Driving up to L. A. for Mother’s Day. Toya behind the wheel.

When we played wiffle ball as kids, a new ball cost $.25. But when it was new you couldn’t make it dance the same as when it got broken in a little.

Same with baseballs. Every new ball we got from the umpire would get massaged until our hands were red as we tried to rub the new off it. And the rituals of breaking in a brand new glove were all but sacred, as a new mitt wouldn’t catch anything worth a damn.

So here we are at the penalty phase of Deflategate, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has effectively tied his own hands.  Not only is he harnassed with recent rulings against domestic abusers, but like MLB looking the other way throughout the Steroid Era, the NFL let the foxes in the hen house in 2005 and ’06 when Brady and Manning lobbied to let each team supply its own game balls rather than sharing the same, league provided pig skins. What did the league officials think was going to happen? (more…)