Today's Topics: Melky, Cam

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San Francisco Giants OF Melky Cabrera, serving a 50-game suspension for a positive drug test, has disqualified himself from the National League batting race.

Cabrera's .346 average this season currently leads the league.

While it's hard to refuse Cabrera's gesture, a player should not be able to remove himself from contending for an individual honor. The league or Commissioner's office should have the guts to make such a call.

As stated here in the previous post – a player who tests positive for an illegal drug should have his statistics erased for the year in which he tested positive. 

If a player does not test positive, no matter what rumors or beliefs exist, that player's stats should remain official.

Superman turns into Clark Kent

Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton clearly needs to grow up.

With his team trailing the N.Y. Giants 23-0, Newton scored a TD with 6:25 left in the third quarter. He then stood in the end zone and imitated Clark Kent ripping his shirt to display the Superman logo.

Lesson No 1: When you and your team are getting your asses whipped, nobody's going to believe you have anything in common with Superman.

During and after the 36-7 loss -- in which he threw 3 INTs -- Newton displayed total dejection. 

In fact, receiver Steve Smith criticized Newton for his demeanor.

During his postgame media conference, Newton said the Giants had nothing to do with Carolina losing -- it was all lack of execution by the Panthers.

Lesson No. 2: Winning NFL quarterbacks stand tall in victory and defeat. They don't blame teammates (are you listening Jay Cutler?) and they don't act like a First Grader who had his lunch stolen.

Today's Topics: Melky, Skins' Morgan, Oregon HS star, Jays' Escobar

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So Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, currently serving a 50-game suspension for a positive drug test, could win this season's NL batting title with a .346 average.

Commissioner Bud Selig says MLB likely won’t interfere because “once you get into that, it would never stop.”

Here’s how you do it, Bud. If a player tests positive during a season, his statistics for that season get erased. Period.

Such a penalty might actually curb the use of enhancement drugs in MLB. 

There are some players, despite never having tested positive, who have been grouped with drug users. Those players' stats should not be affected.

Doesn’t seem right? Hey, life isn’t always fair. 

Besides, people such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, etc., might not have tested positive but they still must live with many people convinced they used illegal enhancements. 

Some Redskins fans are Twits

Joshua Morgan’s boneheaded actions on Sunday didn't inspire comment here. After all, was it really news a player committed a stupid, selfish act and hurt his team?

If you missed it, the Redskins receiver was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on Washington’s final drive during a 31-28 loss to St. Louis. The costly penalty hurt the Skins' chances of at least attempting a game-winning field goal.

But now, Morgan should be commended for how he has dealt with fans' reactions, such as death threats expressed on Twitter. Sick.

Morgan said the threats have motivated him to stay focused. He also planned to keep active his Twitter account.

“The only thing I take seriously is football and my family, and nothing really scares me,” Morgan said.

High school hijinks

Upon first learning that Oregon high school star Thomas Tyner rushed for 644 yards and scored 10 TDs in a game last weekend, I was embarrassed … for Tyner and his coach.

Allowing one player to compile such numbers in a high school game is a joke, though the opposition probably doesn't agree. And those numbers go beyond the ol', "If the defense doesn't want to be embarrassed, it should have stopped him." Please.

It wasn’t like Tyner needed the publicity. The Aloha HS star is one of the country’s top running back recruits and has verbally committed to Oregon.

Then I focused on the final score: Aloha 84, Lakeridge 63.

Does anybody play defense in Oregon? Lakeridge at least should have tried a box-and-1.

Then again, maybe Oregon High School football plays 7-on-7?

Or perhaps, as a Canada neighbor, Oregonians use a CFL-sized field?

NHL -- No Hockey Long-term

Prediction: Either the 2012-13 hockey season begins with the Winter Classic, or the entire season will be lost.

Black eye for Jays' Escobar

Blue Jays shortsop Yunel Escobar was given a three-game suspension for displaying a gay slur on his eye-black during a recent game.

Escobar and Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, among others, said the derogatory word Escobar displayed often is expressed in a joking manner among some Spanish-speaking people.

Even if that's true, Escobar certainly needed to take responsibility. But there's a bigger issue.

MLB and the teams need to do a better job educating Latin American ballplayers about U.S./Canada cultures and customs. The league also should demand players learn some English and speak it publicly.

Many Latino players understand, even speak, English but choose not to. One reason is they fear being misunderstood. Other reasons include laziness, selfishness and choosing to be uncooperative.

Nobody's saying Latino ballplayers should become orators. They simply should exhibit an understanding that they know where they are living the American dream.

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.

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News item: San Francisco outfielder Melky Cabrera suspended 50 games for positive testosterone test.

As long as competitors are looking for an edge, as long as big money is involved, as long as careers are at stake, some athletes never will learn.

At least Cabrera showed brawn in accepting his penalty and admitting use of a substance he shouldn't have used.

He didn't, for example, take the approach of blaming someone else for mishandling the test sample or claiming the carrier failed to ship the sample correctly.

That would be a desperate attempt to blame someone else for his mistake.