It's going to be hard to believe any athlete going forward about anything. When so many have lied about their bad behavior, cheating or other malfeasance we are almost to the point of throwing up our hands and just taking it for granted that like politicians, athletes only lie when their lips are moving. Lance Armstrong is only the latest example. But whether its Marion Jones, Barry Bonds,  Brett Favre, Tiger Woods, or any of the dozens of others...its not hard to understand why reporters who cover sports can become jaded about the people they have to write and talk about every day. I stopped viewing athletes as heroes a long time ago. They perform for us at a high level and I can enjoy their performance...but realize that in many cases, that concentated effort to become excellent at one particular skill...means their personality is flawed in so many other ways. Drugs, Sex, domestic abuse, murder, alcohol,reckless use of firearms & cars,...these are not problems that are limited to the world of sports...but are magnified on the front pages and talk shows every day. It may be a jaded way of looking at things...but every time an athlete denys something he's accused of doing...just understand he or she is lying...it's easier that way.

It's too bad in that circumstance that innocent people get caught up in the lying. We talked about Craig Biggio before. He didnt get into the Baseball Hall Of Fame because some of the voters lumped everybody from the Steroid Era together. It's not fair but its the reality we are left with.

The Badger men's basketball team will try to build on solid win over Illinois when they travel to Bloomington tonight to take on Tom Crean's Indiana Hoosiers. Wisconsin is 3-0 but will be sorely tested tonight. You can hear the game on WSAU.

The Bucks play in LA tonight against the struggling Lakers. It's one of three west coast games this week. They also play in Phoenix and Portland..

A good friend of mine suffered an unspeakable tragedy this week. Pam Gessert and I were schoolmates from Kindergarten thru college. She's a teacher in Racine and with her husband Karl Dresen have raised three boys. Two went into the military and one is a Milwaukee police officer. She was a very proud mama who posted many pictures on Facebook. I feel I know these kids from seeing the lives they lead. Their son Daniel was killed  in a car accident while driving home from his base in Kansas. He survived a tour of duty in Iraq only to be killed on an American highway. No parent should have to bury their child and words cannot express the sorrow I feel for Pam & Karl as they try to get through this.

Songs Of The Day  (from my I-pod)

If Your'e Reading This-Tim McGraw (2007) a soldiers letter home...

Daniel-Elton John (1973) one of my favorite Elton tunes that seem to be approriate today