of hate and disgust. I do not want something as silly as my costume disrupting my second Olympic experience and my chance at a medal, a dream I have had since I was a kid.

"I hope these activists can understand that my decision to change my costume is in no way a victory for them, but a draw," Weir continued. "I am not changing in order to appease them, but to protect my integrity and the integrity of the Olympic Games as well as my fellow competitors.

"Just weeks away from hitting my starting position on the ice in Vancouver, I have technique and training to worry about and that trumps any costume and any threat I may receive."

I really appreciate how Weir handled this situation, but we're less than two weeks before the Games, and he has to deal with something like this. Once every four years, athletes get the chance to perform on the world's stage, and this idiot group is trying to ruin it. I have a big problem with that.

Additionally, if PETA is so concerned about animal rights, they should go all out. There's a little game being played this weekend, the Super Bowl, where Peyton Manning and Drew Breeeeees will be tossing around the "pigskin." Now that's just an expressions, footballs aren't actually made of pigskin, they're made of cow leather.

So why doesn't PETA write a letter to Roger Goodell and call for new synthetic footballs to be used for Super Bowl XVLI? Or how about basketball? Has PETA contacted David Stern about his sport's balls?

No, instead they go after a guy who has a tiny piece of fox fur on his outfit. Hey PETA, get over it.

Labor pains

With all the attention this week on the Super Bowl, a much, much bigger issue looms for the NFL.

The most popular sport in the country very well could be heading down a path to ruin in the months following Sunday’s game.

The league’s owners and the Players Union, seemingly, are light years apart on a labor deal, and if one is not reached by early March, the 2010 season will be played with no salary cap. Furthermore, the possibility exists that there may be no 2011 season.

In short, this means that everything that’s wrong with Major League Baseball soon could be what’s wrong with the National Football League.

In baseball, small-market teams have almost no shot to compete. Even when they draft and develop talented young players, sooner or later, said players command a price that the likes of the Royals and Pirates simply cannot afford. Hence, they are traded or sign big free-agent deals with the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets or Phillies.

The prospect of such a trend in the NFL is frightening.

The salary cap is part of what makes the NFL great. It creates parity, so the phrase “any given Sunday” carries some weight. With no cap, teams like the Cowboys and Redskins will assume the roles of the Yankees and Red Sox, spending millions and millions more than they’re competition and, presumably, giving themselves a leg up on the rest of the league.

This cannot happen. If it does, the game that so many love will be ruined for most of us.

Green feeling black and blue

When they want, the Boston Celtics can be as dominant as any team in the NBA. But there’s no denying the fact that the Big Three, among others on the roster, are getting older and can’t put up the same kind of fight for 48 minutes.

The most recent, and perhaps most obvious, example of this came on Sunday, when the Celtics led the rival Lakers by 11 points at home and couldn’t close them out. Kobe Bryant hit a shot over Ray Allen for a 90-89 Los Angeles lead, and Allen missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

In a tough three-game, four-day stretch against three of the top teams in the NBA, Boston completely faltered, going 0-for-3 against the Orlando (96-94), Atlanta (100-91) and the Lakers (90-89). The Celtics led the Lakers and Magic by 11 points in the fourth quarter and blew both leads. They trailed the Hawks 74-73 entering the final 12 minutes and were completely outplayed.

The Big Three — Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who have a combined age of 99 — are looking more like the Old Three. Garnett has missed a number of games with a knee injury, this coming after missing the final 26 games (and playoffs) of last season with a injured knee. Allen is shooting just 34 percent from behind the arc — well below his career average of 40 percent — and Pierce, who plays nearly 36 minutes a game, seems a bit slow in getting to the basket.

On top of that, 35-year-old Rasheed Wallace was supposed to be a big force in the middle at both ends of the court, but he’s simply turned into a gunslinger who won’t step inside the 3-point line. His stats from Sunday’s loss? Three points (on, of course, a 3-pointer), one rebound, no blocks and four fouls — including another technical.

The Celtics still rank No. 1 in the league in scoring defense, but they can’t get the big stops when they need them. Bryant and Rashard Lewis can tell you that.

At the end of the season, Allen is a free agent, and although he’s a fan favorite, he’s gone. Pierce is here until he retires, and I’d like to think the same about Garnett. But there’s no telling how long that’ll be.

As far as Boston’s prospects for another championship, playoff basketball is about toughness and being able to close out games. Right now, the Celtics are lacking in that department.

What's wrong with the Pro Bowl?

Something needed to be done to try and generate more interest in the Pro Bowl. But moving the game up to the bye week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl doesn’t solve any of the NFL all-star game's problems. It’s still, and sadly always will be, an unentertaining affair.

The big deal is not that the Super Bowl teams’ players won’t play in the Pro Bowl. That’s always been an issue. Sure, the likes of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees couldn’t hurt the game, but their absence won't kill it.

The fact is, aside from first-timers, not many players seem excited about the Pro Bowl. Everyone wants to be picked for the game, which is an honor, but no one wants to play because it’s a chore.

A football all-star game just plain doesn’t work, no matter when it’s played.

In baseball, basketball and even hockey, every player gets a chance to be seen, giving fans the opportunity to cheer for him. Baseball players hit or pitch (except for the poor saps who play one inning as a defensive replacement). In the NBA, every all-star plays and is usually afforded the opportunity to do something cool for the fans. Same goes for hockey, albeit to a much less interesting extent.

But how do football fans appreciate their offensive linemen? No one’s watching the Pro Bowl and marveling at Logan Mankins’ pass blocking, because if he’s doing a good enough job, Matt Schaub or whomever is playing quarterback is probably making something much more exciting happen down the field.

And even the exciting plays aren’t that exciting in the Pro Bowl.

So what’s the answer? How do we fix the Pro Bowl?

Honestly, this is going to sound goofy, but turn it into a flag football game. It doesn’t solve all the problems, but it would make for a more fun atmosphere, like the NBA All-Star game. There would be no hitting, meaning almost no chance of injury, and it would give players the opportunity to do some entertaining stuff — trick plays, behind-the-back passes, center and quarterback switch spots for a play, whatever.

Sure, it’s gimmicky, but aren’t all all-star games on some level? Flag football isn’t the perfect solution, but it would be an upgrade from what the game is now.

It's the most annoying time of the year

Media Week is by far the most annoying time of the NFL season, and year after year, it's getting worse. Hordes of reporters - if you'd even call them that - land at the site of the Super Bowl and ask the absolute dumbest questions you could imagine.

"What toilet paper do you use?"
"If you were a bird, what kind of bird would you be?"
"Do you prefer Coke of Pepsi?"
"How often do you clip your toenails?"

Some of the moments can be entertaining, but most of them are just trying to get on SportsCenter to claim their 15 minutes of fame. And speaking of the self-proclaimed worldwide leader, they lead the charge in annoyingness ... Look I love football, but they just won't stop, and most of the time, they're just trying to get someone to say something that can be over examined.

For example, Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said he wants this defense to give Colts quarterback a few "remember-me hits." So ESPN jumps on that and claims the Saints will be "headhunting" on Super Sunday. Really? From what I understand, football is being played, not chess.

If they Saints are to win, they're going to need to knock Manning down as much as possible. But I digress.

The point is, wake me up when the game starts.

Stay in the stands

There's no doubt that Providence College's 81-66 upset win over Connecticut on Wednesday night was huge. But an upset worthy of storming the court? Not even close.

These days, however, it seems that students feel the need to run onto the floor after any mild upset. When PC beat then-No. 1 Pittsburgh last year and the kids stormed the court, it made about as much sense as this silly practice can.
But UConn now is below .500 in the Big East. The Huskies were ranked 19th after falling out of the Top 25 last week. True, they were coming off a huge upset of their own after beating top-ranked Texas on Saturday. But David vs. Goliath this was not.

Most of the 11,136 in attendance at the Dunkin' Donuts Center didn't think PC had a prayer in this game. That, however, doesn't mean storming the court is appropriate. It's usually ridiculous and, at the risk of sounding like an old killjoy, potentially dangerous. If I were one of the UConn players on the court when hordes of PC students ran out, I'd be a little on edge. If you've ever been to a PC game and listened to some of the garbage spewing from mouths of the students, you'd understand. And I wouldn't put it past some moron to taunt or take a cheap shot at an opposing player on his way by, and that creates the potential for things to get ugly.

Look, I'm all for kids celebrating with their basketball-playing classmates after a big victory. But do it back on campus. College kids still have parties, right? Go to one and celebrate there. Granted, that won't be on SportsCenter, but storming the court is, most of the time, an idiotic tradition.