So if Paul Pierce was the scapegoat of the World Championships team, who will be the scapegoat of this Olympic basketball team? Early results indicate it could be Carmelo, but he seemed like such a likeable young man at Syracuse. Then again, we haven’t seen him cope with failure yet.

I recently came across the headline “Looking for ‘Solid Presence,’ Knicks keep Baker.” I’m speechless.

Speaking of Baker, I tried convincing a friend that the NBA needs a Vin Baker rule to let owners get out of albatross deals that sink a franchise into salary cap quicksand. His response: “So you want to give owners a break because they are stupid with their money?” Hard to argue with that. Enjoy Zeke fans of New York. His legacy will live on long after he leaves.

Would it be so hard to turn the NBDL into a minor league system for the NBA? The summer leagues alone should tell us how fun it would be to watch. Darko could even make headlines for something other than piercing his ears. Can we make this happen?

Personally, its still sinking in that the Patriots are the reigning Super Bowl champs and the best team in football. Its cliché to say that as a Red Sox fan, I’m bitter. But as a die hard Celtics fan, weaned on the banner teams from the 80’s, I’ve had to sit around watching GM after GM screw up my team (the jury is still out on Mr. Danny). The feeling of complete confidence in the Captains of Patriot cruise lines is almost unnerving.

So the race is on, who will break under the pressure of the Boston media first. Ricky Davis or Corey Dillon? That is if Davis is still on the team by training camp.

Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn, Nomar, how do we run our best (and favorite) Red Sox out of town each time? Surely Pedro is next. Luckily Manny is too much of an enigma to be the next face of the Red Sox, but I’m hoping David Ortiz doesn’t get too popular, or he’s done for in Boston.

Is it just me or does Michael Phelps have the longest abdomen in the world?

I was really hoping to root for the Charlotte Bobcats. Imagine being able to create a basketball team from scratch. How fun would that be? It’s not like Bob the owner is too strapped for cash to put a decent team on the court. I can understand not paying top dollar for overpaid castoffs. However, they are starting with a roster of Corey Benjamin, Omar Cook, Melvin Ely, Jason Hart, Eddie House, Emeka Okafor, and Bernard Robinson. Does that sound like a solid foundation for the future? He’s riding the honeymoon the fans will give the team for bringing the NBA back to Charolotte. For the sake of those fans, I hope he’s not following the model Donald Sterling created.

I gotta admit, I’m excited to see the first Gibbs vs. Parcells Redskins/Cowboys game. Football needs this rivalry to be relevant again. It’s the only thing missing from the NFL today. Everything else is golden.

So Shawn Crawford raced a Giraffe and Zebra and once ran a race with a Phantom of the Opera mask. I miss the days when Michael Johnson’s shoes made headlines. At least there isn’t anywhere he can hide a Sharpie or cell phone.

Who’s legs last longer this year? LaFrentz or Googs? And is Big Al the best nickname we can come up with for Al Jefferson? Just asking.

Four reasons why I’m glad my league has the fantasy football draft as close to the season opener as possible: Correll Buckhalter, David Boston, Onterrio Smith, Anquan Bolden.

My favorite Antoine Walker quote came when he was asked why he took so many 3’s. “Because they don’t have 4’s,” he replied. In Atlanta, it will be “why did you take 40 shots this game?” “Because there’s only 45 minutes in a game.”