Now that Red Sox Nation (let's put an end to that title, by the way) has got their title, will sports as we know it implode like the House of Usher?

On a side note, why is championship gear so ugly?

And, of course, Boston's title run wouldn't have been possible if Seattle didn't trade Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek for Heathcliff $@#%ing Slocumb at a deadline deal in 1997. Nice job Mariners. It's seven years later and you're still picking up the pieces.

Music rant. Do people actually lean back in the club when Fat Joe is playing? I think seeing hundreds of people synchronously dip their shoulders might kill me with laughter.

Ken Caminiti. Sorry, but I don?t feel sorry for the guy. There's an intriguing binary regarding Caminiti's life. He was a great player... that used steroids. Ken was a contributor to the community... that was addicted to illegal drugs. Ultimately, the story comes across as discouraging more than tragic. The deaths of Roberto Clemente , Payne Stewart, Darryl Kile and Pat Tillman were tragic. Allegedly ODing in the South Bronx doesn't strike me as tragic. Maybe I'm just too cynical.

Music rant redux. Nepotism is getting out of hand: Ashlee Simpson is plastered on TV screens and magazine covers, obviously taking gratuitous advantage of the family name. Clearly she is riding the coattails of her more glamorous, media-savvy sister. Seriously, could her looks and voice carry her by themselves? Ashlee couldn't even pull off the "Girl you know it's ? Girl you know it's ? Girl you know it's" routine on "Saturday Night Live." And let us not discuss the debacle that is Partridge Family 2004. Are they simultaneously the "Behind the Music" episode that will inevitably air? At least the nepotism in sports is warranted: the Williams sisters are two of the best tennis players ever, Tiki and Ronde Barber are playing spectacularly for their teams, the New Your Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even NFL guru John Clayton dominates Sean Salisbury on SportsCenter segments while his twin brother (sans the glasses) decimates the competition on Jeopardy!.

"Daily Quickie." How ESPN.com can get away with this is beyond me? They do it and are regarded as the worldwide leaders in sports. I do it and? well, never mind.

Assuming that the NHL is history (and unless some teams fold it isn?t lasting), I?m going to miss hockey. I wasn?t a diehard fan or anything, but life was better with it than without. That?s not even considering the Stanley Cup playoffs. Maybe I?m one of the few who will miss Gary Thorne?s brilliant play-calling. Sure he?s great at announcing baseball, but the frenetic pace (Lord forbid icing or two-line passes) of hockey is where his voice belongs.

De La Hoya vs. Hopkins is in the past. Roy Jones may never fight Ivan Drago clone Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title. Tyson hasn?t been Tyson as of late (cross your fingers). Boxing?s in a bit of stupor to say the least. Thank goodness Burger King is staging a fight between two gigantic, masked chickens. As Bill Simmons would say, "Read that last sentence again." http://www.chickenfight.com/ ? I wish I were kidding. But if you have DirecTV, there's no excuse not to watch on November 5, 2004..