I’m an optimist in life, but for most there are few things in life you can really trust. I can trust that the sun will come up tomorrow, and unless you’re part of the Flat Earth Society, I can say the world is round. Some will say, you can really only trust yourself. Some will say they trust in God.

But, there are some things I’m not going to trust others to. I’m not going to let some random person off the street check my parachute before I go skydiving or let a high schooler conduct surgery on me. Common sense, right?

And, if I work in a union, I’m not going to accept, “Just trust us,” when it comes to negotiating my pay.

I am neither a union member or NFL player, but you can understand what they’re asking for in terms of their labor situation, which is the status quo, and if you want to ask us for a pay cut, please open your books. For me to report on the league’s position – that they are seeing declines in cash flow – it’s irresponsible to accept “the economic realities show we’re hurting” without, well… more than that.

I have always prided myself on objectivity. In working with several sports leagues, most closely with Major League Baseball, they would agree with that assessment. So, it’s an odd feeling to look into the numbers that are available on the NFL’s economics without the league doing anything more than stonewall the media, fans, and players on why they are willing to possibly lockout the players after March 3 while working from the position of, “it’s none of your business.”

So, when my Forbes SportsMoney piece Numbers Show NFL’s ‘Economic Realities’ for Lockout Unwarranted started making the rounds with the league’s players, there was a bit of discomfort in it. They’ve trumped it as part of their rallying cry.

For those that haven’t read the article, it is done in an FAQ format, going over the issues in the labor battle between NFL and the NFLA. When going over it, one might say that about 90 percent of the data shows that owners’ position for a lockout is, as the article says, “unwarranted.”

But, the larger issue, and the one I was truly trying to make was, you can’t take a $9 billion industry that saw revenues grow in the worst economy since the Great Depression; one that pulls in over $4 billion in TV revenues; had the highest viewed season in television history, and is over the verge of inking an extension with ESPN for Monday Night Football to the tune of nearly $2 billion annually for the rights to air one game a week and say you are hurting… “Trust us.” The real point of the article is, “prove it.”

This isn’t rocket science. The league shouldn’t act like you’re from outer space for saying, “Huh?” At its most basic level, by working from a “it’s none of your business” position, it makes it look like you have something to hide. If you want to be seen as credible, give me the evidence.

Since “Unwarranted” I have gone to the next best information available, Forbes’ NFL franchise valuations, and poured over them. I collected, queried, and examined the data back to 2004. That was then published in Instead Of Player Pay Cuts, NFL Needs More Revenue Sharing and More Numbers Show Labor Issue in NFL Far From Cut and Dry.

I want to take the NFL serious. I’m addicted to telling both sides to the story. So, to the NFL, I’ll say it again, “You’re just going to have to do better… trust me.”

Regardless of whether you think drug policies in sports work (personally, I find them window dressing if you want to know the truth), the battle that has come out of the “StarCaps” case is setting up an interesting take on whether State law can override league drug policies.

The cribs notes version is this:

The NFL tried to suspend Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings, as well as Saints’ Charles Grant and Will Smith and former Saint Deuce McAllister for four games after coming up positive for Bumetanide. For those that don’t follow the PED subculture (and can I really blame you for not), the substance is a diuretic that is often times used to mask steroids. The Bumetanide is within a product called StarCaps, and it’s here that things get interesting.

You’ll noticed I said the NFL”tried” to suspend the players, but the players (and the NFLPA) are saying that they were unaware that StarCaps had banned substances within them, and used Minnesota State law to get the suspensions overturned saying that the NFL didn’t inform them.

Stay with me here…

Today, Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith on the NFL/NFLPA side of things, were joined by Rob Manfred and Michael Weiner on the MLB/MLBPA side. Throw in a dose of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), and you have one big “stay out of our drug policy” party.

“If these rulings prevail, they could wreak havoc with policies designed to curb performance-enhancing drug use in professional sports,” Rep. Henry Waxman, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said at a subcommittee hearing. “In fact, if the rulings are taken to their logical conclusion, players on one team could be allowed to use drugs that would subject players on another team to suspensions and fines.”

“In short,” he added, “these new legal interpretations could render the NFL and Major League Baseball drug testing programs unenforceable, loophole-ridden, and unacceptably weak and ineffective.”

[SNIP]

“One thing is clear: we should not allow the drug policies that the NFL, Major League Baseball, and other sports leagues have put in place to be rendered null and void. That is an invitation to steroid abuse in professional sports. And it will inevitably lead to more steroid use on high school football fields and baseball diamonds.”

Well, Waxman forgot to add that it’s the salaries that the players are making that is a large part of the temptation for players to use PEDs. And, as I’ll get to in a later column on The Biz of Football, if you believe the notion that the drug policies in the NFL, MLB, and others sports leagues are designed as some barrier to prevent players from cheating, I’ll give you something to consider: “off-season testing”. Look up the NFL or MLB policy, and then watch players as their seasons begin. “Maintaining” a Juiced up physique is a lot easier than you think.

I’ve been doing interviews with those in sports business for a while now… Fay Vincent… Bob Costas… Marvin Miller… Kevin Pritchard… Each one has been fascinating in one way or another. But recently, I’ve bumped into the chance to interview a couple of individuals of celebrity status, and it’s been, well… fun.

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed chef, restaurateur, and TV personality Emeril Lagasse in Las Vegas for the opening of his “Lagasse Stadium” space at The Palazzo, and today it’s actress, sports fan, and fashionista, Alyssa Milano.

Three years ago, Milano approached MLB Properties about marketing a clothing line that would look as good in a boutique as it would at the merchandise stand at the ballpark. The results has spawned not only a revolution in clothing for women to wear to the ballpark, but the business model has been so successful that it is now available for the NFL, NBA, NHL, and NCAA. As Greg Sim, MLB Properties’ director of licensing, apparel and headwear said at the time Touch by Alyssa Milano was launched, it taps “a part of the market we haven’t touched yet, putting a high-end product on the casual and younger fans who are more fashion conscious.”

One of the most notable comments… When I asked if she might wish to own a sports franchise, she answered, “I would love to buy into a Triple-A baseball team.”

Some key quotes:

• On how the idea for Touch came about – “I figured if just 30% of these women were insulted by the pink gear (like I was) but wore it anyway because it was the only way MLB was addressing female fans, the market was there for a well made, fashionable, flattering, fan apparel line.”
• On reaching a deal with MLB Properties – “Ultimately, I don’t think they gave me the licensing because of the concept of the clothing line. I think they gave me the licensing because they could tell I was a real fan and that I could represent female fans in a passionate, intelligent way.”
• On her attention to detail – I’m involved with every aspect of the line for the simple reason that I’m the one sitting in the stands, spanning all leagues, for over 80 games a year. I don’t think a designer sitting in an office can adequately design for a sports fan if they aren’t actually attending sporting events.
• On being a female presence in the predominantly male world of sports – “I don’t even think about it that way. My intention is simply to give women a voice in sports. And I try to use whatever opportunity I’m given.”

On interviews…

The interview with Milano isn’t the only one in the hopper. We’re in the midst of transcribing an interview with MLB Network’s Victor Rojas. And, not content with that, look for an exhaustive interview with former BALCO head, Victor Conte.

Other The Biz of Baseball content includes:

• MLB ANALYST STEVE PHILLIPS FIRED BY ESPN
• THE POLITICS OF SPRING TRAINING: A GOOD INVESTMENT?
• “Experienced” Umpires for World Series Simply Window Dressing
• Welcome Bacta: Indians Name Manny Acta New Manager
• Report: Mark McGwire the New Hitting Coach for the Cardinals

But, it’s not just baseball we’re covering.

Today sees a fantastic article/interview on The Biz of Basketball by Business of Sports Network staffer Matthew Coller with Brian Byrnes on the building of the Oklahoma City Thunder brand.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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“BIZ” SITES GO SOCIAL NETWORKING WITH TWITTER

SITES ADD ABILITY TO POST TO TWITTER DIRECTLY, EACH SITE NOW HAS TWITTER ACCOUNT

The Business of Sports Network announced today that has made “going social” part of each of their award winning sites in two dynamic ways that will get you more info, more often by adding Twitter to all of the sites within the Network’s family, including The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Basketball, The Biz of Football, and The Biz of Hockey. The additions mean breaking news and information will be available to those using the popular social networking location.

“Social networking is not just a fad, it has become a powerful tool for sports information as leagues, those that report on sports in the media, and professional athletes continue to break news via Twitter, “said Maury Brown, founder and president of the Business of Sports Network. “The addition of Twitter to the Business of Sports Network family of sites is something we are excited about as we look to continue to offer new ways of giving our readers the best information on the business of sports.”

Each Biz Site Now on Twitter
Getting even more great content from the Business of Sports Network now comes through individual accounts for each site on the popular social networking application, Twitter. Get breaking news, information from those that we follow. Follow the Business of Sports Network sites through the following locations:

The Biz of Baseball on Twitter

The Biz of Basketball on Twitter

The Biz of Football on Twitter

The Biz of Hockey on Twitter

Post to Twitter Directly from the Biz Sites
Looking to make each of the Business of Sports Network sites even more interactive, you can now post directly to Twitter from each of the “Biz” sites on any page, anytime. Each of the sites now comes with Tweetboard functionality that allows you to login to your account, and post by clicking on a tab provided across each page of the sites, expanding the Twitter interface.

Look for updates 24/7/365 from the staff at the Business of Sports Network to the Twitter accounts, as well as updates from Maury Brown, founder and president of the Business of Sports Network.

ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK:
The Business of Sports Network is a series of resources dedicated to sports news outside the lines. The network includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball, The Biz of Hockey, and our portal, the Business of Sports Network. The focus of BSN is on providing coverage of breaking news events in sports as it happens, provide expert analysis, provide interviews with those that work in sports business, and provide data and documents to allow readers to see deep into the issues and news confronting sports today.

All the sites across the Business of Sports Network provide the following:

• Reporting on news, as it happens, at the major, minor, and collegiate levels.
• Provide interviews with sports executives, or those in the media that cover sports.
• Data and documents
• Thought provoking original articles and commentary from the staff at the Business of Sports Network

–30–

(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)

• Press Release: The Biz of Baseball, Other Business of Sports Network Sites, Upgrades with Twitter Access
• Rockford RiverHawks To Join The Northern League in 2010
• David Ortiz Addresses Media, Red Sox Issues Statement in Support
• MLB Releases Statement Regarding 2003 Drug Test
• Prior to Ortiz Press Conference, MLBPA Releases Statement Regarding 2003 Drug Test
• Astros Minor Leaguer Einertson Suspended 50 Games for “Drug of Abuse”
• The Significance of Michael Weiner at the Ortiz Press Conference
• With 10 Days to Go, “Signing Strasburg” Watching Kicks Into High Gear

(THE BIZ OF BASKETBALL)

• Press Release: The Biz of Basketball Upgrades with Twitter Access
• Nike Introduces Nike Air Max LeBron VII
• Magic’s Rashard Lewis Suspended 10 Games For PEDs
• Complete 2009-10 NBA Broadcast Schedule for ABC and ESPN Released

(THE BIZ OF FOOTBALL)

• Press Release: The Biz of Football Upgrades with Twitter Access
• Roddy White Ends Holdout
• UFL Releases “Premiere” Season Schedule
• Eli Manning’s Extension with Giants Makes Him One of NFL’s Highest Paid Players Annually
• United Football League Signs 19 Players to New York Roster

(THE BIZ OF HOCKEY)

• Press Release: The Biz of Hockey Upgrades with Twitter Access
• Coyotes Update: NHL Board of Governors Approve Reinsdorf Bid, Deny Balsillie
• Sergei Fedorov Files $60 Million lawsuit Against Wealth Manager
• The NHL and NBC Extend Revenue-Sharing Partnership Through 2010-11 Season
• Hudler Update: NHL Deputy Commissioner Argues that Hudler is Still Red Wing Property

When it comes to running content day in and day out on sports, the biggest challenge is finding information, doing your analysis, and getting the piece(s) published in a timely manner.

As most anyone will tell you, information is power, and in authoring content across the Business of Sports Network of sites, as well as freelancing, the biggest challenge is that first part: finding solid information.

That used to be done in one exersise each and every day — the trudging through approx. 100 bookmarks, and doing a hefty bit of search engine work.

But, recently, I have added the social networking tool Twitter to the arsenal, and have found it an invaluable tool.

The thing is, I got more than that.

I’m a social creature in an often times, non-social world. Having your eyes and hands strapped to a laptop for long periods can wear one out. Twitter allows one to get info, and do a bit of social dabbling. For me, that involves my interests in music (been playing guitar for what seems like forever now), and autism awareness due to my son Travis. Twitter bridges that gap.

If you are interested in what’s happening with me on Twitter, take a peak at the widget below as it updates in realtime.

OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK

• MLB.com Taps Twitter for Tuesday’s MLB Draft – The Biz of Baseball
• Rangers Exercise Contract Option to Retain Manager Ron Washington for ‘10 Season – The Biz of Baseball
• Naming Rights for New College World Series Stadium Sold to TD Ameritrade – The Biz of Baseball
• LWIB: Gearing-Up for the Rule 4 Draft, Brodsky vs. Yankees, Latin Player Market – The Biz of Baseball
• Free Parking at Dodger Stadium for June 16-18 Series with Athletics – The Biz of Baseball
• Yankees to Become First Club to Stream Games Online in Home Market – The Biz of Baseball
• CanAm League’s U.S. Military All-Stars To Be Run By Dan Duquette – The Biz of Baseball
• Uniform Advertisement Just Around the Corner for Baseball – The Biz of Baseball
• Former Cleveland Indians Owner Dick Jacobs Passes Away at the Age of 84 – The Biz of Baseball
• Rain + Losing = Poor Attendance for Johnson’s 300th Win – The Biz of Baseball
• PeTA Announces Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks – The Biz of Baseball
• Los Angeles, Staples Center Awarded 2011 NBA All-Star Game – The Biz of Basketball
• 2009 NBA Playoffs Are Highest Rated, Most Watched Ever for ESPN – The Biz of Basketball
• TNT Sees Most Watched NBA Playoffs in Turner’s 25-Year History of Televising the NBA – The Biz of Basketball
• An Interview with David Kahn, President of Basketball Operations, Minnesota Timberwolves – The Biz of Basketball
• With Portion of Cavs Being Sold to Chinese Investors. LeBron Should Remain in Cleveland – The Biz of Basketball
• NHL, NBC On Verge of 2-Year Broadcast Extension – The Biz of Hockey
• NHL Network, Comcast Reach Long-Term Agreement for Carriage – The Biz of Hockey
• Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals Averages 5.33 million Viewers – The Biz of Hockey
• Jim Balsillie Unveils Plans to Renovate Copps Coliseum – The Biz of Hockey
• Relocation Hearing for Phoenix Coyotes Moved Up to June 9 – The Biz of Hockey
• U.S. Senators Send Letter to Bettman in Opposition to Coyotes Relocation to Hamilton – The Biz of Hockey
• NHL, Coyotes Told to Head to Mediation by Judge. Ruling on Relocation Not Made – The Biz of Hockey
• Coyotes Documents Update: MLB, NBA, NFL Support NHL – The Biz of Hockey
• Bill Mayer Announced as Newest Investor in UFL’s New York Franchise – The Biz of Football
• Safety Adrian Wilson and Tackle Joe Staley Land Extensions – The Biz of Football
• Bills Execs Deny Interest In New Stadium to Replace Ralph Wilson Stadium – The Biz of Football
• Agreement Reached on Stadium Terms for 49ers in Santa Clara – The Biz of Football
• United Football League Announces Coaching Assignments – The Biz of Football

Major League Soccer must feel that there’s something in the water in the Pacific Northwest. Today will see Sounders FC make their debut in Seattle as they host the Red Bulls at Qwest Field with more than 32,000 fans expected. The game will come on the heels of Vancouver, BC being awarded one of two expansion franchises for the 2011 season, and Portland being awarded the second and final expansion club tomorrow at a 10a.m. PT press conference in what is lovingly referred to as Soccer City, USA (credit Timber fans at SoccerCityUSA.com for breaking the story). Heck, the Timbers already have MLS ticket sale info online for 2011. (NOTE: The Timbers have since pulled the info, SoccerCityUSA.com posted the details here before being yanked)

With the Sounders, and eventually Vancouver (Whitecaps), and Portland (Timbers) coming into the league, it sets up a perfect “I-5 rivalry”, and certainly taps into the grassroots fan base that has been building in the region for years for soccer. There are funding issues to deal with on Portland’s end, but if they pull it off (which they should given the award tomorrow), Commissioner Garber should be given a thumbs-up for tapping into the region.

The question now is, where will teams 19 and 20 play? Garber made mention at yesterday’s press conference that the league will (once again) be expanding by two clubs. Too fast? Maybe. Maybe, not. The one certain factor is that with all the expansion fees rolling into the league, MLS will have some extra green to offset the impacts of the recession.

In other sports business news…

The Miami City Commission voted 3-2 today in favor of a $639 million package to fund a new ballpark for the team that would be named the Miami Marlins after the Marlins made several concessions in an effort to get the funding passed. If Miami-Dade County Commissioners vote in favor of the funding package, the Marlins will have finally landed the long sought after baseball-only stadium that three separate Marlins ownership groups have been pining for for more than a decade..

Seems the completed sale of the Cubs won’t be occurring by the beginning of the 2009 MLB season. “I think it will be a challenge to make opening day. If I were to tell you we were going to make opening day, everything would have to fall into place just perfectly, and the world’s an imperfect place, so I would say that’s probably unlikely,” said Cubs chairman Crane Kenney from Mesa yesterday.

And there was much dancing in the streets… Gameday Audio is coming to MLB.com’s At Bat application for iPhone.

The NFL player reps are smart to have gone with an outsider to replace Gene Upshaw.

President Obama gets ready for March Madness by filling out a bracket for ESPN.

This just in, working for Lenny Dyskstra is the new Hell’s Kitchen.

This just in, A-Rod needs to work on his image.

In the cha-ching department, I’ve come up with a new metric designed to calculate the average amount a club that hosts a postseason game in MLB pulls in.

While US fans snore through the event, for the most part, the rest of the world is making the World Baseball Classic an attendance and ratings hit.

It is about the money, stupid, has an excellent interview with Jeff Pearlman, author of The Rocket Who Fell to Earth.

Here’s what 10 years worth of end of year payroll looks like for Major League Baseball. Surprise, the Yankees outspent all comers.

The NHL really has its act together when it comes to digital media as witnessed by this.

In other NHL news, the players could ostensibly be working the last 12-13 games of the season unpaid.

And finally, “That was a wicked googlie!” Manny Ramirez tries Cricket as part of a promo for DirecTV.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

Today turns into tonight before I can get to the personal blog. Hey, you have to have some time to research articles, right?

The focus early on Thursday centered around how sports marketing it taking a licking due to the economy, especially those banking giants that are set to receive TARP money from the federal government to bail them out.

Business of Sports Network staff writer Pete Toms does an extensive (and I mean extensive) article entitled Sports Marketing is the Recession’s New Whipping Boy, while over at the Business of Sports Network, I add some Nielsen Media Research data on how banks are spending TV ad budgets on sports. Found that to be really surprising, so take a peak at the link.

The other thing that I hit on today was the Manny Ramirez contract. Maybe it was the constant onslaught of coverage, but when the whole deal started to hinge on the amount of money being deferred, a couple of teeth got knocked off my sprocket. I go into why there’s some level of insanity in the Dodgers of all teams deferring salary and placing Manny’s salary on the books well after he’ll be out of Dodger Blue. I provide a table from Forbes showing the revenues the Dodgers have pulled in and their overall valuation ranking over the last five years. Let’s just say the number “4″ is popular. Here’s a whole bunch of stats on Man-Ram.

In other news…

Will Manny get his asking price for his condo?

The New York Jets are asking some employees to take two-weeks of unpaid leave in lieu of job cuts.

Liberty Sports Group today announced that the company has transitioned its three regional sports networks to broadcast full-time in high definition. That includes FSN Northwest, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Rocky Mountain (and sub-region FSN Utah).

The Nationals are offering up more tickets to the Elton John, Billy Joel concert at Nationals Park due to a computer glitch when tickets initially went on sale.

The NHL really had the trade deadline covered from all angles.

Some guy named A-Rod had puss drained today.

T.O. is now officially unemployed.

Sad news for baseball fans as Jon Weisman reports that Diamond Leung has been laid-off by the Press-Enterprise.

Getting a home for the Masters Tournament has gotten cheaper due to the economy.

And finally, former New York Times baseball reporting icon Murray Chass appears to have gone complete off the deep end regarding Mike Piazza and his (wretch) back acne.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

This morning, we’re reporting on the Business of Sports Network about MLS expansion as part of our continued “Focus On” series. But after publication, word arrived late last night through someone connected to MLS that with Miami dropping out of the running for one of the two expansion franchises, Portland and Vancouver, B.C. would be given conditional award for the next two expansion franchises in MLS.

What does that mean?

As someone that lives in Portland, and worked directly within the MLB to Portland effort, it can mean much. It can also place the actual award just out of fingers reach.

The term “conditional award” came into vogue during the early 2000s when MLB was looking to relocate the Montreal Expos. The phrase is fairly straight forward. A franchise is awarded a city, based on the condition that a stadium meeting league parameters is provided.

As I mentioned, this can give a considerable amount of leverage to sports boosters and the city advocates looking to land a team. It allows the targeted city the ability to more easily pass funding measures needed to build from scratch, or renovate facilities to meet league conditions.

I also mentioned that it can place a franchise just within reach. In this economy, focusing on public funding of stadia development is exceptionally difficult. Even with a conditional award, the political capital needed to pass funding can be daunting, even if there are clear attempts to safeguard the host municipality from picking up the tab, should something go badly (league folding, targeted revenue streams to pay back bonds below threshold, etc).

Stay tuned to see what happens over the next two weeks as MLS gets closer to announcing the winning cities.

In other news…

Thank goodness, it’s nearly over. Manny Ramirez and Dodgers have agreed on parameters for a two-year, $45 million contract.

It seemed somewhat humorous at the time, but now ends tragically. A minor league player traded for bats has tragically died of a drug overdose.

In more tragic news, the Coast Guard has suspended the search for Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free agent Corey Smith, whose boat capsized off the coast of Florida.

Business of Sports Network staffer Devon Deeple files this organizational report on “The Evil Empire”.

The NHL trade deadline is at 3:00pm ET today, and when all is said and done, should have the fingerprints of the recession all over it.

Tune in today to MLB Network at 5pm ET and witness Ken Griffey, Jr.’s return to the Seattle Mariners.

The Detroit Tigers have extended their working agreement with the Triple-A Toledo Mudhens.

Helio Castroneves tax-evasion trial enters Day Two.

Chris Paul is unveiling a new Jordan Brand shoe for Nike in New Orleans.

Curt Warner is asking the Cardinals for a two-year, $23 million deal.

Matt Vasgersian of MLB Network lets the F-Bomb fly during rehearsal.

This isn’t good. Radium has been found in some ballfields at Great Kills Park on Staten Island.

Mark Cuban is laying down the law with the Mavericks.

‘Duk at Big League Stew reminds us just how over-inflated tickets to New Yankee Stadium will be.

And finally, John Rowady, the president of rEvolution files this guest article on The Biz of Baseball in which he makes the case that companies that have lucrative sponsorship deals with sports franchises, and are receiving federal TARP monies can make the case that it is still a good investment, even in the recession.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

You have to hand it to the Washington Nationals. The departure of general manager Jim Bowden had all the earmarks of a professional political party ouster. For the past week, it’s been a matter of when “Trader Jim” would be shown the door, not if. For starters, the Nationals had Bowden announce his resignation on a Sunday morning, the slowest media day of the week. Add in that Bowden resigned, as opposed to a firing, and his resignation statement, and it all added up to an event that was in the works for some time.

As for that resignation statement, Bowden’s was one of the longest and scripted departures in recent MLB memory. As “Snowboy” at Baseball Think Factory said:

He can’t run a baseball team, but he can sure craft a resignation letter.

It reminded me of Nixon’s “last press conference” in 1962, where he declared “you won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”

I played “Adagio for strings” whilst reading it.

Funny stuff.

In very serious news, National Football League players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper were among four people sought by the U.S. Coast Guard in Florida after their fishing boat failed to return from a trip in the Gulf of Mexico.

Alex Rodriguez met with MLB investigators and MLB’s Labor Relations Department, for two hours. I’m sure it was all warm and fuzzy.

Joe Nathan is the next WBC causality.

By the way, in case you didn’t know, the Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, and Scott Boras have an interesting love triangle going on these days. Now, Ramirez is ready to (gasps for air) accept a modified version of the fourth offer that was rejected that made Frank McCourt issue a snarky press release (whew).

The NBA will no longer let Dwayne Wade wear Band-Aids as a fashion statement.

The NFL “silly season” is in high gear as witnessed by Colin Cole, Colin Cole, Michael Clayton, Jon Kitna, Brian Dawkins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Takeo Spikes, Lito Sheppard, Rocky Bernard, and Antonio Smith.

The Leader of the Free World sips beers at the Wizards game.

Johan Santana finds out you can’t beat Mother Nature.

New research shows that elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction prior to selection in the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft does not increase the risk of future injury or affect the rate of professional advancement.

Can’t get enough of MLB salary arbitration? Here’s a focus on the process.

I’m still floored at how much the ratings for the tournaments that Tiger Woods missed due to injury dropped from the year prior. Half of the 16 televised tourneys he missed had ratings below 50 percent from the year prior with the Saturday round of the PGA Championship down an incredible 78 percent.

Finally, the Business of Sports Network has been updated with links to all of the 51 (and counting) interviews we have conducted.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

When I created BizofBaseball.com a few years back, the idea was simply to take off in as many directions I could see fit after doing BusinessofBaseball.com, the Business of Baseball committee website for SABR. Now, what was a small move has turned into what I call the Winchester Mystery House of sports business websites: BizofBasketball.com, BizofFootball.com, and BizofHockey.com.

Oh, and BusinessofSportsNetwork.com, the portal for all four online resources. Today marks the beginning of the next phase for the Business of Sports Network, as the portal  has now become the catch-all for sports outside the lines that doesn’t fall under baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. We hope you’ll visit.

Enough of that, here’s what Saturday offers:

Tiger Woods came back to the PGA Tour this week, which must have breathed a sigh of relief for the PGA, but mostly NBC and the Golf Channel. Don’t believe me? See the ratings while Tiger was away injured.

Rich Lederer of the excellent The Baseball Analysts asked if I had end of year salary information for the past few years. That got me to publishing 2002-2008′s final salary figures… well, sort of. I’m missing 2004. Just waiting for a fantastic national baseball reporter to get back from vacation to see if I can fill in the gap.

Business of Sports Network staffer Jordan Kobritz says the case against Barry Bonds long ago passed the demarcation line between  prosecution and persecution.

The World Baseball Classic is seeing players drop like flies due to injury. The latest sees Grady Sizemore having groin problems, which opens the door for Shane Victorino.

Following the news earlier this week that the White Sox will be streaming Spring Training games for free, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced Friday that the club will provide live video streams of 11 Spring Training games exclusively on dodgers.com.

Bill Gilbert, who has worked on the preparation of arbitration cases for 17 years, files this wrap-up of this year’s salary arbitration class.

It’s another day of Spring Training, which means just one more day of the saga between Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Johan Santana is injured, and it appears, it may be more serious than had been initially reported.

The guy goes under the moniker Joliet Jake, and has been known to be a bit paranoid from time to time over at the Bucco Blog, but the notion of micro-payments for sports content may not be as “Oliver Stone” as one thinks.

Peter O’Malley thinks that MLB can’t ignore the steroid issue, but the money quote has more to deal with Scott Boras. “I remember when we had to sign Fernando [Valenzuela],” O’Malley says. “You think Scott Boras is tough. You should have dealt with Dick Moss. I remember our approach: firm, but fair. And it worked.” For anyone that has had the pleasure of talking with Dick Moss, it’s an unbelievable ride into the history of the MLBPA and one of the first “super agents.”

Forget about the International Softball Federation buddying up with International Baseball Federation in an effort to bring baseball back for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Bay Bridge Baseball goes after Fangraph’s Dave Cameron, and in the process, seems to have not read what Cameron had to say (or for that matter, what Rob Neyer said) about the Rocky Mountain News folding.

NFL free agency is in high gear. Ask Haynesworth, Winslow. Also, Matt Cassel is involved in a trade-and-sign.

Baseball Prospectus has updated PECOTA

Will Carroll asks, “On the Mend?”

Finally, who is this guy at the Wizards game last night?

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.