Spring Loaded

2009 has been a disaster for the Dallas Cowboys and they haven’t even taken a snap from center yet. First came the farcical. After months of planning by an army of scouts and coaches for the NFL draft, the Cowboys, with the 51st pick, couldn’t handle clock management, failing to make a selection in the allotted seven minutes. Then came the near fatal. A storm blew down the team’s tent-like practice facility, injuring a dozen people, including a scouting assistant who was left paralyzed from the waist down. Once again, harsh reality shatters the illusion of those in the fantasy world of sports that winning and losing is life and death…

What were the Cowboys doing in a fragile structure like that anyway in an area where severe storms visit frequently? If they can spend a billion dollars on a new stadium, couldn’t they pop for an additional couple of million to build a more permanent practice site? ...

Has Brett Favre come out of retirement yet? ...

Is anybody surprised Floyd Mayweather ended his retirement? It was inevitable that the man who calls himself Money would run out of the green stuff ...

Boxing retirements are generally about as permanent as today’s stock-market quote. But in the case of Oscar de La Hoya, look for it to stick. He doesn’t need the money. And he has too much pride to put on the gloves knowing he can no longer perform at a peak level ...

So Jose Canseco is going to enter the ring for a mixed martial arts match. Now there’s a retirement I can’t wait for ...

Anybody hear from Favre? ...

Saturday’s Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight proved what was already obvious. Hatton is a glorified club fighter who wouldn’t be getting blockbuster matches if he didn’t have a colorful army of fans willing to support him at the box office ...

If George Steinbrenner was still running the Yankees instead of his son, Hank, would manager Joe Girardi still have his job? Hardly. He would have been fired, and maybe hired and fired again ...

Enough already with the A-Rod soap opera. We get it. He was on steroids. Join the crowd ...

Tiger Woods is not all the way back. After his unbelievable performance in last year’s U.S. Open on one leg, it was thought that, with two good legs, he would slip easily back into his dominant role. Not quite. Not yet. Not until he gets his putter working ...

Andrew Bynum of the Lakers has also had difficulty regaining his form after a serious leg injury. But in Bynum’s case, it may take more than tinkering. Despite his bursts of brilliance, questions remain about Bynum’s heart and mind. Facing Yao Ming won’t do much for his confidence ...

Favre changed his mind yet? ...

LeBron wins the MVP. No argument here. It was his turn. But Kobe is still the best player in the game ...

The Red Sox were a lot more charming when they battling the Curse of the Bambino ...

Let’s hope the Cubs remain lovable losers ...

Are we still supposed to be waiting for Manny Ramirez to self-destruct? ...

Why the surprise that Mine That Bird, a 50-1 longshot, won the Kentucky Derby? You can talk all you want about trainers and jockeys and workouts and track conditions. Ultimately, these are HORSES. They don’t know that they are in the Derby. They don’t get the message that this is the biggest race of their lives. They aren’t clued in about how much money is at stake. They are inconsistent and unpredictable. Ask anyone who has ever plopped down two bucks or $200,000 on a nag. When they saddle up, anything can happen. They are HORSES ...

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld says it best in his routine on the sport, “I don’t think horses know they are racing ... I think [they] have some idea the jockey is in a hurry ... They must get to the end and go, `We were just here. What was the point of that? Why didn’t we just stay here and we would have been first? ...’”

Last call for Favre.