Did Steroids Turn ARod Orange, And Other Delights

I held off as long as I could, I really did.
But now, it’s time.
Try as I might, I just couldn’t avoid writing a dot-dot-dot column this week. Too many things rattling around the old gourd. Sure, they’re hacky and often disjointed. But I love reading them. Maybe some of you do, too.
At last check, more than 15,000 people had joined a Facebook group called "I don’t care that Michael Phelps smokes weed." Which is just the sort of thing that makes Facebook great. I’ve got to say, though, that Kellog’s comes off looking awful in the whole deal. You didn’t mind a celebrity endorser who got a DUI underage, but now you drop him? Weak sauce... Alex Rodriguez should had quit while he was ahead in his interview with Peter Gammons. I give him points for being (sort of) honest and not using a dodge, but he looked petty and sounded like he was lying the longer the interview went on. Also, he should probably lay off the lip gloss and the spray-on tan. Of course, maybe if kids think steroids turn you orange, they won’t take them... Sticking with baseball, if Michael Cuddyer can play third base — even a little bit — the Twins pretty much have to put him there this season. Carlos Gomez, Denard Span and Delmon Young are all young guys who need to play every day, and Kubel needs his ABs at DH, though I suppose Cuddyer would be a good DH option against tough lefties. But the bottom line is that the Twins need his bat in the lineup more than they need a Gold Glover at third. If he’s serviceable, he should be out there... I got some negative feedback on my column about the girls HS coach in Texas and running up the score. One caller noted that the coach said he wasn’t running up the score. I would point out that the score was 100-0. Who you gonna believe, a fired coach or your own lying eyes... After having seen most of the teams in South Dakota play hockey this season, I have come to this conclusion: Things are still wide open. I think everyone is still waiting for someone to get hot, but, apart from Sioux Falls, all of the top teams have been consistently inconsistent. I also can’t help but wonder if people would be able to catch a pass more often with a wooden stick, or at least a wooden blade. Or maybe I’m just getting old... I am told that Pierre and Watertown has developed into a solid rivalry in girls basketball, and there is always a great atmosphere for hoops at Watertown. Should be entertaining... What happened to my Minnesota Golden Gopher hockey team? Egads, boys... Was delighted to see Alison Krauss get some much-deserved Grammy love last week. If you’re not already a fan, you probably heard her on the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack. An amazing talent... Have people been checking out the new MLB Network? Lots of interesting stuff on there, in addition to old games. Caught most of Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game from his rookie season in 1998. He was filthy. Oh, what might have been, Cubs fans... The Pierre—Brookings girls basketball game was a lot of fun to watch, though probably not to play in or coach. The Lady Govs just could not get anything to fall for long stretches and Brookings played excellent defense, especially denying the entry pass to the post. Pierre will have to be able to find some back door plays or lobs if other teams can muster that kind of effort. And, as the story of this season unfolds, I think you’ll end up with Berg’s Block right up there with Paluch’s Free Throws as plays of the year...