Pete Rose sets up in Las Vegas and trades his autograph for cash. He'll add the inscription, "I'm sorry I bet on baseball," not because he feels remorse, but because he gets an extra fee for writing those words.
Hey, it's almost NCAA Tournament time, and he's probably in a few pools.
Rose is in his third decade as a lost cause, and nobody expects anything better from him.
The ugly combination of arrogance and lawlessness is exemplified by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, whose program was just hit with NCAA sanctions.
After voluntarily withdrawing from any tournament consideration this year, Syracuse got its penalty from the NCAA: Loss of scholarships, recruiting restrictions and a nine-game suspension for Boeheim next season.
The University president's big takeaway was to complain about how long the investigation took. In Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, a defiant Boeheim used coarse language to express contempt for his critics.
Anyone who expected a more measured response from Boeheim after the penalties were announced was disappointed.
Boeheim is 70 years old. This would have been an appropriate time for him to admit his mistakes and reaffirm his respect for the university by resigning. It was a chance to leave gracefully and give someone else a chance to get Syracuse basketball on the right track.
Instead, he said, "I'm not going anywhere."
Boeheim has done a lot of good for Syracuse, raising money for cancer research and developing youth basketball programs. He's made the school a national basketball power.
The NCAA said it found a pattern of offenses that went back at least a decade. That means the violations weren't a wayward misstep, but instead suggests it was the way Syracuse conducted business.
Syracuse might be another of those places where the coach is bigger than the program. There were horrible stories from State College a while back that demonstrated how badly things can go off the rails with that imbalance.
Boeheim should go, but he doesn't want to and the school doesn't seem inclined to make him leave.
That's a shame.
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--HEARING THE CALL
Jason Worilds' stunning decision to leave football to work for the Jehovah's Witnesses is unusual but not unprecedented in Pittsburgh sports.
The Penguins had a defenseman, Tom Edur, who abruptly retired from hockey at 23 right before the start of training camp in 1978. He also left to devote his life to the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Stories suggest Edur strongly felt the call of his faith after becoming disillusioned with a pro hockey lifestyle filled with drinking and promiscuity.
The Penguins had acquired Edur at the urging of Johnny Wilson, who had coached him in Colorado and with Cleveland in the WHA. Edur was an offensive-minded defenseman who was good on the power play. He was 11th in scoring among NHL defensemen in his final season.
The Penguins originally suspected that Edur was using the retirement threat as leverage for a better contract. When they realized he was serious, they offered him a deal that would allow him to take Sundays off. Edur declined.
The Edmonton Oilers acquired Edur's rights the following year, but he passed on a chance to play with Wayne Gretzky. He never returned to hockey.
At last report, Edur, now 60, was working for the Jehovah's Witnesses in the northern European country of Estonia.
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--TAKING HIS TIME
If things go as expected, Tony Sanchez will be playing for the Pirates' Class AAA team in Indianapolis.
It's been a slow crawl through the organization for Sanchez, who will turn 27 in May. To this point he has 146 major league plate appearances over the past two seasons.
That can't be what the Pirates had in mind when they made him the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft and paid him a $2.5 million signing bonus. Mike Trout was in that draft and has become a star. Matt Carpenter, the Cardinals' 13th round choice that year, has developed into a solid major league player.
Throwing problems have slowed Sanchez's progress in recent years, but he's said to be working through those. So maybe he'll be major league ready next season, when he's 28.
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--TIME TO GO
So long, Brett Keisel. Did anyone ever enjoy being a Steeler more than he did?
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