Step Forward....Step Back...

Brian Roberts


Step Forward: MLB is testing and suspending spray hitting base stealing Tampa Bay Devil Rays for steroid use.
Step Backward 1: No one is testing Brian Roberts and his 6 home runs in April. He had 5 last SEASON!
Step Backward 2: Someone is going to write this about every breakout player for the next 15 years, whether or not it's true it's going to be thought and it's going to be said. Thanks Jose, Mark, Jason, Barry.

Step Forward: Dontrelle Willis is emerging as the star he was projected to be 2 years ago when he was unhitable through July and August.
Step Backward: He's been on my fantasy bench for the last week.

Step Forward: There's a new Pope.
Step Backward: He's a 78 year old hard line conservative with a history of criticizing the victims of sexual abuse by priests, speaking out against priests being allowed to marry, and abortion. W must be thrilled. (Sidenote: How can you reach the pinnacle of your career at 78, 13 years after being eligible for Social Security? You should be drooling on yourself at the Springfield Retirement Castle eating jello, not being declared infallible on matters of faith!)

Step Forward: Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz hit 900 feet worth of home runs last night.
Step Backward: Allen Embree and Keith Foulke came unglued and the Red Sox lost.

Step Forward: The Red Sox finished their home stand 6-2.
Step Backward: Now they have to go to Baltimore where they haven't been able to win for 2 years, to face a simply nasty O's lineup. (Sidenote: Rumors about the O's making a play for Todd Helton keep me up at night sweating.)

Step Forward: The Celtics are in the playoffs.
Step Backward: They are backing into the playoffs with bad luck, having to play the Cavs and Nets, who desperately need wins, in their last two. It's never good to go into a series on a skid, especially against the Pacers.

Step Forward: The NFL draft is Saturday.
Step Backward 1: ESPN is trying to make us believe that we should actually watch this non-event with their "The Draft matters, you have to go deep," ad campaign. After pick 12 no one but Mel Kiper has heard of any of these guys.
Step Backward 2: This draft is so weak that teams like the 49ers are trying to scramble out of the way of the first picks because there's no one there worth taking and paying top pick money. The problem is nobody is willing to jump up to take the afore mentioned no one.

Step Forward: The Cavs and Lebron James have a chance to make the playoffs tonight if they win and the C's beat the Nets.
Step Backward: If they don't make it Vince Carter or A.I. will be the biggest star not named Shaq playing in these playoffs. No Kobe, no Garnett, no Lebron, no New York or L.A. market teams, no viewers.

Step Forward: The Sports Guy wrote a long column blasting "Fever Pitch".
Step Backward: That poor bastard actually has to live with a woman who dared to compare him to Jimmy Fallon, and in his shock he wrote a column that actually sucked, which he never does.

Step Forward: Maria Sharapova turned 18 this week.
Step Backward: This just changes me from "officially creepy old guy" to "unofficially creepy old guy." It's like riding a moped to a tailgate party, it's not officially illegal, but it still ain't right.

Step Forward: The Yankees and Randy Johnson got stomped by the Devil Rays 6-2 last night, George Steinbrenner actually beheaded two lower level executives in his box after the game, and the Bombers are still in last place 13 games into the season.
Step Backward: HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!