Even more disturbing about how far behind the feds are on performance-enhancing drugs, is the knowledge that if Balco was peddling reefer and Bonds was caught with a joint, the feds would have been all over it, would have locked him up and thrown away the key, would have trumpeted another victory in "the war on drugs."

(Of course, Blind-boy Bud would still welcome him back to baseball the minute he got sprung.)

Steroids and other so-called performance enhancers arguably present a much greater potential risk to kids than the drugs our government actually gives a damn about banning. And I'm not trying here to argue the legalization/liberalization issue, only to point out the ignorance and hypocracy of the authorities on this issue. Once again, the focus from Washington, particularly, is all fuzzy.

Tim Howe

Wauconda, IL

Can it be possible that Canadian baseball got better just by shipping the Expos out of the country a year ago?

Regarding the oft-made observation that a conference team's win in the tourney validates the conference. You disagreed. I'm with you on that. So is Clark Kellogg, who made the point repeatedly in the studio.

As to your happiness with CBS, two caveats. First, with no sister-nets to spin to, we are stuck with what the local affiliate gives us and what the network decides it cuts into. I miss the days when ESPN would telecast every single game. Admittedly, some were on tape delay in the middle of the night, but if you really wanted to see a game, or every game, you could. Second, once a game was in the can, CBS darn near forgot it ever existed. There was lots of "upcoming games" listed in the crawl at the bottom, and all the current games were updated at the top, but it was hard to get results of already-played games if you came in late.

Otherwise, your point about the coverage of the game at hand is right on.

Tim Howe

Wauconda, IL

Even better in the same interview was the Veep's response to a question regarding what some perceive as a certain fatigue factor in the administration: it reminded him of his days as chief of staff for President Ford thirty years ago, and how all administrations have "peaks and valleys." Wow. When the best you can compare yourself to is the Ford Administration (all whopping 29 months of it), perhaps you really do need a break!

Tim Howe

Wauconda, IL

One reader has already touched on the head/heart dichotomy of tournament picking/viewing. I just want to add that this is one of the absolute joys of the tourney, and something all too rare in real life: a genuine win-win! If UConn wins, I picked right and notch another W. If GMU wins, I lose the pick, but my god what a great freakin' sports moment I just saw! If you're just a gambling fan, I guess you've got a problem here, but if you're a sports fan who also happens to be in a pool . . . . Well, I'm guessing I'm not the only one often rooting against my own picks at the end of a lot of games.

Tim Howe

Wauconda, IL

Justice Scalia, for all his supposed jurisprudential "genius," obviously missed a class or two in law school. Particularly the ones involving ethics. I seem to remember once or twice a professor noting that the judge shouldn't be an advocate for anything but the unbiased application of the law to the facts. If the learned Justice wants to be an advocate for his now well known political views, he should step down from the court. Alternatively, he should shut his damn mouth. His written opinions are bad enough, we don't need to, and shouldn't, hear his pronouncements in other venues, too.

Tim Howe

Wauconda, IL