I don't want anyone to conclude that I think everyone on the UConn team is a certified NBA prize selection. They are not. Emeka Okafor is a player who ought to go first in the draft. After that, the rest of the players on that team should not listen to the people who will whisper in their ear how great they are and how they need to “go to the next level” and make some money. Ben Gordon might be seduced by his tournament statistics and his 21 points in the final game to conclude that he is a lottery pick. His numbers look gaudy but with the game outcome not in doubt, I had the opportunity to watch the game in a detached way last night. The next time Ben Gordon makes a defensive stop or stops his man from dribble penetration into the lane, you can look for Rush Limbaugh to introduce Bill Clinton as the EIB Man of the Year. Rashad Anderson is a standstill jump shooter. If you want a model for that in the NBA, check out Kyle Korver for the Sixers. If Josh Boone adds 30 pounds and most of that is in upper body musculature, he can play in the NBA; but in his current physical state he will watch most of the games from the end of a bench.

In baseball news, the Milwaukee Brewers won their opening day game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Some of you are probably asking yourselves why this is interesting because it is certainly not important. Here is why. This is the first time in two years that the Brewers have been over .500. CBSportsline.com reported that the team goal is to finish at .500 this year despite their “modest” $28M payroll and if they do that it will be the first time they will have done it since 1992.

In other baseball news, Carl Everett has landed with the Expos and evidently he will continue to be a quote machine. Everett bears a reputation as a clubhouse cancer and someone whose PR skills could be improved if he studied under Dr. Mengele but he explained all that by saying, “Jesus Christ was crucified, criticized and lied on. So what makes you think you are going to be any different? Papers couldn't sell without lies.” Folks, I have been accused of lots of things in my lifetime – and I'll plead guilty to some of them – but I have never been accused of religious intolerance. So, I have no quarrel with Everett's personal beliefs. I do think that he is drawing a long bow in comparing his lot in life with that of Jesus Christ. And what he seems not to understand is that his remarks will offend some people making his reputation all the worse.

The Indians are looking to deal Milton Bradley after repeated clashes between Bradley and management in the Indians at several levels. Why they waited until now after some of last year's antics is a bit mysterious but I guess it indicates that management there thought they might be able to build some trust and create constructive behaviors in Bradley over the winter and in spring training. Obviously that has not worked. And while we are at it, take a look at C.C. Sabathia – the young pitcher who clearly has a weight control problem and who was encouraged by Indians' management to participate in workouts and weight reduction programs over the past 18 months. I saw one spring training game involving the Indians and Sabathia looked as if he was an even money bet to be “north of 300 lbs”.

The Florida Marlins are World Series Champs but they have lost a bunch of players and they seem not to have any momentum toward getting a new stadium from the voters/city fathers. Owner Jeffrey Loria has engaged the PR battle to try to get a new playpen built for his team and has made references to the possibility of moving the team. Here's an idea, he can move them to Montreal after the Expos are sold to some other city and then the baseball owners can buy the Marlins from him and barnstorm the Marlins around Puerto Rico and Mexico seeking a new home for them too. Remember, he used to own the Expos…

About two weeks ago, ESPN Magazine carried a first person article by Alex Rodriguez that was written with/ghosted by Dan LeBatard, the talented lead columnist for the Miami Herald. Let's just say that A-Rod was less than kind in some of his remarks about the Texas Rangers and made some very self-serving statements in that article. It caused the Dallas Morning News to call him “the biggest phony in the game” and to say that the article offered “a rare peek into his true narcissistic character.” Since that article, the NY Post carried a report that Alex Rodriguez was a patron of a local strip club, which is certainly not a crime and is hardly “news you can use”.

The problem is that LeBatard responded to the NY Post article saying, “If you start reporting every time an athlete visits a strip club, you aren't going to have any room in your newspaper for the box scores.” He's probably closer to right than wrong here but his rebuttal comes off as rather self-serving given his “ghosting relationship” with Rodriguez. I understand that columnists do more than report news; they offer opinions. What needs to be clear is any relationship they may have or have had with the subject of their opinions lest they cast off the mantle of “journalist” and don the robes of “PR shill”. When James Carville and/or Mary Matalin speak on behalf of a candidate or officeholder, you know their affiliations; they don't hide them. Sports journalists can't do that either.

And returning to the news today is Martha Burk. She claims that she will announce today at a press conference a new strategy to change the all-male membership policy of Augusta National Golf Club. She says she has a new and powerful ally in this struggle. Fortunately, she has waited until the week of The Masters this year so that she can only consume a small amount of the public attention in her struggle. Once again, I offer my solution to this problem. Hootie Johnson needs to make the following statement:

Augusta National Golf Club understands the importance of gender diversity in its membership and it appreciates the dedicated effort of Martha Burk in fostering this important awareness in the club membership. Therefore, we announce today that Martha Burk is to be the inaugural female member of Augusta National Golf Club in honor of her important work toward that end. She will be inducted into membership status posthumously. Thank you for your time and attention.

Finally, here is a good line from Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Duke freshman Luol Deng was born in the Sudan, raised in London, schooled in New Jersey and speaks four languages. I'll bet he can't understand Bill Raftery either.”