I really hate Major League Baseball. The league is a tainted mess. Nothing against SB Nation's great baseball bloggers (including my boss, Blez), but the whole damn league is dead. Guys like Roger Clemens are getting named as steroid users in this report. This means the Yankee World Series championship runs Clemens pitched in are tainted and meaningless. It's just a big pile of crap.

I really hope to God the NFL isn't like this. I know they have a far better steroid detection system, and (unlike the MLB) they actually suspend steroids users, but still. It's just scary and sad how bad things are.

So I talked to BBS last night and it looks like we are going to throw a Stampede Blue tail gate on 12/23 for the Houston Texans game. BBS and I will be attending so we figured that it might be a good idea to grab a grill, some food and some beer (Mmm beer is good) and get all of us together to party down in some cold mid-west parking lot in the shadow of the new Lucas Oil Stadium. Shoe and I are going to be making some Stampede Blue T-shirts to hand out to everyone that stops by and parties with us. If you are interested sign your name here!

Oh and Shoe and I can take care of most of the supplies, including all of the food and beer, but does anyone have a small portable space heater? Last time I tailgated in December someone spilled a beer on my pants and I froze for the next few hours.

Lots doing tonight on the SB Nation Sports Report, the official podcast of... yeah, you know. And if you don't, click the shiny logo up top already. It's time for the SBNSR!

Who is on tonight?
Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Blue will stop in and talking about his once-left-for-dead-but-now-surging Cubs, Chicago fans take on Barry Bonds, and why Lou Pinella likes to get up so nice and close while yelling at the umps.

Later on, Mark Risola (aka JetFighter) from NY Landing Strip will call-in to talk NY Jets and AFC East football as part of our NFL Season Preview rolls on.

What else will we cram into an hour?
We're also talking crooked refs, more dogfighting (because we can't get enough!!!), and why we aren't watching The Bronx is Burning (hint, hint- because it stinks).

Is it BYOB?
Remember, if you are drinking at home, its a shot for everytime BigBlueShoe butchers a name, mispronounces "prospectus," or changes his mind when announcing his NFL division winner picks.

All that and more tonight at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific, on the SB Nation Sports Report at Now Live.com!

Sixteen SB Nation writers have gathered to form the first SB Nation Fantasy Football League. Shrug and I are managing the league. Tonight is our draft, which is a 17 round slug fest. Virtually everyone will get drafted, making the later rounds very interesting. Hey, we had to make it hard because the FF master, Mr. Eric Hinz of Fake Teams, is involved.

If it's hard for him, then it's a doozy.

Each draft selection is timed at 90 seconds. If no selection is made after 90 seconds, a player is autodrafted (we're using ESPN FFL). We'll all post draft updates at our respective sites as night goes on. I have the fourth overall pick. If you have a suggestion for who I should draft, I'm all ears.

Update [2006-9-5 22:28:16 by BigBlueShoe]:My first pick: Tiki Barber

On Bob Lamey's radio broadcast this week, we talked about the Friday practice (tonight) and tomorrow morning's practice, which Dungy says will feature some things no one has seen at training camp.

Photo: Indianapolis Star

Today, it rained buckets in Terre Haute. Instead of canceling practice, Dungy had the guys run their practice in the pouring rain. Contrary to popular myth, the Colts have played well in bad weather games. So, while I'm sure the pundits will say "It's about time," it really is pretty normal for Dungy to have the guys practice in harsh conditions. He balances it well with the players' health. You don't want to see anyone get hurt. That's one of the reasons players love Dungy so much.

He actually cares about their health. Some coaches, and many fans, don't really care about the player. They just want to win. Such people are nothing more than ghoulish morons, and they should be dismissed completely and utterly.

After tomorrow, training camp breaks and the Colts get ready to play the Seahawks. Speaking of the Hawks, Shrug and I will preview that Colts v. Seahawks preseason game here and at Field Gulls.

It seems this year, more than any other, that training camp has really flown by. Maybe it's because this is the first year I have ever really followed training camp this closely. Unfortunately, I was unable to actually go to Terre Haute this year. I have had some good information sent my way from some gdod people, and to them I say thanks.

We'll try and have a final report from Rose-Hulman tomorrow after camp breaks. Until then, here are some of my final thoughts on training camp:

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• Both Joseph Addai and Dom Rhodes have competed very hard and very well for the starting RB job. Rhodes will get it for week one, but Addai has won over many teammates and several coaches. He is very popular. Rhodes has stepped it up a notch and been more vocal and more of a leader. You could see it during the St. Louis pre-season game. Rhodes has a lot to prove this year, but he seems to be going about things the right way. He's also been a great mentor for Addai.

  A dark horse for some RB time is Kory Chapman. He has had an excellent training camp, and he played well in the pre-season game. I recall, last year, many Pats fans moaning that Patriots GM Scott Pioli had let Chapman go to make room for another DB in New England. The Colts picked Chapman up right away when NE released him, and the Patriots might regret that decision (like they will regret letting Adam Vinatieri go).

• Dylan Gandy will get another start at guard this weekend. Lilja has not seen the field much because of injury. I am hoping Gandy can unseat either Lilja or Scott, because I have no faith in either. Gandy might secure the job if he has a solid outing this Sunday.
• Marlin Jackson started camp looking good, but he has really dropped off since the Rams game. Jason David, who bulked up this summer, might retain his starting job. The whispers at Rose-Hulman are they should have moved Marlin to safety because current starter Mike Doss still can't cover anybody (oh, and he's hurt... again). I think he'll work out fine. If he performs well against Seattle's WR corps, that might help Marlin secure the starting job.
• Antoine Bethea will steal Mike Doss' job from him by the end of this year. He has looked amazing in camp, picking off passes left and right, and defending the ball exceptionally well. I haven't gotten any info on how he plays the run (something Doss does very well), but he is far and away better at defending the pass than Doss.
• Ben Utecht has solidified his starter status. He is the starting TE with Dallas Clark in the Colts 2 TE stretch offense. No offense to Bryan Fletcher, who is quite good, but Utecht has looked very, very good in camp. His blocking is good, and he can catch the ball well around the goal line.

I'll have a few more thoughts as I get information on the last few practices. One thing I hear, and I agree with this, is this is the deepest and most talented Colts team ever assembled in Indianapolis. Yes, even without Edge, this is the deepest team overall during the Polian era. The deepest positions are running back (yes, even without Edge), the secondary, and wide receiver. I was a little hestitant when I first looked at the receiving corps, but when Stokely, Moorehead, and Wilkins are all quality WRs. They can all step in and contribute.

We'll have the Colts/Hawks pre-season preview up soon.

Because of his excellent posts and comments on several SB Nation sites, the bosses have decided to give Skin Patrol a home at Hogs Haven, where he can blog about his beloved Washington Redskins.

Stop over there and read Skin Patrol's work. He is quite good. And for all you would be bloggers out there, let this be a lesson. If you're good, the bosses might reward you with a blog of your own. For Skin Patrol, it is very well deserved.

Welcome to SB Nation, Hogs Haven.

Colts offensive line coach Howard Mudd said this when he was asked about teams copying the Steelers gameplan against the Colts:

And Larry, I'd get your memory checked. Your offense didn't drive up and down the field all game on the Colts. The INT call back was sketchy, but so were several pass interference calls, or non-calls, that favored the Steelers all game (something that reoccurred in the Steelers' favor in the Super Bowl against Seattle).

So please, quit the crying Larry, or I might have to buy you a matching rattle and diaper.

Methinks Larry feels disrespected. Why? He has a ring. Why does he even care what some o-line coach thinks? Maybe he just needs to remove his head from his own a$$.

Update [2006-8-16 16:31:17 by BigBlueShoe]: Well, it seems many of the fine chaps at Behind the Steel Curtain disagree with my assessment. I had no idea Steelers fans actually cared what I thought.

• Injuries continue to mount. Hunter Smith pulled something and is sitting out. Mike Doss is hurt, again. Doss couldn't stay healthy if his life depended on it.
• Kelvin Hayden has been looking good. Many think he will push for the nickel corner spot.
• Marlin Jackson has not looked good at all. His bad performance in the St. Louis game had carried over into practice.
• Kory Chapman might have a place in this offense. He's looked very good these past few days, especially catching passes out of the backfield.

More updates as I get them.

Stop it! STOP IT ALREADY!

For the love of God, can we all please get a grip on things?

For the last few days, the mind-numbing highlight zombies at ESPN have been playing over and over again Reggie Bush's 44 yard run in the Saints' pre-season game against the Titans. There's a key word in that sentence that I'd like to emphasize: pre-season.

They are showing his highlights from the friggin' pre-season. Somebody give me a barf bag.

To add insult to injury, if you listened to the AOL's Sports Bloggers Live show I was on, PFT's Mike Florio talked about how folks are already laughing at Houston for not taking Bush.

Why?

Because in Mario Williams' pre-season debut he managed just one assisted tackle. Forget the fact that Williams only played 11 plays, and was switched around from DE to DT. The ESPN media idiots only want to look at selective facts to draw their conclusions:

Reggie Bush preseason debut: 59 yards on 6 carries
Mario Williams preseason debut: 1 assisted tackle

Conclusion: Reggie Bush is Jesus in cleats, and Mario Williams is the biggest bust since Ryan Leaf.

If you watched PTI Monday, Dan Le Batard, the Miami Herald writer filling in for Tony Kornheiser (who was fine on MNF by the way), said Mario Williams better get used to the comparisons this early on.

My response to this: why?

Why is anyone comparing these guys? They play two different positions. They bring different things to the tackle. How the hell can they be compared fairly now when it's only the friggin' pre-season?

Simple, they can't. And those that do compare them at this stage are just mindless TV drones spewing useless crap to fill airtime.

Mario Williams doesn't have to listen to or deal with any Reggie Bush comparisons. Apparently, I'm one of the few people that thinks Houston passing on Bush and taking Williams was a good thing. Bush could be a great player. He could be a good or even a utility player. 59 yards in a pre-season game against the friggin' Titans (who have a horrible defense) does not foretell greatness.

I've watched many Houston Texans games because they play in the same division as the Colts. Houston has never beaten Indy, but for some reason they completely own the Jaguars. In every single Texans game I've watched, the weak link for this team has always been their putrid defense. They do not have a single playmaker in their entire defensive unit, save for Williams. He is the only player worth anything on that defense. In order to win in this league, a team absolutely must have a great defense. Teams like San Diego and KC have great, electric running backs. Both sat at home last year during the playoffs. Why? They have crappy defenses.

Houston saw a chance to draft someone that has the potential to be a great defensive lineman. Remember, New Orleans was going to take Williams themselves until Bush fell in their lap. That seems to suggest Williams is a good player. He has performed well at training camp, where the learning curve is not as easy as it is for a running back. Rookie running backs can come in immediately and contribute.

They take the ball and run. Pretty simple stuff.

If they are asked to do other things (block, play special teams, catch the ball) it takes a little longer. Defensive ends take much longer to develop. Look at Freeney. He didn't start his first game until the middle of his rookie year at Philadelphia.

The bottom line here is this: media outlets like ESPN aren't bashing Houston because they drafted a bust.

They're bashing Houston because they did not take the player that will make them more marketable.

Reggie Bush in Houston would have made lots of media people lots of money. Houston is a huge market. They have a brand new stadium. It's in Texas, which is Football, USA. It was a perfect fit.

Then, those pesky Houston Texans football people passed on Bush, who supposedly lied to their owner about his problems back at USC (according to PFT), for a defensive player not nearly as "electric" as Bush.

The Texans are a team that plays in the AFC South. If you want to have any chance to compete in the South, you must have a defense. Houston made the right choice for them. They are rebuilding with defense. Defense is boring to the numbskull reporting at ESPN. So, they bash Houston. Other markets pick up this line, and they bash Houston. Houston made the right call, and I think Williams will turn into a very good DE, maybe even a great one. Time will tell, and it is both unfair and idiotic to begin making judgment about him now.

Stop it, already.    

Stokely's injured ankle may keep him out of the season opener against the NY Giants. Stokley is done for the pre-season.

Also, Vinatieri hurt his ankle in practice yesterday. He might not play in the pre-season game against Seattle. The Colts might have to re-sign Shane Andrus, who they cut a few days ago.