Burwell strikes. So Does Boras.

***I warned you that Bryan Burwell will play the race card at some point before, during, and probably after the Super Bowl. I'm a little surprised that it didn't come earlier than today. I don't mind sportswriters getting all uppity about race, I think its a good thing - a real good thing - for this country and for our sports. We need people, Burwell included, to bring all this to light. So most of the time I have no problem with reporters who play this card, but why does Burwell always have to go over the top with this stuff and start getting nasty. His article today on Tony Dungy can be found on stltoday.com, and for the first three quarters of it, I loved it. It was great, insightful, and fair. But I should have known...

"There are voices out there who still don't get this. You keep sending me angry e-mails telling me you see no color in Smith or Dungy or any other man, and that of course is a crock, because this is also what you say in your next breath in these "color-blind" e-mails:

"Blacks are doing well in the NFL as players because they are faster and can jump higher than white boys. The Almighty made them that way so they can outrun all the lions and tigers in the African jungles."

"I also know there are demagogues pandering to these sad people, whipping them into a pathetic, hateful froth. I understand that those vile-spewing members of the idiot fringe never will get it. But as long as these people exist and feel empowered to rip off these hate-filled missives, it reminds me that we've come a long way but still have a long way to go."

Ok, Bryan, true. But why the "vile-spewing members of the idiot fringe?" Is the phrase "pathetic, hateful froth" necessary? C'mon, aren't you being a little hypocritical? You're a sportswriter, write what you want and don't let the FEW critics make their way into your articles. This is not the public opinion section of the St. Louis Post.

***This Jeff Weaver/ Scott Boras/ Cardinals organization thing could get nasty. Boras blames it on the Cardinals, the Cardinals say Boras wasn't upfront with Weaver about their offer, Weaver says "he wants to be wanted," Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post says this:

"Remember, the Cards pulled Weaver off the scrap heap after the Angels cashiered him. The Cards patiently worked with him, helping him rebuild his mechanics -– even though he kept getting pounded on the mound.

"This team spent months rehabilitating Weaver’s career, resurrecting his market value. Then the club offered him a two-year deal with good guaranteed money and an opportunity to earn top dollar if he (gasp) stayed healthy and reasonably productive.

"The Cards offered him a rotation slot on the defending World Champions. They offered him the opportunity to continue his work with Dave Duncan and pitch in front of an outstanding defensive team.

"Tony La Russa personally assured Weaver he was wanted. He wanted to give the well-traveled Weaver an opportunity to move his career to the Next Level, as Chris Carpenter did here.

"Remember, Weaver has an 86-101 career record. He was 8-14 for the Cards and Angels last season. Since 2002, he has worked for the Tigers, Yankees, Dodgers, Angels, Cardinals and now Mariners.

"The Yankees got rid of him. The Dodgers let him walk. The Angels dumped him halfway into the season. The Dodgers did NOT want him back.The Cards took him in, cleaned him up, coaxed a couple of great weeks out of him during postseason play and gave his career second wind.So Weaver WAS welcome and wanted here."

*** A couple other quips from sportswriters across the country:

Dave Barry, Miami Herald, on Super Bowl media day: “There were also some actual sports journalists on hand; mostly they crowded around the stars of the two teams. I would say the biggest star for the Bears is linebacker Brian Urlacher, who is often described as ‘intimidating’ because he looks as though at any moment he will beat you to death with your own femur. The biggest star for the Colts is quarterback Peyton Manning, who football experts believe will eventually surpass both Dan Marino’s and Joe Montana’s records for most total career TV commercials. Manning can sell anything. He could do an ad for a feminine hygiene product, and guys all over America would be going, ‘Dang! I need that!’”

Peter Schrager, FoxSports.com: “Someone asked Bears offensive tackle John St. Clair, ‘Who would win a football game? The prisoners in The Longest Yard or the Cincinnati Bengals?’The reporter then laughed out loud at his own question. Nobody else found it funny at all. St. Clair didn’t answer.”

Jay Mariotti, Chicago Sun-Times: “So now, absurdly, it’s about racism. Given a chance to paint a remorseful self-portrait on a global stage, Tank Johnson again shamed himself, the Bears, the NFL and anyone who felt like giving him a second chance — no, fourth chance — in life. I thought he might apologize for the .44-caliber Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver, .50-caliber Desert Eagle handgun, .45-caliber handgun, .308-caliber Winchester rifle, two assault-style rifles and more than 500 rounds of ammunition found in his home within sight of his two daughters. Instead, Tank dropped the R-bomb, bringing a sickening thud to what otherwise was a festive Super Bowl media day for the Bears. A man arrested three times in 18 months believes he isn’t the problem as much as critics he views as racist.”

T.J. Simers, Los Angeles Times, failing to lament the passing of Barbaro: “Tell me the difference right now between the furry bump in the road that once was a squirrel and Barbaro today. Courage? You don’t think it takes courage to try and run across eight lanes of the I-5 only to get flattened three lanes shy? . . . Just what is the difference between a squirrel and a horse — discounting the fact you might’ve won money on the horse? . . . Like a dead deer on the side of the road, too bad for Barbaro, I guess, but how many people can name two horses other than Barbaro to die in the past year?”