Rams: Let the Bidding Begin

Life seems to be looking good for Robert Griffin III. Since the NFL combine showed what RG3 could do, the eyes and desire for the Heisman winner have gone up and through the roof. Some have even started to dare say he might be the better choice than Andrew Luck. He is pretty fast with that 4.41 in the dash. As a result, the Rams are enjoying life as well. Even though they could, the Rams apparently will not take RG3. They want to see where this Sam Bradford takes them and that's just fine. As a result, the Rams have said that the their pick, the #2 overall pick that has RG3's name all over it, is available to be traded for.

Well someone hire an auctioneer and send them to New York City for the Draft. As for the potential bidders, it seems that the Browns, the Dolphins, and the Redskins are the most prominent having already talked with the Dolphins about the pick and with each team having a spot in the first 8 picks. Whoever wins the pick will have to trade away half their future for it. It would be interesting if the Browns get the pick considering they still have Colt McCoy who hasn't fully blossomed yet.

Which of these teams would be the best fit for RG3? The Dolphins. New Head Coach would love a new QB to develop after having success with Aaron Rodgers and it just seems that the Dolphins are a bit more stable than the Browns or the Redskins. Who will get the pick? Don't know but leaning to the Redskins what with their owner not afraid of making risky moves. Now there could be another team out there that makes a play for RG3 but we will have to wait and see where RG3 ends up.

Captain Varitek to Retire

I recently had to say goodbye to Tim Wakefield of the Red Sox and I now have to say goodbye to another member of the team. Jason Varitek, captain of the Red Sox, is going to retire from the sport and make the announcement Thursday. He is only the third captain of the team since 1923. He was there almost as long as Wakefield was as the catcher for the team. He was there when the Curse was broken in 2004 and when the Red Sox won the title again in 2007. He was a Red Sox for his entire career.

It's sad to see the Captain now leave the team. To be fair, his numbers have dropped off considerably. I will miss Varitek as well. Maybe not as much considering that it looks like he might still be part of the team in some way. Heck, I miss a lot of famous Red Sox players that were part of the recent World Series teams. All the moves certainly speak on how much turnover there is in baseball and even sports in general.

As for a legacy, I don't think Varitek will make the Hall of Fame. He will be remembered by the team and the nation for being the Captain and part of the Curse breaking 2004 team but outside of that he might not the recognition he deserves.

Matt Kenseth Wins the Delayed Daytona 500

For me, any NASCAR event lasts too long. This one took forever to just start and then a whole dynasty to finish. This year's Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of NASCAR, went through so much that I'm surprised that it's finally over. It spanned three days from the time it was supposed to start to when it was finally over. The event was rained out for the first time ever in the history of the race and had to be raced on Monday at noon eastern. Then, there was still rain that delayed it even more and there was speculation that it would have to be raced on Tuesday. But they managed to start the race at around 7 PM eastern. They still ended it on Tuesday, though, in the early morning hours.

The race started and there was almost an immediate crash. Somewhat the theme of the night. The race kept going through it all but had to stop around lap 160 due to Juan Pablo Montoya crashing into a safety truck under caution. All the fire from the crash and the 200 gallons of jet fuel pouring from the truck caused a delay of over two hours. They were able to continue thanks to the knowledge gained from doing the laundry. When it started again, there were more crashes and caution flags until finally it ended after a two-lap overtime finish with Matt Kenseth taking the checkered flag.

In one of the wackiest Daytona's in history, certainly the most drawn out, Matt Kenseth wins. This is actually his second win at the event as he won it back in 2009. I bet he's telling everyone right now that it was worth the wait. He had to deal with rain and fire and came out the winner. He even dealt with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s late push for the win.

Congrats to him and thank goodness it's all over. 36 hours for anything is way too long. Thank goodness it wasn't the actual Super Bowl as the country would've lost it if that had happened. Now it's on to the next race for the drivers as they now have to hustle quickly to Phoenix.

Lin and Knicks get Too Much Heat

Last night was where the nation found a unfortunate cure to Linsanity: The Miami Heat. They went into South Beach and found a determined Triple Heat to put an end to the hype surrounding Jeremey Lin. Lin only shot 1-11 from the field, had 8 points, 3 assists, and committed 8 turnovers on the night. Definitely the worst game during this stretch of Linsanity. Meanwhile, each of the Triple Heat had at least 20 points on the evening and the team crushed the Knicks, 102-88.

A setback to say the least for the Knicks squad. Also, they still can't get over .500 when they get the chance. Grant it, this time they played a very good defensive team in Miami. Good thing for them is that it is now the All Star Break and they will have some time to get their act together and regroup into the team they hope to be. Meanwhile, the Heat re-assert their dominance over the Eastern Conference as the break comes. Its them or the Bulls.

Ryan Braun Wins Drug Appeal... Technically

The recent big drug scandal in MLB was with Ryan Braun, the reigning NL MVP, who tested positive for a PED sometime last season. Ryan Braun then appealed the results in order to try and avoid a 50 game suspension, something that seems like a waste of time in this kind of situation. It wasn't for Ryan Braun. Braun actually won the appeal. His team seemed to attack the technical aspect of carrying out the drug tests citing mishandling the shipment and the sample. He won thanks to a procedural error on the part of a third party. Earlier today, Braun spoke out in front of the media and declared his innocence once more. He said he beat this because "the truth is on my side."

First of all, I have seen too many episodes of Law & Order to just simply think he is innocent because of minor mishandling of the evidence or the sampling. Does that raise my cred at all? Second, I'm not saying he is guilty either. I don't know how the actual test could've been affected by this mishandling or if it could've been affected at all. All I can say is that there is doubt, more significant doubt than any other person accused of PED use, that Braun is actually guilty of the charge. As it stands, I would just abstain if someone asked me whether or not I thought Ryan Braun was ever a PED user. I am open to convincing but right now I don't hold anything against Ryan Braun.

So what does this mean for the future with Baseball and drugs? Not sure yet. It could mean players would have stronger cases for overturning suspensions and positive results. What will be very interesting to see is whether or not MLB will try and file a suit over this result. They disagree (to put it lightly) with the third voter, Shyam Das, for ultimately deciding Braun's fate considering the other two guys ultimately vote on the side of the players and the league respectively. This episode of "Law & Order: MLB Narcotics" might have a surprising sequel on the horizon.

Canucks End Red Wings' Home Winning Streak

It has been a fun run for the Detroit Red Wings. Unfortunately, all great things come to an end. Last night, the Red Wings played at home against the visiting Vancouver Canucks and it was a tight one. The Canucks managed to comeback twice against the Red Wings with that last goal coming with about 16 seconds left in regulation. After a scoreless OT, Alexandre Burrows of the Canucks scored the only shootout goal which gave the Canucks the win, 4-3, and ends the Red Wings home winning streak at 23 games.

The Red Wings last night played a great game and so did the Canucks. It took a great team that went to Stanley Cup Finals last year to just beat the Red Wings in a shootout in Detroit. In the big picture, this streak will mean a little something when it comes to actually bringing some intimidation for home ice later on. But we will have to wait to see how the Red Wings will do at home compared to on the road in the postseason.

To end, thank you Red Wings for a great streak to follow. A record which I'm sure you will hold for a long time.

Duerson's Family Sues the NFL

Here is where the concussion debate and the lawsuits surrounding them gets real interesting. Dave Duerson, former safety in the NFL most notable for playing for the Bears, committed suicide last year at the age of 50. That in itself is a tragedy but it gets worse. His brain was examined after he had died and it was determined that he had a neurodegenerative disease that is linked to concussions. His family has now filed a wrongful death suit against the NFL over his suicide. As said in the AP article "The lawsuit accuses the NFL of negligently causing the brain damage that led Duerson to take his own life at the age of 50 by not warning him of the negative effects of concussions."

There was already controversy surrounding the NFL and concussions. This just seemingly makes things worse for the league. On top of the huge number of ex-NFL players suing the league for misleading them about concussions, they now have a suit that alleges someone has taken his own life as a result. We don't the whole facts quite yet but it doesn't look good for the league at all. This sport of football is getting harder and harder to defend or like to a degree. To see all these brutal hits in the game and think of what it might add up to when it comes to brain trauma is just frightening.

If concussions in the NFL and football continue to be an issue despite all the precautions the league is taking, they might just lose some fans and support for the sport. What parent would want their child to play a game that causes debilitating brain injuries and diseases in their later years?

P.S. What about the NCAA and football? I wonder if they care about the health and safety of their sla... I mean "student athletes." (NOPE!!!)