Steve McNair legacy will forever be covered in a dark cloud.

On the 4th of July, I step out of the pool after playing watergun war with my 6 year old nephew. I grabbed my phone to get the time when I got the text message that froze me in surprise. It said, "Did you hear that Steve McNair was killed less than an hour ago?" My first instinct was to google and it was a reality. After I overcome my state of shock, the first question I had to ask was "Why?". Why was he murdered? Who was the slain woman that was in the condo? I was saddened. I remember watching McNair lead the Titans to their first Super Bowl. As I left my relatives house on the way to Priceville, I listened to ESPN Radio. They talked about his toughness, his willing to give back to the community. We were all remembering a great life that was cut too short. I grieved for the wife and the four sons who were left behind. I could never imagine the pain they were enduring.

However, as hours went by and the pieces of this unfortunate puzzle were put together, a more tragic tale was being told. We find out that the woman, 20 year old Sahel Kazemi and McNair were dating for about six months. It still got worse. It was revealed that she had purchased a hand gun days before the murder. Then, there was today. Our deepest fears and speculations officially became reality. It was revealed that Kazemi was distrought and was financially unstable. She was, according to friends, ready to end it all. The question that is left to ask is why did she take Steve McNair's life as well? Did McNair give her false hope? Was she mentally unstable? We may never know the answer to that question.

It's easy to be holier than thou when you read of a man cheating on his wife, but did he deserve to have his life taken? No. McNair was wrong and we may never know what was done to lead Sahel Kazemi to make the decision of taking his life and then her own. I don't want to be cynical, but I have a personal loss of respect for anyone who cheats on their spouse. I know Steve McNair was a warrior on the field and a warrior for the community. However, the afterlife tale of #9 will forever be a dark cloud in his legacy. It won't matter how you spin it.

It's time for the SEC to man up in Basketball

I maybe beating a dead horse as usual. However, I warned listeners months ago that the SEC wasn't going to get much respect and only three or four teams will get in the NCAA tournament. Why is it such a question? Because most teams non-conference schedule was weak. I gave Tennessee credit for playing good non-conference opponents, that's why they're in the NCAA tournament with no questions asked. Why was it so hard for SEC teams to crack the Top 25? Because their non-conference schedules were not impressive. Add to that, when they had a good non-conference opponent, wins have been scarce. Arkansas had their run for a week and then were brought back down to earth when conference play started. Why does the Big East and the ACC get such recognition? Because they play tougher opponents, even though their conferences are one of the best teams in the nation. Elite teams play elite competition. Georgetown may not get into the tournament this year, but they didn't match up with some of the best in the country, along with the Big East schedule. I never wanted to disrespect the SEC just to be disrespectful and fuel controversy. I did it because I felt it in my gut that the SEC would not match to par. You can say I've never been around the teams or know what goes on behind the scenes. But when I watch that television and see and Xavier beating an LSU and a North Carolina dominating Kentucky, that's all I need to see. I hope the SEC gets better and it will. However, it would be a disservice to people if I blew smoke up your rear end. The SEC needs to beef up the competition. Competiton means good recruits and the new ESPN contract will only make it better. I never claim to be right all of the time, I only trust my gut observations. I thank you all and listen to the Johnny "Ballpark" Franks show 3-6pm on Sports Radio 730 The Ump, which can also be heard on 103.9 FM!

Andre Smith's meltdown, Charles Barkley, SEC Basketball, and other stuff

How many people would walk away from a job interview without telling anyone? You can add Andre Smith to that list. I can't understand what is going through this kid's mind. I'm not sure if he couldn't handle the questions being asked by scouts or that he wasn't in shape. If he wasn't in shape, then what the hell was he doing since early December? The NFL is a business and the top 10 draft picks are a huge investment of money by owners of those 10 NFL teams. They're looking for the next Peyton Manning or Mario Williams, not Ryan Leaf or Lawerence Phillips. CNBC reports that Smith may have cost himself 28.3 million dollars. After this stunt, I'm surprised it's not more. What NFL GM would want to take a risk on a guy who bails during the combine. I understand that there are pro days in a couple of weeks. If he's out of shape, how can he get in shape in two weeks? That's a red flag.

Chuckles pleads guilty to DUI charges stemming from New Years in Arizona. I like Charles Barkley. He was the only reason I watched basketball on TNT. However, being a public figure, he can't put himself in these situations. Allegedly he was getting active with a lady and driving drunk. I'm not going to crucify him for it like everyone else is, even when I think it's wrong. My problem is that he was stupid enough to get himself in this situation and have blow up into a national headline. It's called a designated driver Chuck, then you can do whatever the hell you want with the ladies in the comfort of the backseat in the limo without having a cop pull you over.

We're heading down to the final stretch of college basketball's regular season and only one team in the SEC is ranked in the Top 25. LSU jumps to 18 in the polls and I'm still not convinced (even after the win over Tennessee) that they will be a threat for the NCAA tournament. Their 11-1 record in the SEC is thei lock. I argued on The Griff Show that "Would LSU be 11-1 if they played SEC East teams more than once?" Face it. The SEC West is not that strong. As for UT, Unless there is a complete meltdown and Tennessee loses five games, they're in the tournament with their strength of schedule. Wins over Georgetown and Marquette can help your case. Florida has a quality win over Washington, who leads the Pac-10. A Florida win over LSU should lock their at-large bid for the tournament. South Carolina is the only team I question. They're 21-6 but Florida and The Citadel are their only quality wins. Kentucky is in. Wins over West Virginia, Florida, South Carolina should be enough to get them in the dance. The rest of the teams will have to win the SEC Tournament to get their bid to the dance. Auburn, Mississippi St, and Ole Miss have the best chance to be the Georgia of 2009. Mississippi St. saw their tournament hopes put on life support by losing to Alabama. Overtime losses to Alabama, San Diego, and another loss to under .500 Texas Tech will raise the eyebrows of the tournament committee, but not in a good way. I did say that three teams will get into the tournament. I can be more optimistic and say four. The only scenario that could kill some SEC tournament bids is if Butler loses the Horizon League tournament and a lower tier team from the Big East, Big Ten, or Big XII shock the nation and get their automatic bids.

Lie to me once again....and tell me everything will be all right.

"Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. You're scared of the truth. I'm tired of the lies. Cause who I am is where you want to be." -Lie to me by 12 Stones-

Lyrics from a song fitting for the recent A-Rod revelation.

A-Rod once again aired the dirty laundry, but this time with the New York media yesterday. Adding salt to MLB's wound, Bud Selig doesn't want to take blame for all of the steroid mess that has been a dark cloud over baseball since Barry Bonds raked 71 bombs in 2001. What was telling to me about A-Rod yesterday was not only the cousin getting him the juice, but he said he did not know what he was taking. We've heard it from Bonds and others. It's obvious the B.S. radar is roaring like a siren. What I don't understand is that Americans, evolving into a health concious culture, would probably ask many questions before they ever injected, ingested, etc, anything in their body. Most people would want to know the risks, benefits, side effects, the danger. Most people would be just one notch above a junkie to take such a risk with their bodies. Besides, if you're taking something you got off a crate in Costa Rica, you'd like to know what the hell it is before just diving in head first with everyone else. I believe the media and society will be less harsh on A-Rod than they would be with Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, only for the fact he finally came clean. It's a big story only because A-Rod has the richest contract in baseball and he's one of the faces of the game. Now only if they had a P.E.D that would help him in clutch situations.

Mark Gott-fired and Alabama Basketball stuff

One chapter closes in Alabama Basketball and another chapter will begin soon. The burning question is....Who will be the author of this Chapter? Nick Saban has already written an intriguing Chapter in the legacy of football. Will Mal Moore swing for the fences and pony up the cash to get a Saban-esque Basketball coach? The names being brought to the forefront are names like John Callipari, Tubby Smith, Anthony Grant, and for some reason Bob Knight. I can see three out of these four and other names I've heard grinding the rumor mill. Johnny "Ballpark" Franks has Tubby Smith on his radar. I won't doubt him because most of the times I have, I've been burned. I mentioned on the show that Tubby Smith would be in a win-win situation if that is the case. If he does decide to jump ship to Tuscaloosa, now would be the best time to do it. The SEC is down and Alabama has the athletes to compete, they need to be polished. It worked for Tennessee a few years ago when they hired Bruce Pearl to succeed Buzz Peterson. Alabama's situation is better than that. The SEC West does not have a stand out team and yes I think LSU's record is over inflated. Beat a team like Xavier, then I may give you some love. A hire of a Tubby Smith or John Callipari would rock the foundation of the SEC.

C.R.E.A.M (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)

Everything from the debate for college football playoff to the New York Yankees spending money like legislators in Washington seems to get everyone up in arms these days.

Before I go into the topic I would like to say that my last blog has held water. Hearing everyone moping about Ohio St. getting in over Boise St was kind of comical. Had Boise St. been in the Fiesta Bowl over Ohio St., the Broncos would have been the Hawai'i of 2009. Yes, they beat Oklahoma back in 2007 in probably the best college football game ever. Yes, they went undefeated for 12 games and was ranked in the top 10. However, just like Hawai'i, their schedule was weak with the exception of Oregon. My point was proven with TCU defeating Boise St. in the Poinsettia Bowl. Ohio St. gave Texas almost more than they could handle.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. The BCS is a money making machine. I've heard the argument that they could make as much or more money with a college playoff. If they can, why aren't they? You can make the excuse that they're protecting the student athlete. I'm not buying it. This only validates what the Rza, The Gza, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killa, Raekwon and the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan said when they wrote the song "Cash Rules Everything Around Me. C.R.E.A.M. Get The Money. Dolla Dolla Bill ya'll".

It's going to get more expensive to be a Yankee fan. Ticket prices, merchandise, hot dogs, and beer will be on the rise to pay for not only the new Yankee Stadium, but the gargantuan salaries of the Yankees new players. Spending over half-a-billion dollars for four players will get them their first World Series ring since 2000. How did that work for the Dallas Cowboys? How did that work when Daniel Snyder went on a spending spree for the Washington Redskins? It didn't work out too well. Everyone cries that the Yankees are getting all of marquee players because their checkbook is one hundred times fatter than the Florida Marlins. How has it worked for Bobby Abreu or Carl Pavano? Don't panic, the Yankees are going to do what the Yankees have done the past years and that's choke in crunch time. It never fails. I'm not saying that Sabathia, Burnett, or Texiera will be terrible. All I'm saying is the trend of spending more money to win championships has a high rate of failure. Did the Phillies drop a half-a-bill on 4 players in 2008? No. What happened? Championship!

The BCS got it right

Although everyone likes to pile on the BCS for their screwjobs of worthy teams, this year they got it right. Despite the circumstances of the Big XII South, a decision was made, agreed upon and executed. Dan Beebe, The Big XII Commissioner, is going to look into the tiebreaker rule in the Big XII. That's not a problem to me. Texas may have beaten Oklahoma on the field, but they didn't beat Texas Tech. If they would have beaten Texas Tech and then Missouri in the Big XII Championship, we wouldn't have this problem. It was decided on the field. If you didn't let Micheal Crabtree high wire to the end zone, you would be in Miami without any arguments. The same argument can go for Texas Tech. If they didn't lay an egg like they did in Norman, The Red Raiders would be in Miami. The only decision I questioned at first was the selection of Ohio St. After looking at the remaining eligible teams, I've decided to cease my argument. Boise St.'s strongest opponent was Oregon and everyone else was weak. Putting the Broncos in the BCS vs. Texas would have been a bad move. It would have made Colt Brennan and Hawai'i blush. What about Utah? Why not? They beat quality teams who have beaten quality opponents. Why do you deny Utah? I think Utah and Alabama will be a good game. Alabama played a hell of a game against Florida only to come up short in the 4th quarter.

Everyone cries for a playoff. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I think it's hypocritcal and bias when people screamed about Nebraska (2001), Oklahoma (2003), and Georgia (2007) not winning their conference or division, but it's OK if Texas played for the NC. I think it's ridiculous. I know in other divisions there are teams that don't win their conference playing the playoff. My argument is If you're going to cry foul that a team that didn't win their conference shouldn't play for a national title, it's not OK for Texas. It was a sticky situation. You have three good teams in the Big XII South and they happen to be tied, in the Top 10 and competing for a National Title. What can you do? Move Oklahoma to the North? Then what if Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas have the same situation years from now. These tiebreakers are more rare than you think. When was the last situation of this magnitude? It was 2003 with Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida. The BCS decided that Georgia would play for the SEC Championship, only to get whacked by eventual champion LSU.

In conclusion, The BCS got it right. The teams that are playing in the BCS are worthy and we should just sit back and enjoy the games. I'm not a fan of the BCS, but I'm not letting my emotions overshadow my logic. It was the right decision to make.