–Sen. Arlen Specter isn’t satisfied with the NFL’s handling of the New England Patriots’ spying controversy, and wants to launch his own investigation. For the record, Sen. Specter voted YES on the “Patriot Act”, which ironically gives our government permission to spy on its citizens.

–Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon would like NASCAR to look into the way Sprint Cup teams are adjusting the rear housing to create a competitive advantage. Apparently it’s the automotive equivalent of injecting a car with steroids. Congressional inquiries are still pending.

– Larry Bird filed a lawsuit alleging a couple that bought his former home in southern Indiana are improperly using his name to promote a bed and breakfast. Larry Bird is VERY protective of his name. I’ve only mentioned it twice in this paragraph and it cost me $600.

–The New York Knicks have officially introduced Mike D’Antoni as their new coach. There are doubts, however, that the Knicks will be a good fit with D’Antoni. He’s a basketball coach, and the Knicks can’t really play basketball.

–In NFL news, ex Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals running back Troy Hambrick was sentenced to five years in prison for selling crack cocaine, so the Oakland Raiders should begin contact negotiations with Hambrick in early 2012.

–Hank Steinbrenner, whose apparent goal in life is to surpass his father’s legacy of public annoyance, is angry his ball club has fallen below .500. “[The Yankees] need to start treating it like when they were younger players and going after that big contract, like they’re in [Triple-A] and trying to make the majors,” he told the press. Hank, you’ve got the highest payroll in baseball, and you want your players to feel poor?

–ESPN has announced it will begin carrying tennis is 2009. ESPN networks will be the lead cable carrier for the U.S. Open tournament and the U.S. Open Series. Not only that, but ESPN plans to continue their extensive coverage of the dynamic world of bowling. It’s sure to be a ratings bonanza.

–Maria Sharapova is now the “Top Gun” of women’s tennis. Justine Henin was number one, but Henin lost it—turned in her wings. Now Sharapova’s number one. But she’d better remember one thing: if she screws up just this much, she’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog **** out of Hong Kong!

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

A thousand runs, the American League Pennant and a return trip to the World Series.

That’s not just a sentence fragment, it’s also what analysts and fans alike predicted for the Detroit Tigers before one pitch of the 2008 regular season was thrown.

A month-and-a-half of baseball later and the 16-24 Tigers sit at the bottom of the AL Central despite a hefty $137 million payroll, ranking third in the majors behind the Yankees and Mets.

The Tigers, who lost the 2005 World Series in five games to St. Louis and barely missed the playoffs last season, were one of the most prolific teams in the off-season acquiring marquee names like Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria.

They signed OF Curtis Granderson and manager Jim Leyland to contract extensions while Ivan Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez are all still under contracts.

Four of five starters from the 2005 AL Championship team, including veteran ace Kenny Rogers, are currently still on staff and the team looked primed and ready to make a legitimate run at a World Series Championship.

The Tigers pounced out of the starting gate only to be swept in three games at home by the AL Central’s resident basement dwellers, the Kansas City Royals.

They continued their losing ways dropping three more to the White Sox followed by a shutout at the hands of defending World Series champs, the Boston Red Sox. On April 9 they recorded their first win of the 2008 season.

Not quite the desired start for a team designed to go far in the post-season.

The Tigers look like a case of too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Guys like Sheffield, Ordonez, Cabrera and the like have all at one time or another been “the guy” for whatever team they were on.

Now they’re on the same team with a common goal, but everyone is trying so hard to be “the guy” that they are all falling short of the mark. Way short. I mean, this “1000 run” team has been shutout six times already.

Unfortunately, this is just half of the Tigers’ problems; take a look at the pitching.

Currently the Tigers ERA of 4.96 ranks last in the majors, the 214 runs allowed ranks second behind the Rangers’ 229, and starters Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson and Rogers are a combined 7-18.

Awful. Just awful.

My suggestion for the Tigers: free up some contract money by trading someone like Sheffield or Ordonez and sign Taye Diggs to a one-year contract.

I know he’s not a ballplayer, but I heard somewhere it worked for Stella and her groove.

–Aaron Whitebread, RED Editorial Staff

After the Red Wings picked up Game 2 in Detroit, a number of Motor City’s hockey faithful braced for a stumble. Saturday’s win marked the eighth straight postseason victory for the Wings, leaving many with a “too good to last” feeling headed into yesterday’s Game 3 in Dallas.

The Detroit Free Press warned “Turbulence is coming,” and that the Wings “actually seem ready for the Stars to grab momentum in Game 3.” I’m sure the Detroit Free Press has never been happier to be wrong.

The Red Wings’ postseason winning streak is now at nine, the best in franchise history and the second longest in all of hockey.

The warning signs for Detroit’s first postseason loss since Game 4 of the Western Quarterfinals were all there. Since losing to the Predators on April 16 the Wings have been on fire. Ever since then it’s just seemed easy . . . a little too easy.

Combine that with the loss of Johan Franzen who’s leading the league in postseason goals with 12, and a Game 3 loss seemed not only likely but acceptable to boot.

Well, Detroit might have been ready to lose some playoff momentum last night but the Stars weren’t ready to take it. Now Dallas is staring an 0-4 postseason grave square in the face, and Detroit is one win away from their fourth Stanley Cup appearance in 11 years.

But even more impressive for Detroit is the authority they’ve showed on the ice during their last nine wins—during Game 3 especially.

The absence of Franzen was a non-issue for the Wings last night in their 5-2 thumping of Dallas as Pavel Datsyuk stepped up with a hat trick; the first in 73 playoff games.

Datsyuk’s hat trick, along with two other goals from Jiri Hudler and Henrik Zetterberg, completely choked out Dallas’ offensive efficiency—and they were terribly efficient.

Dallas might be down three games, but let’s not sell the Stars short. Thanks to goals from Nicklas Grossman and Brad Richards Dallas had the game tied up by the second period.

But with a team as deep as Detroit, the impact of Dallas’ two important goals never seemed to be felt.

“It shows we have a lot of depth,” Zetterberg said. “We have four lines that really can play in all situations. The longer the game goes, the more advantage for us it is.”

True, but the game’s length isn’t the only thing working in Detroit’s favor. Apparently location isn’t an issue either, and that’s the most important thing.

Dallas’ numbers are fairly even in home vs. away games with the exception of goalie Marty Turco, who seems to play a little better at home. Game 3 was also the first time the Stars have been home since the Game 6 marathon against San Jose.

So you’d think a team as talented as Dallas would have come out swinging last night to pick up a win. Dallas did come out swinging, at home, down two games with the crowd behind them . . . it still wasn’t enough.

Right now the Wings are unflappable, which is the best example of irony a team could hope for.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

The San Antonio Spurs evened up the Western Conference Semifinal at two games each yesterday, beating New Orleans by a solid 20-point margin. Despite the Hornets putting up some pretty admirable numbers—and Chris Paul putting up some more than admirable plays—the Spurs are finally beginning to look like the familiar reigning champs of the NBA.

They’re patient, precise, methodical . . . and mundane.

Now, before all the Spurs faithful start feeding me hate mail with a shovel, please realize that I’m not trashing San Antonio.

The Spurs are scary good. Nobody in their right mind would say otherwise and games three and four are proof of that.

Yesterday’s game gave us everything we’ve come to expect from San Antonio; efficient and blazingly fast ball movement around the perimeter routinely ending with open looks, huge numbers by Ginobli, Duncan, and Parker, brutal defense, etc., etc.

But more than anything the Spurs have managed to tap back in to their extensive playoff experience, find their stride, and maintain the status quo like a quadruple-championship team should.

They’re stomping out the youth movement in Chris Paul and New Orleans with faceless efficiency.

And this, one could argue, is the true power behind San Antonio’s dominance in the NBA. The Spurs are modest to a fault about their talent. They suck the fun out of the opposition like a vampire going straight for the jocular (Yeah, I know it’s a terrible pun. Couldn’t resist).

Hornets coach Byron Scott left his optimism in the locker room for Sunday’s post game press conference. “They’re just kicking our butts right now”, Scott said.

And it’s true. The Spurs literally did whatever they wanted to New Orleans yesterday, but the demoralizing thing is that the Spurs hardly even seem to notice. It’s business as usual for them, and business has been good since Thursday.

Yet the fact still remains that watching one of the most dominant basketball teams in recent history win in the playoffs doesn’t seem to get people as excited as it used to, and that goes double for the finals.

When San Antonio won their second NBA title in 2003, the TV ratings were the lowest of any NBA final in history—until 2007. Last year’s San Antonio/Cleveland final came and went like a ship in the night, turning in record-low ratings.

The series heads back to the Big Easy tomorrow for game five, where the Hornets will try and throw a roadblock in San Antonio’s way to winning a series after starting in an 0-2 hole; a rarity in the NBA.

It’s also going to be a last gasp scenario for Chris Paul and company. There’s no reason to believe the Spurs are going to falter now, but there’s only one hurdle left for San Antonio if they want to punch their ticket and move on.

If they can pick up a third win on the road it will be a nail in the Hornets’ postseason. The smart money says we’ll end up with a Lakers/Spurs series, which should be a razzle-dazzle ratings bonanza.

And I think we all know why.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

October 14, 1908, Bennett Park in Detroit: Cubs right-hander Orval Overall gets Tigers catcher Boss Schmidt to ground out to first, completing his Game 5 shut-out as the Cubs win consecutive World Series Championships.

One hundred years have since passed without a title, the longest World Series drought in Major League history.

The epic streak, complete with Billy Goats, black cats, curses and Steve Bartman, has become something more than just a mere stat in baseball’s record book.

It has become iconic, an expectation in the unpredictable world of sports. It has become an inheritance, passed on from one generation of fans to the next. It has inadvertently become the identity of a team affectionally known as “The Lovable Losers.”

Yet a legion of fans as loyal and devout as the Red Sox Nation has stuck with the Cubbies through thick and thin, holding on to their die-hard belief in “next year.”

And maybe 2008 is next year. The Cubs have a lot going for them this season.

For starters, “Sweet” Lou Pinella is at the helm again after leading the Cubs to the NL Central title in his first year.

First baseman Derek Lee is back at full strength after an injury plagued 2007 season, batting .324 with eight dingers.

Veteran ace Carlos Zambrano is as reliable as ever with a 5-1 record, an impressive 1.80 ERA and a team leading 38 K’s, while hitting a respectable .250. Last year’s closer, Ryan Dempster, has gone 4-0 with two no-decisions and a 2.72 ERA in his return to the starting rotation. Kerry Wood returned to the roster as the closer and has done well, striking out 16 with five saves.

Japanese free-agent import Kosuke Fukudome has lived up to the hype surrounding his acquisition over the off-season. He is hitting .320 with 13 RBIs while slugging an outstanding .456. His lone homer was a ninth inning game-tying three-run shot in the Cubs’ season opener and his MLB debut, endearing him to Cubs fans in grand fashion.

But Fukudome brings more than a quick bat; he also brings a Zen-like patience at the plate, something that has rubbed off on the rest of the team. The Cubs lead the National League in runs (195), and RBIs (185), and rank second in walks (163) and on-base percentage (.370).

But it is only May, and the 19-15 Cubs have a long way to go before October.

They are two and a half games out of first in the NL Central behind longtime rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, who took two of three from them over the weekend. They dropped two more games in Cincinnati to the struggling Reds to start the week, division opponents Milwaukee and Houston are nipping at their heels, and they face the red-hot Diamondbacks next.

Of course, none of this will ever dissuade the Cubs faithful. This year, just like the last 99, is next year.

–Aaron Whitebread, RED Editorial Staff

The Philadelphia Flyers’ Steve Downie has managed to keep himself out of the news since he destroyed Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond last September in the preseason. After that game, Sens general manager/coach Bryan Murray said the hit was “all the things we talk about not having in our game.”

And for a short while, there was concern amongst the NHL’s talking heads about rethinking hockey’s attitude towards overly violent behavior. The issue has since been pushed to the wayside, but it might be back on the table again by Saturday.

I say that because the Flyers and the Penguins start their Eastern Conference playoffs this Friday, and to say there’s no love lost between those two teams is putting it lightly.

In fact, to say that Philly and Pittsburg have a rivalry wouldn’t even do it justice. They just plain hate each other, and I’m certain the word “hate” is being used with full understanding that it’s a strong word your mother never wants you to say.

The eventuality of a Pens vs. Flyers playoff game was sealed by the end of the season when Bryan Murray accused the Penguins of throwing their last season game against Philadelphia to avoid playing them again in the first round.

No one will really be able to prove that the Pens essentially chose their opponent by “rigging” a game to draw a struggling Ottawa team, but just like the NFL’s penchant for disciplining its wayward players before all the facts are in, it won’t matter to the Flyers it it’s true or not.

As far they’re concerned it probably is, which only fans the flames of vengeance (the slogan on the Flyers’ Website is “Vengeance Now”) in the city of brotherly love.

Perhaps this is a case of the media chumming the waters, but is does seem like every article is gearing NHL fans up for war rather than a hockey game.

The series is being called a “crucible” and a “vendetta”, and journalists in both cities are goading the other to “bring it”.

Everybody knows that hockey is a physical game. That’s what we love about it, but it’s the playoffs, and in the playoffs everything gets taken up a notch.

Add a media feeding frenzy, a few accusations and two teams that have hated each other for quite some time, and we might be dealing with a few unwarranted Steve Downie-esque hits to talk about after this conference final.

And if that happens, if the series gives us “all the things we talk about not having in our game”, we’ll spend the foreseeable future wondering if some things about hockey are overly violent again.

I wonder how much playing time Steve Downie will see this weekend?

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

The Suns’ general manager Steve Kerr is denying that head coach Steve D’Antoni’s career is about to go supernova. Paul Coro, who covers the Suns for the Arizona Republic, spoke to Kerr about the subject. According to Coro, “Mike D’Antoni is still their coach and he’s done a great job the last four years.”

But like a significant other telling you nothing is wrong before going incommunicado, signs of D’Antoni’s unemployment are looming like Shaquille O’Neal’s shadow.

I know job openings in the NBA are as common as seeing Jack Nicholson at the Staples Center, but D’Antoni and the Suns would be wise to stick it out one more year.

Today, Steve Kerr announced that D’Antoni has permission from the Suns to talk with other teams about head coaching positions.

I know Suns fans are still pretty hot after San Antonio crushed Phoenix’s championship dreams in the first round of the playoffs last month, and that’s fine. If I were a Suns’ fan I’d want heads to roll as well, and letting D’Antoni take the fall makes perfect sense.

But patience is a virtue, and if there’s a time for D’Antoni to hang his hat in a new arena, it’s not this year—it’s next year.

Here’s why. If D’Antoni leaves, it will be due to his frictional relationship with the Suns’ front office. He doesn’t see eye to eye with the guys wearing the suits, but he’s just fine with the guys wearing the jerseys. So it isn’t really his coaching ability that’s being judged, but rather his philosophy.

It’s hard for any coach to operate under those circumstances efficiently, especially when the business side of your franchise bets the farm on late season trade so unexpected and initially idiotic that it takes everyone in the NBA’s world an entire week to pick their jaws up from the floor.

Now, was the Suns’ season a failure? You bet it was, but it’s really nothing compared to the abyss the Mavericks fell into this year. Adding a player/floor general with a wealth of experience like Jason Kidd should be a seamless transition, even if it is late in the season.

But adding a behemoth like Shaq at the last minute to a team built for speed, like the Suns, that’s like putting a $40 million dollar roadblock in front of a Ferrari. That said, I don’t think anyone on the team laments the addition of Shaq.

Towards the end of the season I was close to sold on the sheer genius of a trade like that, but making such a drastic adjustment (and Shaq is as drastic as they come) takes more time to steep than most would like to admit.

And now the Suns are threatening to break their stride once again with the threat of D’Antoni’s departure—huge mistake.

Which do you think would be easier: having the luxury of entire season to integrate Shaq into a Suns team that’s getting grey anyway, or scraping everything you’ve done in favor of a new coach that’s only going to get a year out of this current roster?

I guarantee you that the Suns’ roster is going to look drastically different come the 2009-2010 season, and it definitely should by then. But for D’Antoni to leave now would only reinforce a sense of desperation we’ve been seeing since Shaq got to Phoenix.

There are plenty of things Phoenix can do before next season, but only one thing they can’t.

Panic.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

–Defensive Miami Dolphins star Jason Taylor, who’s really tearing it up on “Dancing With the Stars”, has been the subject of recent trade speculation. Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland doesn’t want to see Taylor go. I guess the cheerleaders need a choreographer.

–The New York Football Giants had a touching little meet and greet with President Bush this week. “You won the gratitude of your fans,” Bush said, but the President stopped short of saying, “mission accomplished.” He didn’t want to jinx anyone.

–Drug testing at golf’s British Open at Royal Birkdale will be delayed a year because some international players have not been exposed to doping education programs, but I’m pretty sure most golfers already know to stay away from Jose Canseco.

–ESPN.com reported yesterday that Tiger Woods’ knee surgery was a huge success and that he could be back in action sooner than expected, which is great news for ESPN. They’re running out of stuff to write about.

–Even though members of Congress want the Justice Department to investigate the legality of college football’s BCS system, ACC commissioner John Swofford announced Wednesday that college football will not change the way it determines its national champion. Good for him. Nobody wants to see a national championship decided on the field anyway.

–Not only have new allegations surfaced about troubled Cy Young winner Roger Clemens cheating on his wife with country singer Mindy McCready, but now there are rumors that Clemens had liaisons with golfer John Daly’s ex wife. At least now we know why Daly drinks so much.

– Celtics forward Paul Pierce was fined $25,000 for what the NBA called a “menacing gesture” during Game 3 of Boston’s playoff series against Atlanta. Pierce denies the gesture was gang-related, but apparently the league doesn’t agree. I guess nobody in this world knows more about gang-related culture than commissioner David Stern . . . he’s from the streets.

–Kelvin Sampson, who was fired from Indiana University after violating his NCAA probation by making over 100 impermissible recruiting phone calls, has found another job. Sampson will reportedly be hired as an assistant for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. They’ll have to make room in the salary cap if the Bucks let him expense his phone bill.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

No one is safe from the ire of Mets fans. They boo everything and everyone except for the hot dog vendors, and to an extent, that’s just fine. Booing is a perk of attendance. But even though booing is warranted at times, Mets fans pushed it a little far with Carlos Delgado.

First of all, let’s go ahead and say what needs to be said about Carlos Delgado. He’s not having a good year. He’s making $16 million and turning in a .198 batting average to date, so I’m not surprised that Mets fans are angry with him. I am surprised at what Mets fans think they’re owed.

New York is one of the toughest places to get respect, and if things get bad enough with their athletes, those fans will do everything possible to make sure the offending party never sets foot in that zip code again.

What’s really small is when the fans become as irrational and fickle as an unmedicated bi-polar spouse that’s had one too many vodka martinis.

Despite Delgado’s tanking numbers, he received an ovation after hitting two homers in a 6-3 win over the Braves. Suddenly, Delgado is the man of the hour in Shea Stadium, and the fans wanted Delgado to come back out of the dugout and tip his hat to the crowd.

But Delgado snubbed the crowd, refusing to acknowledge the rarity of a compliment in Shea Stadium.

That was four days ago, and it’s still a huge issue in New York. Now, some Mets fans are even angrier with Delgado for not pandering to them, which means they’re going to boo him even more in the future.

Well, he might not have a lot to be proud of this year, but I tip my own hat to Delgado for refusing to tip his.

Newsday.com’s Jim Baumbach slammed Delgado in a recent article. He said of the ovation that, “It’s more a symbol of the fans saying, ‘Hey, we just want you to succeed. We realize you’re better than you’ve shown us so far. Now go out and show us more of that and we’ll stop booing you.’”

Oh, sure, that makes perfect sense. I usually show my support for athletes by routinely telling them they stink, and when they do well, I like to threaten them with continued hatred if they don’t appease me. I find most people are receptive to that sort of thing.

I know it’s cliché, but you reap what you sew. As an individual, Carlos has every right to stonewall the people who’ve done the same to him.

Carlos Delgado doesn’t owe the Mets fans anything but energy and elbow grease. All he has to do is work on his production. He doesn’t have to stand blushing in front of 50,000 fans and bask in false adoration. By electing not to suck up to a fickle crowd, Delgado was essentially booing them back.

I’m surprised Mets fans don’t understand that.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

It’s been widely noted that the biggest reason why the Pittsburgh Penguins are resting on a 2-0 series lead over the New York Rangers is because the Penguins are beating the Blueshirts at their own game.

Hockey gurus all over the nation have spent the season watering down Pittsburgh’s defensive mettle. New York is supposed to be the hard-nosed defensive team, but since the playoffs, the Penguins have turned an about-face in that department.

The Pens rank first in defensive parsimony, allowing only nine goals in six playoff games (all of them ending in a win). The Pens have also shed their inconsistency in penalty kills after denying all six power play attempts by the Rangers last Sunday.

So needless to say the pressure is on at Madison Square Garden tonight for game three of this series, but picking up a win is well within reason for New York. If the Blueshirts can manage to take their offense that generated 4 goals in the series opener and parlay that with the defense they played on Sunday, the odds of New York holding their own ice are palpable.

But it’s hard to ignore the frustration that seems to be seeping out of the Rangers’ organization as of late, not only for its irony, but also its comedic value.

There’s been a war of words and accusations swirling around both of these teams recently about Sidney Crosby’s performance on the ice—specifically his dramatic performances.

After the series opener last Friday, Rangers coach Tom Renney and his team was clearly upset with an interference call against Martin Straka for obstructing Crosby as the Penguins looked to have a 2-on-1 break with the score tied at 4.

Straka went to the box, and next thing you know, Crosby set up the winning goal by beaming a slap shot off teammate Evgeni Malkin.

In short, Tom Renney thinks Crosby took a dive, and he thinks it’s dirty pool. Before Friday’s game, Renney said Crosby’s diving would be a talking point during his meeting with the series’ supervisor.

When asked about the call against Straka after the game, Renny didn’t specifically cry foul, but you’d have to have a head like a hockey puck to not notice the innuendo.

I’m not here to hang blame on any specific player (that call against Straka could have gone either way), but for the Rangers to blow a 3-0 lead and then gripe about a penalty doesn’t project the greatest image for New York.

Especially with Sean Avery on the roster.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.