SPORTS TV RANT/ FRIDAY GAME COMMENTS
While watching Friday's Brewer game, I realized just how ridiculous the sports media complex has become. On Hooter's 5 screen TV wall, there was fishing on VS. (which I had them change to Brewers/Giants), Cubs/Astros, the McDonald's girls high school all star game on ESPN2, Outside the Lines on ESPN and a UNLV/Wyoming football game from Oct. 27th on theMtn. Yes, I realize fans of Utah and BYU now have an outlet for seeing their teams play live, but in the big picture, doesn't an entire network for a conference seem like overkill? And who other than these girls parents are watching the basketball game. At first, I thought it was a collegiate all-star game, and found myself getting a little caught up in it (as I will admit to being attracted to female athletes), but when I realized these girls had yet to go to their senior prom, I felt a little confused and guilty, like I had just won home run derby only to find out I was competing against Jim Abbot and David Eckstein. Plus, Hooters chose to have Outside the Lines on the "big screen". I realize Hooter's waitresses have better things to worry about than monitor arrangement, but while I'm straining to see how many outs there are in my game, there is Bob Ley, in all his 16 by 9 glory, enlightening me for the umpteenth time on why Geno Auriema and Pat Summit hate eachother. I get ESPN, you don't have the men's final four, so you have to hype the women's final four-- greaaaaaat. I'll make an appointment to watch women's basketball when you finally convince me that the MLS is just as enjoyable as the NFL. Speaking of the NFL, ESPN seems to think that even though it's April, they will give me 30 minutes of NFL over-analysis every afternoon. Yes, I know the draft is coming up, but shouldn't sports that are actually playing take precedence over 4 guys talking about which QB from the '83 draft would they draft today. Hypotheticals like that should be saved for downtime at work, not put on a major TV network. You know what would be great ESPN, instead of 4 NFL geeks jawing about a season that is 6 months away, you put on a show that updated me on what happened in baseball last night. I think you have a show like that, it's called BASEBALL TONIGHT!

On to the game. Kendall is so far the signing of the off-season. This guy is a gamer and makes the bottom of the lineup awesome. Think about it, we have Bill Hall, JJ Hardy and Jason Kendall in our bottom 4. I know he doesn't have the arm you would want in a catcher, but he knows how to handle the pitchers, gets on base, and moves much better than Johnny Estrada, who only hustled when the Chorizo was heading his way. [Was that racist or a fat joke? Doesn't matter, he sucked and isn't on a active roster as far as I know.] Once again, Weeks showed some skill as a leadoff man. I know it helped that the Giants were putting it on a tee, but I believe it also helps that I've backed off calling him my favorite player, which has been a curse for every player since Yount retired. They either get dealt, get injured or drop off in production. Examples: Jeff Cirillo, Jeromy Burnitz, Ben Sheets, Geoff Jenkins, etc., etc. I think in 2002, I chose Brooks Kieschnick as my favorite just so I could protect the rest of the talent on the team.

Highlight of the game: Hall putting that second homer into the Summerfest grounds. Concern of the game: Villanueava's inability to get through 6. "Hit 'em where they ain't" of the game: Fielder once again making teams pay for putting the shift on him.