August 12th
I find myself sitting in Indianapolis International Airport waiting to get on a plane for the first time in seven years. To be honest, I'm not thrilled about the mode of travel, but the thought of what awaits me on the other side of the flights makes me get on the plane.

After thinking I'm going to die on a commuter jet, I use up all of my 40 minute layover in O'Hare simply walking to my gate. A flight that never seemed to end later, and I find myself in a city I call home, Bradenton, Florida. Actually, it was strange to me that I spent time in all three cities I call home on one day.

August 13th
Spend the day playing golf in the Florida heat and resting. Realize that my chance to finally meet family friend Larry Robinson in person has just passed as he left today for a hockey-related trip to L.A.

August 14th
Head to Tropicana Field to watch my first of nine games during my stay in Tampa Bay. The Rays fall behind by five runs early and with Halladay on the mound, stand no real chance of getting back in the game. The one bright spot is a Gregg Zaun homer off the right field foul pole.

August 15th
This was one of the nights I had circled as a game I was rather interested in, although the reason had nothing to do with the play on the field. The Rays have held a Summer concert series for the last two seasons and this evening will be another concert night. The band: The B-52s. My amount of excitement is only heightened by the fact that it's also Sci-Fi night at the Trop.

I've always loved ballpark/stadium promotions, but this one is by far my favorite of all time. As my father and I walked into the rotunda to enter Tropicana, we're greeted by about 10 Stormtroopers and various other characters from the Star Wars universe. The whole night was centered around sci-fi and the B-52s. Every usher was in some form of sci-fi gear, and Fred Schneider (B-52s' frontman) was the PA announcer for the first inning. Additionally, Eddie McClintock (Warehouse 13) and Robin Dunne (Sanctuary) from SyFy threw out the first pitches.

The Rays won this game going away, 8-3 and ended all hope of a Toronto rally with a three run 7th.

August 16th
Things I distinctly remember about this particular game:
1) If you're going to sing "O Canada", know the lyrics and don't put them out of order.
2) This was a tight game all the way until the bottom of the 8th when Gregg Zaun hit a grand slam to put the Rays up for good.
3) After two home runs in three days, Gregg Zaun became my father's favorite Ray. "He's gritty, I like that."

August 17th
Off Day. Spent the middle of the day putting up hurricane shutters on the house with my father. The heat of the day really got to me and I quit with only a few windows left.

August 18th
In a bit of a throwback to my youth, my father and I watch this game from the outfield seats. To this day, Tropicana Field is the only stadium I've ever been to where I actually enjoy watching a game from the outfield. Pat "The Bum" Burrell and B.J. Upton both homer in the 6th. Despite a late rally by Baltimore with included a Matt Wieters homer, the Rays come away with another win, pushing their winning streak to three games.

August 19th
Start off the day fishing at the Skyway Fishing Pier as it was something my father and I had always wanted to do, but had never gotten around to doing. Highlights of the excursion were me getting sunburnt, us witnessing a gigantic ray swim by with two remoras on its back and my father getting his hand bit to hell by a Spanish Mackerel that he caught.

Another game spent in the outfield. Thing that sticks out to me the most is that Ben "Zorilla" Zorbrist hit a solo home run in the 6th on the day I decided to wear my Zorilla shirt to the Trop. Rays win by virtue of a strong start by Jeff Niemann which saw him carry a shutout through 7 1/3 innings.

August 20th
Although I've been to the Trop several times since they've installed the Ray Tank in center field, I had never gone to pet a ray before. On a day where the stadium is rather empty, my father and I decide we should go since neither of us have before. I went into it thinking it would be a waste of time, but the experience was actually pretty awesome. It was interesting to feel the texture of a ray's skin and cool to watch them up close.

As for the game itself, it appeared several times that the Rays would overcome the holes they had been digging for themselves all game, but each time a rally would start it would end with them still trailing by one run. In the end, that one run was difference as they fell to the O's 8-7.

On the ride home, as we do after every Rays game, we listened to Rich Herrera on the post game show. I've always thought highly of him, but on nights after a loss his baseball knowledge shines as he has to fight off all the negative calls from fans expecting a sweep.

August 21st
A big series opens for the Rays as they took on the Texas Rangers. At the time the Rays were only 2 games behind Texas in the chase for the Wildcard with a chance to overtake them with a sweep of the series. Zorilla and Pena hit back to back 2-out home runs in the 5th off of starting pitcher, Dustin Nippert. Meanwhile Kazmir goes 7 1/3 strong, surrendering only three runs. In the end, the back to back homers are the difference and the Rays beat the Rangers 5-3 on a night where Wildcard leaders, Boston, lose to the Yankees 20-11.

August 22nd
This game was hands down the most exciting to watch. Carlos Pena was the hero of this contest as he brought in 4 runs, including two home runs in a game that went into the 10th. A Marlon Byrd 2-out 9th inning homer sent the game into extras, and a Pena line drive up the middle in the 10th brought Longoria around to score on a play at the plate.

August 23rd
My final game in St. Pete on this road trip. Instead of batting practice, those arriving early were treated to a Buccaneers' wives v. Rays' wives softball game for charity. It was interesting at first, but began to become boring as the game went into extras, much to the dismay of those in charge of the event. The Rays' wives came away with the win, and I would have much preferred to watch them play in place of their husbands on that day. An overall pitiful performance by the Rays allowed Texas to avoid the sweep and only lose a game to the Rays in the standings. Rangers 4, Tampa Bay 0.

August 24th
In a change of plans, my father and I decided to road trip back up to Indianapolis instead of me flying back. That was something I was quite grateful for as I got to spend another day and a half with my father. Made great time and the drive reminded me why Georgia is such a boring state to drive through.

August 25th
The original plans for this day were to head up to Milwaukee with some friends and catch a Brewers game, sadly these plans fell through. The day was not all for naught as I was able to catch my hometown Indianapolis Indians on a nice evening for baseball. It wasn't the Brewers game, which ended up going 13 innings that night, but it was still baseball.

August 26th
I found myself driving out to St. Louis to visit family and see a Cardinals game. I know that St. Louis is a humid city, but I always forget how humid it truly is until I'm there. The humidity makes it hard to see a ball in the night's sky and I had a long conversation with my sister about how all of that probably creates a pretty decent home field advantage for the Cards.

The game was interesting as the Cardinals scored all three of their runs in the 1st, while the Astros scraped across their two runs in the 4th. From then on it was a pitcher's duel. One play that really stands out to me from that night is a failed tag up attempt by Albert Pujols, who thought the outfielders were going to let the ball drop after they had lost it in the haze above the stadium. When it was caught, Pujols basically half-ran to first before stopping completely midway there.

August 27th
I figured this would be just a non-baseball related day with family, but my sister took me by a neighborhood called "Ebbets Field." The neighborhood had a ballpark style entrance, with all of the mailboxes and street signs painted Dodger Blue. Every street was named after a former Dodger great and it was cool to see, but I kept finding it odd that a neighborhood dedicated to the Dodgers would be built in the middle of Cardinals country.

I also found out that if you look in the right places, one can find an array of Cardinals shirts for $10 each.

Finally my day concluded with my brother-in-law's brother joining us for dinner. He's a baseball fanatic who is only 9 stadiums away from visiting all of the MLB parks. We spent the evening discussing out favorite parks and different road trips we had been on.

August 28th
Drove from St. Louis back to Indianapolis. I got home at 9pm and immediately proceeded to pack for my final year of college. I knew going into this trip I really wouldn't get a lot of rest, but I can honestly say I'm quite tired. Yet, who needs sleep when you have your passions to entertain you?

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I've sort of given up on baseball this year. That's a big reason my posts lately have been sparse: with the Mets being so utterly decimated by injury and so bad, and the Red Sox playing largely uninspiring ball (at least it seems that way, what with being perpetually 7 games or so behind the Yankees), it's hard for me to have any opinions behind simple depression and malaise.

But I saw something today that annoyed me, and brought me a bit out of my baseball stupor.

Evidently, Omar Minaya has gotten the dreaded "vote of confidence" from Mets ownership. And I'm honestly unsure how I feel about that, though I know for sure that all of my feelings are bad ones.


One one hand, I feel like I would really like to see a change in the front office somewhere. Minaya has, during his tenure, been pretty good at the Big Acquisition. He picked up players like Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, and Frankie Rodriguez via free agency, and players like Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana, and J.J. Putz via the trade. Most of these acquisitions have worked out well. The problems have been more with the little pick-ups, primarily with the ones that have not been made. In the past, holes have always appeared on the Met team plan; one year the rotation falls apart, the next it's the bullpen. You get the idea. These holes happen to every team, but the great GMs close them. Theo Epstein appears to constantly be working to push the Red Sox toward some unknown level of perfection -- he adds a piece here, another there, like some kind of benevolent deity. Omar Minaya does not do this.

I'd just like to feel at some point that the Mets have a plan like the Red Sox always seem to have. The difference between the two teams is that of timing: the Red Sox act preemptively, where Minaya and the Mets react.

Sometimes, though, even that doesn't happen. Take this year, for example. With a rash of injuries to key players, the only real new guy to join the team has been Jeff Francoeur (for whom the Mets gave up Ryan Church, not really solving any problems). There have been no other reinforcements. The Cardinals add Matt Holliday. The Phillies add Cliff Lee. The Red Sox add Victor Martinez. The Mets do nothing. The claim is that the future shouldn't be mortgaged for the present, but considering how badly the present sucks, I think that just a little help wouldn't be too much to ask for.

On the other hand, though, I feel like perhaps an unfair standard is being set. I'm a Red Sox fan as well as a Mets fan, so I compare everyone to Theo Epstein. This maybe isn't right, since Theo Epstein is awesome. Minaya can't keep people from getting hurt (unless it's the fault of the team's trainers, in which case that's his fault too), and he can't replace the whole team in the middle of a season. But he should do something. He should at the very least make it look like the team is still trying to win. and to this point, he hasn't even done that.

So I come to this decision. Omar Minaya has run out of chances. He's not to blame for this season turning out the way it has, but the last two seasons were his fault. His reaction to the unfolding of this season has been unsatisfactory. And quite honestly, I, for one, am at the end of my rope. I'm tired of this team looking like a bad AA team. I'm tired of being a joke. I'm tired of wasted money, wasted chances, and wasted years of David Wright's career. I want a new GM. At least then we'll all know that Jeff Wilpon is still paying attention.

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In my post last Wednesday, I took a look at Nyjer Morgan and how valuable he has been to the Washington Nationals since coming over in a trade.

In this post, I'll take a different path: Was the trade a smart one for the Nationals?

Well, that's a different story.

It all breaks down, simply, to looking at the position the Nationals are in right now.

Nyjer Morgan has been very good this year. However, he is also 29 years old and in the prime of his career. Next year, he will be 30, and then it's a safe bet that it's all downhill from there for him.

Now, while it's true that some players have continued success after 30 - PEDs not withstanding - those players typically don't have the same skillset that Morgan does. Almost every tool Morgan has branches from speed, which is the first skill a player has to go.

Of course, that alone doesn't make this a bad trade for the Nationals. If the Nats were in a place where Nyjer Morgan would have put them over the top and vaulted them to contention, then a good case could be made that they'd be foolish NOT to trade for him. But, as we all know, the Nationals are the proud owners of the worst record in Major League Baseball right now.

However, the Nationals will control Morgan's contract for a few more years. He hasn't even approached his first year of arbitration yet. Could it be that the Nats are planning to be in contention next year?

Again, I doubt it. The Nats may have drafted Stephen Strasburg, but they're still a long way away from having one of the Majors' best farm systems. There's a good core of young guys like both Ryan and Jordan Zimmerman in the Majors, and there's more talent coming, but they're not exactly a Nyjer Morgan away from contending in the next year or two.

A counter-argument I've heard from Nats fans is that Morgan's defense is invaluable to a young Washington pitching staff. The argument is that Washington's rotation is full of very young pitchers, and having the good defense of Nyjer Morgan behind them gives them confidence and aids their development.

While that may be true, I'm still not convinced Washington couldn't have gotten a good-glove center fielder for a much cheaper price than what they paid to get Morgan from Pittsburgh.

This is, in the short-term, a good trade for Washington. The problem is that this club is not built to win in the short-term. At this moment in time, Washington should be holding on to every young player they have that has even a sliver of a chance at becoming something great. Lastings Milledge certainly fits into that category.

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The NFL season is fast approaching and we have just set up our fantasy football league. It's an ESPN league and in order to receive an invite just send us an email and your name to sixtyftsixin@gmail.com or just click here.

It's a first come, first serve process.

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Click here to download this week's episode.

The second installment of our podcast discusses Michael Vick's return to the NFL, Rick Pitino's scandal, and the release of Madden '10.

As always, feedback is appreciated.

And for those of you who would like to subscribe, the RSS feed is here.

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U.S. Cellular Field generally gets a bum rap from people who visit the stadium and I always believe that this isn't completely warranted. Part of this could be from those who immediately compare it to Chicago's other ballpark, the historic Wrigley Field. It could also be attributed to old memories of what "The Cell" was when it was first build in the early nineties. What some South Siders still refer to as Comiskey has come a long way from what it once was thanks primarily to the major renovations of the early 2000s.

Although if you knew some of the other plans that were on the table when the stadium was still in the design phases, it might leave you with a sour taste in your mouth.

Stadium Design: Overall flow of the stadium, architecture and unique parts of the stadium.

When one looks at U.S. Cellular Field, it is obvious the stadium is built to handle large crowds and to provide a general ease of maneuverability around the ballpark. To get to your seat, one has to go up a gigantic ramp until you reach your section. This system actually works quite well for both entry and exit of the stadium as the ramp is quite wide and the fact it's open air allows for a nice breeze.

One of the things I always forget about U.S. Cellular is its open air concourse. It's not rare to see this in most modern stadiums, but with the reputation that The Cell often receives, I tend to blot out this factoid. Overall the concourses are wide enough to accommodate capacity crowds and still allow for a generally quick rate of movement.

Overall the stadium is designed well to handle crowds, but contains little soul. Although statues in the center field concourse and banners showcasing the team's success have been added in recent years, it still does little to show the White Sox strong heritage.

The design is great for maneuverability/efficiency, but some obstructed view seats in the 500 level (upper deck) should just not exist, especially for a modern stadium like The Cell. U.S. Cellular's attempts to show off team history in and around the stadium do add to the stadium though. For all of this I give U.S. Cellular 4 out of 5 Yeahhh Boyeeeees.

Game Experience: The experience of enjoying a game at the stadium.

I always enjoy games at The Cell, one word of advice for those going to the ballpark is to not wear the colors of that other team in Chicago. Overall there isn't too much going on in between innings, at least not to the point where it's obnoxious. A shirt toss here or a trivia contest there. One thing I've always loved about going to games on the South Side is the 50/50 raffle. Basically you buy a raffle ticket (or 20) and if you win, you get half the pot. People usually bring home upwards of $3,000. Not too shabby.

The fans in Chicago are always fantastic and most of the time the Sox fans you come across know the game quite well. Plenty of support for the hometown team with Sox gear everywhere you look, even if attendance doesn't always show it. This definitely adds to the game experience.

Overall, the Southside of Chicago is a great place to see a game, but there is one HUGE drawback that partially wrecks the experience.

U.S. Cellular is the only stadium I've ever encountered something like this (although I'm pretty sure they're not alone), your ticket can only get you to your portion of the stadium. If you have an upper deck seat, you're stuck in the upper deck, you can't go anywhere else in the stadium. Which means if this is your first time to the ballpark, then you miss out on seeing the whole place.

This is a major detraction for me, especially from this aspect. I understand why this policy is in place, but it hurts the fan. Although, each part of the stadium (main concourse, club level, upper deck) has basically the same amenities and kids can still access their special section of the park, but if you're someone who can't afford a lower level seat, then you're essentially a second class citizen.

Without that problem, The Cell would get a perfect 5 out of 5. Yet due to the fact you can't see the whole place, I bestow a 3 out of 5 to the park from the South Side.

Concessions: Overall pricing and convenience of ballpark concessions.

The prices at U.S. Cellular are the prices you'd expect at a major league park, and the concessions are the normal ballpark food with a little bit of Chicago flair. If you want a sausage or a brat, they're all there. If you want a Chicago-style hot dog it is available, but for the love of everything do not put ketchup on that dog. That's a major no-no in Chicago.

Since hot dogs are a big deal in this city as is beer it's a bit hard to knock the selection, especially considering it's ballpark food to begin with. I'm going to give it a 4 out of 5.

View: View of game play from the seats, along with scenery surrounding the stadium.

As I mentioned earlier in this post there are some obstructed view seats in The Cell, that is definitely a detractor. That minor problem aside, the vast majority of seats are great and on the main concourse the field is always in view.

Meanwhile the scenery surrounding the park, well there isn't any. The stadium and the scoreboard look nice, but it's in a bad neighborhood surrounded by apartment complexes. One nice view is the skyline of Chicago from the ramps leading to the sections.

This is basically the middle of the road for this category, so the park formerly known as Comiskey gets 3 Yeahhh Boyeeeees.

Personality: Does the stadium have it's own unique personality and does it capture the personality of the city/team it represents.

U.S. Cellular still lacks a lot of soul, but thanks to the renovations it doesn't look as drab as it once did. The stadium does have its share of history displayed throughout the stadium, including tributes to different eras on the various levels of the entry ramp.

With that said, it still isn't enough to really give it a strong personality. I would give The Cell a 3, but the fact that this stadium is built in a neighborhood that basically defines the stereotype of the South Side of Chicago I'm going to up it to a 4.

That gives U.S. Cellular Field a final score of 18 out of 25. The Cell is a good stadium to see a game at and I recommend it, because Obama had it right, the South Side is where real baseball is played.

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Originally, I was going to write part two of my examination of Nyjer Morgan today, but some actual news happened. So I'm going to go ahead and put that on the back burner for now.

Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

I'll let that sink in for a moment.

Of all the teams you thought of this off-season where Vick would possibly sign (and you know you thought of them), can anyone among us honestly say that Philadelphia topped the list?

Obviously, this raises a few questions.

Do the Eagles plan to adopt a wildcat now? Will Vick and their actual QB - Donovan McNabb - ever be on the field at the same time? Have the Eagles given any thought to some sets with Vick as a WR?

But some more important questions are raised, too. Do the Eagles really only consider Vick a backup? Or is he a successor?

It's a well-established fact that, despite being one of the best QBs in the league, for some reason McNabb is not a popular guy in Philadelphia. McNabb and coach Andy Reid have had their back-and-forths before

Perhaps the Eagles see this as their way to get McNabb out of Philly. After week 6, when Vick is eligible to play again, could McNabb possibly be traded? Would the Eagles feel comfortable with Vick as their guy and Kevin Kolb as their backup?

These questions will take some time to answer, but one thing is for sure. Donovan McNabb can't be feeling good about his future in the city of brotherly love right now.

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I'm going to go out on a limb here and make an assumption. I'll assume for a moment that the majority of our readers have either read or at least understand the premise of the book Moneyball.

However, what a good deal of people don't know is that Billy Beane himself shifted focus shortly after Moneyball was released.

See, the underlying point of that book isn't about stats. It's about a small market team - in this case the Oakland Athletics - finding a niche that hasn't been exploited by teams with more money yet. In this way, they gain a competitive advantage.

At this point, if all the fans know about the revolution of sabermetrics, you can bet that every front office knows about them too. Bill James works for the Red Sox now. The Yankees cite OBP in articles on MLB.com. The competitive edge gained has leveled out.

So what did Beane do?

Simple. He exploited something else that many large-market teams ignored. With the offensive revolution going on, Beane built his teams around defense.

But I'm not here to talk about Billy Beane and what he's done with his teams. Michael Lewis has done that quite well, and hundreds of sports writers have since beaten that dead horse.

This post will instead focus on the premise of a conversation I recently had with the author of Fire Jerry Manuel regarding Nyjer Morgan's impact on the Nationals and their win streak.

This post is annoyingly long and analytical, so I'm going to put a jump here for anyone that wants to skip over it. If this subject interests you, read on.

I'm going to ignore the offensive contributions Morgan has made to the Nationals' lineup. Currently, Morgan is hitting in a very un-Morgan-like fashion.

Sorry Nats fans, I know he's been on a tear lately, but he did this in the beginning of the year in Pittsburgh as well. If he doesn't regress, I'll be a blue-nosed gopher. Tony Plush may be good for a .300 average, but that's about it with the bat.

Instead, I'm going to talk (primarily) about Morgan's defense.

The stats I'll be using are Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) and its rate companion, UZR/150. I'll then use Wins Above Replacement (WAR) to illustrate just how valuable Morgan's defense actually is.

For those of you unfamiliar with UZR, it's widely considered to be the best defensive statistic made available to the public. If anyone wants to see all the details of it, Baseball Think Factory did two lengthy posts here and here.

In summary: UZR assigns each fielder multiple zones of responsibility. The zones grow and shrink depending on what type of ball is hit there. For example, a line drive results in a smaller zone of responsibility based on how much more difficult it is to make that play than one on a lazy fly. In contrast, the lazy fly expands the zone based on how much easier it is to make the play.

UZR is then calculated by measuring how many plays are converted into outs when hit into the fielder's zone. This is compared to a baseline that's calculated according to how many other fielders made the play in the same zone. It's then adjusted for things like park factors and handedness of the fielder.

UZR/150 is just a player's UZR expanded to 150 games.

What we see when we look at Nyjer Morgan's UZR is fantastic.

This year, Morgan's UZR/150 of 27.7 is ranked higher than all outfielders in the Major Leagues. This includes his time with Pittsburgh when he was playing in the less defensively challenging left field, however, so it doesn't give a full picture.

Counting only his games in center - where he plays in Washington - Morgan's UZR/150 is 30.4, which is higher than everyone but Chris Dickerson and Andres Torres among players who have played at least 10 games in CF. Considering that Morgan is a regular CF while Dickerson and Torres rarely play there, that speaks volumes.

However, we should remember that UZR/150 is a rate stat, and thus more likely to be influenced by small sample sizes. Morgan's 44 games in center aren't a sample that one could consider "large."

So, let's take a look at raw UZR. Remember, UZR is a counting stat, not a rate one. Thus, Morgan would actually be at a disadvantage by having less playing time in center.

What we find, however, is that out of all players that have played center this season - even for one game - Morgan ranks second in raw UZR. That's among 122 players that have manned center at least once this year. The only player ranked ahead of Morgan is Franklin Guttierez, who has a 60 game edge.

So how valuable is Morgan's defense?

I mean, he still can't hit for power, (his 3 HR this year is a career high, unless we count the year he hit 4 in A-ball.) and he gets thrown out too much on the base paths - he leads the Majors with 16 caught stealing and has a stolen base success rate of just 70%. He's go to just be a great defensive sub and 4th OF, right?

Not so fast, my friend. It turns out that a .307/.370/.388 line can be pretty valuable provided the fielding is superb. Even if you DO lead the league in caught stealing.

This is the part where we use wins above replacement (WAR.) for those of you familiar with VORP (value over replacement player), think of it as VORP, only it includes defense and adjusts to fit the "10 runs = 1 win" maxim.

WAR works by taking the amount of runs a player produces with the bat, adding it to the number of runs saved with the glove, and subtracting the performance one could expect from a replacement level player at that position. It is then adjusted for position (you don't want to value an average fielding 1B just as heavily as an average fielding C or SS, for example) and finally multiplied by .10 to conform to the standard of 10 runs = 1 win.

For the more hardcore among you who want to see the exact calculation process of WAR, see this link.

What we find when we look at Nyjer Morgan's WAR is that, of all MLB players, he is ranked 11th in value. The only OF who rank higher than him are Ben Zobrist (who plays just about everywhere on the diamond) and Matt Kemp.

Even if we take away Morgan's time in the less defensively challenging left field and focus solely on his starts in center field, only Kemp ranks higher than him among full-time center fielders. This remains true even if we do what I did earlier with UZR and include anyone that's played even one game in center this season.

I'm not just making this up, folks. Here's the data at FanGraphs.

So...is Nyjer Morgan a big reason for the Nationals' turnaround? Yeah, probably.

Was the Morgan-for-Milledge deal a good one for the Nationals? That is far less certain. I'll examine that in a post tomorrow. Stick around.

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As I'm sure you know by now, Blackhawks forward, Patrick Kane was arrested Sunday morning along with his cousin after they allegedly attacked a cab driver who failed to give them change after they paid their fare. According to reports, Kane and his cousin, James Kane gave the cabbie $15 for their $13.80 cab fare. When the driver told them he did not have the twenty cents in change they punched him and took back the money they had paid him.


Now this is Patrick "I will not fight back after Johan Franzen pulls my mouthguard from my mouth when we're down 6-1 in game 4 of the NHL Western Conference Final" Kane we are talking about, he really did this? Honestly I have a hard time believing that he would do this. I understand when you're drunk you do a lot of things you normally wouldn't, but this doesn't add up. Kane is a professional hockey player, he makes a decent amount of scratch, not to mention this guy is not aggressive. I believe that while probably guilty of everything he is accused of, the cabbie isn't completely innocent in all of this.

That reason is mainly why I hesitated so long on posting something about this story. I wanted more information to come out and while Kane is has remained quiet about all of this, the cab driver's lawyer was on WGNR and has stated that Patrick Kane has not committed a crime. The Blackhawks' star was charged with second-degree robbery, fourth-degree criminal mischief and theft of services, but was not charged with assault or battery. Kane's court date is set for August 17th.

One major issue that has come into question is the cabbie's decision to lock the doors of the cab until payment was rendered. According to the driver's lawyer, this is a common, although admittedly stupid, practice that is other used with younger people who are intoxicated. While Kane's side of the story has not come out, the cabbie claims that he was unable to unlock the door for the two in the back seat because at the time he was being attacked. Additionally the lawyer admitted that the driver has a bit of an abrasive personality that may have played a part in this confrontation.

I have very little experience riding in cabs, but as I've heard from others, the likelihood that the cabbie's personality may have provoked him is rather high. This doesn't excuse Kane and his cousin for what they did, but it may shed light on why a non-aggressive person became so aggressive, also the fact that both men were intoxicated doesn't help matters.

Another interesting part about this story that has not been mentioned much is the fact that Patrick Kane is only 20 years old and intoxicated, yet he was never brought up on underage drinking charges.

Finally for those who don't understand why Kane wouldn't just let him keep the change and insinuate that he's a cheapskate. This story from the Chicago Tribune asserts the complete opposite, which may give credence to the speculation that the cabbie isn't 100% innocent in this situation.

No word yet if this will jeopardize Kane's chances of making the US Olympic Team or result in a potential suspension by the NHL.

This has cash settlement written all over it. The only good thing I can think of that has come from this is it made my decision between a Kane sweater and a Toews sweater a lot easier.

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When Peter asked me to write a guest post about sports, I thought that maybe I could focus on the competition at the heart of humanity or the social advantages sports give society. I then realized that all of that is a bunch of overly academic crap that should be saved for college research paper rather than thrown into the endlessly casual conversation that is the blogosphere.

Let me begin with some self-description. You all know me, I’m the guy who you could pass off a baseball team’s name when talking about football and I probably wouldn’t second guess you. I’m the guy who strays away from conversations about ladders, brackets, and anything that digs deeper than the local team winning or losing the week before. I’m the guy that seems like he couldn’t care less about sports.

At first glance, I would agree, but as I really think about the importance of sports in my life, I realize that there is a bit more to the story. I have spent many memorable and great afternoons with friends lounging about Victory Field as the Indians run the bases below the Indianapolis skyline. I took excited trips downtown amidst my youth to watch the Indianapolis Ice and spend quality time with my grandparents. I gathered my friends together throughout the high school years to watch the Super Bowl and party the night away, regardless of who won in the end.

I was raised with the constant reminder that I had an amazing athlete of a great-grandfather who played for the Detroit Red Wings long ago and even won the Stanley Cup twice. I have forever had an undeniable allegiance to the team regardless of how little I follow the sport that year and how many of the players I recognize. Like I always say, "I got blood on dat team."

Sports are so much more than mere competition, than some form of over-stretched and greatly exaggerated display of masculinity and testosterone gone awry. Sports, to the non-sporting, are like art: fascinating, unusual, and wonderfully social. They are intrinsically powerful because, unlike art, so much of their drama, their struggle is raw and unfiltered. The underdog wasn’t fabricated by a group of writer’s in a Hollywood office. The dynasty isn’t painted to act as a symbol of the futility of existence. It is primal, simple and absolutely real.

I know I went a bit down the road that I intended not to from the get go, but it’s how I truly feel. I would never do away with all the world’s sport fanatics and endless stream of live games and re-runs of Sportscenter clogging up my precious television. I wouldn’t wish away the downtown traffic jam before and after the big games or the impossibility of finding a seat at Buffalo Wild Wings on game night. These are the things that shape a great portion of every American’s life, especially mine, and I would argue for the better.

One thing I would do away with though is all those Red Wings haters. Those fools gotta remember, "I got blood on dat team."

When not writing guest posts for blogs dedicated to topics he doesn't follow, Christian Sorrell studies creative writing at Butler University.

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LESS!

The big news on the internet today is that Josh Hamilton may have had a backslide. That is horribly depressing. And the photographic evidence doesn't seem to dispute it.

Just last year, Hamilton was possibly the most inspirational story in all of sports.

After being a first overall draft pick in 1999, Hamilton showed right out of the gate why the Rays were right to take him. He tore through the low levels of the minors, and hit a stumbling block when he reached AA.

That stumbling block turned out to be drug related. Hamilton became addicted to heroin, which caused him to be out of baseball for four years. After getting his life back on track, he came back to baseball and signed a contract with the Cincinnatti Reds.

In 2007, he made his Major League Baseball debut and killed the ball in the Reds outfield. It was inspirational. It was awesome. It made people happy to see a rehabilitated addict get his life back on track.

When he went to Texas the next year and continued his production - this time as a full-time outfielder - and had a huge showing in the Home Run Derby (how many people actually remember that Justin Morneau won the HRD in 2008? How many remember Hamilton's performance), it was looking like a full-on inspirational film.

And now, it looks more like the book version of The Natural than the movie one. (If you don't know the book ends way differently, I encourage you to read it. The movie ruined The Natural.)

Hamilton is set to hold a press conference today where he'll confess to everything.

I sure hope that this is only a minor setback, and not a major backslide. I loved the Josh Hamilton story while it lasted.

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ESPN is reporting today that the 10th pick in the draft, Michael Crabtree is going to continue his hold out and according to his "advisor" cousin will consider sitting out the entire season if he does not get a "fair-market value" deal.

Now this seems stupid until we hit the moron ravine that is his agent.

Apparently the Niners have offered the traditional tenth pick contract, but his agent has refused the deal. Eugene Parker, Crabtree's agent, has threatened that Crabtree will sit out this season and re-enter the draft next year if he does not get the contract he desires.

Here's the problem though, Eugene Parker has not issued a counteroffer to the Niners. Michael Crabtree is basically holding out without giving any demands.

Instead of elaborating on all of this like an intelligent human being, I'm just going to let Nate's simplified idiot version of this dilemma showcase my feeling about this.

Crabtree's People: "GIVE ME WHAT I WANT!"
San Francisco 49ers: "OK. What do you want?"
Crabtree's People: "I DON'T KNOW, JUST FUCKING GIVE IT TO ME!"

Michael, find new people to represent you. Otherwise I'm really looking forward to your debut in the UFL.

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Click here to listen to the episode.

We decided we'd try our hand at this whole podcasting thing and it is our intention make this a biweekly event.

In our first episode we recap the big trades that went down during the MLB Trade Deadline, the quarterbacks making headlines in the NFL and hilarious MLB injuries.

For those interested in following the podcast's RSS feed, we've included it below.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/sixtyftsixinpodcasts

Hope you enjoy it, and let us know what you think .

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