This is my track and field coach from Warwick Valley high in Warwick, NY. Coach Tim St. Lawrence. This is one inspirational man, and although you might not get what I mean by this video, trust me when I say you will never hear or get to meet a man that can talk so positively about high school track and cross-cross country. The man has a disease, and the only cure...MORE HIGH SCHOOL TRACK!!!

O by the way, the track and my old high school, Warwick Valley, named the track after this ageless coach back in the late 90's.

Every October, with a championship fro some team waiting in the wind, my friends and I like to talk about the teams that were never close. Sure ESPN and other media outlets are all a buzz about Tampa and Philly but we ask the question no one dares to ask in October; Who's the worst team in baseball? Last season we all came up with Tampa Bay as the garage band of the major leagues. I'll admit, it was a pretty unanimous decision. But with the Rays shocking the baseball world, and my friends and I, we took it upon our selves to discuss who would take over for the Rays as the leagues worst team. After much deliberation and someone losing a bet and half there head of hair, we narrowed it down to two teams, one from each league.

AL: Kansas City NL: Pittsburgh- It was pretty clear to us who the team in American League was, Kansas is a 1969 expansion team that had it's only real success from the early to mid 80's. I fought hard for K.C. to be the bottom last October, but was voted out, 5-1 for Tamps Bay. But the N.L. team took us a little bit to come to agreement on. Before we decided on the Buccos the Washington/Montreal franchise took real consideration. After all, the only wisp at winning this team has ever had was in the '94 strike shorten season. But then we took into account while making this choice, the appearance of promise while watching these teams. I'll admit, I wanted to keep the Pirates on top, at leat of the Nationals, but we couldn't do it. The Pirates, who almost looked watchable at times this season, especially beating the Yanks for 2 out of 3 at home, but this season they got traded away there best player, and let one of the leagues best slip right past them into L.A. I still don't understand how Boston gets Jason Bay and the Dodgers welcome Manny to the mix, how did the Pirates get only Brandon Moss and Andy Laroche? SoAfter all, the Pirates were last good during the Bobby Bonilla, Barry Bonds, And Van-Slyke days of the early 90's. Won a World Series in 1971, bu even the Penguins have thrown up more Stanley Cups in the Steele City. After a looking at the stats again, the draft history and playoff history and the time that each town has had to wait for a winner, Pittsburgh receives the nod as the worst, basement dwelling, bottom feeding, quicksand sitting and the downright most lousy of all teams in Major League baseball.

check picture: NYC native Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates 1st. rd. draft pick this season

Seriously, I want to know what everyone else thinks has the top 3 thirdbasemen today!

So it's time to weigh in again on the Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers saga again. This time, taking the positive swing the entire Packers organization seemed to know already, that Rodgers was absolutely the right choice for the team. Before the season started it was understandable to hear many cries from the Packer fateful or for some sports writers to get a expeditious point across the table(How can you replace a future Hall of Famer with a three year clipboard holder). You can't blame them, Brett Favre was Green Bay's golden child, the likes of which weren't seen since 1971 when Bart Starr retired from the team, but this is 2008 and Aaron Rodgers isn't Scott Hunter, the Alabama quarterback who replaced Bart Starr in 1972.

Albeit Rodgers took out some off season aggravation out on the Lions and Farve was given a considerable test against the Patriots defense both QB's look as if they are forming to the team around them quite proficiently. Rodgers does have a slight advantage having a Hall of Fame caliber player to watch for three years and playing on a team that made the NFC Championship the year prior, while Favre is learning literally on the fly. Despite the glaring differences in the two, both quarterbacks' have done outstanding jobs with their respected clubs. Both have a QB Passer rating above 103, both have managed the games efficiently and both have proved to be leaders on and off the field. If your a fantasy football guru, such as myself, you may also now realize that you should have taken Rodgers in the 7th round instead of the incumbent Jake Delhome. But be that as it may, the Packers really had no choice but to move forward away from Brett Farve if they wanted this team to succeed in the future. Let's take a more profound look at this.

Brett Favre, who was 35 when Rodgers was drafted was obviously on his way out as a NFL QB. Throwing over 3000 yards was a plus but you could see the gunslinger was pressing on the team with less talent than previous seasons when he threw 29 interceptions against the 20 touchdown passes. In 2005 Favre took a positive swing in that respect but now he was 36. Upset with management for not going after the likes of Randy Moss, wondering if the team was going in the right direction and what did the future hold for himself. Most of this scenario reminds us of the 1993 saga between the 49ers, Joe Montana and his thirsting replacement Steve Young. The 49ers weren't as apt to get rid of Montana, but then again he wasn't retiring, un-retiring, retiring, un-retiring , retiring, etc. They wanted Montana and Young to compete for the starting job. However, Montana was more willing to go out with more class, accept a trade to Kansas City and put to bed the fact that the 49ers really wanted to continue to grow and not hold on to there aging quarterback.

Going into the 2008 season, with a team on the cusp of making the Super Bowl, the Packers wanted to make sure they had a shot at the title game further down the line instead of holding the eggs in the proverbial Brett Farve basket. Maybe holding on to Farve this season puts the Packers in the big game, and then maybe he goes the route of Jon Elway and gets to actually retire on top the NFL ladder, but then what? If Brett Favre stayed a Packer through the 2008 season, playoffs or not, what are they do at quarterback next season? Aaron Rodgers contract is up, Favre and the Packers go through another tormenting summer of wondering what Brett is going to do with himself, the draft comes and goes, and the Packers, it's players and fans are to wonder where the team is heading. Now, no sooner than later, the Packers have that direction, and Aaron Rodgers is definitely the plan.

After the 2008 off-season both the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre can all be happy. Everyone has a place and a direction to move forward. When it's all said and done, it's possible that when people look back on this scenario and wonder why Brett Favre had to make it so difficult on everyone else, they will realize, maybe Brett didn't want to let the reigns go. Maybe Favre him self knew the talent Rodgers has and how good he can be and then maybe, the people of Green Bay will forget their dauntless hero as quickly as 49er fans were allowed to forget about their true leader. Maybe Brett just didn't want to let go as quickly as Montana did.

In the years to come when Farve gets into the Hall and Rodgers is having his career turn for the better and better, someone will remind us without Joe Montana there wouldn't be Steve Young, and without Brett Favre there wouldn't be Aaron Rodgers.

Late Thursday night while scrapping through some of the late night bloggers I came across the breaking news of the departure of Chris "Mad Dog" Russo from WFAN 660 of New York. I actually can attest my love and drive towards the sports community because of the Mike and the Mad Dog show every afternoon from 1 - 6:30. My mother would go grocery shopping and I would patiently wait in the car listening to those to wakadoos. They made me laugh, made me cry and even made me wonder why people gave a crap about T.V. ratings of the U.S. Open. But weather he was ranting about the Giants of San Francisco, or his kids little league game Russo was very energetic and informative at the least. I'm going to miss him and honestly, although I love Mike Francesca as well, it's going to be tough to only hear him speak his opinion(and mispronounce his own name: Franceser) without even a whisper of a rebuttal from anyone else in the room. When they agreed they were great, and when they dissagreed it was sports radio poetry. But don't take my word for it...here's another dis-heartened fan.

Michael Strahan visited Middletown, NY Aug. 13, to visit the employees of a local supermarket where the employees won a contest between other stores. After signing autographs for the stores employees Strahan preceded down to cash out lane 17 and bagged groceries for all the customers. For an hour Michael Strahan, Super Bowl Champion, bagged cans of tuna(irony), loafs of bread and even one fan simply bought tic-tacs and then shared a few with the hard working former defensive end. People forgot there change, women wouldn't stop yelling out his name. What a day to be Michael Strahan. The day you can do something as simple as put the eggs on top, and get a kiss for just smiling. Here's the original story...

It's August fellas. You know what that means. Slower baseball, ugly football, and too much ESPN that you don't even know what's worth it. Stop watching every fantasy football show. Spend time with the lady this month. And if you don't have one right now, use this month to catch up on the summer flings you've missed out on.

O.K., look. I know some of you do spend time enough without ESPN blaring out your apartment windows that you found your self at the watering hole, or out to dinner on the lake with the girlfriend/wife. But make extra time this month. Stop blogging, or cut down to only before noon. GO out of the house. Fall and winter are almost here. Fights with the your special lady friend can be avoided in November if you give her reasons now not to hate your hobbies in a few months.

Example. Say you take a few days or a long weekend at a hotel on the Jersey shore, or take her to a Broadway show. She'll gladly serve that seven layer dip, her mom makes every 4th of July, during the week 11 game when the Giants host the Cowboys. The point is, when she gives you the look after you tell her all your buddies are coming over for the game, and she asks you is your buddy Chris, with the three week old sweat socks resting on her coffee table during Super Bowl XLII, is coming you can simply remind her of seeing Mama Mia on Broadway or the two nights in Myrtle Beach back in AUGUST, she'll have nothing but to comply with your one measly afternoon of male bonding. And if you want more weekends this fall with your buddies, well then you know what you have to do through labor day weekend. Good luck fellas and enjoy your season.

Even Leinart knows how to spend time off season, with the ladies!!

All I am going to say is that until he actually steps foot on a Packers practice field, or he gets traded for a free box of oranges can we please stop talking about Brett Favre. Even Mike Wilbon, the happy go lucky commentator from ESPN's Pardon the Interruption has a point. It really feels as if all these networks are signing contracts where they have to mention Brett Favre more frequent than your local forecast on the weather channel. Here it is, on the 8's of every hour, your Brett Favre forecast. Well I'm done. I will not speak, write or listen to anything that has to do with Brett Favre, no matter how hard Jeff Garcia can choke it.

Being from New York, nothing would do me more pleasure than watching a team from the good ol' city of brotherly love fall flat on it''s face. But for some reason the Arena Football team aptly name the Philadelphia Soul is one of the more exciting teams to watch. If you don't know what I'm talking about, and based on recent Brett Farve polls, you don't, then you need to check out this small video about the National Conference Champions. Yea, I know. I didn't even know the AFL had conferences either.

Is South Africa, the southern most nation to host the FIFA World Cup, ready for what it will entail. Clicking on this link will give you an idea. It's a video done by ESPN international reporting on the progress of South Africa.

The fans need you, Alex, not anyone else. Just having A-Rod in this year's Home Run Derby would make this one one of the most memorable MLB events ever. Unless he can't just take the pressure, wherever that is for such a "fun" event.

Once you read this article you'll realize, Yankee fan or not, that A-Rod is a bit selfish for not participating in the home run derby. A-Rod, just do it. You know how disappointing it is not to have any Yankees in this years home run derby.

OK, first of all, Cowbell Kid may seem pretty impressive when he's among his own in Tropicana Field, but I'd like to see him tearing down banners and clanging his bell at Fenway ... or Yankee Stadium, for that matter. Can Cowbell Kid win on the road? That's the question. As for the Rays, they've answered most of theirs. Tampa solved the mystery that is Tim Wakefield with a 3-1 win on Tuesday, moving their division lead over the Sox to a season-best 2 1/2 games. Orange juice for everyone!

And now a couple of things before we move on. First, can we get rid of this? Nondescript carpet-remnant nightmare fuel mascots are sooo 20th century. I don't want that thing cavorting with my children; there could be a child molester in that costume. Or worse, a mime. Secondly, where were all these Tampa Bay fans last year? Do you think a few large crowds when the team was struggling could have improved their chances? Guys like Dickie V. only crawl out of the woodwork for a winner, I suppose. Ahhh! (waves hand dismissively).

Matt Garza went seven innings for the win, giving up five hits (that's six hits in his past two starts), and Dioner Navarro's fourth-inning single drove in the deciding run. Wakefield (5-6) has 19 career wins against Tampa Bay -- nine at Tropicana -- the most by an opposing pitcher. The Rays have won seven of eight, and lead the majors with a 51-32 record. But the Red Sox are 6-0 against the Rays at Fenway, which is giving me a real Celtics sort of vibe here.