Sport on the Ropes

As Jim Rome, one of my favorite talk show host's put it yesterday, "Everybody in sport wants an edge. They are fierce competitors, evrey athlete, every sport. Everybody is looking for an edge."

The Mitchell report indicts everyone equally -"Everybody in baseball — commissioners, club officials, the players’ association, players — shares responsibility."

What will happen? I have no idea.

But I know this - we are all saddened and angry. While I could care less about Mark McGuire or Barry Bonds, I was, like millions of others, a fan of Roger Clemens, who henceforth will be known as Mr. Butt.

The system itself - high stakes, high payoffs, outrageous sums of money on the table - make professional sport a natural breeeding ground for illegal drugs, gambling, game-fixing and scams the likes of which most of us cannot imagine.

Remember the next time you watch the NFL or MLB or the NBA or tennis or golf or soccer, you may be seeing only a small part of the story.