All World All Sports

by Digger

Players and coaches have been arriving at team training facilities as only a few days remain before the official opening of MLB Spring Training. Steroids chatter has picked up a new tail wind with ARod's admissions and Barry Bonds perjury trial on the way.

I've assembled my All Star 'Roids team based on players under suspicion or implicated in performing enhancing drug usage.

SP - Roger Clemens: Former AL MVP and 7 time Cy Young winner made a mockery denying his involvement faces perjury charges.
C - Ivan Rodriguez: MLB's greatest defensive catcher ever? Former MVP and 14 time All Star can't find a team for '09.
1B - Rafael Palmeiro: Famous finger waving denial before investigative committee (lied). 589 career HR's.
2B - Chuck Knoblauch: Perhaps beefing up was why this former Twins/Yank 2B couldn't throw to first.
3B - Ken Caminiti: Admitted he used steroids during his 1996 NL MVP season. One of the earliest players to speak publicly. Statements ignored by MLB as steroids era entered full swing.
SS - Alex Rodriguez: ARod, AFraud and now ARoid. Created media circus trying to come clean. Problem, each confession reveals more non-truths.
LF - Barry Bonds: Baseball's single season and career home run king cheated. On trial for perjury. Was center of BALCO investigation.
CF - Lenny Dykstra: Former scrappy Met CF bulked up big time before joining Phillies. Led them to WS, found sudden power stroke with new physique.
RF - Sammy Sosa: Famously battled McGwire in homer race to break Roger Maris single season 61. Was termed the season which saved baseball... only now, we all know the joke was on us.
DH - Mark McGwire: Testified "I'm not here to discuss my past" before committee. Non-denial denials from one of baseball's biggest men. Broke Maris single season record, only to be surpassed by a heavily juiced Bonds.
Manager - Jose Canseco: Openly admitted usage. Named named in his own book from ARod to McGwire. Players all denied... only to prove Jose was right all along. Baseball tried silencing Jose, now they owe him an apology he'll never receive.
Agent - Don Fehr: MLBPA Chief was instrumental in blocking any sort of testing requirements from the players collective bargaining agreements. One of the chief conspirators to keep steroids abuse silent.
Trainer - BALCO: Exposed by book "Game of Shadows" which detailed how BALCO masked human growth hormones and distributed to some of the worlds most famous athletes.
Commissioner - Bud Selig: Publicly denied for years presence of steroids/hgh. Slow to respond and hampered investigations. MLB executive from Commissioners off alleged to have tipped off players before drug testing. Selig is now miraculously states ridding baseball of controlled substances was main objective as commissioner. Amazing how figure heads often attempt to re-write history.

*(not all names listed have been proven guilty... all under suspicion of using various growth hormones or steroids).

Visit All World All Sports

by Digger

The world's greatest golfer announced he's fit and ready to resume competing on the links. Tiger Woods returns to the PGA Tour for next week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. Tiger had been sidelined since June 2008 recovering from knee surgery. Now, he's ready. He's back. Look out golfers, the games greatest ball striker is ready and hungry for more trophies!

Wood's last competitive stroke won the US Open in sudden death. He later called the victory one of his greatest ever due to playing injured. PGA Tour tv ratings have plummeted since he's been away. PGA is now banking Tiger's return to competitive action propels ratings back to where they were over 250 days ago.

I don't think there has even been a single athlete who has single handily transformed a sport the way Tiger has for golf. Golf's popularity skyrocketed once Woods began his professional career (stats). Sheer talent. The best ever. Tiger's been slapped with many titles, awards, accolades. He's earned them all. Not since Babe Ruth has any player dominated their sport in such a manner.

Woods return to competitive golf couldn't come at a better time for the sport, and possibly to inject some positive emotions into the sporting community... even if it's only temporary. Keep an eye on the reception he receives when introduced... and then again on the 18th. Many question whether or not he's healthy enough to return. With this guy, if he wasn't ready to dominate... he wouldn't be coming back at this juncture. Tiger's ready! And, so are golfing fans around the world.