Back to the Future

After a sequence of events that left me in the dark ages of 1994- no directv and no internet- for almost a week, I am finally connected back into modern times. Things got so bleak that I actually bought something called a "newspaper" to get my sports' information. Did you know those things only have the scores and stories from the previous day??? Very strange. So I'm still playing catchup, but here are a few stories that stood out to me over the last couple days:

Orlando Cabrera channeled the spirit of Rod Carew and pulled off one of the easiest straight steals of home you'll ever see. Cabrera's steal was so clean, that Dodger's pitcher Chad Billingsley didn't even bother delivering his pitch home once he realized what was happening. Of course it didn't hurt that Billingsley was in a full wind-up which involved looking straight down, giving the rubber an extra tap with his foot, a high leg kick, and a silent prayer to Tommy Lasorda before actually delivering a pitch.

The Yankees provided further evidence of the need for an international draft in baseball, as they signed hot catching prospect, 16 year-old Venezuelan Jesus Montero to a $2 million contract. While it's possible that the 6'3" 220 pounder is really 22 and won't ever amount to anything, it's still patently unfair that only certain organizations (Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Mariners and a few others) have access to such a large talent pool. While teams such as the Pirates and Royals will always be at a financial disadvantage within the league, an international draft would at least help level the playing field a little bit. Tho' I'm sure the Royals would find a way to screw that up too.

Reggie Bush hasn't signed his multimillion dollar contract yet, but that hasn't stopped him from giving money to New Orleans organizations. He signed a deal with Adidas and gave $50,000 to save a private school for children with learning disabilities. He convinced Hummer to loan 12 vehicles to the Slidell Police Department for a year. He's also teamed with sponsors to donate $86,000 to seed the field at Tad Gormley Stadium (by the way, why does it cost less to save a school than grow grass?). It appears Bush has realized that there's more to being a professional athlete than beating up strangers at Dennys or masturbating in a grocery store parking lot. Nice job, Reggie.