#5 The Lombardi Trophy
No, no one will actually be claiming the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl each year, this weekend. But the secret talks – closed to the press and lawyers – between the NFL Owners and Players Association give us hope that someone will be hoisting the trophy in February 2012.

#4 The Pocono Trophy
The winner of the 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway this weekend will receive the Pocono Trophy, but most eyes will be on the competition between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. Busch was attacked by owner Richard Childress after last week’s Truck Series race. NASCAR put the full blame on Childress, which was the right move. But I doubt that Chldress’ top driver – who has had his own run ins with Busch in the past – will see it that way. If one of these guys is out of contention and the other is in the thick of it on Sunday, things could get ugly between the two.

#3 The Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is easily the best soccer tournament of the year for the simple reason that the USA actually has a chance to win it. After dispatching Canada with relative ease this week, the US team will play Panama on Saturday. If the US can beat Panama, then only Guadeloupe (is that a country?) will stand between them and a perfect record going into the Quarter Finals.

#2 The Larry O’Brien Trophy
If Dirk Nowitzki is this good in the Finals when he’s sick, imagine how dominant he can be when he’s healthy. As of this writing, the series is all tied up. The Dallas Mavericks have something to prove. The Miami Heat have the weight of expectation. This weekend will reveal the last team standing.

#1 The Stanley Cup
Somebody’s gonna win it. By the end of the week, either the Boston Bruins or the Vancouver Canucks will hoist the Stanley Cup. Home ice seems more important than usual, considering the Canucks outscored Boston 4-2 in two games at home, but fell 8-1 in the first game in Beantown. Boston will play the remainder of the series without Nathan Horton, who suffered that brutal hit in Game 3. Vancouver will be without the services of Aaron Rome, who delivered that concussive shot, for the rest of the year. With the additional motivation factored in, the advantage goes to Boston.

Just kidding.

Don’t worry, I haven’t gone soft on soccer.  I am a big USA homer and would have watched the big match against Britain, if I didn’t have to go to a wedding instead.  Luckily for me, the entire three hour affair could be boiled down into one 10 second clip shown repeatedly on ESPN of the British goalie failing to stop a slow rolling ball that my 4 year old could have handled.  And so the US’s thrilling debut in the World Cup ended in a draw.

Back in the USA, the Blackhawks won an actual thriller in overtime.  Overtime!  What a concept.  Instead of declaring the match a tie and going home, this sport continued to play until somebody won.

Hockey isn’t my favorite sport, but it sure beats the short pants off soccer.  In fact, on casual analysis over the course of the weekend, soccer seems to be all the worst parts of hockey without the good stuff.  Both are low scoring games.  Both have essentially the same rules and goals.  But hockey requires the additional skill of ice skating and prominently features fighting, checking, and angry Canadians carrying big sticks.

Soccer players run around on a GIANT field for long periods of time without any physical contact.  And when they do touch one another, it results in a penalty.  There is no checking.  Fighting is definitely frowned upon.  If there are any angry Canadians, they had their sticks taken away by security prior to the game.  Or match.  Whatever.

ESPN is proud of the fact that they’ve got endless coverage of the entire FIFA World Cup.  They’re not going to ‘dumb it down’ for an American audience that has traditionally shown little interest in soccer.  I’m sure they’ll strike ratings gold by NOT explaining the highly anticipated Ghana vs. Ethiopia matchup.

Anyway, I could go on mocking the world’s most popular sport all day, but I’ll restrain myself.  Until next week…

“I’m not here to try and cause any retribution or any payback for anything else,” commented the residing judge Jackie Glass who ultimately decided Simpson’s final sentence. Glass also said that the current sentence she set had nothing to do with Simpson’s 1995 acquittal in the slaying of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and friend Ronald Goldman.

According to Simpson, he and five other men forced their way into a Las Vegas hotel room violently in an attempt to claim back valuable sports memorabilia, which two dealers had obtained on September 13, 2007. Simpson also claimed one of the items that he was after included his ex-wife’s wedding ring which he said had been stolen from him at a much earlier date.

The evidence against Simpson, however, was extremely overwhelming and included the planning, the actual confrontation, and the end consequences all caught on video and audio materials.

Simpson’s sentence included a minimum of 15 years in jail for two separate kidnapping accounts combined with what Glass called an “enhancement” of six years because a gun was involved in the ordeal. On top of everything else another sentence was issued: a maximum sentence of 12 years due to two accounts of assault with a deadly weapon. Glass also ordered that Simpson not be allowed to remain free while he appeals both the trial and the sentence.

Simpson’s attorney Yale Galanter believes the sentence did have everything to do with his earlier acquittal and commented, “It really made us all aware that despite our best efforts, it’s very difficult to separate the California case from the Nevada case.”

Ronald Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman, commented that despite everything, “We are thrilled, and it’s a bittersweet moment, it was satisfying seeing him in shackles like he belongs.”

One can’t blame the family of the original murder victim’s for feeling somewhat like justice was finally served. Whether those of you out there believe OJ was guilty then and always has been or not, one thing is for certain, what goes around comes around.

Karma sure has stomped its foot in the vicinity of this situation.

Do you think OJ has always been guilty, and ultimately do you think the sentence was fair?

The media widely has been known to blow things substantially out of proportion, and this is certainly one of those cases. It can be argued for hours on end, one way or another just how dangerous steroids really are. Does it really matter? Alcohol is dangerous, and so are cigarettes…not to mention all the prescription drugs on the market with serious side effects, so honestly I ask… what’s the difference?

Most sports fanatics will ramble off about how using steroids is cheating and provides an unfair advantage, but once again I ask who cares? These sports players are paid millions and millions of dollars to entertain us; including that whole home run record business, which was all for us fans. I’m sure there are thousands of ways each one of these players tries to get ahead, and I can guarantee most of what is done in the locker rooms will never reach our ears.

If you think this billion dollar industry is pure in every aspect think again; cheating exists in sports like a plague. How many times have you seen a home referee pick on one team more, simply because they favored the opposition; I’ve seen it plenty of times. I can’t even begin to list the amount of times I’ve heard players were experimenting with performance enhancing drugs or trying out new ones, not to mention the rigorous workouts most of these players go through every day. I’m sure some work out much more than others; that boosts performance, why isn’t that cheating?

Frankly, if these players want to shoot themselves up with a drug that in many cases is killing them, then so be it, it’s their choice. Don’t even mention the fact that if these players truly want to do it, then they will, regardless of laws or fan opinions. Don’t try and tell me that the United States as a whole has never used such drugs to gain an advantage either, they exist all over the market these days.

So once again I say who cares. But what is your stance?

Everyone talks about McKay’s human touch and approach both on and off camera. He also was a great advocate for the horse racing industry and was the founder of the Maryland Million.

On a personal level, I had a connection with Jim McKay. McKay was a graduate of Loyola College in Maryland, from where I also am an alum.

Sadly, the world lost a beacon of the sports world today.