Breath of Fresh Air..

Hold outs.....Plaxico Burress......player's union on strike.....Pac Man Jones.....charging for autographs.....Pete Rose...... contract renegotiations......games that end far past my bedtime....Barry Bonds.......HGH.....Roger Clemons...personal seat licenses....Milton Bradley...guaranteed contracts....rich NFL owners that won't give even meager benefits to struggling older Hall of Fame players....lock outs....Sammy Sosa.......opposing players having a friendly chat and patting each other on the rump both pre game and at halftime....John Calipari...it goes on and on and on.

Sports has become a soap opera. The big money has clouded everyone's judgement. If I can't stay up late enough to watch a World Series game, how can I expect my kids to follow baseball with the same passion that I developed as a kid?

NCAA basketball coaches go from program to program getting richer and richer leaving a wake of recruiting violations for their former school and ex-players to deal with.

Have you watched an NFL game lately? There are so many commercials, it wouldn't surprise me if in a cost cutting move the teams did away with oxygen tanks on the sideline. There is no need when you have a 3 minute break every 6 plays.

$100 a ticket for Flyers games? In this economy?? How are the blue collar Dad and Mom supposed to take their two sons to a game and spend this kind of money? Let's see...$400 for tickets...$20 to park....$80 for hot dogs, beers, sodas, and souveniers. $500 for a night out? Outrageous!

NBA players that have 100 million dollar deals and complain that their teammate has a 110 million dollar deal. The union refuses to test for marijuana. Come on...I'll bet you there is more hash in an NBA hotel than Dinty Moore.

Having said all that, two things happened last week that gave me hope. Small signs for sure, but it's something for a sports lover to cling to:

The Detroit Lions won their first game this year after going 0-16 the previous season. After the game and the post game prayer, the players filed out of the locker room and shook hands with the loyal fans that remained in the stadium and have supported them through this ordeal. Finally, a touch of class.

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their third consecutive NL East crown last week. After the usual champagne celebration in the locker room, the players went back on the field to spray bubbly on and touch the sign honoring the late Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas who died unexpectedly earlier this season.

Two signs that maybe some small shreds of sanity and humanity are creeping back into sports. It's about time, wouldn't you say?