Today's Topics: NFL officials, Lance, MLB druggies, Clemens

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Playing a little catch-up following a trip to Boston, NYC and New Jersey ...

NFL and its locked-out officials

Players and coaches are starting to get louder when expressing displeasure at the use of replacement officials.

But you know what? It doesn't matter.

I miscalculated on this one, and so has the officials’ union.

The NFL is intent on getting its way -- a larger pool of officials, work based on merit, and some full-time zebras.

Sure, there have been some blown calls and a few embarrassing moments during the first three weeks of the preseason. The league's spin is the replacement officials are improving weekly.

If the replacements are working come the regular season, you can be sure off-field officials will be wired to on-field refs to try and prevent obvious gaffes.

Teams will live with missed or erroneous calls just as they did when the locked-out officials were working.

The players and coaches can yell all they want. Right now, the NFL has deaf ears.

Armstrong loses Tour de France titles

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency gave Lance Armstrong a lifetime ban from professional cycling and vacated his seven Tour de France titles. (Of course, the USADA doesn't really have the authority to do either.)

Armstrong said he no longer would challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He again denied taking banned substances in his career despite about a dozen USADA witnesses willing to testify to the contrary.

So, we are to believe:

1. A sport full of dopers was dominated by a non-doper.

2. After years of maintaining his innocence in the public arena, Armstrong suddenly got tired of challenging allegations he doped.

It's hard to believe either one.

Colon joins Melky

Bartolo Colon and Melky Cabrera became the latest major leaguers to be suspended for violating MLB’s drug policy.

Since 2005, when MLB began suspending big-leaguers for performance-enhancing drugs, 24 of the 39 suspensions have been handed to players born in Latin America, including eight of the past 10.

Why so many guilty Latinos, who comprise about 25 percent of MLB rosters?

Many Latin players come from modest to extremely poor backgrounds. Those who strike it rich in America seek to maintain their status for themselves and, in many cases, their families.

It’s also easier to acquire banned drugs in much of Central and South America.

So what's the solution?

Unfortunately, increased education of Latino players won't solve the problem.

While a lifetime ban after failing one test would be extreme, perhaps a two-three year suspension with no pay would have a positive effect.

Rocket returns

Just what does Roger Clemens want?

OK, so he threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. 

Does he want to pitch in the Majors again?  

Doing so simply would be a brief show.

Does he seek money? 

Hard to believe.

Does he expect to win over people who believe he used steroids and HGH? 

Not going to happen.

Today's Topic: NFL using replacement officials

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How important are NFL on-field officials to the league and its product? 

It appears we'll find out beginning Sunday, when Arizona plays New Orleans in the Hall of Fame game.

That's because the NFL and the NFL Referees Association have been in a labor dispute since June with no end in sight.

Ask Commissioner Roger Goodell about the impasse, he'll say he's comfortable using replacement officials in preseason games. 

Regular-season games? One thing at a time.

If what Goodell says is true, the league has offered a 5- to 11-percent pay increase to the officials. 

What the league apparently wants is to increase the number of people in the officiating pool and employ those who earn work based on performance.

That approach is poisonous to a union, which prefers to protect its dues-paying members. 

Hopefully, a few weeks of action will lead to a compromise.

The league should want to get a deal done because it understands replacement officials will have an image problem in today's "perception is reality" culture. That especially will be true knowing the whistle blowers won't be comprised of high-level experienced officials -- there's little upside for college refs to cross the line for a brief time.

Look, we all know fans don't pay to watch referees or umpires. It's best when a game is held and you hardly know the officials are present.

That's nearly impossible in today's Big Brother in HD world where mistakes and blown calls are noticed and publicized. No official is immune to that, whether it be a replacement or the best of the best.

You can be sure this month's preseason games officiated by replacements will generate errant flags and blown calls/non-calls that get replayed incessantly on SportsCenter and elsewhere. 

Throw in coaches and players who'll be complaining about not having the normal zebras, and the league will feel some pressure to get a deal done in time for the season opener.

If not, then the NFL should be flagged for delay of game.