Ray Lewis thinks crime will increase with no NFL season

For all the craziness that is associated with Ray Lewis, the man sure does seem to speak the truth on big issues. The latest one? How the lockout might affect our society as a whole, and what it might do to the nation's crime rate.

No, he isn't just talking about the players. Ray thinks if the lockout continues and there is no NFL season, crime will increase because people will be so distraught without one of their favorite pastimes.

This all came out from his ESPN interview, and here was exactly what Ray said.

"Do this research if we don't have a season -- watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game. [...]

"There's too many people that live through us, people live through us," he said. "Yeah, walk in the streets, the way I walk the streets, and I'm not talking about the people you see all the time."

The man has a point. Football fans will have to find other things to do without their favorite game being played if the NFL does decide to go with this lockout, and Lewis is just pointing out facts about this. If any sport or big event was dumped, it would force people to look for other things to do, and I think that's the point Lewis is making here.

Just add it to the growing list of reasons why the NFL lockout would be a bad thing.

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Ladies and gentlemen, Brett Favre is back! (sort of)

Between the draft, the lockout, and various athlete tweets and legal repercussions, there's been so much going on in professional football, we've barely had time to miss one Brett Lorenzo Favre.

And for one Brett Lorenzo Favre, there's nothing worse than not being missed. That's why he gave an interview to Mississippi television station WDAM-TV on Thursday from a football camp, saying that he may be looking to get into coaching or find some work as a TV analyst, though he has no plans to enter any field anytime soon ? according to the interview, Favre has spent the last few months traveling and following Southern Miss baseball.

Of course, with Favre, the meaning behind the meaning is what everyone's looking for. He's famously wavered on the issue of retirement more often than The Who, and with the filing of his retirement papers after an injury-plagued 2010 season, Favre might be the one "free agent" quarterback who played last year that NFL teams could contact under the current lockout rules.

Favre's last team, the Minnesota Vikings, took Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick, but you'd have to think that other NFL teams still looking to solve their quarterback situations with a freeze on free agency (especially those teams looking to boost their box office) might find a flare from Favre at this point in the offseason to prompt some very interesting thoughts.

And for Favre, we're right about on schedule. The football camp (or throwing the ball around with high school players in general) is generally the first sign that Punxsutawney Brett is thinking of mounting another comeback. Next, Favre will have to hold a press conference insisting that nothing's going on in an NFL sense for him. Then, he'll have to announce another press conference announcing that … well, maybe there is something to all this comeback stuff. At that point, Rich Eisen will throw up the Favre Watch signal, we'll be at DEFCON 5, and the NFL Network will become the Favre Channel once again.

In truth, I think that if Favre leaves the door open at all, he could get a huge run of offers, especially if the lockout goes into the late summer. With teams rushing to sign their new quarterbacks and teach the playbooks, the advantage Favre brings is that a.) He's seen just about every kind of offense at this point; and b.) Half the time, he ignores what the coach tells him what to do and succeeds anyway. If you're an NFL team looking for that kind of advantage in a time of uncertainty, wouldn't you take a flyer on Kiln, Mississippi's oldest quarterback?

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
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Create-a-Caption: Manny Acta is a man in the moment

Holy smokes, Stewies, has it been way too long since our last Create-a-Caption contest. As an apology, please accept this picture of Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta taking a break from winning the AL Manager of the Year award to argue with umpire Rob Drake during Monday night's win over the Boston Red Sox.

So have at it, amateur Internet copy editors of the world. How should this caption read?

Click below for winners from our last C-a-C featuring a basketball-loving Sammy Sosa:�

Sammy Sosa feeling the Heat in Miami

1st ?�Tf1. "'You borrow a guy's blood and urine for one measly decade, and you're stuck buying him courtside tickets for life."

2nd ?�Joe Mama. "I've got to get the number of this guy's dermatologist."

3rd ?�Curt S. "Is this the guy in charge of casting for Scarface II? Between my new haircut and nearly unbuttoned shirt, I should be a shoo-in!"

HM ?�Fan. "I think I'm gonna get a nose like that."

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Video: You are wrong about LeBron James, Bulls fans

We can all appreciate your enthusiasm, Chicago Bulls fans. But at the risk of never being allowed to drink an Old Style or eat at Hot Doug's again, I must disagree with your pithy assessment. To wit:

? LeBron James is averaging 26 points on 46.3 percent shooting from the field, 36.8 percent from 3-point range and 77.9 percent shooting from the line, 8.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks per game for the playoffs;

? He has posted the postseason's third-highest Player Efficiency Rating, according to ESPN.com's John Hollinger, just behind Chris Paul and eventual opponent Dirk Nowitzki;

? He held Derrick Rose, the NBA's Most Valuable Player, who is about six inches shorter, 60 pounds lighter and the most explosive guard in the world, to an obscene 6.3 percent from the field in the Eastern Conference Finals; and

? He has put up narrative-deflating numbers in the clutch during the Miami Heat's run to the NBA Finals.

Yep, the math all checks out. LeBron James does not suck. Except, of course, when he totally sucks. It's a classic brain-buster, which is word to Tully Blanchard.

Original video via Mocksession.

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Trifecta time: Corey Hart adjusts, joins three home run club

For the first five weeks of the baseball season, no-hitter alerts went out nearly every day, with Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander accomplishing the feat just four days apart in early May. Recently, the no-hitter front has quieted down, but in its place a wave of dominant offensive performances has come.

On Monday night, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart became the fourth person over the past 12 days to hit three home runs in a game. He also tied a franchise record by driving in seven runs in the Brewers' 11-3 victory against the Washington Nationals.

This three-homer thing is catching on:

? Carlos Beltran also did it at Colorado on May 12.

? Jose Bautista, who hit his league-leading 19th home run Monday night, hit three in Minnesota on May 15.

? Jason Giambi became the second-oldest player to do so, at Philadelphia on Thursday.

As with any performance of this nature, there's a unique circumstance involved somehow. For Hart, it was that he entered this game without a home run in 76 at-bats this season ? and only one RBI.

Watch Hart break out

Hart's lack of power and production can be attributed to a strained oblique suffered in February that cost him all of spring training and the first three weeks of the season.�That's precious preparation time for any hitter going into the season. Hart even admitted that after nearly one full month of complete health, he struggled to find a comfort zone.

In fact, Hart labeled his hitting session before Monday night's game, "Probably one of my worst batting practices I've had all year."

Frustrated, Hart decided to change up his stance slightly and move his hands to a different position during his final pregame swings. He took those changes into the game with him, and much like Giambi last week, he found immediate and positive results.

"Hopefully this is a start," said Hart, with his 1-year-old son, Brye, munching on a cookie on his hip. "Hopefully I can start swinging the bat better and keep it going."

We're happy to report Hart's teammates were not serving celebratory beverages to that postgame presser.

It's also worth mentioning that Hart's three home runs were the 99th, 100th and 101st of his career. Not many guys ? 762 in history ? have reached 100 home runs. That alone is a great achievement, but to reach it in this manner gives Hart a nice little place in history.

As for the Brewers, they have won eight of 10 and have moved into a second-place tie with the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central, 3 1/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hart is healthy and possibly in the process of breaking out. Zack Greinke is healthy and ready to anchor their starting rotation. Ryan Braun is still Ryan Braun, and Prince Fielder is hitting baseballs around the world. It's past the time when the rest of the division should be concerned, and precisely the time when they should become frightened.

Follow Mark on Twitter ? @Townie813 ? and engage�the Stew on Facebook

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Meme Watch: Here come the first-to-worst predictions for Auburn

It was no secret that Auburn's preseason ranking was destined to plummet to unprecedented depths for a defending BCS champion the second All-American bellwethers Cam Newton and Nick Fairley tossed their hats into the draft back in January. But just how low could the Tigers' stock go? Compared to the competition in the cutthroat SEC West, all the way to the bottom: In this year's JAMPACKED edition of his labyrinthine preseason tome, prediction guru Phil Steele has dared to pick the champs to finish dead last in the SEC West — sixth out of six — behind both Ole Miss and Mississippi State as well as Ryan Mallett-less Arkansas.�By Steele's calculations, the Tigers should close the season well outside the top 25, scrimmaging against Cincinnati in something called the BBVA Compass Bowl.

Even if you account for Steele's rogue tendencies as a prognosticator and his respect for the rest of the division, that's an unprecedented diss to a team last seen hoisting the crystal ball. No other defending BCS champion since the Series willed itself into existence in 1998 has ever opened the following season outside of the top 10 in the preseason Associated Press or Coaches' polls. The closest a championship-caliber team has come to that kind of fall, in fact, was Auburn in 2005, which dropped all the way to 16th in the preseason AP poll after losing the core of its uncrowned, 13-0 team in 2004. (That was a good call: The Tigers finished 14th in '05 with a 9-3 record.) As far as actual results, only two defending BCS champs, Florida in 2007 and LSU a year later, have dropped more than three games the year after winning the title, and only the '08 Tigers fell out of the polls altogether at 8-5.

Then again, Auburn is in unprecedented circumstances for a defending champion. In the first place, it came from father back to win the title than any other champion in the BCS era (No. 22 in the preseason AP poll) on the heels of mediocre campaigns in 2008 and 2009, and doesn't have the depth to automatically reload. In the second place, the Tigers' unlikely run leaned more heavily on a single player, Cam Newton, than any of their predecessors. No. 2 alone may have meant the difference between a trip to the national championship and another trip to the Outback Bowl.

Most importantly, the starting lineup was decimated to an unprecedented degree. With the early exits of Newton, Fairley and wide receiver Darvin Adams and the untimely arrest and dismissal of safety Mike McNeill, Auburn returns a grand total of six starters from the championship win over Oregon, fewer than any other defending BCS champion and fewer by far than any other FBS team in the nation this fall. Altogether, the Tigers will defend their championship minus their leading passer (who was also the leading rusher), two of their top four receivers, four starting offensive linemen, their top two pass rushers and six of their top seven tacklers. There's one returning starter on each line — guard Brandon Mosley on offense and tackle Nosa Eguae on defense —�and with McNeil's arrest and cornerback Neiko Thorpe's subsequent move to safety, zero returning starters in the secondary at the same position they played last year. You don't need Steele's detailed "Experience Ratings" to guess the Tigers rank 120th out of 120 FBS teams by a wide margin.

The only defending champ that's come close to that kind of attrition is Florida in 2007, which returned just eight starters from its triumph in 2006 — one of whom happened to win the Heisman Trophy as a first-year starter, and still couldn't prevent the baby Gators from disappointing at 9-4. No offense to Barrett Trotter or Clint Moseley (or Russell Wilson, if it comes to that), but Newton's successor is not going to come close to winning the Heisman Trophy. He will, however, face the same pressure to score opposite a vulnerable defense that frankly wasn't all that great to begin with.

Not that you should necessarily expect to see the Tigers sitting in the cellar in anyone else's predictions this summer, as long as Ole Miss around to keep the less bold members of the prognostoscenti from taking committing to such a steep plunge. But the prospect is one Auburn fans will have to face: For a team that had to stage four second-half comebacks and win three games on walk-off field goals by Wes Byrum (also graduated), the gap that typically follows a championship is a chasm. Based on what we know about the 2011 going in, it's going to take some crazy momentum to avoid a crash.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Tuesday’s Three Stars: Vancouver Canucks, Cup Finals bound

No. 1 Star: Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks

Luongo's 54-save performance backstopped the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals, as they won Game 5 in double-OT over the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, to win the Western Conference Finals by a 4-1 count. He was great when they needed him: Making 15 saves in the first period during a Sharks' barrage and making 16 saves in overtime.

No. 2 Star: Kevin Bieksa, Vancouver Canucks

Bieksa's fourth goal of the series and fifth of the playoffs — a quirky, bouncing one-timer after Alex Edler's dump in bounced off a partition and back to the blue line — gave the Canucks the double-OT victory at 10:18 of the second extra session. His goal came 17 years after Greg Adams scored in double-OT to send the 1993-94 Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals. Bieksa was also a plus-3.

No. 3 Star: Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks

The clutch Sharks forward came to play in Game 5, picking up two assists that included one on a diving play to set up a Devin Setoguchi goal in the second period. He was also 14-8 on faceoffs.

Honorable mention: The Sedins worked their magic on the Canucks' first goal, setting up Alex Burrows for his seventh of the postseason. … Ryan Kesler tied the game at 19:46 of the third period with Luongo pulled. … Patrick Marleau scored his eighth goal via the power play, tying both Bill Barber and, ahem, Jeremy Roenick with 53 in his playoff career. … Antti Niemi made 31 saves in the loss. … This Douglas Murray hit on Kesler was one of the best of the postseason:

Did you know? Joe Thornton confirmed he played through Game 5 with a separated shoulder.

Dishonorable mention: The officials may have missed a deflection by Daniel Sedin on a critical icing call on the Sharks late in the third period that led to the tying goal. But it wasn't the first or last call they missed in Game 5. There's letting them play, and then there's calling nothing.� … Dany Heatley played a more active game with six shots on goal and solid defense, but again failed to tally a point.

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks; 2. Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins; 3. Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks; 4. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 5. Marty St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning; 6. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks; 7. Sean Bergenheim, Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Dwayne Roloson, Tampa Bay Lightning; 9. Kevin Bieksa, Vancouver Canucks; 10. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins.

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Barkley says Nike asked him to go easier on LeBron

Ever since LeBron James entered the NBA in 2003, he's stuck out as a player with an impressive -- some would say improper -- sense of his own personal brand and legacy. Nike has been his major partner in building that image, whether in ad campaigns or by supporting his decisions in every way possible.

Still, most people would not expect Nike to police commentators who criticize LeBron for some of his worst decisions, like, oh, "The Decision." But that's apparently what it did with Charles Barkley. From Barry Jackson in the Miami Herald (via PBT):

About his comments tweaking the Heat, Barkley said: "I don't know if Dwyane's upset with me, but I don't sit around and worry about it." He said LeBron James hasn't said anything to him. "These athletes today are all wussified," Barkley said. "I've been saying LeBron's been the best player in the league for three years. And I say one thing criticizing The Decision, and I get a phone call from Nike saying why don't I like LeBron? It's interesting how this [expletive] works. These groups today, if you don't say 100 percent positive about their guy or their team, they overreact."

It's a little ridiculous to criticize a pundit famous for his controversial statements for not being totally on board with a display of arrogance like "The Decision." LeBron was hit hard in the wake of that event, and for Nike to single out Barkley for his comments seems bizarre.

On the other hand, it's easy to see why Nike would want to protect the reputation of James considering how much money they stand to gain from his popularity. When Barkley speaks, people pay attention, and it's worth doing everything possible to get in his good graces. LeBron isn't just a basketball player for Nike; he's a major part of its business, too.

Plus, Nike helped create Chuck's brand as a no-nonsense guy with ads like the famous "I am not a role model" spot. Criticizing LeBron may appear to Nike�like the act of someone who doesn't appreciate everything the company has done for him over the years. And while it's weird for Nike to get upset over a former endorser exercising the personality that it helped cultivate and popularize, it's somewhat understandable. When money's involved, people don't always act rationally.

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DeAngelo Hall has the audacity to enjoy himself during lockout

If Reggie Bush is looking for somebody to fill out his golf foursome, he may want to give Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall a call. Turns out that Hall, like Bush, is enjoying the time off from the lockout.

Hall spoke to reporters on Monday. Dan Steinberg of the D.C. Sports Bog has the money quotes:

"It feels kind of good to still be on summer vacation, so to say. I'm enjoying myself, loving the downtime. Body's getting a chance to really really heal up. I feel good."

Young guys with a lot of money in the bank are enjoying unexpected free time from work? The hell you say! I'd have thought DeAngelo Hall would have preferred to be in rainy D.C. two weekends ago participating in meaningless voluntary practices rather than kicking back and not participating in meaningless voluntary practices. This is stunning news to anybody who's upset that they don't have to go into the office on Memorial Day.

Dour Farrar made a fine point on Shutdown Corner when discussing similar comments Reggie Bush made earlier this week. It's not the enjoyment of the time off that's the problem, Doug wrote, but the contradictory message it sends to judges and owners that the lockout is causing "irreparable harm."

If there's a rash of players coming out and telling stories about getting pulled over while eating caviar in their Bugattis, then I fully agree. But with all due respect to my colleague, nobody's debating that DeAngelo Hall and Reggie Bush are pajama rich. The lockout isn't hinging on that fact. Bush has been getting paid since college. Hall once "earned" $8 million for playing in eight games. His mere existence is a detriment to the players' case. Talking can't make it worse.

And if we're going to criticize them for , what about Hannibal Brady and that fedora which had to have cost a fortune. That guy's been jet-setting all over the world like he's Phileas Fogg and his name is on the lawsuit!

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If Justice Dept. wants answers about the BCS, NCAA prez suggests it ask the BCS

When the Department of Justice's antitrust chief, Christine Varney, decided to begin her long-awaited inquiry into the Bowl Championship Series last week with a brief questionnaire for NCAA president Mark Emmert, there was one obvious question: Why is she asking him? Today, Emmert drafted a response to Varney's queries that wonders, essentially, why are you asking me?

… Inasmuch as the BCS system does not fall under the purview of the NCAA, it is not appropriate for me to provide views on the system. With regard to the Association's plans for an NCAA [Football Bowl Subdivision] football championship, there are no plans absent direction from our membership to do so.
[…]
The selection criteria and bowl match-ups [for the BCS] are managed by the 11 conferences. Other than licensing the postseason FBS bowls, the NCAA has no role to play in the BCS or BCS system. As a result, your request for view on how the BCS system serves "the interest of fans, colleges, universities, and players" is better directed to the BCS itself.

The NCAA conducts 89 championships in 23 sports annually, and each of those championships has been created at the request of the Association's membership. At no time in the history of the FBS or its predecessor, Division I-A, has a formal proposal come before the membership to establish a postseason football championship in that subdivision. Instead, the FBS has elected to conduct its postseason competition outside the NCAA structure. Without membership impetus for a postseason playoff, the NCAA has no mandate to create and conduct an FBS football championship.

And so on, with Emmert answering each of the DOJ's three specific questions ?�succinctly: Why is there no NCAA playoff? What steps has the NCAA taken to create a playoff? Does the NCAA think there's a better alternative to the BCS? ?�with a very brief variation on "Ask the BCS."

Emmert didn't reference the 1984 U.S. Supreme Court decision that permanently tied the NCAA's hands from meddling in the conferences' right to make their own schedules, negotiate their own television contracts and organize their own postseason cabals, but his point that the conference commissioners and university presidents aren't willing to give up control of a steady moneymaker ?�even if it could be replaced by an even greater moneymaker ?�is clear enough. I suspect that it is also not a revelation to the Department of Justice. But for the record going forward: The NCAA has no control over the BCS.

If the DOJ has any intention of following up, it also covers a base for Varney's next inquiry on the subject, which should be addressed to BCS headquarters ?�that is, executive director Bill Hancock's house in Kansas City ? and the 11 FBS commissioners that make up the membership, asking most of the same questions. At least one guy might be willing to give a few honest answers while his counterparts offer up the same old spin.

But again, if the DOJ is really concerned with mapping the genetic sequence of a grotesque, many-tentacled beast that has evolved over a century with effectively no central oversight, it has better be really concerned. Otherwise, there are still more than enough mondo corporate mergers and Wall Street crooks to deal with who'd be worth more politically, and at least with them you know they're always following the money.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Behind the Box Score, where Chicago is upset at itself

It's no great natural sin to fall at the hands of something superior to you. It's bound to happen in life, something like 999 times out of a thousand, and if you don't believe me, just try to catch up with the bird that just flew past your window. Actually, don't. I'm not entirely sure if I can be sued by your estate after making a suggestion along those lines.

Chicago is clearly the inferior team in this Eastern Conference final, but can it really claim to be playing to its potential? I'm not buying the Florida showcase as an example of such. Game 2, maybe, Miami was pretty brilliant down the stretch. But Game 3, with that timid offense and lacking defense?

And Game 4? Tuesday's dodgy showcase that featured a litany of missed chances near the rim, blown looks at wide-open threes, poor shot selection down the stretch, and careless turnovers when the going got real? Credit Miami, of course, but this was the sound of Chicago screwing up.

But Ironhead, isn't it really hard to make 25-footers when an inch or five (spread out over the only five shots you get in a game) can make the difference between champ and chump? No doubt, but that's what happens when you're trying to make the finals.

But Ironhead, isn't it really tough to rebound and score around the rim, when you can't jump as high as your defender, and wing-blocking maestros like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade loom large in your thought process? Even if they're not around, have you tried to squeeze a ball with a strong hand you don't trust, as you attempt to go back up with a loose ball you just worked your way toward? No doubt, but these are the chippies that need to fall more often than not, when you're trying to make the finals.

But Ironhead, can you understand what it's like to be guarded by some 6-9 freak that can both keep up in side-to-side drills with Rickey Green while still being able to touch the top of the backboard box like some version of Dwight Howard that can actually grow a beard? What else are you going to shoot over LeBron James? Well, that's the point. You don't shoot over him. You trust yourself and you see what happens when you turn the corner on him. Because you can.

But Ironhead, those in-bound plays are really tough to execute, and hanging onto the ball … actually, we kind of blew that one, Ironhead.

I know you did, Chicago. Which is why I come with scorn and disappointment. Not just as a fan, but as someone who knows what you're capable of. Just getting there isn't enough. Competing and throwing up your hands as you lament Miami's brilliance isn't going to work. You wanted these expectations, you worked toward these expectations, you personally said "why not me?," as you embraced these expectations, and you fell short of what was to be expected.

In a week's time, really, after Miami spent most of its season falling short of just about everything. That old Heat team, even though it approached 60 wins, was more than a disappointment. The Heat smacked of a group that had scorn for the game we love. I questioned their moral instincts in this realm, as they preferred the martyr role despite never actually winning anything. I questioned their offense, I questioned their defense, and I questioned their leadership.

And to me, as June approaches, I still wonder about their offense, defense and leadership. But I also understand that it apparently doesn't matter. And not in the, "it doesn't matter how you shoot at the end of close games if you make sure that there are no close games"-ideal.

These have all been close games, save for Game 1, and LeBron James has made sure that his Heat team has looked a step and a half ahead of Chicago. Erik Spoelstra has done wonders with misdirection and/or screen-and-roll work to make sure that James has the room to dominate, and even if we're a little wary of his L'il Riles-type interviews given both mid-game and postgame, the Heat coach has done a brilliant job with this team.

Chicago, despite its effort, can't claim as such. The Bulls claimed to be contenders, and they're not thinking, creating, nor acting upon the rewards they've been given. They know better, and they're playing the martyr. Shrugging their shoulders after the ball rims out. Because, what else are you supposed to do when 6-9 LeBron James closes out on your shot attempt?

You move past him. You make this an uncomfortable game, as you did before the weather grew warm. You treat the sport you love in the same way that the man who created it developed it did, as some cold-weather distraction for rowdy youths. You work, and act oblivious to your surroundings, when your opponent doesn't want to. You don't fall back on trying real, real hard relative to the circumstance.

You're above circumstance. You don't fall back on jumpers, fake Dick Barnett. You don't think twice about passes, Nervous Guy. And you don't point to those four pounds of sweat that you just worked off in 53 minutes of play as evidence enough of how much you care. We know you care. It's nearly June. You wouldn't be here if you didn't care. It's time for something more.

Good god, what a great thing Miami has going. What impressive consistency, finally, to match its considerable talent. I bow to this team. I really do.

Chicago? It has to start playing like it has its hands shoved into its coat pockets. It has to start playing like it can see its breath as it walks to its car. It has to stop mistaking activity for achievement, and realize the opportunity that it has earned through earlier achievements. And in spite of the remarkable work and activity level the Bulls came through with in Game 4 on Tuesday, I don't think they can honestly say they did justice that day.

They'll get one more chance to get it right. Because, believe me, Miami isn't going anywhere.

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Kelly: Michael Floyd’s suspension stands until ‘he changes the way he’s lived his life’

When Michael Floyd survived his brush with Notre Dame's notorious disciplinary council last month, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Irish's most lethal offensive weapon would be back to terrorizing opposing secondaries this fall. And it probably still is —�just as soon as coach Brian Kelly agrees to life the indefinite suspension he slapped on Floyd in the wake of an early morning drunk driving arrest by campus police in March, Floyd's third alcohol-related offense in as many years.

And Kelly's still insisting he's not going to give his ground that easily just to get his best player back:

"We're looking at Mike as an 'all in or not' situation," Kelly told the South Bend Tribune. "In other words, he's changing his life or he's not. If he changes the way he's lived his life, he'll play every game for us. If he doesn't, he won't play one down here at Notre Dame.

"He is at that level. This is not, 'I'm going to slap you on the hand and sit you for two games' ? because I don't want to read about him in a year, where it says, 'Ex-Notre Dame player arrested for X-Y-Z.' That will be a failing on my part if that happens."
[…]
"There's no gray area anymore," Kelly said. "There just can't be. Too many times it's been, 'I'll change.' Look, you're parenting a young man whose close to being a teenager. As much as it hurts to say, 'He's done at Notre Dame,' if he doesn't change his life, he's done at Notre Dame. he's not going to play here."

That said, Kelly remains "optimistic" as Floyd continues "checking off the boxes" to a return: He's cleared the bar Kelly set for him academically ("He had to have a specific GPA, and he did") and seems to be making progress in counseling ("Reports back from professionals are really optimistic"). Next up: "Some community service stuff" mandated by the Res Life office and a court date on June 7, if he doesn't offer a guilty plea to avoid trial in the meantime.

All well and good, part of the proverbial process, etc., but really only brings us back to the same assumption: Barring another arrest or similarly colossal screw up that diverts him from the pre-approved path to righteousness, Floyd should be back in the fold by the start of preseason practice in late July, and — further assuming that "all-in or all-out" means he won't face any further suspensions once he is reinstated — in the lineup for the opener against South Florida. As long as he's smart enough to stay sober and his lawyers are smart enough to keep him from facing the possible (though unlikely) jail sentence that comes with the latest drunk driving charge, the path remains clear for a Floyd-ful fall.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Eulogy: Remembering the 2010-11 San Jose Sharks

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here is Los Angeles Kings blogger Bobby Scribe of Surly and Scribe, fondly recalling the 2010-11 San Jose Sharks. Again, this was not written by us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.)

By Bobby Scribe, Surly and Scribe

Friends, Fanatics and Hockey Scribes, lend me your ears.

I come to bury the Sharks, not to praise them.

Some may call this a pedantic exposition, but I propose, in matters of pleasure, we should not let a swift prose steal the fun that comes from trampling on the enemy's grave. So, let us indulge and first remember, before we condemn, San Jose's fall from expectation's lofty heights and watch their fans' new tears of green and blue gush over streaks of old.

Let us delve far and deep. Let's make it hurt and bleed.

The Sharks were the Los Angeles Kings' misbegotten child, the prodigal son born of the Gretzky era's incomplete success. In those innocent days, discussions ensued about a name, place and hue until, at last, 9 out of 10 grandmothers agreed on teal and the San Jose Sharks were born.

Matt Levine declared in the beginning that the name fit the team. "Sharks are relentless, determined, swift, agile, bright and fearless," he boasted. "We plan to build an organization that has all those qualities," Levine foretold.

What he didn't say and they didn't know is these Sharks would have a natural and indomitable enemy -- pressure -- because with all beasts of land or sea with legs, paws or fins, it's not the size of the Shark in the fight, but the size of the fight in the Shark; and if history is any indication of mettle and game, the teal Shark is a Seal of different color.

The early successes were far and few though the team showed promise and drew praise. Young Sharks replaced old. Rookies suckled on the veterans' tit. Some drank defeat or discontent while others moved to bluer waters.

Then it happened.

The Joe Thornton trade.

Sent from Boston to San Jose because, despite his skill set, Boston wasn't winning and someone had to take the blame. In Big Joe, the Sharks landed a three-time All-Star and one of the league's top forwards. Out of the pool and into the ocean. Upstream they swam. It was the start of great expectations and the beginning of their end.

Years passed. Warm but never hot. Near but never close. The Seal succumbed. Failure shadowed them in 2007 and, despite amassing 117 regular-season points in the 2008-2009 season, San Jose could not solve its problems from within.

Thus, only retail therapy would do and retail did they ever pay with Dany Heatley and his $7.5 million�cap hit. Rob Blake, for a change, didn't strip off his own C but received the one�ripped from Patrick Marleau's chest. This and more bought promises of resurrection from ruin and brought their fans vows of better days in May.

Sharks' fans cheered to 113 points and second overall in the league but fate wounded them deep by a Chicago Blackhawks' sweep in the Western Conference finals. Regular-season kings and patriarchs of possibility remained the wizards of disenchantment, delusion and, for an increasingly bipolar fan base, depression.

Hurt but not dead. Lessons learned. If disappointment built character, then Sharks' fans stood only behind our own in that proverbial line. Character be damned. What is this? The Dean Lombardi years? A great wrong was committed, that which must be was not.

How can a team so worthy of the highest honor during the season so fail to achieve the prize?

"Why is our wine dying on the vine?" they asked.

It left their fans in a state of rage and disbelief and, in such a state, there is but one solution. A scapegoat.

Evgeni Nabokov, a stand up guy and a key part of their pre-playoff success, received blame's pointed finger and found himself tossed aside in favor of the awkward butterfly, Antti Niemi, the latter fresh off his own Blackhawks' cast aside.

This would surely be it.

"No more!" their fans cried.

"Never again!" they swore.

Let the false steps of failures past and the fiascos that so frustrated fall away, for the Sharks shall never flop or flounder but fly with the fervent fever that will flash and flame in desire's fire until it festers from April to June and they lift the faithful Cup!

First among all? "We shall be!"

Fat from feeding on the flesh of success! "We shall feast!"

Round 1: My L.A. Kings showed their charitable side with a meltdown of their own in Game 3 forever changing that series' momentum. As much as San Jose was ready to choke on their checkered past, L.A. refused to win. I attended each game in Los Angeles and No. 2 in San Jose. While my friend and I were collectively the most psychotic and loudest individuals within the Tank, and we made sure to always have wit and venom for every aesthetically challenged mutant in that arena, I must admit I chuckled seeing live a Sharks' head drop from above followed by San Jose players skating from its belly and through its jaw. What comes from a shark's belly after all except for fish, license plates and chum? Baby seals of course. And so there was before my eyes the ironic symbolism, admission by presentation of what the Sharks were and will always be, all to their crowd's white waving pom-poms.

Regardless, and though some may say San Jose fans should place both Terry Murray and Jamie Kompon at the very center of their thankful prayers, what they had was enough to beat L.A. The Sharks didn't suffer from another first-round exit but reserved their collapse for later.

Round 2: A 3-0 start against the Detroit Red Wings and ready to waddle ahead. Alas, the Seal returned to form as three consecutive losses found their fan base on suicide watch and, though they nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, San Jose swallowed a harrowing Game 7 win to move them for a second consecutive season to the Western Conference finals.

Round 3: Down 2-0 and discipline discarded in Game 2, they refused to surrender. They talked tough.

He is a "coward!" declared Ryane Clowe of Maxim Lapierre.

"A phony!" Ben Eager beleaguered Kevin Bieksa.

The fight was more than one of words. Patrick Marleau turned pugilist and proceeded to fight Bieksa�instead of his personal demons.

The Sharks searched for life in the third frame only to give it back by the fourth. Their fans bemused, it became apparent San Jose had already played its Stanley Cup Final in the previous round. Mistakes compounded. They surrendered three consecutive 5-on-3 goals in Game 4 and four goals on 13 shots.

The ghost of Jamie Baker was nowhere to be found.

Though needed most, the Guadalupe River did not again flood its banks.

You can only strip Patrick�Marleau of his captaincy once.

The Spirit Banner of Owen Nolan (pbuh) would not come from the grave to save this team.

In Game 5, up by a score of 2 to 1, Rubber Toe Luongo pulled, the demons took over Dan Boyle's will as he dumped the puck rather than fire it at the empty net. With 13 seconds left, the one-legged Ryan Kesler scored to tie the game. In double overtime, the shot nobody saw, in slow motion, Sharks' players dazed and confused, fate dealt the final blow.

So, who are the players that we come to eulogize, condemn and forget?

Ben Eager. He displayed the ability to single-handedly change the game's momentum through a monumental meltdown in Game 2 that was the stuff of legends. We salute his ignorance for it proved entertaining for all but his own teammates who bled to get to where they were. Last season, he mattered. This one, he was a passenger.

To Joe Thornton, I give respect. He worked hard in each round and showed himself a fine captain and the supreme maker of plays but what Big Joe brought in skill, he lacked in willing his team to win. Intangible, palpable, whatever you believe it to be, it's been missing his entire career. O' Captain, their Captain, his legacy it appears will not be hung in Halls to commemorate his fame but may take a different path to the NHL graveyard where his jersey shall rest peacefully on its headstone.

As for Little Joe Pavelski, I remain bitter. I do not forget. In this series and last, but for the final game, little was a midget. "It was out of play!" I can hear him plead. "Out of play!" through gnashing teeth.

Logan Couture. Soft hands and a funny face. The love child of Ricci and Chelios, and only Devin Setoguchi can get ugly from one end of the ice to the other faster.

And where shall we bury Devin now? Why Twitter Land of course in his own private hell, where nobody speaks with him or shakes his hand, and he has no stories to tweet but the adolescent tears he, Logan and Jamal share.

No one should be surprised at Dany Heatley's desertion. What did San Jose think it was getting from a player that sucker punched his last team after he signed a six-year, $45 million�front-loaded contract? Commitment? Character? A player that possesses the latter or exemplifies the former? Eugene Melnyk knows all too well that pungent sour taste in Doug Wilson's mouth right about now. San Jose Sharks' fans were just entertained to an $8 million�magical disappearing act. Good news is, they get the encores through 2014. Fun!

Patrick Marleau, accused for so many postseasons as having a perpetual concussion of the heart, in these playoffs, he showed us something new...that he can take a punch as well as criticism. Many have questioned his will, though never skill. He fought to denounce the Marshmarleau label and brought a bit of Hugo Stiglitz to his game but, like Big Joe, at the end, he could not win, would not win and showed the best way to stop him was to defend him.

To Antti Niemi, he won a Cup so shut the hell up. There is no cause to whine. Take last season's prize and relish it. His teammates would sacrifice him to the Hockey Gods if they could have their own.

There are more players, I know, including one Ryane Clowe. The others I have forgotten just as time will forget them for the history they never made.

So, with what have Sharks' fans been left before their team's death? Another Pacific Division first-place finish, four consecutive from 2007 to this season, all for naught and naught for all. Just don't call this a choke. Detroit would have been a choke. Against Vancouver, the Sharks' best simply was not good enough and that their fan base must accept because choking presumes better days ahead. Alas, every hurrah must have a last.

There is brightness through the gloom.

Had they lost Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings, they would have surely faced the NHL community's scorn that would have held them personally responsible if Todd Bertuzzi lifted the Stanley Cup.

Soon, these unreasonable expectations will pass. The veterans who failed again will take their place, led by Jumbo and Marleau, to NHL graveyards full of talented hockey players of years and decades past who never acquired the will to win. Then, they will have nothing and therefore nothing to lose. No more shall they be the league's disappointment. Death is a delightful hiding place from failed expectations.

The final silver lining is the most valuable lesson of all. The Sharks have learned through a difficult road that the Stanley Cup is a fickle beauty and does not give herself to just anyone. There is neither rhyme nor reason to her affections. She will curse you one season and bless you another. She rejects Kings and gives herself to Ducks. This season, she may even lay with the whiny ingrates for whom not even fellow Canadians have love.

I can hear you cry from San Jose, "But what have you won in L.A.? Nothing!"

No Cup, no trip since '93, "nothing" as you correctly say but remember Puck Daddy asked me to write your death so, if we suck, you and your writer Mark Purdy and blogger at Blades of Teal swallow; and while you stew, curse and hate, try not to attach yourself to delusions such as, "That which does not kill us will make us stronger," for your team is already dead.

All Sharks Eulogy art by the great John S, a.k.a. ChicagoNativeSon.

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Toledo teammates allegedly punch out girlfriend, local man in separate assaults

What's worse than having a player arrested for allegedly punching a guy in the face? Having a second player arrested less than a week later for allegedly punching a girl in the face, repeatedly. From the Toledo Blade:

University of Toledo football player Damien McIntosh has been charged with felonious assault stemming from an alleged altercation with his girlfriend last Friday.

According to the complaint, McIntosh … was a passenger in a car driven by Christina Tomusko and is accused of punching her in the face with a closed fist several times. Tomusko suffered nasal fractures, facial contusions and minor head injuries, according to the complaint.

I sincerely hope that is now ex-girlfriend.

McIntosh (above right, in mugshot), who is listed at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, was still being held this morning on $25,000 bond. His arrest came just five days after defensive teammate Isaiah Ballard, a full-time starter at safety who finished third on the team in tackles last year as a junior, was charged with felony assault for allegedly sending a man to the hospital with a broken jaw after punching him several times on May 15. Ballard (below right) was released from jail earlier this week after posting 10 percent of $15,000 bond, according to court records, but has been summarily dismissed from the team, per a university release.

McIntosh hasn't been dismissed, officially, but ?�assuming the charges against him aren't immediately thrown out and that coach Tim Beckman isn't running a rehab program specifically for violent domestic offenders that he doesn't offer other alleged assailants ?�is presumably on his way out in short order. Like all accused, he is innocent until proven guilty in the courts. But if he is proven guilty, it deserves to follow him for a very long time.

- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Vancouver Canucks fan celebrations after Game 5 win: Like the end of ‘Return of the Jedi’ only with slightly fewer Ewoks

(And he's still never been to a Capitals game …)

One of the most memorable things about being in Vancouver for Canada's gold medal victory over the U.S. in 2010 Olympic hockey was the celebration. It wasn't limited to the arena or the public squares around the arena. It wasn't centralized on a main drag like Granville Street.

It was citywide. Hell, it was province-wide. Which was difficult for an American cursing under his breath while staring at his shoes, as he walked through the jubilant chaos; we imagine anyone wearing teal and black in Vancouver after Tuesday night's Game 5 of the Western Conference finals felt much the same way.

Thing is, even as an opposing fan, the enthusiasm and catharsis emanating from the Vancouver faithful eventually wears you down. You appreciate the enormity of the celebration, the meaningfulness of hockey to the communities, and euphoria of the moment.

Coming up, fan videos from around Vancouver and B.C. that captured the joy of the Vancouver Canucks' Game 5 win over the San Jose Sharks ? and, perhaps, offered a cursory glimpse of what might go down four wins from now if the Canucks capture the Stanley Cup.

The scene inside the arena after Kevin Bieksa's double-OT winner, confetti and all:

From Granville Street, where one estimate had 10,000 fans partying Tuesday night:

Doug Kooy was there!

Honking and cheering and fake Stanley Cups flying by on the Vancouver streets:

The fans at Scott Road and 72nd Ave. celebrate the win. From the YouTube description:

Fans take over Scott Road yet again! 500+Men women, seniors, cricket fans, people who had no clue about the game, those who didn't watch a single game, common noise-making types, bhangra dancing folk as well as those who just wanted to take in all the hype and play a part in the infamous roadblock could not resist skipping this one tonight.

This guy topped off the night with an almost perfect improvised (Two line Punjabi Folk verse):

"After many years of drought he finally brought along mango(s); he made a multitude of saves, may long live Luongo!

Mangos?

On Broadway and Commercial, you can hear the party on other blocks and get a sense of what was going down away from the massive city centers:

Here's how Batman would have viewed the Canucks celebration:

Sounds like Vancouver won the hockey game from Tanya Stemberger on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, in what used to be the Empire:

Up at Burns Lake (population: 2,726) in B.C.:

And finally, here's the scene in Ghana.

Wait, WTF?

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Luck will teach Kaepernick San Francisco’s system

�

The NFL lockout makes for some strange bedfellows, as players try to find ways to stay in football shape without team coaches, trainers, and facilities at their disposal. Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb is in his preferred residence of Phoenix, Arizona, throwing to various NFL players (mostly Arizona Cardinals) in a camp hosted by Cards receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is hosting his second annual "Jets West" camp for teammates in Mission Viejo, Calif., with high school coach/quarterback guru Bob Johnson and son/former NFL quarterback Rob. "Jets West" is a way for Sanchez to become even more of a leader of his team ? he's putting all the drills together and organizing social events, as well.

But perhaps the most unusual training method this offseason was implemented by new San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, whose new team selected former Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the second round of the 2011 draft. Before he took the 49ers job, Harbaugh groomed Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who almost certainly would have been the first overall pick in the 2011 draft had he not elected to stay in school.

And since Harbaugh is prohibited from talking to, or coaching, Kaepernick until the current lockout is over, Kaepernick will have by far the youngest quarterback coach in pro football. The 23-year-old Kaepernick will learn the Harbaugh offense from the 21-year-old Luck, who is on track to get his degree in the spring of 2012, and will look even better to NFL talent evaluators than he did before when he finally does apply for the draft.

"I'm going to try and pick his brain as much as I can and try to get a jump-start into this offense, and pick up as much as I can from him," said Kaepernick, who received a call from Luck soon after he was drafted last Friday. And when Kaepernick moves from Reno to a place in Santa Clara, near the 49ers' headquarters, he'll be just a 15-minute drive from the kid he may soon call "Coach".

Multiple players got playbooks from Harbaugh during the recent and all-too-brief lockout stay, and all Harbaugh would say when asked if he would be "disappointed" if his veterans somehow got a copy of the playbook to his new rookie quarterback was that he wasn't "into hypotheticals."

Surely, it was said with a nod and a wink.

The 49ers' workouts have been confined to the weight room to date, according to the Sacramento Bee, but that will change soon as the players begin to organize their own brand of minicamps. To whatever degree Luck is able to participate, it would be a win/win ? he would learn a bit about the speed of the NFL game, gain even more credibility as a player and person, and Harbaugh's new quarterback could learn from his "old" one.

We can only hope that the NCAA doesn't do something phenomenally stupid, like deciding to penalize Luck for fraternizing with "professionals" -- perhaps Pac-12 officials will be too�distracted by their new 12-year, $3 billion deal to pay attention.

This is certainly just the latest in what will be a line of creative solutions to the problems created by the lockout. Stay tuned for more!

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Bourne Blog: The 5 most compelling storylines for Game 7

As is the case with most hockey fans, I'm jacked for Friday night's Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins matchup. There's the obvious reason -- it's Game Freaking 7 of the Eastern Conference final, so the winner is going to get a shot at the Stanley Cup.

But there's more, too. Something about Friday night's contest is just oh-so-compelling, and because I'm a really terrific guy, I'm going to lay out the top-five reasons why for you.

1. "Evenly matched" is an understatement

This gem of a nugget comes from Ted Starkey on Twitter (which it's probably time for you to get on, person reading this who still thinks it's silly):

The Bruins and Lightning head into Game 7 with exactly the same records ? 46-25-11 in the regular season, and 11-6 in playoffs. And to make things even more perfect, Friday night's contest is the 100th game of the season for both teams.

So we're 99 games in and we still don't know which of these differently styled teams is better?

Hockey rules.

2. Nathan Horton should've been suspended, only we're glad he wasn't

First, let's be clear on one thing in the whole Nathan Horton situation: He should have been suspended. Absolutely. You're not even allowed to spray a fan with water anymore, let alone haul off and whip the bottle at him.

Now that that's out of the way, we can all admit the NHL made the right call, even though it further confirms the usual claims of inconsistency (NHL Wheel of Justice has a hilarious review of the decision). Hockey fans on both sides of this great series deserve to see it played out with both rosters at their very best. His outburst had no effect on a game, and should have no effect on the series. It would've been a shame to see a team short-handed over something so utterly meaningless in the context of actual hockey.

So now we get to sit back and watch just how much of an effect he has on Friday night's game, and monitor the pending storm. I'm sure the NHL is praying he's a non-factor for 60 minutes. I'm pretty sure if the guy scores the game-winner, Tampa fans are going to form that human bolt again and rain terror on NHL officials.

3. Bruins playoff history from a season ago elevates their emotional investment

As you may recall, the Bruins had a pretty good thing going in last year's playoffs before they fumbled the ball, fell on their keys and stubbed several toes (remember that B's fans? No? Hmm. …I don't believe you).

That Bruins team was good. This one is better.

Expectations have been high from day one for this group, and with the late-season acquisition of playoff magician Tomas Kaberle, they went even higher. This is their second chance to put the Lightning away, and this team has to be hungry. Anything less than a win would be a failure.

The problem with all that pressure is that it leads to bad things like penalties, players running around out of position, and a lack of�clear thinking. Wanting it too much is rarely a good thing in sports ? it'll be interesting to see if they're able to stay composed.

4. What the hell is happening in net?

How entertaining is trying to figure out what we're going to see next from these two three goalies?

I think the main questions are: (1) Assuming Dwayne Roloson starts, will Guy Boucher have to physically stand on the ice due to the length of the leash he'll give Roli? And (2) Can Tim Thomas and his 1980s goaltending style find a way to once again look�more like Bill Ranford and less like….I dunno, some bad goalie named Bill from the '80s?

Timmy T needs to regain his All-American Hero form. He can't expect his team to hang with Tampa's firepower if the score starts looking like a football game again.

Roloson is the guy who got Tampa where it is, but Mike Smith has given Guy Boucher every reason to have the hook halfway extended before the game even starts. It could be one of the rare occasions where a tender gets yanked after one goal.

5. The Lightning have the three best offensive players headed into what should be a more defensive contest. Does that mean special teams will be the difference?

Most folks would agree that the best offensive players in this series are Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Most folks would also agree that they all play for Tampa Bay.

In big games like this, things tend to tighten down. Nobody wants to be the guy to make the big mistake, so they play it safe. The Bruins can score (and have, almost the same number of goals as Tampa all year), but they don't really have a game-breaker like the Lightning do (let alone three).

Both teams will get a few cracks at the power play, and that's what's scary for Boston. The Lightning's power play is operating at a 25.2 percent clip in playoffs. The B's are at 8.2 percent.

Tampa is killing penalties at a 92.3 percent clip in playoffs. The B's are at 79.4 percent.

With all the emotion going into the game, it may serve in the Bruins best interest to take a few deep breaths, and avoid that penalty box. It could make or break their season.

Bonus compelling storyline: It may also be in Boston's best interest to not get scored on in the first minute again.

Though it would be hilarious.

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Video: Crazy double play makes mess of minor league scorecard

When it comes to the never-ending double play that the New Britain Rock Cats turned against the Binghamton Mets on Thursday, I have no idea how anyone was able to cram its entire notation on their scorecards. The entire progression ? which was impossible to fully take in without a few replays ? saw all six infield Rock Cats defenders plus the center fielder handle the ball.

However, if anyone was able to follow it all, the hard-to-track scoring for the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins went like this: 3-2-6-1-5-3-4-6-8.

Onto the action already. (Note: This clip contains no audio)

Video courtesy of Rock Cats Baseball

If you're looking for a nice tongue-twister to try out at this weekend's weenie roast or simply like to�give credit where credit is due, that was a grounder to first baseman Chris Parmelee, a throw home to catcher Dan Rohlfing, a throw to shortstop Chris Cates, a throw to pitcher Brett Jacobson, another to third baseman Deibinson Romero for the first out, then back to first�baseman Parmelee, over to second baseman Steve Singleton, back to the shortstop Cates, who threw it to center fielder Joe Benson for the second out of the play and third out of the inning.

Does you brain hurt yet? Mine too.

Big BLS H/N: Deadspin, which has another angle of the play

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Even the owner of the Mets can’t resist slamming the Mets

Jeffrey Toobin's extensive and excellent profile of embattled New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon checks in at just under 11,000 words in copies of this week's New Yorker magazine. It covers everything from Wilpon's humble beginnings in Brooklyn to one of the best accounts of his business relationship with Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme that you'll ever read.

And yet all of that nicely reported text ? which includes exonerations of Wilpon from both Madoff and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax ? is being overshadowed Monday morning by a scene from the story found on page seven of the Internet version. As Toobin strives to paint Wilpon as an old University of Michigan ballplayer whose passion for winning �hasn't waned, Wilpon does most of the job himself by inviting the writer to a game and being critical of several Mets players. He also describes the team as "sh***y" and "snakebitten" while watching the game from his suite.

Everyone else is blockquoting the carnage, so why can't we?:

?�On shortstop Jose Reyes' upcoming free agent eligibility:

"He thinks he's going to get Carl Crawford money. He's had everything wrong with him.�He won't get it."

? On center fielder Carlos Beltran, who had an out-of-this-world playoff appearance with the Houston Astros and then signed a seven-year, $119 million contract with the Mets that offseason.

"We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series ... He's sixty-five to seventy per cent of what he was."

? On third baseman and face of the franchise David Wright:

"He's pressing. A really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar."

None of what Wilpon says, of course, is completely wild or inaccurate. The themes he utters have been written about ad nauseum in the blogosphere as the Mets have fallen from what looked like a National League powerhouse-in-the-making in 2006 to bottom-of-the-league late night TV fodder the past couple of seasons. I don't agree with him, but Tyler Kepner of the New York Times�believes; perhaps those comments may endear him to Mets fans who hope to see that their owner hates all this losing as much as they do.

It should also be noted that owners of all 30 teams are likely guilty of saying similar things about their underperforming players. But where Wilpon goes wrong from the rest of them is sharing those thoughts publicly. With the reputation of both his family and franchise flagging, Wilpon spoils what is otherwise a pretty positive profile by serving up a heaping platter of bloody red meat for the New York tabloids and baseball blogosphere.

That he also targeted two players ? Wright and Reyes ? who have played the role of his loyal soldiers during this adversity and could still figure into future franchise plans is equally disheartening. I can't imagine that either is waking up this morning and feeling too good about posing with Wilpon for the portrait that runs atop this article in question or staying "on message" about an owner who is as guilty for his team's current standing as anyone.

If Wilpon can't afford them a similar privilege, why should they do the same?

UPDATE: Wright emailed a response to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal on Monday morning. As usual, he maintains his classy approach.

"Fred is a good man and is obviously going through some difficult times. There is nothing more productive that I can say at this time."

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