LeBron's Big No-No

I don't know how many people caught this, but LeBron James was spotted at Jacobs Field Thursday night sporting a Yankees hat.

That's right, the Cleveland Cavaliers star was seen touting the enemy colors in Game 1 of the ALDS.

Completely and totally unacceptable.

It would be forgivable (if a bit tacky) had James grown up in the Bronx or anywhere in New York. But to show up in the city that's lent you so much support and flaunt the fact that you're rooting against them...not cool.

Most likely it was just a fashion statement gone wrong. Besides, everyone knows that if you're trying to be part of something cool just like everyone else, the Red Sox Nation is where it's at.

AP Photo

Ex-Backup Punter Sentenced to Seven Years

Mitch Cozad got one last headline, but it wasn't the kind he ever sought.

The former backup punter at Northern Colorado, the one who stabbed the starter in an attempt to take his job, has been sentenced to seven years in the slammer.

No big surprises here, though the judge could have given Cozad up to 16 years for the assault.

Afterward, Cozad's tearful fiance said, "I love him, and I'll always support him."

Not likely, unless by "support" she means coming to cheer him on at the prison yard football games. Seven years -- or even three to four, if Mitchell is on his best behavior -- is an awfully long time, and I'm guessing their letter-writing stops after two or three months.

Which One of These Three Just Doesn't Belong?

Tiger Woods. Roger Federer. Alex Rodriguez.

The most talented in their respective sports, almost without room for discussion.

Yet what separates Woods and Federer from A-Rod is their propensity to come up big when it matters most.

In fairness to A-Rod, baseball is a team sport, so his success depends on the performance of eight other individuals. But at 32 years old and without a championship to his name, A-Rod needs a championship to cement his legacy.

So let's pose the question: does A-Rod belong in the company of Woods and Federer? Is it even a fair comparison?

And What Becomes of Trevor Hoffman?

Much will be made today of the epic one-game playoff last night: the poor performance by likely Cy Young winner Jake Peavy, the 10 pitchers used by Colorado, and the clutch hitting by the Rockies in the bottom of the 13th inning.

But my question is, what will become of Trevor Hoffman?

After blowing the save in a Wild Card-clinching opportunity against the Brewers Friday, Hoffman got another chance last night. And he blew it again.

Hoffman, who owns something like a 90% save conversion rate in his career, clanked the two free throws that could have won the game. He missed the extra point. Botched the tap-in.

"It happened so fast," Hoffman said in the AP story. "I didn't get it done."

As far as I can tell, Hoffman's contract includes a club option for 2008. Two weeks ago, Padres' GM Kevin Towers wouldn't have given it a second thought. Once the pain subsides, though, San Diego needs to consider whether it's time to put Hoffman out to pasture.

The man is nearly 40, and though he's still got a great changeup, his fastball is barely enough to make the change effective. But when it's all said and done, Hoffman still has more fire and courage than most of the closers out there (I'm talking to you, Brad Lidge).

Hoffman won't walk away, not with an ending like this. And for all he's done for this franchise in the past 15 years, he shouldn't have to, not without another shot next season.

Catching up with the Guys from SportsNight

I don't know about you, but the final episode of the last season of SportsNight left me wanting something more.

Sure, their little fictional network was saved by that mysterious guy in the bar, but what happened to those guys in real life? The least they could have done is produced a real sports show to compete with SportsCenter, right?

Anyway, seven years after the show's last episode, I figured it was time to catch up with some of the guys (Felicity Huffman, who played Dana Whitaker, stars in Desperate Housewives, and Sabrina Lloyd, who played Natalie, has made a career out of bit roles in television and on the big screen).

Joshua Malina (Jeremy Goodwin) has been reeled in for a new ABC pilot called Big Shots. After a good run as the geeky numbers guy on SportsNight, followed by a four-year stint as Will Bailey on the West Wing (also created by Aaron Sorkin), Jeremy may have a little difficulty pulling off the "cool guy" role. The show airs Thursday, so we'll see.

Peter Krause (Casey McCall) is moving on to a show called Dirty Sexy Money, which appears to be ABC's attempt to push the limits of what is acceptable on network television. After SportsNight ended, Casey was nominated for multiple Emmys and Golden Globe Awards as Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under, a gig that appeared to demand all of his time. Just like SportsNight, though, all good things must come to an end; the new show airs Wednesday.

Josh Charles (Dan Rydell) was easily my favorite actor on the show, but he has had the roughest post-SportsNight career of the three listed here. He's been in a handful of movies (the most noteworthy of which is S.W.A.T.) and played a short role in the TV show Six Degrees. Now he's in a new show called In Treatment, which is set to debut on HBO in January.

It's great that these guys have work so they can put food on the table, but let's be honest. In SportsNight, you had something special, where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.