High Class and No Class; Sports Edition

First, high class: Ernie Banks has died. If you lived in the Chicago area, even if you weren't a sports fan, you knew about Ernie Banks. He was a great ballplayer who played for one of the worst teams in the history of baseball. Banks was probably the best player never to play in a World Series. He loved the game.

"As I traveled around in baseball then and now, people would ask me, 'Is Ernie really like that? Is he really that happy all the time?'" said Billy Williams, a Hall of Fame outfielder and teammate of Banks from 1959 to 1972. "I always say, 'That was Ernie. He was that way every day.' He's the most positive guy I ever met. He loved playing the game. Maybe it came from playing in the Negro Leagues, where they had so much fun with the game. I just know that Ernie loved being at the ballpark. He was as genuine as they get."

Scott Simon's tribute is worth listening to.

And now, no class:

The [NFL] said evidence shows the [New England] Patriots used underinflated footballs during the first half of the AFC championship game Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots seem to have an allergy to playing clean. Cheating is apparently an institutional practice with them. Whatever edge they can take, fair or foul, clean or dirty, you can count on New England to grab it. The term "sportsmanship" means nothing to them.

Sports aren't war. A game isn't a small-unit battle. It's still a game and how you play it still matters. You can ask Mark McGuire or Barry Bonds about that, who will likely not be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame until sometime after the heat death of the Universe.

Which is why there will be lots of column inches of praise and hours of remembrances on the sports channels for Mr. Cub. But when the Steroid-Sluggers or Coach Belicheat pass away, you'll see little of that.

Belicheat Wins Again, Somewhat

A judge overturned Asswipe's suspension for cheating.

As far as I can see, the finding that the Patriots cheated was not disturbed. Nor was the fine or the loss of draft picks.

If your team plays the Patriots, assume that the Patriots are cheating. It's what they do. And yes, GEICO should make a commercial about that.

The Boston Cheaters

Yet another allegation of the New England Patriots trying to cheat.

I can't see a locker room attendant trying this on his (or her) own. It's about time for the NFL to consider sitting Coach Belicheat down for a spell, say until 2065.

Face It: Belicheat and the Patriots Can't Not Cheat

The Patriots have issued a statement admitting their crew violated NFL policy by "filming the field and sideline from the press box" ... but insist it was an honest mistake.

The team claims the footage was ONLY supposed to be used for the "Do Your Job" behind the scenes production -- claiming, "There was no intention of using the footage for any other purpose."

The Patriots also admit they did not inform the league about plans to shoot the episode -- calling it an "unintended oversight."

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Bullshit.

The New England Patriots will push the limits of the rules every chance they get. Having a great team and relying on their abilities alone just isn't enough for Belichick and the Patriots.