A Glance at the Big Four

It was great to see that even at age 39 my boy Chipper Jones was named to the MLB All Star Team. After coming off knee surgery last year and multiple injuries over the last few and couple with that talk of retirement it is good that he can add some more numbers to his Hall of Fame Career.

The NFL Lockout looks like thay might just get a deal done without missing any games. That would be a good thing for all parties. The fans don’t care who wins or who loses, just make sure that they are on the field in September.

The NBA also is in a lookout but their situation looks a lot more bleak. Even though it is still early there is little optimism that it will come to an end anytime in the foreseeable future. Not good for players who may not have overseas options like they may have thought and not good for the league which has had an image issue for years now. Even worse that after such a good playoffs this year that any good favour that was gained will go right down the drain.

The NHL may actually get a chance to gain back some market foothold if the NBA is out for any period of time. In the US and A the networks are going to have to fill airtime on radio and tv and if the NHL can start getting players and get some game discussion on these shows can only help grow the league. Jim Rome and Dan Patrick (who has NBC ties and guess who has NHL rights???) are both hockey guys and can talk the game if need be and be knowledgeable. It is just a matter of getting their listeners involved. This could be a very critical time in the acceptance of the game in the US.

MLB All Star game is next Tuesday. The game itself is the best of all the major sports because it lends itself to being played close to real game action. I still hate that it decides home field advantage in the World Series. If the game actually counts then: Not every team should be represented, fans should not get the ability to vote, Managers need to choose the most deserving players not just his own guys (see Tommy Hanson -vs- Tim Linsicum) and not every player should get to play or pitchers only going 1 inning. If the game is to mean something, play it and manage it like it does. If it is truly just for the fans that is fine but don’t put something on the line as important as home field.