“Let’s hope he comes back nice and hot for us,” Piniella said. “He can carry us for a while.”—-Lou Piniella

Lou talking about Alfonso Soriano, who returns to the lineup tomorrow….

“I’m not quite sure how I should feel about it.”—Kosuke Fukudome, through an interpreter, on what his thoughts are on being the cover boy for this week’s Sports Illustrated.

Yet another reason why it was a good move to sign Fukudome. Do you think he even knows or cares about some Billy Goat Curse, or about being on the cover of some magazine?

Kosuke, don’t even think about it buddy….just keep doing what you’re doing…Americans, specifically Cubs fans, are just crazy about stuff like this.

I just finished watching the Sports Media Special on HBO that was hosted by Bob Costas. I thought the show, as a whole, was extremely well done. My biggest complaint is that there wasn’t more time for each panel to discuss certain issues, but, as a sports fan, and a person who is extremely interested in all of these issues, I’ll take what I can get.

It was refreshing though to hear what some of the titans in each industry had to say, in an open forum. A few quick thoughts, before I go into each specific subject that was discussed in the special.

Bob Costas is the best sportscaster in the business. Period. He knows everything, and has the clout to pull off something like this.

Why in the heck wasn’t there a panel discussion on newspapers? I guess the Internet portion was supposed to cover that, but still, why couldn’t the producers have fit in 10 minutes for a panel discussion on where newspapers, specifically sports pages, are headed.

I liked the idea of a town-hall style forum, but I always thought the point of a town hall style forum was so that people in the audience could say something. Not only did no one in the audience get to say anything, but it seemed pointless to even have an audience, a lot of the stuff they did on the show could have been done in a studio.

Now, a quick thought on each topic…

Sports Radio: I think that sports radio, except in the large markets, is on a serious decline. The money just simply isn’t there. More and more stations are going with national programs all the time. In many cities, there is just the drive time host, and that’s it.

Now, this isn’t to say that sports talk radio can’t be profitable, because I believe it can. The difference is, I think that the Internet will become more and more important to sports-talk radio. A host, especially in a local market, must be able to use the Internet to his or her advantage, and draw listeners, readers to that station or that site in other ways.

Internet: Blogs are here to stay. That’s why I finally started one of my own. I think any writer, young or old, would be stupid in this day and age not to keep a blog. I didn’t always think this way, but in the last few years, I have realized that most people my age, (myself included) get their news from blogs, and websites…not newspapers.

If this portion of the program taught me anything, it was that newspapers, specifically sports pages in those newspapers, are going to be obsolete in lots of markets across the country in the coming years.

Television: I felt like I got some good information out of this part of the program, but all I kept thinking was how pompous and arrogant Joe Buck, Dan Patrick, and to a lesser extent Mike Tirico seemed. All three men are extremely smart, and like Costas, well-versed in a lot of topics, but it felt like they were afraid to say something they were going to regret.

Bottom line here, ESPN is massive, and until someone figures out how to compete with them, which I don’t think will happen for a while, that is not going to change….like Don Ohlmeyer said…”They have all the gold.”

Athletes and the Media: I agreed with a lot of what was said during this segment, specifically when it came to writers being nice to an athlete one second, and then ripping them after they walk away. For that reason, and probably many others, athletes don’t trust the media. But, as Selena Roberts pointed out, athletes now have handlers and a wall between them and the media these days, which makes it harder for writers/reporters to connect to them on a personal level.

I’m not saying I blame the athletes for wanting some protection, in the form of a PR person, or a marketing guru, I’m just saying that there are some journalists who would just like the chance to talk to you as human being, and are not trying to make you look bad all the time.

Race and Sports: I thought Cris Carter said it best when he said that people don’t want to talk about race. I agree with him. You just can’t win when you talk about race right now in America.

“It really hasn’t hit me yet that we’re past the first round….It is just an incredible feeling.”—Dwight Howard

That makes two of us Dwight.

Can you believe they actually made it past the first round?

Let’s hope the Magic can keep this going…..

The Cubs will be in DC this weekend and so will I….so the blog will rest…although if I have a few minutes I will check in with a post on the new Nats Park…and the Five Guys that is inside…

Here’s to hoping that both the Cubs and the Magic can get some wins in the meantime…..

“I definitely think we’re still in control [of the series],” —-Rashard Lewis

This quote comes after the Magic’s game three loss to the Raptors….

Rashard….you better get the fellas to drink some more Powerade…….

There is something that has really bothered in the last few weeks when it comes to the draft coverage on all the networks. Everyone keeps mentioning that there is not a “franchise quarterback” in the top three, but how does any “draft expert” know that?

I mean seriously, nobody truly knows how any of these guys, (quarterbacks or otherwise) are going to turn out. Was Akili Smith a franchise quarterback? Tim Couch? The list could go on and on, but, please whatever you do, stop saying there isn’t a “franchise quarterback” in the top 3. Nobody knows who will turn out to be the best quarterback in the draft right now, and we won’t know for at least another five or ten years…

Maybe Chad Henne or John David Booty becomes the next Tom Brady. The same Brady who was a sixth round pick, oh by the way.

I think Matt Ryan has the chance to be good, if he gets picked into the right system. I stood in the pouring rain in Blacksburg a few months ago, and watched as he led a mediocre BC team past the Hokies.

My sleeper pick of the weekend, a total homer pick I know, but still…..Kevin Smith…RB UCF

The guy is a workhorse and will make some team very happy in the 3rd or 4th round…..

Leave your thoughts in the comments as to how you think the draft might go…..

I had a bad feeling that this was going to happen once the Magic got to Toronto…

The Magic looked rattled through a majority of the game. I’m not sure whether it was the crowd noise, or whether the Raptors just started hitting their shots, but they better get it together before game 4…

Hey Jameer, you played great in Games 1 and 2 at home, but you got to Toronto and went off for….6 points….yep, the point guard of the future….

Anyone else realize that Marcin Gortat, who hardly played all year, has taken Adonal Foyle’s minutes?

Was that the artist formerly known as J.J. Redick who made an appearance in the fourth quarter?

Bottom Line: The Magic need to get their perimeter defense together if they have any shot to win game 4….

The Cubs won for the 10,000th time in their history on Tuesday night. The funny thing is that the win came in a game they almost always lose. Going into the 9th the Cubs were down by a run, until Aramis Ramirez deposited a two-run homer into the left-field seats.

So here comes Kerry Wood into close…two quick outs…and then bam-bam the Rockies score a run to tie the game. Here’s where it gets weird for the Cubs and their fans. Wood actually got out of the inning and then the Cubs scored another run in the tenth. Carlos Marmol came in to the game in the bottom half of the inning and shut the door to preserve the win.

This kind of game does not usually happen for the Cubs. They find a way to lose, they don’t find a way to win. These are the types of games that good teams win. Maybe that’s what everybody has to realize this year….the Cubs are good.

The lineup is solid, and is only going to get better when a healthy Soriano returns. The bullpen is solid, especially with two closers at the back, in Wood and Marmol.

Now, I am trying not to think too much like a Cubs fan, because if I do, I’ll realize that what I’m seeing is really just a mirage, and they will figure out a way to start playing badly. I just don’t see that happeneing this year though. This team is as deep as I can remember it in years.

Maybe, just maybe, this is, in fact, the year…..

“Orlando!! I’m going to Disneyland!!!”—-Bruce Springsteen

Thanks goes out to my buddy Bagel who heard Springsteen say this at tonight’s concert and sent in the quote….Note to Bruce….it’s Disney World here in Florida not Disneyland….