Rambling on about sports

I hate the Mets. I don't particularly like the Yankees either. \nA "Subway Series" is probably the worst thing that could have happened to major league baseball.\nIf I were from New York, I would love it. Two hated rivals battling for supremacy. One city cheering for two teams. It would be a great atmosphere to be a part of.\nBut I'm not from New York. And this series sucks.\nEverything the World Series stands for is being ridiculed this year.\nThe Mets and Yankees are two of the highest spending clubs in the league and seem to have an arrogance about them that makes anyone outside of New York cringe at the thought of another championship.\nI did like Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens throwing a piece of a bat at Mets catcher Mike Piazza in Game Two.\nThat said, I hope the Yankees make quick work of the Mets so the misery will end.\nNOTE: The Mets beat the Yankees 4-2 in game three on Tuesday. The Yankees lead the series 2-1.\nCellar dwellers:\nWhat is up with the Chicago Bears?\nSitting at 1-7 and in the NFC cellar, the Bears have struggled with only two things this year.\nOffense and defense.\nCade McNown has been the quarterback no one thought he would be, throwing seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. His season is not going well. He was drilled last Sunday against Philadelphia by Eagles linebacker Mike Caldwell, putting him out 4-6 weeks with a separated shoulder.\nIf the Bears had a running game, he could pick up the slack, but Curtis Enis became another Penn State bust, in the mold of Blair Thomas and Ki-Jana Carter, and James Allen just is not the answer.\nAnd the defense?\nWell, it just isn't that good.\nSurprises:\nThe biggest surprise, from a team standpoint, has been the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. Coach Dennis Green has once again developed a great player from his quarterback-friendly system.\nRookie Daunte Culpepper has been solid, if not spectacular, in leading the Vikings to seven straight wins to open the season. Culpepper has thrown for 1,671 yards including 14 touchdowns against only seven interceptions. He has four rushing touchdowns.\nFrom an individual standpoint, New Orleans running back Ricky Williams has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Saints. He has rushed for 772 yards and six touchdowns for the 4-3 Saints. Williams has also amassed 272 yards and a touchdown receiving the ball.\nAfter being drafted behind Colts running back Edgerrin James and playing poorly through an injury-plagued rookie campaign, critics said the man that New Orleans traded their entire draft for would be the biggest bust in NFL history.\nWilliams has since silenced those critics and put together a string of five consecutive 100-yard rushing performances and is the frontrunner for Comeback Player of the Year.\nWasted:\nAfter spending $49.95 for a Mike Tyson/Andrew Golota heavyweight fight that was nothing more than six minutes of pain for Golota, I realized two things.\nFights are almost never worth the money spent for them.\nAnd pay-per-view fights should be pro-rated.\nIt is ridiculous that a two-round brawl should cost the same as a 12-round split decision.\nA pro-rated fight would assume that a 10-round fight would cost about $50. The two-round joke that was last Friday's bout would cost a mere $10.\nWorthless:\nI have realized two things about college football.\nGreat fans are needed for success.\nAnd IU does not have great fans.\nAt a school where the tailgate is often more of a spectacle than the game, IU (3-4, 2-2 in Big Ten play) should be pretty satisfied with its record, considering Memorial Stadium is usually filled to only one-third of its capacity.\nOnce students realize that Michigan and Ohio State have dominant programs, mainly because of the 110,000 fans that fill their stadiums each Saturday, IU might actually begin to build a football tradition.\nCan't Wait:\nThe NBA season will soon be upon us and the Lakers will begin defending their title.\nThe field should be wide open this year, with the Blazers, Sonics, Knicks and Spurs each having legitimate playoff runs.\nIt will be interesting to see how the Orlando Magic mesh Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady, how Shawn Kemp and Dale Davis will fit into Portland's rotation, and if Isiah Thomas can actually coach.\nCount on the biggest shocker to be the emergence of the Los Angeles Clippers. Led by young guns Darius Miles, Lamar Odom, Quentin Richardson and Keyon Dooling should entertain fans and even win a few games here and there.