Check out Costas Now when you get a chance. Great show about the state of baseball is airing the next week or so. The best part of the show was the exchange between Hank, Willie and Bob Gibson. America needs to appreciate talent as it exists instead of giving Willie Mays and Hank Aaron standing ovations 430 years later. Yeah they’ve been afforded a modicum of praise, but it’s a long time coming.

Gibson stayed in his chair. He was not giving those cats a standing o. Both hit close to .200 for their careers against the fearless fireballer. Supreme competitor even though he’s long since retired. He’s a legend that deserves any praise he gets and is a true G.

Had to be difficult for two of the greatest of all time because Barry was the 762 pound gorilla in the room.

Hideo Nomo retired yesterday. I’ll never forget when he and Dave Stewart threw no hitters on the same day and ESPN was lucky enough to air both games in succession.

This would be a common occurrence in Yankee Stadium

Barry Bonds a Yankee? Could it be? Not according to Brian Cashman:

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My daughter (middle) and my lil cousins share a 1996 July 4th moment at the family gathering spot, my nana’s

What is your independence? Do you celebrate Independence Day with a modicum of patriotism or is it something you can take or leave? Is it all about hearing Fight the Power by the Isley Brothers while those blazin ass marinated ribs are grillin’ or is it something else?

How about this blaring in the summer time heat while your lil cousins ran between the houses chasin’ friends and fam…just happy to be around their people one more time

This night job is kicking my ass, so the NYOIL Interview will be posted on Monday. Taped a segment yesterday with Chuck D to be aired Sunday night 11 pm-1am on Air America. Chuck called me after seeing Scoop and I asking Kobe Bryant questions on NBA TV in the press conference after Game 1 of the Finals. I’ll post some mini interviews with Julius Erving, Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe and a couple of interesting quotes I got from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar over dinner on Tuesday.

You happy O? One thing, ya gotta change ya number kid. 23 is no longer available

OK, enough of shameless self promotion. Usually the NBA draft, for me at least, is something I can’t wait for. I used to tape all of them growing up. Now the draft seems more like a made for TV production more than anything. I think TNT does a much better job of piquing your interest and providing unknown information as the players are selected. ESPN seems to be all about breaking a story. Who gives a damn who announces first where a player is going?

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Should not be fired

I have a daughter who is interested in journalism so that’s where my support for Jemele is locked. I truly feel she could ascend to the heights of Gwen Ifill (R.I.P Tim Russert) and I hope she gets there. This is about building a connection to the responsible yet foreseeable future. I want Jemele to get there. I will never give up on her…Whitlock either. That’s just how it is and how it will ever be…

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I’m sure some athletes feel this is their life

Posted this previously in the context of athletes writing their own blogs to offset inaccurate and overly cynical journalism. All is not lost for I gotta give props to folks who are doing the right thing. With all the outcry going on with blogs lately, I thought the time was relevant to repost the question.

Should athletes take a stand to make sure their legacies are accurately reported? Are they entitled to such? Should we the public hold editors more accountable for the work of their reporters? Is it all about money? Should athletes surround themselves with more conscious folk so their PR is stable? Is sports merely entertainment or athletics packaged professionally? Are you happy with the way sports is reported? What would you change? Is it personal to you or could you care less? Do athletes get too much attention? Should they care about the fans? Why so? Are they entitled to personal time even when in public? Is cynical and snarky reporting necessary? What purpose does it serve? Should bloggers be held accountable for their words? Why or why not?

Trust me, I could go on and on…

Spoke with Buzz Bissinger for around an hour yesterday. The interview will be posted Monday morning. It’s a doooozie, but you know how we do at TSF, so what do you really expect?

**The interview will be posted Tuesday because of the holiday. Holidays creep up on us in this business. My bad**

One of the most compelling athletes of all time

I wanted to start a discussion on the best player in the game. Why does he catch so much wreck? Is it all about Colorado? Shaq? Phil? Is the criticism warranted?

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In my opinion, the game has lost its appeal since Barry Bonds has been grounded

Are you interested in Major League Baseball? Why or why not?