It is amazing to see how far high school sports have come in the last few years, but boy have they come far. Even to the point where the best players are on the front of magazines and newspapers before they ever play a game in college. I would be surprised if you could find me a high school sports, or recruiting magazine that hasn't had Terrelle Pryor or OJ Mayo on the cover. And to be honest some of the pressure put on these kids just isn't fair. To be calling these kids the next Vince Young or Lebron is just to much.

But to watch these kids play in actual high school games is almost as fun as anything in sports. Last year, I watched Artesia High School play a few basketball games around Southern California. And it was awesome to go and watch the best player on the floor, Renardo Sidney. Last year Mr. Sidney was a sophomore, and was playing with two teammates ranked in the top 20 in their national classes. Renardo was still the best player on the floor, and is ranked by many as the best player in the 2009 high school basketball recruiting class. At 6 feet 9 inches tall, and 230 pounds, Sidney not only has the size, he has the skill set.



Watching a quarterback as talented as Terrelle Pryor play in high school, is almost funny. He dominates the field with a skill set that is rediculous. Pryor has every major college program in the country drooling over what he could do for their programs. A kid already compared to Vince Young, Pryor could be in the Heisman race by the end of his sophomore year. He is good enough to start at many D-1 programs as a senior in high school. When I talk about him dominating the high school competition, can you start to get a visual?



OJ Mayo is definitely the most anticipated high school recruit since Lebron James. The hype he creates on the college basketball scene this season will make Durant and Oden make silly. This kid will single handedly make USC one of the premier basketball programs in the country. Mayo wasn't even being recruited by USC when he called coach Tim Floyd and told him that he was coming to SC. A move that changed the landscape of college basketball. He has already made the cover of SLAM Magazine, a spot usually reserved for guys like Lebron, Kobe, and KG.



Although the pressure on these kids is intense and sometimes unfair, it is definitely fun to watch. Watching these kids go from high schoolers with crazy skill sets, to college kids with highlights on ESPN, to #1 draft picks is half the fun of sports. Most of the time we spend more effort looking at the stars of tomorrow than enjoying the stars of today. So when looking for something to do on a Friday night this fall or winter, go down to your local high school. And watch the stars of tomorrow before everyone else sees them on ESPN.

While watching the Steelers game last Sunday, I also had the Broncos-Bills game on my computer. And I just happened to glance over and witness the worst injury I have ever seen on a football field. The average football fan probably does not understand what goes into an injury like a torn ACL. It happens so much these days, that people see it on the ESPN Bottom Line, and don't think twice. But football really is a violent sport, and Kevin Everett proved that fact just last weekend.



The most violent and physical part of a football game is special teams. 11 very big, very strong men running at another group of 11 very big, very strong men, all at full speed. Doctors say that hitting at full speed, in full gear, as happens so often on special teams, is like getting in a car wreck head on at 40-50 mph. Imagine doing that 5 plus times a day, 20 times a year. That is 100 head on car crashes at 50 mph every year. The average person at home probably would not be in to good of shape after all of that. And this is why it is a shock that injuries like that to Kevin Everett do not happen more often. Even the most common injuries are gruesome, but breaking your spine, on a football field or off, is beyond sickening.


5 of those every week?

At the time the injury occurred, I thought of how bad I felt for Everett, but that it was a freak thing. Now I have been on the sideline at football games many times, and the crushing hits seemed natural to me in such a violent game. (Try standing on the sideline of even a high school or college game and see how hard the players really hit, and how fast the game really moves. TV does none of this justice.) However, as I continued to watch football games that day, every time I watched a big hit, I thought how easy it would be to get killed. To suffer a major injury like Kevin Everett did. That it is amazing this doesn't happen more often, and that people should not be so mad that players get the occasional concussion. As a side note, on Tuesday Everett had voluntary movement of his arms and legs, and doctors say there is a better chance he will walk again because of this.

Let me state that I pray for Kevin to make a full recovery, and my thoughts are with him and his family. Let me also say, that before you play football at a high level, (High School included) know what you are getting into. It is a sport where the main goal is to run into someone else at full speed. To hit another person as hard as you can. When you see retired running backs, who only played 8 years in the league, who are crippled, don't be surprised. They were paid to have 300 pound men run into them at full speed from high school on. As a running back, thats 16 years of 100 30 mph crashes a year. Just think what you are doing to your body by playing football at a high level. Kevin Everett is a rare case, but a case that should not be taken out of context. Our prayers are with the Everett family.

By now, most people know that Tiger Woods is the best golfer of all time, let alone one of the most dominant athletes of all time. If not for him, the PGA Tour might not even be on the sports radar anymore, because it is struggling to do so even with him. However, it seems like most people don't take the time to sit back and realize just how dominating Tiger Woods really is. It would be like the Yankees being able to skip the first round of the playoffs because they were bored, and still being able to sweep the world series. It would be like LT only playing in 8 games and still setting the season touchdown record.



It is almost like people are slightly bored by how dominant Tiger has become. Like maybe the sports public has seen him win so much, they have become used to it. Rory Sabatini, who for some reason thinks he can challenge Tiger, has less wins on tour in his career than Tiger does this year. And just to make sure this is out there, Rory Sabatini is an idiot for even thinking he should be in the same golfing universe as Tiger.


IDIOT

Think about this fact for another minute; Tiger skipped the first round of sports "playoffs" and looks like he will still win the thing somewhat easily. The week of a major, most fans always take Tiger or the field. That is incredible to me, a favorite in a sport of 150 individuals. MJ was great, Kobe thinks he was that great, Jeter is great as well, and Sidney Crosby is a star in a dim sport. But Tiger Woods is greater in his sport than any of those. Greater than anyone before him in their respective sports.

So when Tiger wins major championships into the 20's don't act so shocked. He is the greatest athlete of all time and we are missing it. Watching 4 times a year isn't enough for a guy who is so amazing to watch. Does a baseball fan only watch the Yankees Red Sox once a year? Because of ESPN, probably not. So when looking for something to do on a boring spring Sunday next year, flip on the TV and watch the greatest athlete of our time.

Before the college football season started I predicted that the USF Bulls would win the Big East. Tall task for a team that has Rutgers, Louisville, and West Virginia in the conference. Want to know who the second best quarterback in the conference is? Matt Grothe. Many people predict that South Florida will have a solid season, but many of the teams in the Big East are weak on one side of the ball. And although neither the offense or defense gets a lot of publicity, it's probably because it is South Florida. Did I mention that Grothe was only a sophomore?



I said the Bulls would win the Big East this year, but beyond this season the potential for this team is scary. And I mean really scary. The starting quarterback is already very good, and is still a sophomore. Mike Ford, who is already a solid starting running back, is a freshman. Any team that goes on the road and beats an Auburn team that is in the top 20 in the nation should care the rest of the Big East. Speaking of future potential, the conference will be wide open once Ray Rice, Brian Brohm, Pat White, and Steve Slaton are all gone. USF could be looking at a BCS Bowl this year, and they will only get better, and the conference much weaker next year.


Mike Ford

What does this say about the little guys in college football? Well let's make sure that we not that USF is the ninth largest university in the country. However, the program was only started in 1997, which is amazing. It would be amazing if the team was just in Division 1-A, much less competing for a Big East championship. So when watching USF play this season, just remember, the little guy that is only 10 years old, has a chance to start to start something scary in college football.

For all of the great financial stats that baseball can give out to show how well the game is doing, it really isn't. Fans are leaving the game, Bud Selig just doesn't know it yet. And to be honest, for all the good things Mr. Selig has done for the game, he is driving it into the ground. It says a lot about the NHL and especially the NBA that baseball is doing so poorly and yet still ahead of both in terms of popularity. And don't start to think that I am biased, because I am, or was the biggest baseball ever.



Growing up, the only sport on earth for me was baseball. Slowly, that is becoming a thing of the past. I just don't see the appeal of the league as compared to the NFL or NHL. Both leagues have sufficient parody, and both are free from major controversies that affect the game on the field. Sure the NFL has a lot of players with off the field issues, but to be honest that doesn't affect the game on the field in the least. So what exactly is wrong with baseballs image?



Steroids. I know the topic has been beaten to death, and that is exactly what is wrong with the game. Bonds breaks the record, no one even still cares that he is alive, and the issue should be dead. But it just won't stop popping up. Every other week, instead of the leading story being about the game itself, it's about some players steroid issue. Even the feel good story of the year in any sport, Rick Ankiel has been linked to steroids. And the proof is pretty credible. Even Troy Glaus has been linked; how lazy and stupid does a player have to be to order steroids off of the internet? Players that are considered stars, and we always clean are now being linked.

So what is the affect on the game itself, and the fans? Fans are getting just plain tired of seeing every other player get linked to steroids. Not to mention two thirds of teams in the league never had a chance to compete from day one. The one and only question is why would any fan who doesn't like the Yankees or Red Sox care anymore? The fact is that I don't and for the first time in my life, I haven't watched a game in over two weeks. And I don't plan to start. Thank goodness for fall and the NFL and NHL.