The big sports post - a little about a lot

"Mr. Palmeiro, your pants are on fire and Viagra ain't got nothing to do with it."

What so many people forget is that this is a very forgiving society. Microwave your dog? Honest mistake. Snort coke off a dead hooker? Youthful indiscretion. As long as you own up to your mistake and beg for forgiveness, the American people will give you a pass. Except if you lie about it, especially if you oversell your lie.

The real reason Watergate grew legs wasn't the break in itself, but the subsequent coverup. Ditto for Enron. And if Raffy had told the truth in front of Congress, or at least lied in less certain terms, he wouldn't get this much finger wagging.

For a lesson on how to deal with icky sticky, look no further than Kobe Bryant. There was never a pretty way to handle the rape allegation, and while he survived the court of law, what saved him in the court of public opinion was admitting that he cheated on his wife (and in a stroke of genius, reinvented himself as the scum of the earth). As they tell you in PR, take responsibility for the forgivable stuff and act contrite.

What bothers me is that Raffy is now playing the "I didn't knowingly take it" card. Please. We're not talking about some kid who's fresh out of the Dominicans and can't read the labels in English (or any other language). Here's a college-educated 20-year vet who can put two sentences together. He's saying he's putting shit in his body without knowing what it is? Please. Just stop lying. If you lied before, admit the lie. Better to admit you're a lying sack of shit now than wait before you have a book coming out - just ask Pete Rose.

"Look at me! I did it too!": attention whore/Ravens DB Deion Sanders gets on the steroids bandwagon.

NBA Offseason - let's run through the league as quick as possible:

• Pacers, Pacers, Pacers. With Sarunas Jasikevicius, they replaced Reggie Miller's shooting (which was inconsistent at best anyway) and have a cover for Jamaal Tinsley. With Artest coming back, they have the deadliest perimeter rotation in the league, bar none. Their only weakness is their lack of front court depth though.


• Elsewhere in the Central, the Bulls are looking like they'll keep at least Chandler and possibly Curry since he can't get a lucrative deal anywhere while the Cavs went out and got Larry Hughes and Donyelle Marshall - not the two players I would've picked to carry Lebron's bags, but hey, it works. Pistons meanwhile stayed put. Hope Rasheed's cool with Flip.


• Elsewhere in the East, the Nets look exciting at the very least. You gotta give it up to Rod Thorn - he doesn't make panic moves. When Kenyon Martin got the max offer from Denver, rather than overpay, he worked a sign & trade. And instead of going out and finding a replacement at all cost, he stayed patient even if that meant going into last season without a proven power forward. The reward? Getting Shareef Abdur-Rahim and still have the mid-level exception to hand out. Should fill Brian Scalabrine's shoes just fine.
  
  Of course, the masterstroke was getting Vince, attitude and all. Thorn managed to convince Toronto to give up Vinsanity and take on Alonzo Mourning's contract. Genius. Then again, it was Babcock.


• Isiah Thomas be crazy, but we knew that. He signed Jerome fucking James? He gave up his only tradable asset for a tweener with a back problem who doesn't quite fit in? Hard to believe he won't even entertain the possibility of trading Marbury, but that's Isiah for you. At least he played the draft right, I guess.


• Washington's going to miss Larry Hughes, but well done getting Antonio Daniels and a taker for Kwame. If the Wizzies can get Darius Songaila to come over, they should improve on last year's finish.


• I understand Joe Johnson didn't want to be the fourth wheel at Phoenix, but damn, Atlanta?
  
  And he may have been the fourth option, but the way the Suns play, the ball comes back to him often enough. Does he think Josh Smith and Al Harrington are going to share the ball like Nash? Did he really give up a chance at the championship so he could play with four small forwards and no big man?


• Kobe and Kwame on the same team? Is Lamar Odom the sane one there?


• Would you take Allan Houston for $1 million/year? How about $5 million/year?


• This should be fun - Jason Williams and James Posey to Miami for Eddie Jones. So what's the catch?


• So I'm expecting Nets, Heat, Pacers and either Pistons or Wizards in next spring's East Final 4. Not sure about the West, though I expect the Spurs to be head and shoulders above the competition, A lot depends on what moves the Mavs, Lakers and Nugs make.

As a Liverpool fan, it would pain the hell out of me to see Michael Owen go to Manchester United. I realize his options are limited, but damn, to go from being the most famous name at Liverpool to Man U? Dude, that's like transferring from Carolina to Duke, possibly worse. But such is the business of top flight soccer.

Belated congrats to MLS All Stars for beating up on Fullham, and to MLS clubs for generally holding their own against the touring European clubs. I know US clubs are in midseason form and the Euros are still in preseason but they're putting together a fairly respectable league over here.

My only problem with the NFL TV setup is that I get way too much Giants and Jets coverage. Really, who gives a shit? Give me my Panthers, dammit.