More money down the drain.

Here we go again. It is a universally-acknowledged fact that the agents are smarter than the owners in pro sports. LeBron James is making the rounds, with his agent of course, to see which NBA team will give him the most money and the best contract. I have no idea what he will do but I do have a hunch it won't lead to any chumpionship er, championship. The Lakers don't need him, nor do the Celtics, or any self-respecting contender. I saw this with my own eyes when Mo Vaughn left the Red Sox for $60 million to play for the Angels. He really couldn't be bothered and he did nothing for them. They paid him off and he's now living in the lap of luxury. The same thing happened when the Vancouver Canucks hired Mark Messier for three years. "He never broke a sweat," said a disgusted Trevor Linden. Needless to say the Canucks never went anywhere, but Messier cashed the checks all the same. We don't live in a world where Ted Williams can push back his $125,000 salary check, and say he was only worth $90,000. There is a statement I like from the late Syd Abel, a member of the famous Detroit Production Line of Lindsey, Abel and Howe: "Sure we played for money, but we would have played the Toronto Maple Leafs for free."