Changing Of The Guard

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Have you noticed anything unusual about the NBA and NHL Playoffs?

I have noticed a Changing of the Guard much to the frustration of the National Television Networks which must be taking a hit with their ratings due to the smaller markets still alive.

When I was growing up as a kid, the States of Tennessee and Oklahoma were hotbeds for college sports. Nicknames like Volunteers, Commodores, Tigers, Sooners and Cowboys were all you heard about.

But not anymore.

In the NHL, despite having a small payroll every season, Nashville Predators Coach Barry Trotz finds a way to get his team in the playoffs. He does it despite being in the same division as the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings have won four Stanley Cup Championships since 1997.

The Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the playoffs to win their first ever series. In the second round, they played pesky hockey and were ousted by the top seeded Vancouver Canucks 4-2. Extending the Canucks to six games was a good accomplishment for a franchise which still has its original head coach.

Barry Trotz (48) has piloted the Predators to a 455-407-60 ties-76 overtime losses in 967 games when they began play in 1998-99. The Predators have reached the playoffs six times.

Across the state in Memphis, the Grizzlies were accomplishing history of their own as they entered the playoffs as the eighth seed. They eliminated the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the opening round.

This is a franchise that nobody wanted to play for when it was previously located in Vancouver. Their constant losing ways made them a league wide laughing stock. They even traded their star player Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers and he led them to a pair of championships.

The Grizzlies did hire former Lakers Boss Jerry West and Hall of Fame Coach Hubie Brown in their previous playoff appearance. Mike Fratello followed Brown.

These Grizzlies are coached by Lionel Hollins and their key players include Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, O.J Mayo and Pau's brother Marc Gasol.

They are currently locked into an excellent series with the Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly Seattle Supersonics).

Speaking of the Thunder, while I hated to see Seattle lose its NBA team because that was the area's first major sports team, I had no objection to the move since they had plenty of time to build a new stadium but failed to do so.

The Ford Center in Oklahoma City did an excellent job as the home for the New Orleans Hornets when they were forced to vacate their area as a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. There seemed to be interest in the Hornets even though they knew it was going to be temporary thus the Oklahoma City fans impressed NBA Commissioner David Stern enough and demonstrated that they deserved their own team.

Now the Thunder have a star in Kevin Durant to build a fan base around and he recently signed a five-year contract extension. His supporting cast consists of Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison. The Thunder have an excellent young coach in Scott Brooks.

We are guaranteed one thing as the NBA Playoffs continue. The Thunder or the Grizzlies are going to be in the next round to face the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks will benefit by watching these two teams wear each other out with their long series.

As much as it's tough to see the Lakers, Spurs, Blackhawks, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins out of the playoffs, at least there are some fresh new cities which are getting priceless publicity that having a major league sports team provides.

I have always enjoyed going to cities that have had one major league team because the fans are very passionate. Over the years, I've been fortunate enough to see the Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Saints.

With the three teams featured in this story, I have a feeling that we'll be hearing a lot more about them in years to come since they all have found the nucleus to make the most of their minimal payroll since they don't have the large local television and radio contracts.

It's now safe to say that we can no longer call Tennessee and Oklahoma collegiate sports states.

I'll be curious to see if Kentucky ever lands a major league team in Louisville, although after my lone experience with the University of Kentucky Basketball team in Lexington, that could pass for an NBA Franchise.

Scott Morganroth's blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/ and he can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Detroit's Four Major Teams

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I'll never forget the first time I was published. Back in 1979, My best friend and adopted brother George Eichorn asked me to write a few paragraphs for the Detroit Monitor about the struggles of Detroit's Four Major Teams.

I did and was thrilled to see my name in the paper for what would be the first of many times during my 32-year tenure in the media. Every so often, when I get the opportunity to find an individual that gets published for the first time, it gives me warm feelings of when I started.

But in honor of my longtime colleague Eichorn, I'm going to talk briefly about all four of Detroit's sports teams in this story.

Last night, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 at the Joe Louis Arena. On Thursday night, the Red Wings will attempt to do what only three other teams in the NHL have done and that's rally from a 3-0 deficit and win four straight to close out the Sharks.

The Red Wings are in this position due to the stellar play of their young goaltender Jimmy Howard, who figures to be the cornerstone of this franchise for a long time.

I love the headline and a key paragraph in a Sports Illustrated article by Adrian Dater.

The headline read, "Wings' latest, greatest rally could spell doom for crumbling Sharks." The paragraph I liked the most was "A match-up between a tested Original Six Franchise with four Stanley Cup Rings since 1997 against the Chicago Cubs on Ice"

Comparing the Sharks to the Cubs might be a little harsh since they began playing in 1991. The Cubs championship drought is 102 years. But I understand where Dater is coming from.

It would be great to see the Red Wings defeat the Sharks on Thursday night because it will energize a fan base which has been hit hard because of the economy. If they don't win, this group led by Coach Mike Babcock and General Manager Ken Holland will be back and better than ever next year. As much as I don't believe in moral victories, the fact that the Red Wings are playing when everyone counted them dead a week ago is worth feeling good about.

If the Red Wings can get past the Sharks, they'll earn all of their frequent flyer miles going through Phoenix, San Jose and then the Vancouver Canucks. If they're lucky enough to make it to the finals, there is another Original Six Rival, the Boston Bruins waiting. The purists and NBC would love this match-up! Otherwise, Wings legend Steve Yzerman can haunt his old team as his Tampa Bay Lightning are peaking at the right time.

If they don't win Thursday night, the fans still have many reasons to be proud of their historic effort.

On Saturday, Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander throws a no-hitter in the Tigers 9-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada at the Sky Dome. This was Verlander's second no-hitter in his career with his first occurring against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12, 2007.

In 1984, Jack Morris threw a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox and the Tigers went on to win the World Series against the San Diego Padres. I'll be curious to see if the Tigers can duplicate the same success in 2011. Ironically, the Tigers started the season 9-0 which was the same score as Verlander's gem against the Blue Jays.

I'm glad that Tom Gores will be the new owner of the Detroit Pistons and they'll be playing at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

I don't expect to see Gores make many major changes during his first season as owner with perhaps just a coaching switch. I believe that Joe Dumars will have at least one season to get the team headed in the right direction, perhaps two at the most.

But I have a strong feeling inside that Gores will hire Earvin "Magic" Johnson to be another voice with the franchise either as Dumars future replacement or as a key part of the front office. In October of 2010, Johnson sold his minority ownership stake of the Los Angeles Lakers. Since Gores and Johnson are former Michigan State Spartans and have plenty of ties to the state of Michigan, in addition to them becoming millionaires in Southern California, this makes too much sense to see them work together.

With Larry Bird agreeing to stay with the Indiana Pacers and see his rebuilding project through, I could see Johnson and Bird working in the front offices of their respective home states trying to build elite teams. We all know that Johnson and Bird will always be linked to the Michigan State/Indiana State 1979 NCAA title game with the Spartans prevailing. Perhaps, we could see Michigan and Indiana in the limelight again but in Pro Basketball. Johnson and Bird in the same division intrigues me.

Finally, the Detroit Lions have created the "Monsters of Motown" when they drafted Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley with their first round pick, 13th overall. With last year's pick Ndamukong Suh coming back for his second season, this has the makings of a legendary defensive tackle combination.

I have two words for opposing quarterbacks. Good Luck! They better be fast to escape these beasts.

If Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy with his new offensive weapons, this team has a lot to look forward to, especially after winning their final four games in 2010.

Back in 1979, all four teams struggled. Nowadays, Detroit fans have much more to look forward to.

Scott Morganroth's blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/ and he can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

FAU Football Building History

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

A year ago, quarterback Rusty Smith made history as he was the first FAU player to ever be selected in the NFL Draft as the Tennessee Titans nabbed him in the sixth round, 176th overall.
In 2010, Smith saw some playing time by replacing the injured signal caller Vince Young.

Now another Owl will have a chance to see his NFL dreams come true once the league's labor dispute, lockout, comes to an end.
Tight-end Rob Housler will take his 6-5, 248 pound frame to the Arizona Cardinals. In 2010, Housler caught 39 passes for 629 yards and four touchdowns. He was selected in the third round, 69th overall. It remains to be seen as to who will be throwing Housler the football since there is a dilemma at quarterback.

But as these two players write their way into the Owls history books, the buzz around campus is due to the construction of the new FAU Football Stadium. The 30,000 seat structure, located on the north central side of campus, is due to be completed by October 15th when the team can finally forget about Lockhart Stadium and play in a real facility.
On May 4th, the Athletic Department received a real financial boost as a $2 million gift came from longtime FAU supporters Richard and Barbara Schmidt, through the Schmidt Family Foundation. Their contribution will be recognized with permanent signage on the stadium scoreboard.

“We are extremely grateful to the Schmidt Family Foundation for this gift,” said FAU President Mary Jane Saunders. “The support FAU has received from the Schmidts over the years has helped it become the internationally recognized university it is today. With these funds for the stadium, the Schmidt family continues to leave its mark on FAU, and we will be reminded of the extraordinary generosity every time we look at the scoreboard that bears their family name.”
The $70 million project is slated to feature 6,000 premium seats, including 24 suites, 26 loge boxes, 1,000 premier club seats and 4,000 priority club seats along with the latest state-of-the-art amenities. It is estimated to bring in $1.8 million to the local economy on each game day.

One person very appreciative of the gift is Head Football Coach Howard Schnellenberger.
“On behalf of the players, coaches, and fans, I thank the Schmidt Family Foundation for their commitment to the future of Owl Football and for their generous gift to our new home,” Schnellenberger said. October 15 will forever be a day of great significance in FAU history.”

Although it's months away, I'm already getting charged up about the opener especially since I see the continued progress in the stadium's construction on a daily basis off I-95.

U-Conn's 90-Game Asterisk

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Before the Notre Dame ladies basketball team defeated the Tennessee Lady Volunteers 73-59 Monday Night to reach the Final Four, I was actually interested in the Women's NCAA Tournament.

There was hope that Tennessee and the University of Connecticut Lady Huskies would meet for the first time since January 6, 2007. But the Irish picked the wrong time in My Eyes to improve to 1-20 against Tennessee and now I can just continue to watch the Men's Tournament and the start of the Major League Baseball season.

I have seen a lot of stupid things in sports but for Tennessee and Connecticut to have not played in four years ranks at the top of the insanity.

How insane is this? Extremely insane!

After Tennessee defeated Connecticut 70-64 on the road in Hartford on Jan 6, 2007, Huskies Coach Geno Auriemma said the rivalry has lost some of it's edge because of the increasing parity in the women's game. Maybe losing three straight games to Tennessee forced Auriemma to put his foot in his mouth!

Please! Every sport has its rivalries. Tell me what it would be like if Michigan didn't play Ohio State in Football, North Carolina didn't face Duke in Basketball, Montreal didn't face Boston in Hockey, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics never met. I couldn't see a season without watching the Green Bay Packers facing the Chicago Bears and the New York Yankees not facing the Boston Red Sox on the diamond.

Rivalries are based on tradition, hatred and the spirit of fan bases both nationally and locally gearing up for bragging rights. In college, a team that's having a bad season could deem the year tolerable with a triumph over a hated rival.

Instead, we have a case with Tennessee and Connecticut that there are two "Feuding Fools" that know they should play each other to promote their sport, that should just work out a deal to resume the rivalry. Instead, we had to hold our breath and hope they would meet in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Now we have to either wait until next year in the NCAA Tournament, or hope these two come to their senses.

I actually hold Auriemma more responsible for this than Pat Summitt, but she should be the bigger person and dribble the ball back to sanity.

For years, the Kentucky Wildcats never faced the Louisville Cardinals until the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament fixed this. When Louisville won, Kentucky got smart and began embracing the rivalry.

When I heard that the University of Delaware wouldn't schedule Delaware State in Football, I just nodded my head that even the smallest state in the country was deprived of it's biggest event. The NCAA Playoffs fixed that and now their playing each other.

But for the Women's fan base to not see Auriemma match wits with Summitt is ridiculous. Auriemma's record is 769-123 and he's won seven NCAA titles. Meanwhile, Summitt is 1070-198 with eight NCAA Championships.

On Dec 30, 2010, the Stanford Cardinal ended U-Conn's 90-game record winning streak with a 71-59 victory at Maples Pavilion. Stanford extended it's home winning streak to 52-games.

I have a couple of problems with U-Conn's streak.

First, I wouldn't even dare to compare it with UCLA's remarkable streak of 88-games which ironically ended against Notre Dame. Auriemma doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as John Wooden.

Second, U-Conn never played Tennessee during the streak, therefore, I've decided to put an ASTERISK by this record since the Huskies didn't play the best competition to reach 90.

If you want respect, then you have to play the best. I won't even acknowledge another U-Conn National Championship because they didn't face Tennessee this season. Until U-Conn does face Tennessee, this will be the last time that I even give them any type of publicity.

Lady's Basketball needs to see these two teams play to continue it's growth and until it does, in the Sports World, it will be nothing more than an after thought and foot note.

Women's Basketball doesn't need it's version of the Hatfield's and McCoy's. The Model Programs need to be on display and if they meet, there will be National Television Coverage and Sellout Crowds.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

Michigan Verus Tennessee

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

These two schools rarely face each other in the major revenue producing sports football and basketball, but when they do, it's been a one-sided outcome.

On Friday March 20, they met on the hardwood, and history was made for all of the wrong reasons.

The Michigan Wolverines whipped the Tennessee Volunteers 75-45 in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Three days later, Tennessee Coach Bruce Pearl was fired after six seasons leaving Knoxville with a 145-61 record and six consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances. But it wasn't the record that saw him get terminated, it was his dishonesty with the NCAA and recruiting problems which sees him looking for another employer. He had guided this program to great success and was popular at Rocky Top, but in the end, his successor is going to have to live with the upcoming NCAA sanctions and the rebuilding that comes with these mistakes.

The No. 45 is also connected with another Michigan versus Tennessee match-up that occurred on January 1, 2002. This time, the Volunteers hammered the Wolverines 45-17 in the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl. At that time, this was the worst loss in Michigan bowl history prior to this season. There would be no coaching casualties after this game.

But when you look at these two schools, there are some interesting comparisons.

On January 1, 2011, the Mississippi State Bulldogs whipped the Wolverines 52-14 in the Gator Bowl and this became Michigan's worst bowl loss ever. A few days later, Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez was fired after compiling a 15-22 record in three seasons and also had NCAA problems due to excessive practice time.

Like Tennessee basketball, the Michigan Football Program is in transition under a new coach.

Since both schools have outstanding football traditions, here are some other numbers worth comparing.

Michigan is the All-Time Winningest College Program with 884 wins. The Wolverines have 11 National Championships, a record 112 winning seasons and the biggest stadium in the country. Michigan Stadium will pack 113,000 fans in the Big House.

Meanwhile, Tennessee has 789 wins to go along with six National Titles. The largest crowd to ever watch a game at Neyland Stadium is 109,061.

These are definitely two first class universities, now the only question remains, will the next time they face each other lead to a more competitive contest? We'll find out, but as far as their proud sports histories are concerned, they're certainly worth comparing and this season in football, they'll have younger coaches on the sidelines trying to create their own legacies.

Derek Dooley was 6-7 in his first season while Brady Hoke will try to bring the Wolverines back to respectability in his inaugural year.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

Speed, Speed, Speed

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

How do you define the word speed?

1) Watching an Indy Car going 200 miles per-hour around an oval in a matter of seconds?

2) Staying with Auto Racing, how about a bulky stock car reaching speeds of 180-220 miles-per-hour?

3) I can just imagine what it would be like to swing at a 100 miles-per-hour fastball.

4) I wouldn't want to be a quarterback in football knowing that you have a few seconds to throw the football before you get tackled or sacked for a loss.

5) How about those passes from a guard to a forward or center that lead to a slam dunk or easy basket.

6) In hockey, the pace of the game means you better keep your head up at all times or you could be checked into the boards, or one pass could lead to a breakaway goal.

7) A track and field star having an excellent performance in any race.

8) Watching a horse race.

9) Attending the dog races.

10) Going to a rifle range and trying to hit the target.

In the past week, speed took on a new meaning.

I found my Significant Other Gladys a new two-year old 14-pound White Maltese---Cairn Terrier named Sparky.

For those that know my Detroit ties, I'd like to say that I named it after the Tigers late Manager Sparky Anderson. Anderson had white and silver hair but was a gem of a person. He won a lot of ball games, three World Series titles and is in Baseball's Hall of Fame.

But this Sparky has an identity of his own.

The reason I got Gladys the dog is that my 10-year-old Cat Maverick is a subdued animal who is independent. He'll give affection on his own terms in the form of kisses and his famous head butts. I love his head butts and Gladys is proud to receive them. When she gets a head butt, she is overwhelmed with emotion and her smile could be seen to Iceland.

Since Gladys spends a lot of time at home and I'm working a lot, the need for a second animal was necessary.

What I've seen over the past eight days with Sparky is unreal.

When we picked Sparky up at a vet in Coral Springs, the fascination began immediately. Here is a small dog picking a fight with a larger dog. But with all due respect, he was a stray animal who had to fend for himself, therefore, the animal had to develop a feisty mentality.

It didn't take long to learn how fast Sparky was.

That very night, as we were heading out to Walmart at 1 AM, Gladys put the dog in our bedroom and as she had to get something, Sparky darted out the patio door so fast, we found ourselves chasing this animal down. I had to run to get my keys and she was looking for him. Then I was looking for both.

I finally found the dog, got out of the car and as I was attempting to grab him, he darted again. I realized that a man over 200 pounds is no match for an animal this size.

Weight Watchers, here I come!

Gladys finally reached into her bag of tricks and went to the refrigerator and grabbed a piece of salami and lured the dog to her and finally snapped on the leash. Then we put him in the dog carrier and he was done for the night.

After spending over $200 to make sure Sparky was healthy, I told her that she was in for the biggest challenge of her life trying to mellow and train this animal. She isn't lacking time during the day with her latest pet project.

But as the week progressed, the dog got out again and Gladys went back to work to get him. But this time she had help from the rest of the community.

Sparky has now made a name for himself inside the Waterways, Harbor Point, Subdivision.

On Friday, her sister Goldie and nephew Nathaniel came for a visit and spent the night. The dog was running in the house but saw the door open slightly.

Once again, the dog was off to the races. Gladys, her nephew and the rest of the community nabbed Sparky again. This time, however, Sparky, was punished for the rest of the night.

Gladys quickly went to the pet store and bought him an identification collar. We'll have a chip placed in Sparky real soon. Now Gladys has a full time job! Protect her baby Sparky from himself!

If she ever pulls this off, it will be interesting to see if Maverick and Sparky can get along. Stay tuned for that update.

I actually renamed Gladys Thunder--and Sparky--Lightning. This tandem will be interesting to watch. I have a feeling there will be a lot of laughs.

When I think of Sparky, I don't know how long this dog will be around. I really hope the ending of this doesn't lead to him getting hit by a car or simply running away.

But for some reason, I'm not going to bet against My Puerto Rican Pistol Significant Other.

She's done a marvelous job raising three children into quality adults. She has the Eye Of The Tiger to pull the trick again.

How she pulls it off, is anyone's guess. Will salami, bologna, a newspaper, her hand or a cage to get the job done? I'll find out, but my Blackberry will be burning up with text messages as to how she conquers this latest challenge.

But I'd be curious to see how fast Sparky could run the 40-yard dash as well as the length of a football field. I hope one day, I could use my stop watch and find that out.

For now, I'm just glad that we found a young dog and gave him a nice loving home. I just hope that he's smart enough to realize it and listens to his mother!

In the meantime, Sparky is a welcomed addition to my family which is now at four and this Sparky does give me a good reason to recollect my memories of Sparky Anderson. A legend and a hopeful legend.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

NFL Lockout, Who Cares?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

It seems like all I hear, see and watch these days in sports are labor conflicts.

The NFL's eight day lockout is the latest squabble between millionaires versus billionaires and to be frank with you, I'm Sick And Tired of hearing about it!

As far as I'm concerned, the owners can lock out the players until the day that I die!

With the economy in shambles, we have a bunch of greedy individuals that are disputing on how to divide a boat load of cash for a sport that's enjoying a Super Bowl that drew a record 111 million viewers!

What angers me the most about this conflict is the owners and players should still be at the bargaining table until they lose their voices.

Instead, the players think they can take their so called injustices to the court and manipulate a judge to force the owners to cave in!

The only thing I can say to the players is "Good Luck."

These owners didn't become wealthy individuals because they were stupid!

The players can use all the angles they want, but in the end, when the players do go back to work, it's the owners that will still sign their paychecks.

At the moment, the players can be as disruptive as they want. If they want to discourage top NFL Prospects from attending the upcoming Draft, that will only make them look like bigger clowns. After all, these are the players that they'll be taking money from when the new Rookie Wage Scale is inserted when this labor mess eventually resolves itself.

But if the players are smart, they won't influence the rookies to not attend the NFL Draft. These youngsters that get invited deserve a chance to be welcomed to the league by Commissioner Roger Goodell just as they were at the beginning of their careers.

Also, the fans deserve to see one more piece of Football Business before the next game being played is "Chess in the Courtroom."

Unfortunately, as things stand right now, there is no Sense Of Urgency to make a deal.

The paychecks don't start coming in until September. When the players fall behind on their bills, then there will be the pressure from their significant others, children, bill collectors, etc... and as I've seen so many times in these disputes, the deal that was on the table was better than the new agreement.

As far as the major issues are concerned, I'm not going to be getting into any major details. Instead, I'll comb over them briefly.

First, I have no  problem with the NFL playing an 18-game schedule. Stadiums are half full during the pre-season, major injuries still occur and teams usually rest their regulars the final two games. It's inevitable that teams will expand their rosters by 10 players and more jobs will be created. I have a feeling that the salaries will increase slightly to accommodate the extra two games.

But more importantly, the NFL will have the ability to play a couple games in Europe, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Spain, Germany and perhaps Australia. The global effect of the product will go beyond just additional sellouts but also in merchandising. Teams that travel overseas will likely get the following week off to recover from jet lag.

Second, as I mentioned, the Rookie Wage Scale is long overdue! To me, how unproven NFL players make more money than established veterans goes beyond my imagination. If a team makes a bad pick in the higher rounds, not only is he a bust on the field but also a bad business decision for the books. When I think of former San Diego Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf and Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers, I get sick to my stomach.

By the same token, when a guy like Tom Brady wins three Super Bowls for the New England Patriots, those are the stories we want to hear about.

When a team wants to trade down in the draft because they don't want to get trapped paying too much  money for a top 10 player, but they can't, this prevents them from making the trade which could also allow them to add late round picks that become sleepers and future stars.

Third, there is no question that the time is now to address the needs of retired players. When a player sustains injuries that limits their ability to make a living due to physical or mental problems, are not properly given adequate medical insurance, there are problems. There have been numerous stories that players in their 30's, 40's and 50's have died prematurely. 

The most recent being former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson (50), who committed suicide on February 17, 2011, and asked that his brain be used for research at the Boston University School of Medicine which is conducting research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) due to playing pro football.

I can think of many other examples in the past but this one stands out the most. We don't need any more of these stories.

But in this game of billionaires versus millionaires, I still would like to know who benefits from all of the bad publicity and mud slinging that goes on? Nobody!

Right now, team employees will be without jobs, players won't be able to seek treatment from team doctors, and it will be tougher to prepare for next season.

Yet, as the players seek litigation over collective bargaining, they better realize the following trends that other sports leagues have set in past years and what lies ahead in the future.

In 1994, the Baseball Strike lasted from August 12, 1994-April 2, 1995 and it wiped out the World Series. Major League Baseball had the public relations nightmare of a lifetime. For years, the World Series was always played during wars and other nationwide conflicts, yet it took a labor dispute amongst rich men to eliminate it, thus alienating a fan base which has never totally forgiven the game.

It destroyed baseball in Montreal as the Expos eventually moved and became the Washington Nationals. The Montreal Expos were 74-40, six games ahead of the Atlanta Braves and were on a pace to win 105 games. They were my favorite to win the World Series.

When play resumed, it took Cal Ripken Jr's Ironman streak where he passed Lou Gehrig along with a season long home run chase by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire who broke Roger Maris 61 to get fans interested again. Commissioner Bud Selig would continue to add extra playoff series and interleague play to add to the healing and growth processes.

The 2004-05 NHL Lockout cancelled the 88th season. This was the first time in a major sports professional league in North America that a league didn't play as a result of a labor dispute. The lockout lasted 310 days, from September 16, 2004-July 22, 2005. The NHL still hasn't recovered as the league pays for its airtime to have NBC broadcast The Game Of The Week. How many cable subscribers can get Versus?

It seems that the NBA could be headed down the same road as the NFL and follow the lead of the NHL. Commissioner David Stern wants a hard salary cap and has gone on record that he'll take a hard stance to get it. Baseball's labor agreement ends in December but for some reason, I have a feeling this one will get worked without much resistance.

But back to the NFL.

Fans won't be without football too long.

There is the UFL which does play in the fall but more importantly, NCAA Football returns. For some reason, the NCAA Football Gods will be smart enough to schedule games on Sundays to fill some of the void left by the NFL.

The New USFL is tentatively set to play in the Spring of 2012 and that league could experience much quicker growth is the NFL doesn't settle it's conflict soon.

So the bottom line is, it's best for these sides to get back to work and start negotiating. I haven't seen anything positive develop from these most recent work stoppages and nothing good will come out of this. It's time for cooler heads and common sense to take over.

The players have to realize, that everyone in the real world is struggling to make a living so there will be very little sympathy thrown their way.

I'm Sick And Tired of all this nonsense and at some point it has to stop!

The government doesn't have time to get involved in this dispute. It has to run this country at perhaps the most difficult time in our history.

Both sides need to get back to the bargaining table and don't leave until a deal is done!

Right now, the only people that wouldn't mind if there isn't football on Sundays are the women that want to spend time with their men. Otherwise, it needs to get resolved and if there is no football in the spring, baseball is waiting for this as a golden opportunity to steal fans and get them to watch the postseason and see if the San Francisco Giants can defend its World Series title.

But again, I'm Sick And Tired of hearing, listening and watching the latest episode of "As The Greedy Get More Greedy" and I'll wake up when this debacle is over. Or I'll just get sun burned at my pool or at the beach.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/. Gladys Echevarria contributed to this story.