Snow, snow, go away

As the snow falls over this corner of the Northeast, it’s fun to think about the warmer weather and the upcoming racing and training seasons ahead.

The World Cross Country Championships are in Kenya next month, followed by the Boston Marathon in mid April will star top American Deena Kastor, defending New York City champ Jelena Prokopcuka, and defending Boston champ Rita Jeptoo.

A week after Boston, the epically deep London Marathon field that will feature Americans Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi (2:09:53) and Khalid Khannouchi (2:05:38) will go after world-record holder Paul Tergat (2:04:55), and two-time Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie (2:05:56), as well as Felix Limo (2:06:14); Martin Lel (2:06:41); Hendrick Ramaala (2:06:55); Jaouad Gharib (2:07:02); defending Olympic champion Stefano Baldini (2:07:22); Benson Cherono (2:07:58); Hicham Chat (2:07:59); defending New York City champ Marilson Gomes dos Santos (2:08:48); and Briton Jon Brown (2:09:31).

Outside of the Olympics the London field could be the deepest ever assembled.

But more than the spring marathons and big track meets, the news on a snowy Tuesday focuses on the autumn, specifically the two big races in New York City on the first weekend in November.

That’s where Lance Armstrong will take another crack at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4. Last year, as was well documented, Armstrong completed the hilly NYC course in 2:59:36 thanks in part to being paced through by Alberto Salazar, German Silva, Joan Samuelson and Hicham El Guerrouj. Actually, Armstrong’s outing in New York was a big-time production magnified by a phalanx of security, famous Nike runners, and a pace car reporting his splits along with the equally ridiculous “Lance Cam.”

Meanwhile, Armstrong finished 856th.

Afterwards, Armstrong called marathoning much more difficult than cycling:

“I can tell you, 20 years of pro sports, endurance sports, from triathlons to cycling, all of the Tours – even the worst days on the Tours – nothing was as hard as that, and nothing left me feeling the way I feel now, in terms of just sheer fatigue and soreness.”

READ MORE OF THIS POST

Forget the snow, let's look ahead

As the snow falls over this corner of the Northeast, it’s fun to think about the warmer weather and the upcoming racing and training seasons ahead.

The World Cross Country Championships are in Kenya next month, followed by the Boston Marathon in mid April will star top American Deena Kastor, defending New York City champ Jelena Prokopcuka, and defending Boston champ Rita Jeptoo.

A week after Boston, the epically deep London Marathon field that will feature Americans Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi (2:09:53) and Khalid Khannouchi (2:05:38) will go after world-record holder Paul Tergat (2:04:55), and two-time Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie (2:05:56), as well as Felix Limo (2:06:14); Martin Lel (2:06:41); Hendrick Ramaala (2:06:55); Jaouad Gharib (2:07:02); defending Olympic champion Stefano Baldini (2:07:22); Benson Cherono (2:07:58); Hicham Chat (2:07:59); defending New York City champ Marilson Gomes dos Santos (2:08:48); and Briton Jon Brown (2:09:31).

Outside of the Olympics the London field could be the deepest ever assembled.

But more than the spring marathons and big track meets, the news on a snowy Tuesday focuses on the autumn, specifically the two big races in New York City on the first weekend in November.

That’s where Lance Armstrong will take another crack at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4. Last year, as was well documented, Armstrong completed the hilly NYC course in 2:59:36 thanks in part to being paced through by Alberto Salazar, German Silva, Joan Samuelson and Hicham El Guerrouj. Actually, Armstrong’s outing in New York was a big-time production magnified by a phalanx of security, famous Nike runners, and a pace car reporting his splits along with the equally ridiculous “Lance Cam.”

Meanwhile, Armstrong finished 856th.

Afterwards, Armstrong called marathoning much more difficult than cycling:

“I can tell you, 20 years of pro sports, endurance sports, from triathlons to cycling, all of the Tours – even the worst days on the Tours – nothing was as hard as that, and nothing left me feeling the way I feel now, in terms of just sheer fatigue and soreness.”

Afterwards, Armstrong revealed that he did not train as hard as he had claimed even though he was diligent. The fact of the matter is that Armstrong worked out hard, but just not enough, which is understandable since he had just retired from hard training and competing.

But the marathon is humbling and there is no place to hide weaknesses. A runner has either done the work or he hasn’t – it’s that simple. In that regard, Armstrong got a taste of what it’s all about and it’s unlikely that he will leave New York feeling as banged up and bruised as he did last November.

I think there is something more to Armstrong choosing to run the marathon again and it’s more than an elite athlete being humbled in a new event. In fact, I’ll be willing to wager that Armstrong puts in a big-time training effort in attempt to be the top American in the race.

After all, there will be no elite-level Americans racing in the 2007 New York City Marathon. They will all be racing in the Olympic Trials the day before the annual marathon. With such a depleted field it’s reasonable that Armstrong can put in nine more months of training to lower his 2:59 considerably. After all, he has one of the highest VO2 marks ever registered. Though he’s a little older now, his body hasn’t taken the pounding typical of runners his age. Actually, the career on the bike might have provided a nice base to become an above-average runner.

It will be interesting to see what types of reports come out of Armstrong’s camp as the year passes.

Goucher to take a crack at the Trials?
While Armstrong’s entry into the 2007 New York City Marathon is as official as it can be nine months out, elite American Adam Goucher is contemplating his marathon debut in the Olympic Trials the day before Lance makes his second run in New York.

Fresh off his second-place finish in the USATF Cross Country Championships, Goucher announced that he – along with Jorge Torres and Abdi Abdirahman – was going to take a crack at Alberto Salazar’s 26-year old 8k American record (22:04) at the U.S. Championships next month in New York City. If he’s going to do it, Goucher will have a good reference point since his coach is the record holder.

But it’s the prospect of Goucher making his marathon debut at the Trials that has piqued the interest. A “B” standard qualifier with both a 27:59 10k and 13:15 5k under his belt in 2006, Goucher’s entry into the field automatically changes the tenor of the race. Already shaping up to be one of the deepest American marathon fields in a generation, the high-stakes competition and the criterion-style course through Central Park could suit Goucher’s style.

Plus, Goucher will get a first-hand look at portions of the course next month when he hits NYC for the 8k championships, and his well-documented training regime is, frankly, intimidating.

Yeah, Goucher is in.

Go Pound sand
Speaking of Armstrong, his arch nemesis and head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Dick Pound, was essentially censured by the International Olympic Committee for his comments directed at the cyclist. Not that anything such as a rebuke, humiliation or censure will quiet Pound.

The IOC claims that Pound “violated the Olympic charter, the rules of the IOC, and the rules of the Olympic movement,” when Pound criticized a Dutch report last year that cleared Armstrong from doping allegations. Pound, published reports indicate, said the report was prepared by a lawyer with no expertise in doping control and that WADA was considering legal action against him.

Though the IOC’s ethics panel found no “incriminating element” in Pound’s conduct, it did find that he refused to respond to Armstrong’s complaint against him for continuing to make claims without undisputed evidence.

Defiant as always, Pound told Armstrong the rebuke is meaningless.

“If Lance thinks this is going to make me go away he is sadly mistaken,” Pound told reporters.

That is, of course, Armstrong chooses to sue Pound and the WADA… don’t’ bet against it.

Out in front
The New York Times, seemingly the only American newspaper outside of the Bay Area covering doping issues these days, offered a story about an American cycling team performing its own drug tests ahead of the agencies. It's very interesting to read how Floyd Landis' positive test in last year's Tour de France have affected many cycling teams.

Meanwhile, former marathoner turned physician, Bob Kempainen, reminisced with an Ivy League sporting web site. Kempainen, of course, was one of the toughest runners on the planet for a few years as evidenced in the 1996 Marathon Olympic Trials.

Doing the work

I was probably 12-years old the first time someone told me I wasn’t going to make it to the NBA. At the time the thought of it made me laugh – I was one of the tallest kids on my basketball team, I was relatively coordinated, I could dribble with both hands and I was the best shooter in the league. Plus, I went to basketball camps and worked on my shooting as much as a kid my age could. When games were on TV (not everyone was televised in those days), I watched hoping to pick up some moves from Julius Erving, Larry Bird or Kevin McHale.

Better yet, the Sixers’ pre-season training camp was held in the gym where I practiced after school. I went to every practice session because when the NBA champs were finished using the court, I was going to go through my paces. Sometimes a few players hung around to snag rebounds and offer a few pointers. Dr. J did once, and Leon Wood was very friendly. No one, though, was as helpful as Andrew Toney. It always seemed that Toney was working on his shooting long after his teammates had left the gym to do whatever it was they did in Lancaster, Pa.

So when I was told that I wasn’t going to make it to the NBA it was laughable. How could that be?

Looking back it all makes sense now. I grew up to be 6-foot-1, which is the same size as “Tiny” Archibald. Plus, I soon ventured out of my insular little world and found out that there were players just as good as me who sat on the bench for their teams. Sure, I was an above-average shooter – probably amongst the best two or three in my school – but there is a lot more to the game than just shooting the ball from the outside. On defense, chances were that I was going to allow just as many points as I scored. Occasionally I got in the way and stopped my opponent, but that was usually just dumb luck.

More telling was the fact that I went to the high school regarded as the finest in athletics in the area. The basketball teams have won more league championships than any other school, while the other sports – specifically track and field – were sometimes powerhouses. Yet despite this, my high school has never produced an NBA player. Actually, we’ve had just three Major Leaguers, two NFLers, and just a handful of Division I standouts.

So what’s the point of this? Simple. Mo Vaughn knew by the age of 12 that he was going to be a Major League baseball player. At least that’s what his parents said during a game at Fenway a few years back when asked when they realized their son was going to be a big leaguer.

When Mo was 12, Mr. Vaughn said, he played in a men’s baseball league and, “he dominated.”

It seems like 12 is the magic age to determine a person’s athletic future. Oh sure, there are late bloomers like Ryan Howard who was overlooked even when he was deep into his college career. But one thing is for certain: Ryan Howard was on the path to the big leagues long before that. A diamond in the rough is still a diamond.

But baseball doesn’t last forever. Sure, these days getting a big-league contract is a lot like winning the Powerball. The thing a lot of parents and kids don’t understand is that the odds of getting there are just as slim. Yet even though Mo Vaughn dominated adults before he was a teenager, he was made to prepare for the day when the games ended. Interestingly, these days Vaughn is in real estate development, but he’s not simply putting up high-end McMansions that only other lottery winners can afford. Instead, Vaughn, according to George Vecsey's story in The New York Times, is building affordable housing for folks with modest incomes.

Baseball, it seems, was nothing more than a tool for Vaughn to put him where he could do really important work. That’s the key – kids should use the games to put them where they need to be. Chances are that’s not going to be in the big leagues.

Ryan Howard seems to believe that, too. According to what he told Bryant Gumble on the latest edition of HBO’s Real Sports that there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to return to school and finish his course work.

Believe it or not, that’s much more important than hitting 60 homers.

Believing the hype

Deciphering the reports and the photos from last Saturday's big race in Boulder, Alan Culpepper sat back and allowed pre-race favorites Adam Goucher and Dathan Ritzenhein do all the hard work through the first 10 kilometers. It was then that the race went from Goucher trying to stick with the next great American distance hope Ritzenhein, to the former champ Goucher attempting to keep Culpepper from dominating that final two kilometers.

It didn't happen.

Culpepper, fully under control and surging toward to the tape, won Saturday's cross-country championships in Boulder, Colo. by completing the muddy and snowy 12k course in 37:09 to Goucher's 37:35 and Ritzenhein's 37:47.

Interestingly, upon hearing the results by repeatedly refreshing hurriedly typed reports on a running message board, running geeks (like me) sounded a nationwide, "Wow! What a surprise… what got in to Culpepper?"

Here's the thing about that – Culpepper, 34, has been to the Olympics twice in two different events, won two previous national cross-country titles, as well as a national title in the 5,000, 10,000 and marathon. In 2003 Culpepper ran a 2:09:41 at the Chicago Marathon and finished fifth in 2:11:02 after an aggressive effort at the 2006 Boston Marathon.

Yet with those outstanding credentials Culpepper's victory on Saturday is an upset. Why? Was it the rough day he had at the New York City Marathon last November? Perhaps – after all, Culpepper had to drop out because he couldn't stay hydrated despite drinking throughout the race. Couple that with what I wrote about Culpepper before the New York City race and it's easy to understand why the running geeks (like me) believed Ritz, Goucher or Abdi Abdirahman were the runners to beat in the deep field. To wit:

And of course I'd like to write that American Alan Culpepper is going to let it all hang loose and be risky instead of his typically intelligent tactics. Culpepper is always consistently steady, which produces great times but it isn't exactly inspiring. To steal a phrase from baseball players, Culpepper doesn't like to "get dirty."

Culpepper got dirty, literally, on Saturday. Better yet, those so-called "intelligent" tactics served him well. In the end, when the race was on the line, Culpepper ran the two kids into another muddy ditch. There's definitely something inspiring about a tough race run well.

More: Daily Camera (Boulder) running section

Denver Post: "Boulder's 'Running Town' Reputation Safe"

The results

1. Alan Culpepper, Lafayette CO 37:09
2. Adam Goucher, Portland OR 37:35
3. Dathan Ritzenhein, Boulder CO 37:47
4. Jorge Torres, Boulder CO 38:07
5. Michael Spence, Ogden UT 38:15
6. Zach Sabatino, Morgantown WV 38:16
7. Fasil Bizuneh, Flagstaff AZ 38:24
8. James Carney, Marina CA 38:25
9. Jason Lehmkuhle, Minneapolis 38:26
10. Edwardo Torres, Boulder CO 38:31

What happened?

Abdi Abdirahman, my choice to win the race, finished 21^st in 39:07.

Hyped just right

Meanwhile, the press covering the event in The Running Republic of Boulder gave the race rave reviews. The town, the event, the course and the fans all lived up to the pre-race hype, which is saying something. In this distance running Super Bowl only the finishing times seemed lopsided with an estimated 10,000 fans lining the course two-to-three people deep to watch a cross-country race. According to the dispatches from Boulder, New York City has a high hurdle to leap for November's marathon Olympic Trials.

We'll definitely have to see that one first hand.

DOMINATION

While the men's national championship was an upset with the old man knocking off the young bucks, the women's race was a coronation. And it wasn't just a new thing, as in Deena Kastor is the best American runner of her era. Nope, that's not good enough.

On Saturday Deena Kastor proved that she is the best woman American runner ever.

Yeah, she's even better than Joan Benoit Samuelson.

Nevermind that Kastor owns three of the top four marathon times in U.S. history, or that Samuleson won the Olympic gold in 1984, the Sullivan Award in 1985, and at 50, Joanie can still run an Olympic Trials-qualifying time for the marathon, what Kastor did to the field on Saturday is ridiculous.

Kastor won her eighth cross-country championship by covering the 8k course in 26:47. That's 61 seconds better than second-place finisher Shalane Flanagan, which is almost unheard of in a national championship race. A five-second victory is significant, but 61 seconds is more than domination if there is such a thing.

Here's the crazy part. Just two weeks ago Flanagan set the American indoor record in the 3,000 meters, and actually led the race after two kilometers. But according to the race recap from Letsrun.com, Flanagan said, "I think it was a little naïve to think that I could run with her."

From Letsrun.com:

Kastor and Flanagan were well clear of the rest of the field not even 2k in, and in third was Kara Goucher who had a big gap over the rest of the field. Kastor however wasted no time in destroying the young upstart Flanagan. She pulled away from Flanagan and soon the lead was 10 seconds, 20 seconds, and then 30 seconds. Flanagan was not faltering, however, as she had 30 seconds up on the third place Goucher. Kastor was just putting on one of the most dominating performances in the history of American women's distance running.

It's going to be really interesting to see what Kastor does in Boston in April.

More: Watch the races and check out the entire day in Boulder on Flocast

Making lemonade

Just when it looked as if I turned some sort of corner to get back into a full-fledged training regime, last week happened.

Yeah, it’s always something.

With day time temperatures struggling to get into the single digits and the wind chill making it seem much colder, I knew it was going to be a difficult week. Usually, I’m able to warm up 20 to 30 minutes into any run and the coldness rarely is a factor, but that’s only with positive-numbered temperatures. When we get below zero it’s hard to go outside to run – and it’s dangerous, too. I’m not expert, but I’m guessing frost bite is not much fun.

Yet since I don’t have access to an indoor track or a treadmill because I’m so intent on going outside to run, it was time to dig out the sub-zero hood, the fleece-lined base layer tights to go under the SportHill pants, and the two cotton-twill shirts for underneath the so-called wind resistant jacket.

It makes me sweat just thinking about wearing all of that stuff.

Early in the week, when it was minus-five degrees at noon, it felt as if I were running on the moon. The ground was hard and cracked with some granules of dry snow blowing along the deserted landscape while the only life passing my way was the occasional carbon monoxide-spewing car puttering through the neighborhood. Once, though, a guy getting in a workout on his bike pedaled by and I tried to get close enough to him to see if I could determine so semblance of sanity in his face for being out on such a cold day. From what I could tell, his face seemed to be frozen in a lizard-like grimace and his was dressed a lot like me.

But the coldness wasn’t the bad part. Though I had a scheduled day off on Sunday and Monday’s temperatures were too dangerous to risk the run, I was only able to put in 7 miles or so on Tuesday and Wednesday. At first I thought it was the extreme cold that made my legs feel heavy and my breathing labored to the point that I stitched up about 40 minutes into the run. After all, I really struggle when it’s very, very hot – temperatures in the opposite direction ought to have the same affect, right?

After Tuesday’s struggles, Wednesday’s shortened run really had me worried. Usually after a couple of days off and an easy run I end up running so hard and fast that I’m like a racehorse. But this time something was wrong… what the hell was it?

According to the all of the web sites I checked, I had the symptoms of leukemia, thyroid disease, anemia, dehydration and anything else that requires tons of tests, exams and hospitalization. But after deciphering everything and eliminating diseases, I determined that I had a good, old fashioned sinus infection.

After a few more easy days, I was able to put in close to 20 miles on Saturday and Sunday and I’m getting close to being fully recovered by Monday. I still have a long way to go and it doesn’t appear as if I’ll be ready for any type of serious race or marathon until May or June at the earliest, but it gives me a good excuse to do some extended base work to prepare for a hard training effort and run in the Fall.

Here’s the rough week:

Monday – off
Dangerously cold.

Tuesday – 7.2 miles in 50:42
Really rough… and I’m not talking about the sub-zero wind chills.

Wednesday – 7 miles in 50:36
Worse than yesterday in every regard.

Thursday – nothing
Went to the store and bought some Sudafed for the sinusitis. I feel wiped out, heavy and drained – kind of like a pumpkin that’s been beaten with a baseball bat.

Friday – 6.3 miles in 45:46
Better than the other two days, but I'm definitely falling out of shape because of this cold. I guess it's time to slowly build back up.

Saturday – 9.5 miles in 66:21
Getting better but my legs are still weak. My breathing was still a little labored, too.

Sunday – 11.3 miles in 1:15:55
Best run all week. I'm definitely not 100 percent, and I felt a bit tired on the hills, but it's starting to come back a tiny bit.

So what’s with always going outside to run? Why don’t I just join a gym or buy a treadmill for the really hot and cold days?

Good questions.

I suppose I’ve always been something of a “purist” and felt as if running were something to do outside, in nature with all that it throws at you. Races, as I learned last year, sometimes occur in less-than-ideal circumstances. Plus, nature, in its own weird way, is perfect. It makes more sense to deal with it rather than trying to change it and messing it all up.

As I result, I don’t have a GPS watch, fancy attachments for my iPod and know the Google route charters are very flawed. They are nice things, but they don’t make any one a better runner. As far as the treadmill goes, I never thought it would be worth it since I usually had time to get out and extreme weather never lasted long enough to make a gym membership or major treadmill purchase cost effective.

But things are different now. With a soon-to-be three-year old boy and another kid on the way, my ability to escape the house and disappear for an hour or two might be drastically changed. Maybe a treadmill for the garage or basement might be the way for me to keep running when I’m at home with the kids?

Luckily, it never rains in the basement.

Schmidt to Burrell: Hit the ball

One of the more memorable moments of this job came back in the 2003 season when Mike Schmidt -- the Mike Schmidt -- stood casually by the coaches lockers in the dingy and dark clubhouse in Veterans Stadium and broke down what it took to be a great hitter. During that now-infamous chat with a few writers, Schmidt demonstrated different batting stances, showed off various swings for all situations, and talked theory and philosophy until we were kicked out of the clubhouse.

Needless to say, being on the front row for something like that with one of the great hitters of all-time was kind of cool. Plus, Schmidty wasn’t cranky, combative or moody that day, which made it even nicer. Schmidt, I was warned by a more-seasoned writer, had a reputation for being a “little crazy.”

“One day he’ll tell you the sky is blue and get into why it’s blue for about two hours. The next day he’ll deny the whole thing and tell you the sky is purple,” I was told.

But when I was a kid and an epic letter writer, Schmidt responded to one of my queries with a formally typed letter of his own. I think he sent autographs back, too, though I probably didn’t ask. I was more interested in a response, and in that regard Schmidt was OK in my book.

So when his demonstration that June day turned into a rant against Pat Burrell’s season-long slump, well, we were on to something. This was better than a demonstration about hitting from one of the all-time greats -- this was a story. A good story is better than anything and Schmidt was dropping one straight on to our laps. Now he was more than OK in my book.

It should go without writing that we all wrote about that conversation with Schmidt. I saved mine and reprinted it here. As most remember, we all talked about it pretty extensively. In fact, Schmidt felt compelled to apologize a few days later for his comments to us. When we saw him again in Baltimore for a 20-year reunion and home-run derby of the Orioles-Phillies World Series, he made sure we all knew the topic of Pat Burrell and his hitting was off limits.

That’s until now. After nearly four years (has it really been that long!), Schmidt decided the statute of limitations was up and Burrell was fair game. While he was at it, Schmidty offered up some analysis on Adam Dunn’s (lack of) hitting, too.

According to the great Hay McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, Schmidt, “unprompted,” cited Burrell and Dunn as two players that, “tick me off” because “they strike out so much.”

I wonder if Schmidt showed off his Albert Pujols batting stance the way he did back in ’03?

“I look at Dunn and Burrell and I go, ‘My God, if these guys cut their strikeouts down to 75 or 80, they put the ball in play 85 or 90 more times a year.’ That's at least 15 more home runs a year and at least 35 more RBIs a year.”

And…

“I mean, why would Dunn and Burrell watch what Pujols does and not want to be like him, as good as he is?” Schmidt said. “When their careers are over, they are going to wonder how much they left on the table, how much they left on the field. If only they had choked up with two strikes, spread their stances out. What they are doing now is not great, it is mediocrity.”

Schmidt isn’t wrong – just like he wasn’t wrong during that initial consultation. However, no one, not even Schmidt, can “be like” Pujols. That’s like asking Picasso to “show me how to paint like you.”

Schmidt’s other mistake is believing that Burrell cares as much about being a great hitter as he did.

Much ado about something

Aside from the obvious (you know… like everything), there are two specific sports-related stories that I simply cannot put together intelligent and unique sentences about. One of the stories is a parent’s worst nightmare realized and encompasses just about every emotion, theory, thought and any other type of lean-tissue burning catalyst anyone can conjure.

The other, simply, has worn me out. Despite an interest in the topic that bordered on obsession last summer, these days my eyes glaze over when stories on the subject appear.

So as far as Andy Reid and his sons go… what can anyone write? I honestly believe there is nothing smart a writer (not a novelist) can put together on the subject that will do anyone justice. In fact, attempting to just might be insulting – even what I’ve come up with so far fits into those categories. Even seasoned parents can just wonder and offer sympathy. What else is there? All I can offer is that hopefully things turn out OK.

As a not-so-seasoned parent my theory is that one could be as involved as Ward Clever and as in-tune with their child as the most fair-minded and studied child-rearing clinician, and it still comes down to a bit of luck that one’s kids turn out alright and well-adjusted.

That’s about it. Frankly, it's not really any of my business.

Now with Floyd Landis… are we still doing this?

The news came out today that Landis will not defend his Tour de France victory in 2007 as part of a deal with the French anti-doping agency. In return for staying out of France for the year (Stay out of Mailbu, Lebowski!), the anti-doping agency will postpone whether or not it will ban the Lancaster County native for two years from worldwide competition and strip him of his Tour de France victory.

The French agency will reconvene no later than June to make its ruling, which will come on the heels of the U.S. anti-doping agency’s case against Landis stemming from his positive test for unusually high levels of testosterone during one stage of last year’s Tour de France.

In other words, nothing has been settled, nor does it seem likely that there will be any type of conclusion any time soon.

Not being able to ride in France hardly seems like much of a loss for Landis, who could rank along with President Bush (and maybe Lance Armstrong) as the most disliked Americans amongst the French. Besides, Landis, who was recently in New York trying to raise money for his legal defense, had hip-replacement surgery four months ago and would probably not defend his title even if that one dope test (in the 21 he took) came back as clean as the others. Instead, he hopes to ride in the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race in Leadville, Colo. in August, according to reports.

Are your eyes glazed over yet?

Here’s what gets me about this – doping in sports is and will be the most significant story as far as sports are concerned for the foreseeable future. Governing the major sports to be drug free is a raging battle that seems to be doing nothing other than treading water. In baseball, Congress is involved… kind of. In football, positive tests and suspensions for steroids are nothing more than fodder for the transaction wire like turf toe or a strained muscle, while the Olympic sports – running, cycling, swimming, etc. – are neck deep in an abyss of supposed cheating.

In a story written by Evan Weiner of The New York Sun, the idea that wide-ranging investigations uncovering uses of illicit and performance-enhancing drugs could open up potential legal action from the fans is broached.

Weiner writes:

There is another problem with the Mitchell investigation that no one has addressed. What if Mitchell uncovers evidence of steroids and other banned substance usage? What kind of penalties can the industry impose on retired players, former team officials, and employees? What happens if people demand refunds for buying tickets to what they thought was a bona fide competition once they find out that the games featured cheaters? Other than a scholarly and possible legal report, just what is Mitchell's investigation going to prove? Major League Baseball lacked integrity six years ago, nine years ago, 15 years ago?

Better yet:

The difficulty they face is simple. No one in authority in terms of spending money on sports really cares about athletes using banned and illegal substances.

Meanwhile, the fans yawn.

As a side note to the Landis story, the two-year ban on Tyler Hamilton is up and the one-time top American rider is back racing and hopes to win the Tour de France this year. There's a big story about his drive to return to the top of the sport after his doping ban in the latest issue of Outside Magazine.

Wouldn’t that be something if he did it?

TV is next...

"I really don't know whether we'll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don't care, either."
-- Arthur Sulzberger, Publisher, The New York Times

Have left arm, will travel

Bruce Chen, the one-time, up-and-coming lefty the Phillies received from the Braves in June of 2000 when the Andy Ashby experiment went horribly wrong, signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers today. Word is Chen has a pretty good chance to crack the Rangers’ rotation as the fifth starter behind Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Robinson Tejeda and Brandon McCarthy. Take away McCarthy and add Nelson Figueroa, Brandon Duckworth, Omar Daal or Robert Person and it could be the 2001 Phillies.

Nevertheless, the interesting part isn’t that Chen is joining the Texas ex-Phillies or that he is looking to rebound after a poor 2006 season where he went 0-7 with 6.93 ERA in 40 games for the Orioles. The interesting part is that Chen has a chance to pitch for his ninth Major League team and 10th organization since breaking in with the Braves in 1998.

Yeah, that’s nine teams and countless minor-league clubs. Nine teams in 10 seasons. The Braves, Phillies, Mets, Expos, Reds, Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and now Rangers. He’s been traded three times, waived twice, granted free agency three other times and pitched for a team that no longer exists.

He also pitched for Panama in the World Baseball Classic, which many suggest was the source of his rough 2006 season after winning 13 games with a 3.83 ERA in nearly 200 innings for the Orioles in 2005. But when looking at Chen’s record the 2005 season is a noticeable aberrance. Only twice in the seven prior seasons had Chen topped 78 innings or had an ERA below the league average.

Plus, Chen has long baffled his managers with what they call a dearth of “toughness.” Needless to report, former Phillies manager Larry Bowa quickly ran out of patience with Chen. So too did Frank Robinson in Montreal and a bunch of GMs scattered about both leagues. Friendly and easygoing, Chen seemed to throw just one bad pitch in his poor outings or struggle with his training program from time to time. That seemed to disappear over parts of three seasons in Baltimore despite the struggles last year.

But the big question still lingers: just how does Chen keep cracking big-league rosters year after year?

The first answer is obvious – Chen is left-handed. Lefties not only have a longer shelf life that right-handers, but also are in demand. Every team needs one or wants one and sometimes a warm body will do just fine.

Plus, Chen was once the minor league pitcher-of-the-year in the Braves' vaunted stable of up-and-coming pitchers. Pitching coach Leo Mazzone spoke highly of him even after he was traded for the first time.

Another reason is Chen’s age. With all his experience (and left-handedness) Chen doesn’t turn 30 until June 19, which makes him a relatively young lefty.

Then there are the glimpses of potential and greatness that warrant teams into giving him a shot time after time. For the Phillies, the high-water mark for Chen was when he baffled the playoff-bound Giants for 8 2/3 innings, allowing just two hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Chen took a no-decision in a game decided on Bobby Abreu’s walk-off, inside-the-park homer.

The following season, Chen started the first game back at Shea Stadium following Sept. 11 by holding the Braves to six hits and no earned runs over seven innings in an emotional outing during the throes of a pennant chase.

There’s more, like the seven-inning shutout Chen tossed at the A’s in his debut for the Orioles in 2004. Three starts later he turned in a complete-game to beat the Blue Jays. In his breakthrough 2005 season Chen’s first four starts were against the Red Sox and Yankees where he won two games, including a complete game to beat New York. In 14 of his 32 starts in ’05, Chen pitched into the seventh inning – in comparison, Vicente Padilla only reached the seventh seven times for the Phillies in 2005.

Whether or not Chen hangs on with the Rangers remains to be seen. What is clearly evident is there is a team out there somewhere that will take a chance on him.

Myers talks about new deal

Brett Myers talks to the Philadelphia media about his new contract.

Myers Trim, Wallet Fat After New Pact
There was a time – not too long ago – when Brett Myers was a workout fiend. Before he had made the climb through the Phillies’ system to the big leagues, Myers would no sooner finish a workout before he’d start the whole process over again. In fact, during his early spring training days it wasn’t uncommon to see Myers in a darkened ballpark running lap after lap around the warning track and stands long after everyone had gone home.

Actually, Myers was downright arrogant about his training regime and the amount of time he put into it. Once, following a late-season start during his rookie campaign in 2002, Myers was asked when he planned on diving back into his off-season routine, the not-so big (at the time) right-hander responded with a dismissive, “two weeks.” When told that two weeks didn’t sound like a lot of time to allow his body to rest and heal after a long season of baseball, Myers curtly responded with, “That’s all I need.”

But somewhere between the 2003 season and the close of the 2006 season, Myers decided he didn’t need to work out much. Actually, from the clearly superficial view, it seemed as if Myers’ in-season exercise program occurred every five days when he took the mound. That’s not likely the case, but for a professional athlete to be listed modestly at 240 pounds (he admits to being 250 at the end of last season and over 260 at the end of the '05 season), something must have slipped through the cracks.

Maybe Myers was burned out from the sometimes tedious nature of day-in and day-out regimentation? Or maybe he was following the lead of Kevin Millwood and Jon Lieber – two big righties that Myers followed around like a lost puppy who didn’t exactly conjure images of the buff dudes on the early-morning workout shows.

Either way, for a kid who grew up as a boxer and around athletics, it was quite out of character for Myers to get away from what got him to the big leagues.

But things are a little different now… that is to say things are the same as they were. What got away from Myers has returned – maybe not with the ardor as before – and the righty is leaner, maybe meaner, and ready for another crack at the playoffs with the Phillies.

“The weight doesn't bother me when I pitch. I just felt that I owe it to myself and the guys in Spring Training this year to work a little bit harder,” the pitcher said, in town to meet the press after agreeing to a three-year, $26.75 million contract extension. “If we missed it by 12 games, then I need to lose 12 more pounds. I think everybody left last year with a bad taste in their mouths.”

Myers heads into camp next week at a more athletic 218 pounds, which, by his rationale means the Phillies should finish ahead of the pack by 20 games. Nevertheless, Myers said the difference this winter was watching what he ate, resisting his wife’s tempting offers of nachos and ice cream and getting on his program much earlier than usual.

“I started (working out) a little earlier this year and I haven’t been able to fit into this suit in two years now and I finally made my way back into it,” Myers said, sporting a figure-flattering single-breasted design. “I just kept working and the weight just kept coming off. I really had fun doing it and it didn’t get boring so I hope I can keep at it during the season.”

Be that as it may, Myers could be correct when he says that the excess weight didn’t bother him when he pitched. After all, he has been rather durable. He nearly pitched 200 innings last season even though he missed a bunch of starts stemming from his well-publicized arrest in Boston last June. Nor has Myers ever been injured… yet. Being back at his old fighting weight should only help in that regard.

Then there is the other stuff… off-the-field stuff that made many wonder if the Phillies and Myers would ever be in this position. Sometimes irascible with a reputation amongst teammates, coaches and media for being immature and difficult to work with, some have wondered if Myers was worth the trouble.

If Myers were any other pitcher, no one would have any concerns about the deal he just signed. In fact, most people probably don't have any trouble with it. The stats on the page speak for themselves. Per 162 games, Myers averages almost 207 innings, 166 strikeouts, and for the past two seasons his ERA was well below the league average. Somewhere, beneath all of that baggage, a 20-game winner lurks.

It seems as if Brett Myers' biggest problem is being Brett Myers. But since he's now closer to 30 than 20, maybe the years and experience will help. Hey, some people mature later than others, and there always seems to be certain types of behavior that the talented and gifted possess. Maybe Myers’ impudent behavior has been tempered by experience?

“I think every year as you get older you get a little more mature, but that’s just over time and being in this world and learning the people around you and who to trust,” he said. “Obviously, family is a big part of my life and if they weren’t there than none of this would be possible.”

So about that incident in Boston where Myers was arrested for allegedly punching his wife on a street corner after leaving a bar (charges were later dropped), which resulted in his leave of absence?

“Things are great,” Myers revealed. “I think what it came down to, we had trouble communicating. I'm gone half the time and when I'm home, I get home at midnight and everybody's in bed and I see you for an hour a day and it was one of those things where most of our communication is done by phone. I think it really benefitted us, not saying that the incident helped, but it was kind of an eye opener toward that. We just needed to talk a little more and be more supportive of each other.

“Coming from never being in trouble before to being in trouble, it's definitely a humbling experience. I'm probably more humbled by it than anything.”

Myers was also quick to point out how supportive the Phillies were in coming to the aid of him and his wife.

“They were (supportive) from the beginning,” Myers said. “I felt terrible for the organization and my family that it had to come about, and it did come about. It was one of those things where everybody makes mistakes and we learn from them. None of these mistakes can ever happen again.”

The support he heard from the fans in his return from his leave also weighed in his decision for wanting to stay in Philadelphia.

“Just you asking me about it is giving me goose bumps. I really appreciated that,” he said. “Hopefully the support can keep coming in because this team really needs it. I grew a lot of respect for the fans after that day.

“I like pitching here. I relate the fans to my dad when I was a kid. If I didn't play well, he was all over me. When the fans boo you, we already know we're not playing up to our capabilities. I kind of need that tough love sometimes.”

That’s something he’ll get plenty of for the next three seasons.

Myers talked baseball, too
Brett Myers talked about a bunch of baseball-related topics during Tuesday’s press conference to announce his three-year, $26.75 contract extension.

Did he think he would be traded after the Phillies acquired Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton?
"No, because we didn't have contact with the Phillies. They didn't call us or anything like that. I was excited that we could add two more guys to our rotation, and at that point in time, I really wasn't concerned about it. Then we started negotiating and I started thinking about it a little bit."

On general manager Pat Gillick's off-season visit with Myers in Jacksonville, Fla.:
"It was real cordial. It was fun. We watched the Jaguars game together and sat around and just talked about life. Nothing really about baseball came up. I think he was trying to appease me by rooting for the Jaguars – I wasn’t quite sure."

On the Phillies as the team to beat in the NL East:
"Whatever Jimmy (Rollins) says I agree with.

"I think with the guys we had last year we kind of want to be that team that has that necessary arrogance about us that we should be the team even though we realized it late in the season. I think this year we know we can compete with the Mets and we know we can compete with the Braves, so we have pretty much the same guys as last year and we’ve played together for an extra year. I think it’s going to be a lot more fun for us this year competing against those teams when we know we can beat them."

On Cole Hamels:
"It's going to be hard keeping up with Cole this year. Hopefully, everybody can stay healthy also. He's the young guy coming up. When I came up, I didn't really have anybody to talk to until we got Kevin Millwood, and he taught me as he could before he left. Since then, I feel like I need to take that role for Cole, and hopefully Freddy will. We're not left-handed... maybe Jamie Moyer will play a bigger factor for Hamels."

On potentially being the opening-day starter:
There's so much emphasis on being the No. 1 starter and all it really means is that first game. My philosophy is, whoever starts [on any given] day is the ace.

Odds and ends

Here are some general noodlings while waiting for the sun to burn through what’s left of the ozone and return to temperatures to something a little saner.

It seems as if Charlie Manuel’s fears regarding Ryan Howard have been realized. Howard, it seems, has been worn out from eating too much microwaved chicken and mashed potatoes winter banquet circuit and asked the team for a break.

Here’s the blurb from The Sporting News:

If Phillies 1B Ryan Howard starts slowly this season, he'll have an excuse: He couldn't say no during the offseason. After being honored at five banquets in about two weeks, Howard told the club he had hit the wall and needed some time away before heading to spring training in Clearwater, Fla.

Manuel, as most remember, warned the writers about Howard’s popularity during the media-day outing two weeks ago, saying: “I want his time kind of monitored. He’s a professional and he doesn’t mind sitting there and talking. I don’t want to see interviews and stuff like that interfering with his work habits. Because who he is and his demeanor and everything – I’ve said this from Day 1 – if he sticks with exactly what he’s doing right now, that’s exactly where I want to see him stay.”

Fortunately for Manuel and the Phillies, Howard recognized that there was a potential problem and nipped it early. Better yet, Howard and the rest of the gang took off from the chilly northeast and hit Clearwater where the temperatures are supposed to be in the low 70s all week…

***
Speaking of warm, lefty Fabio Castro tossed a one-hitter through five innings for the Dominican Republic against Puerto Rico in a Caribbean World Series game on Sunday. Castro struck out four and walked three in the 12-0 victory.

A Rule 5 pick for the Texas Rangers last season, Castro, 22, seems likely to make the Phillies as a reliever. Initially, the team was considering sending Castro to the minors to get some work as a starter after spending the past season deep on the bench with the Rangers and Phillies. But since the Phils’ ‘pen is so thin Castro could end up with a significant role – relatively speaking.

Anyway, Castro posted some decent numbers this winter for Gigantes del Cibao (translates to Giants of the Cibao) with 31 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA in 29 innings. In limited work for the Phillies last season, Castro made 16 relief appearances with a 1.54 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.

Other (potential) Phillies playing in the Caribbean World Series are Karim Garcia (Mexico) and Randall Simon (Venezuela).

Man… wouldn’t it be nice to be sitting on some Caribbean island right now? Better yet, wouldn’t it be nice to be walking around in, say, Washington, D.C. – it’s supposed to get up to 28 degrees there today.

***
It was fun to see about six people in Indianapolis line the streets to welcome home the Colts after their Super Bowl victory. It was even funnier to watch Peyton Manning pick out which expensive, environmentally-incorrect car he wanted for free for being the MVP of the game.

The funny part isn’t that Manning got a prize for being the MVP, it’s the idea of giving rich and well-known people things for free. A former hockey player once told me that when he was young and coming up in the NHL, no one ever gave him anything. In fact, no one ever paid any attention to him no matter what he did. But as soon as that former NHLer signed a big contract and got some money and a little bit of fame, he couldn’t pay for anything.

“I have money now and can afford things, but everybody gives me stuff for free,” he said shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Gary Matthews Jr. once told me that his first car was the one his dad received for being the MVP of the NLCS in 1983. That’s kind of cool.

On the road back

I haven’t updated the weekly recaps in a while because I don’t think the running has been that interesting to read about. I don’t think this week is particularly interesting, either, but maybe it will become a source of motivation.

Still, I don’t have any quality sessions in the tank since late December, and I don’t foresee any this week with the wind-chills expected to hover around zero degrees all week. I can handle single-digits, but anything around or below zero hurts too much.

Jan. 29 – 15.4 miles in 1:45:25
Very chilly and windy out there, but I felt pretty good. I still feel strong as far as covering the distance, but I don't have any turnover or snap.

Jan. 30 -- 14.1 miles in 1:41:06
Ran slow, but the distance felt pretty good. In fact, the run was very enjoyable and I hope I can keep doing workouts like this one -- only faster.

Jan. 31 -- 15.4 miles in 1:43:33
Did the same run as Monday, only a little bit faster. However, I felt myself get a little tired during the second half and contemplated a short-cut home. That never happens, though.

Feb. 1 -- 14.6 miles
First run: 7.8 in 52:09.
Second run: 6.8 in 46:19.
Doubled up for the first time in a while and felt pretty good with it. Actually, it was kind of fun.

Feb. 2 -- 10.3 miles in 69:13
Ran in the snow, and although the temperature was fairly warm, the wetness was uncomfortable. Otherwise, it was an OK run. Nothing too exciting.

Feb. 3 -- 15 miles in 1:41:31
Felt tight, tired and slow. Plus, it was very, very cold with wind chills in single digits. Still, I ran and stayed strong.

Feb. 4 -- nada
A scheduled easy day morphed into an off day because of the sub-zero wind chills.

About last weekend

Observations from last weekend’s Millrose Games:

Gail Devers stole the show. She’s 40. She was essentially retired for two years and had a baby. What’s that equal? How about the fastest time in the world in the 60-meter hurdles this year as well as the master’s world record?

Devers didn’t simply out-class the field, she beat some real talent, like the defending Olympic champion in the 100-meter hurdles, Joanna Hayes, and Devers’ protégé, Danielle Carruthers.

“Forty is the new 20,” Devers said after the race.

Let’s hope so. In the meantime, Devers has made herself a force – again – for the outdoor season and maybe even the World Championships in Osaka in late August.

Alan Webb was taken to school. Sure, he may be the best natural-born American middle-distance runner, but American Bernard Lagat – who won his fifth Wannamaker Mile in 3:54.26 – and Aussie Craig Mottram (second in 3:54.81) taught him a lesson.

Though he has been running well through the indoor season and has shown that he is fit, Webb, 24, appears to have to shore up his mental game and maybe even some of his tactics. Webb surged to the front early in the race, drifted back and was never a factor as Lagat and Mottram proved that they are two of the best middle-distance runners in the world.

Webb finished fourth in the six-man race with a 4:04.

After setting the world record for the indoor 5,000-meters in Boston last week, Tirunesh Dibaba dominated the Millrose 3,000-meters, beating American Sarah Hall by nearly 15 seconds.

Ethiopian Dibaba won the bronze in the 2004 Olympic 5,000 when she was just 19, looks as if she is coming into her prime and could dominate for the next couple of years… if she can avoid the injuries, of course.

Meanwhile, reports from Boulder are that the snow is melting and the temperatures are a good 50-degrees higher in Colorado than they are here on the east coast. That means the course for the cross-country national championships on Saturday should be nice and sloppy and the temperature just right for good, hard running.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Peyton Manning finally won the championship that had eluded him for so long, but for my money the MVP of Super Bowl XLI was a 5-foot-2, 100-pound, 49-year-old man. Clearly Prince had the best moves all night. The commercials were bad, the weather was awful, the game was sloppy and anticlimactic. Midway through the third quarter I nearly gave up and took to answering e-mail, reading Wikipedia entries, flipping through the latest issue of The Economist all while following the action of the game on Deadspin's live blog.

God bless the Internet.

The problem was that my friends all have children under 4 and by the time halftime rolled around it was bedtime. Because of that there was no way to keep interest high since everyone had retreated to their own dens and living rooms to answer e-mail, read Wikipedia entries, flip through the latest issue of The Economist all while following the action of the game on Deadspin's live blog.

Was there anything better to do?

The first half of the game was pretty fun. Devin Hester's TD return will go down as one of those memorable moments in the history of the Super Bowl, but after that everything went just as I had predicted. Take away Hester's run and the game is over midway through the second quarter.

Still, the game was not the worst ever. It's doubtful it was even the most boring – just typical.

Worst Super Bowls:

* XXIV Jan. 28, 1990 San Francisco 55, Denver 10

* XXXV Jan. 28, 2001 Ravens 34, N.Y. Giants 7

* XXXIII Jan. 31, 1999 Denver 34, Atlanta 19

* XLI Feb. 4, 2007 Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17

* XXIX Jan. 29, 1995 San Francisco 49, San Diego 26

* XXVIII Jan. 30, 1994 Dallas 30, Buffalo 13

* XXVII Jan. 31, 1993 Dallas 52, Buffalo 17

* XXVI Jan. 26, 1992 Washington 37, Buffalo 24

* XV Jan. 25, 1981 Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10

* XXI Jan. 25, 1987 N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20

Was anyone hoping (like I was) that Prince would proclaim, "Game. Blouses," at the end of his performance?

God bless the Internet

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re8hHD2EIxU]

Best bets

Last week: 1-1

Year-to-date: 28-25-2

I've watched every Super Bowl since the one where the Steelers beat the Cowboys, 35-31. That was 1979 – or XXVIII Super Bowls ago – and what I remember the most from that game was Terry Bradshaw played well, and John Stallworth and Franco Harris had long touchdown plays.

Other than that the most important thing about that first Super Bowl was the hors d'oeuvres served at the party at our neighbors' house in Washington. If I recall correctly they were from western Pennsylvania somewhere.

Since then, my favorite Super Bowl memories are, in chronological order: John Riggins running it down the Dolphins' throats in Super Bowl XVII, which was followed by the debut of The A-Team; all those touchdowns by all the Bears except for Walter Payton in Super Bowl XX; hanging out with my McCaskey basketball teammates for Super Bowl XXI; Doug Williams' big day playing hoops in the May's driveway in Super Bowl XXII; Montana to Taylor, the Bud Bowl and hanging out at Ben Miller's house with the gang for Super Bowl XXIII; watching Scott Norwood miss wide right on Howie Bryant's tiny, crappy TV during Super Bowl XXV; making my chili for Andy Cross's parties for Super Bowls XXIX and XXX; sitting in the control room at WGAL to watch Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII; the big snowstorm, lots of shoveling, the impromptu halftime show and the great finish for Super Bowl XXXIV; betting on the outcome of every single play of Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVI at Roger Place's house; sitting in the newsroom at Comcast SportsNet for Super Bowl XXXIX; my son devouring the veggie dip at my sister's house for Super Bowl XL.

Needless to say, the Super Bowl experience has very little to do with football for most folks. It is, in a sense, a holiday, which is why I enjoy those now-cliché and requisite stories on the local news (wait… cliché and local news?) where some people choose to "boycott" the game by hanging out at a coffee shop, the Barnes & Noble or the local college lecture hall, or something like that. I definitely understand what they're protesting (no, it's not football per se), and agree with them that American culture needs a swift kick in the rear. However, hanging out at a corporate bookstore or Starbucks instead of with friends and family isn't exactly a political statement.

Sometimes there is a pretty good game. Such as (in order):

* XXXIV St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16

* XXIII San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16

* XXV New York 20, Buffalo 19

* XXXVIII New England 32, Carolina 29

* XXXII Denver 31, Green Bay 24

So, will Super Bowl XLI be any good? Probably more like Super Bowl XXXVII when Tampa Bay beat up on the Raiders than any of the games listed above. In the ever so brief conversations with people who actually know something about football, I've heard the Bears "have a good defense," they "aren't very good," and they know "how to tackle," but no one says they can win the game.

That's why the Colts minus 7 is the way to go. Actually, if the line was 14 I'd still go with the Colts.

Peyton Manning will get his ring, as they say, but for most folks this will be one to forget… let's just hope the food is decent.

Ted Leo + Pharmacists in Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 2004 (and more)

Little Dawn
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IXzSvMLOdY">

Timorous Me

Me & Mia

Counting Down the Hours

Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone

My Vein Ilin

Sons of Cain @ South Street Seaport, Aug. 26, 2005

Me & Mia video

The High Party @ South Street Seaport

Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone video

The High Party solo

Dancing in the Dark - Jan. 26, 2007

Johnny Appleseed/Rudie Can't Fail - July, 2005

next week: The Evens

Stacked fields

The Super Bowl is on Sunday, and we hear it's a pretty big deal. There might even be a party or two where people get together to watch the game or something. More importantly, though, the next two weekends are kind of a big deal in the track and distance running world.

That's right, the Millrose Games start today, which whets the appetite for next weekend's national cross-country championships in Boulder. The cross-country championships in Boulder? That's like having Mardi Gras, the Super Bowl, and New Year's Eve on the same day… in Las Vegas.

It boggles the mind.

The Millrose Games, which are held in Madison Square Garden, are celebrating its 100^th anniversary and are expected to draw a sell-out crowd for Friday's marquee event, The Wanamaker Mile. That race, televised on ESPN2 at 7 p.m., will feature wunderkind Alan Webb, defending champ Bernard Lagat, and versatile Australian Craig Mottram. All three runners appear to be in good shape, which coupled with the amount of chatter and hype could result in some really fast times. The meet record is 3:52.87, but that could be gone by tonight.

Aside from being a New York City event, much like the Penn Relays have a Philadelphia flavor, the Millrose Games receive a lot of international scrutiny. Many of the world's top track & field performers will be hitting the boards at the Garden for the next two days.

Here's the interesting part: in a USA Today profile, meet director emeritus, Howard Schmertz, said:

"I remember when New York had nine newspapers, and every paper had a track writer. Every paper had a guy writing track every day of the week from mid-January to early March."

Quick, who were the toughest athletes at your high school and college? Check the operative words in that sentence – tough and athlete. Unmistakably, it was the cross-country runners. No, they didn't hit each other like in football or wrestling. Nor is it like basketball with the quick burst of speed and leaping, but in running it's all about managing pain. Whoever can tolerate the most pain will likely win, because there are no huddles, substitutions or time outs.

If your school had crew, that wins.

Nevertheless, the big race in Boulder is especially compelling because of the all-American field in which all the top runners are fit, healthy and focused. And that's not just with the men's field, but also the women's, too.

They are all coming…

When is the last time a big sporting event could boast the best of the best were fit, feisty and at the top of their game?

Locked down

First reaction to the news that Brett Myers signed a three-year, $26.75 million deal (contingent on him passing a physical) on Thursday night? "They didn't give him a no-trade clause, did they?"

Second reaction? "That seems like a fair deal. What, he was going to get about $5 million-plus in arbitration and much more if he were to become a free agent at the end of the season. Instead, it looks as if the Phillies gave him the going rate for youngish pitchers."

Third? "Despite serious questions about his fitness, Myers has been fairly durable. He nearly pitched 200 innings last season even though he missed a bunch of starts stemming from his arrest. Nor has he been injured… yet."

Fourth? "Three more years of that guy."

Fifth? "Let's hope the maturity that many in the Phillies organization say escapes him is found and locked down."

Sixth? "He is pretty good."

If Myers were any other pitcher, no one would have any concerns about the deal he just signed. In fact, most people probably don't have any trouble with it. The stats on the page speak for themselves. Per 162 games, Myers averages almost 207 innings, 166 strikeouts, and for the past two seasons his ERA was well below the league average. There is a 20-game winner lurking beneath all of that baggage.

It seems as if Brett Myers' biggest problem is being Brett Myers. But since he's now closer to 30 than 20, maybe the years and experience will help. Hey, some of us mature later than others, and there always seems to be certain types of behavior that the talented and gifted possess. Let's hope that impudent behavior has been tempered by experience.

Just a little off the sides

Say what you will about the Philadelphia sportswriters, but one thing is for sure -- if the two dudes in Boston even attempted to conduct a press conference like the one yesterday, there would have been blood.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2ytr2Oyv4]

Forget the writers covering other sports, the baseball scribes can be vicious and sadistic with a lot of misplaced anger. I can imagine Dennis Deitch grabbing the one guy by the dreadlocks and swinging him overhead while Todd Zolecki, Marcus Hayes and Mike Radano kick the other guy into submission like Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro in that scene at the Suite Lounge in Goodfellas.

Kevin Roberts? Geez... never make eye contact with that guy. Ken Mandel has done hard time. And Scott Lauber -- I don't even want to know.