Sports Shorts October 14

Checking my (sports) shorts wondering whatever happened to World B. Free?

* If the NBA cancels games and nobody cares what does either side need to do to make themselves relevant? The first two weeks of the season have already been bagged with more likely to come. Unlike the NFL work stoppage, it doesn't seem anyone is really concerned about not having the league around. If I was David Stern, that would be my biggest concern. Hopefully, both sides will learn that with the struggling economy, very few will feel bad that these guys are missing paychecks.

* Theo Epstein is now the GM of the Chicago Cubs. If he can do half of what he did in Boston, will he go down as the greatest baseball executive in history? Epstein, who became GM of the Red Sox at 28, built a team that brought Boston not one, but two World Series championships after 86 years of disappointment. The Cubs history is so much worse and a much harder fix. Many bright minds have failed to deliver at Wrigley so it will be interesting to see if lightning can strike twice for Epstein. It will be even more interesting to watch how patient Cubs fans will be for Epstein to work his magic.

* In the last two years, the Rochester Knighthawks have traded away their biggest stars with the final one, Shawn Williams, heading to Edmonton this week. This comes after shipping John Grant, Jr. to Colorado prior to last season, Scott Evans to Edmonton early last season, and Shawn Evans to Calgary last month. These four were the cornerstone of the Khawks franchise for a decade winning the 2007 NLL title, but GM Curt Styres is looking to get younger and faster. While the trades may not be popular with longtime fans, these moves are meant to build the foundation for the next decade. Styres, the reigning executive of the year, has brought in two-time Defensive Player of Year Ryan Cousins, young up and comer Alex Kedoh Hill and the guy many believe will be the next indoor superstar in Johnny Powless among others. Fans will miss their heroes of the past, but Jamieson, Powless, Vitarelli, Vinc, etc are ready for the next step.

* Yet another sign college football is out of control is both Boise State and Air Force are being sought by the Big East. Both teams play two time zones away. I don't recall my geography classes in college mentioning the Rockies being anywhere near the East Coast. While getting into a BCS conference is huge for Air Force, Boise State can do much better. The Big East with the loss of Syracuse, Pitt and the defection of TCU before they even got there, clearly makes the league a basketball conference instead of a football heavyweight. Boise State would be better off working to rehabilitate the Big XII rather than hope the Big East will get them what they need.