Celebrity Role Models: Though Hard to Come By, They're Out There

If you haven't yet seen the footage of Miley Cyrus' performance at the VMAs then you probably haven't been near a TV or computer all day. The dreadful and horrendous performance that Cyrus and Robin Thicke put on last night is one that may just top Madonna and Britney Spears' kiss as well as Justin Timberlake's revealing of Janet Jackson's chest on stage. What happened last night left many people asking how Miley Cyrus could act in such a manner that would make those who grew up idolizing her as "Hannah Montana" wonder what they saw in her. Not only was credibility lost, but so was a little bit of faith in celebrities as a whole.

It has become that way in sports as well. This entire summer has been all about yet another performance-enhancing drug bust with Alex Rodriguez being the main perpetrator. The same A-Rod who was said to beat Hank Aaron's home run record the right way is now potentially, though not likely, facing a lifetime ban from the game.

Thinking back to being a kid that just ended my Little League career when the Mitchell Report was released and seeing my childhood idol Sammy Sosa be labeled a cheater was one of the more crushing blows I have dealt with while being a fan of baseball. It's never fun being lied to and it's never fun knowing that the excitement of someone's career was done with dishonesty and carelessness.

It is becoming tougher and tougher to find those celebrities that kids, teenagers, and adults can admire and hold on a pedestal. While not every singer prances around a stage with a foam finger between their legs and not every baseball player cheats, there comes a stereotype and collective skepticism whenever a situation such as these arise. Celebrities are constantly called in to question and must deal with more pressure in the public eye than most of them care to endure.

Yet there are people that handle themselves in a way that, like them or not, deserve respect and admiration. In the game of football Tim Tebow and Robert Griffin III have dealt with being in the spotlight nearly everyday this summer. With Tebow now a New England Patriot and RGIII recovering from a torn ACL, both have been egged on by reporters to say something negative or call someone out via interview. However, handling themselves with nothing but class, both athletes have turned away from these chances.

For Tebow coming off a frustrating stint with the New York Jets, reporters practically drooled over the chance to hear the goody two shoes Tebow speak his true thoughts on the Jets organization and head coach Rex Ryan. For RGIII, the questions early on were all about what he thought of head coach Mike Shanahan leaving him in late in the game when the Redskins appeared to have the game in the bag. Both deflected the negativity and failed to take advantage of the media's encouragement to speak ill of their head coaches.

The point is that even though our society has come to focus on the negative side of show business, there are those that represent the profession and sport in a way that we as fans and viewers can still admire and respect. While everyone is watching and waiting for the next athlete to slip up and make headlines on ESPN for weeks, there are athletes that we can be assured will never fill ESPN for negative reasons. Yes, role model-worthy athletes and celebrities are becoming hard to find, but they're most definitely not extinct.

NL Central Race Could End With Three Playoff Teams

The calendar is about to flip to September and the dog days of August are coming to a close. August is the month that separates the contenders (see Kansas City) from the pretenders (see Philadelphia), but in the National League Central Division there is not separation. Three contenders remain in a deadlock atop the division standings with Pittsburgh and St. Louis tied for first and Cincinnati just 2.5 back.

The final sprint to the finish will be incredible to watch and it's likely that there could be three teams make the playoffs. All three teams have the ingredients for postseason success with quality rotations and deep lineups. Here's the forecast for the Pirates, Cardinals and Reds as we head to the final month of the regular season.

Pittsburgh Pirates (76-54) -- On this blog just last month I said time will tell if this band of Pirates was legit. Time has told us yes they are. Whereas the last few years the Pirates had crumbled in the second half of the season, this year they have continued to play good ball while persevering through some injuries. Six games each against the Cards and Reds remain on the schedule. Closer Jason Grilli remains on the 15-day DL, but GM Neal Huntington said a big step would be a simulation game this week. For the Pirates, the final stretch will be a new challenge to conquer. The playoffs haven't been in Pittsburgh since Barry Bonds, but making the postseason would be the next step for this team. There are growing pains that come with learning to win and that's why winning the division might be a year away for this team, but they are a force to be reckoned with if they sew up one of those Wild Card spots.

St. Louis Cardinals (76-54) -- The Cardinals are in a completely different spot than the Pittsburgh Pirates despite their records saying the same thing. St. Louis is a veteran team with a nice mix of young talent. The core of the team has won one or two World Series and has been a part of two fantastic playoff series the last two years. St. Louis weathered the storm during the first half of the month, but they are in the midst of another difficult part on the schedule. They recently took three of four from Atlanta, but their next 12 are against the Reds and Pirates. The schedule after that is favorable and if they stay healthy then they should be the division winner. The offense has been outstanding from the start and with the way St. Louis drives in runs they will be hard to beat in the playoffs. Add in their experience and this team should be playing for the NL championship.

Cincinnati Reds (74-57) -- Cincinnati has been an underachiever as far as the postseason goes the past few years and, for a time, it looked like this year's playoffs wouldn't be happening in the Queens City. However, the Reds had a good month and are now very much in playoff contention. The offense is there for Cincinnati. They are 13th in runs scored and they seventh in on-base percentage. There are a few questions in the starting rotation and the main one is how good will Homer Bailey be? We've seen him throw two no-hitters, but he has also had his low moments. A good Homer Bailey would be huge for the Reds and if they team has the lead late in the game then you can forget about it because that means it's Aroldis Chapman time. A Wild Card spot is there for the taking and the series against the Cardinals starting tonight is the biggest of the season for this team.

All three teams have proven they are playoff teams and they do so by being good at the plate and out on the field. St. Louis has the playoff experience and the best offense, but the Pirates are a team on a mission. Cincinnati isn't far behind and has nightmares of last year's playoff collapse to the Giants. Count on all three to make the playoffs if they don't beat up on each other over the next month.

Castro's Struggles Raise Questions About Future in Chicago

Starlin Castro is having one of those years. The young phenom for the Chicago Cubs has seen his stats plummet and seems to have a disconnect with the coaching staff. In a particularly rough week for the two-time All-Star, Castro was benched after a fielding error in the Cubs' nationally-televised game against the Washington Nationals and was then demoted to eighth in the lineup. As you could imagine, he doesn't like it.

The game came so easy to Castro in his first three seasons that "struggling" was a word that was rarely attached to his name. Now, it's the word that has defined his 2013 campaign. His batting average is at .237 after hitting .300+ in his first two seasons and he's not even making much contact. Castro has already whiffed 108 times which is a career-high. His previous season high was last year's mark of 100, but he's already surpassed that and still has 34 games remaining.

Much has been made about why Castro has fallen off. The "too many voices" theory has been used often and Castro has insisted that he will stop listening to so many people. He is in the midst of a major slump at the moment and the stats show that the once-aggressive Castro is taking more pitches than ever before, but it hasn't translated to more walks. He is 24th in the National League in pitches seen at 3.90 and that's the highest of his career. However, he has drawn just 21 walks and has a measly on base percentage of .273.

Whatever the reason is for Castro's struggles they must be solved soon. Chicago is in the midst of a major rebuilding project and Castro is the focal point of it all. With Alfonso Soriano gone, Castro is now the longest tenured position player on the Cubs' roster. He was so good his first three years that it's easy to forget that this is a 23-year-old kid who is being counted on to produce at an All-Star level while leading a young, talented bunch as they try to rebuild in the big city of Chicago. Not exactly an easy assignment.

Difficult or not, this is the way it is for Castro. He has been handed the keys to the team. What will he do with them? Will he turn it around and get back to being the player he was while developing into the leader Chicago needs? Or will he continue to struggle and not see eye-to-eye with management? If it's the latter then his days on the North Side may be numbered.

Theo Epstein is a mastermind at building championship ball clubs. In Chicago, Castro is the main piece to the puzzle. Several young players have shown flashes of promise this season and the Cubs boast a solid farm system. The future is bright in Chicago, but if Castro can't work out his troubles then it's noticeably dimmer. This year is basically lost for him, but perhaps he can break out of his funk and finish strong.

Whether he does or not, the focus is already on 2014. Which brings up an old Cubs fans' hopeful saying; wait til next year.

Northwestern Looks to Take Next Step in 2013

Kain Colter and Northwestern are looking for a Big Ten title

As goals are accomplished, bigger goals are established. So it is with the Northwestern football team as they prepare for the 2013 campaign after exorcising the bowl-game demons with a 34-20 Gator Bowl victory over Mississippi State to cap last season. It ended the Wildcats' streak of nine consecutive bowl game losses, which is tied for the longest streak of all-time. With that mountain climbed and conquered, Northwestern can set their sights on something bigger this season -- like a Big Ten conference title.

Make no mistake about it, winning the Big Ten title this season won't be a walk in the park, but the Cats have the talent to pull it off. Start with the backfield of Venric Mark and Kain Colter. Northwestern finished 19th in the nation with 225.5 rush yards per game and Mark racked up 1,366 yards on the season. Eight times Mark rushed for 100+ yards in a game and he found the endzone 12 times. The senior may find it difficult to duplicate those numbers, but Colter will provide assistance.

The dual-threat quarterback, or whatever you want to call his position, does just about everything. Last season he threw for eight touchdowns and ran for 12 more. Oh, and he he also caught 16 passes for 169 yards. He's the type of player that can do whatever needs to be done, but Northwestern hopes his passing will improve this season. He completed 67.8 percent of his passes, but he's now completely healed from a shoulder injury he suffered back in high school and that may make him more comfortable at quarterback.

No matter where he lines up, the bottom line is that Colter will have an impact, and the Cats need him to because their schedule is anything but easy. Road games at Wisconsin and Nebraska plus home contests versus Ohio State and Michigan highlight the schedule. It's a far cry from 2012 when Northwestern went 10-3, but didn't play a Top 25 team. Barring a host of disappointments, that is impossible this season as all four of those teams, plus Northwestern, are in the USA Today Preseason Top 25. Michigan State will also probably also see time in the polls and they will come to Evanston on November 23rd.

However, despite the increased strength of schedule, not to mention the target that comes with going 10-3, this is the kind of season where good teams become great teams. Will Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats improve, stay the same or fall? Anything less than nine wins and a New Year's Day bowl game would and should be considered a drop off from last year. Sure, the schedule is tougher, but this team has been knocking on the door for a few years and now it's time to bust through.

It's time for Northwestern to become a mainstay in the Top 25 and the top of the Big Ten standings. While many outside of Big Ten country may not know about the Cats they could know fairly soon. When the Buckeyes travel to Evanston on October 5th the ESPN-televised game will be in primetime at 8:00. That would be a great time to introduce the nation to Northwestern football.

Greg Jennings Just Keeps on Yapping

Apparently Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver Greg Jennings can't hear. However, his mouth works just fine. The newly acquired receiver from Green Bay must not have heard his head coach's request to stop making comments about his former team because he was at it again today. Today Jennings claimed that the Packers "brainwashed" him into thinking that the Green Bay franchise is "tiers better than anyone else in the division."

The most bitter man in the world must be Jennings because why else would he embark on this relentless attack on his old team? It started with Jennings comments that Aaron Rodgers had created the spotlight for himself and wasn't about the team anymore and then, as apologies go in the sports world, Jennings only made it worse. He later said he was just joking and everyone should have known that. Whatever Greg.

Here's the point: Greg Jennings is going to miss Aaron Rodgers regardless of anything he says. He can say whatever he wants, but the fact of the matter is that he has Christian Ponder throwing him the ball this season rather than arguably the NFL's best quarterback. So keep it up Greg because reality is going to hit one of these fall Sundays.

Today's comments are bizarre from multiple angles. For one, aren't teams supposed to have confidence and hold themselves up -- especially a team with as rich of a history as Green Bay? Also, what's the problem with that mindset if it's true? The numbers don't lie and the numbers say that the Packers have owned the NFC North since Jennings entered the league in 2006.

Since that point the Pack has won three division titles while Minnesota and Chicago have two. In 2010, a year the Packers were the Wild Card, they won the Super Bowl which is the only time a NFC North team has won since '06. Green Bay also leads in wins (74) and playoff appearances (5) in that time span as well, so yes, they are better than everyone else in the division and that's just the facts.

What we have here is a player who is bitter that he is no longer a member of the team. Jennings spent seven seasons in Green Bay and won a title with them. Now, he's no longer a member of that team and instead is trying to play it off that the grass is greener across the state line. No doubt, the Vikings will be good this season and they may even win the division, but Jennings can't change the past and, rather than enjoying the time he spent there, he is sullying his relationship with his former employer.

But when all is said and done, his comments truly mean nothing. What does mean something is October 27th. That's the night Greg Jennings will come face-to-face with Green Bay on Sunday Night Football and then, we will see if all the talk is backed up. Something tells me he will be a marked man.

Jay Bilas Makes the Protest of the Year

Manziel could be suspended for profiting off his own name

Let's all give Jay Bilas a hand. Seriously, how awesome has he been today? In light of the Johnny Manziel controversy that the Texas A&M quarterback profited off of autographs he signed for brokers, Bilas took to Twitter to expose the NCAA Shop for profiting off of players' names.

As he pointed out 14 times on his account, by searching a player's name in the search bar (i.e.-Manziel, Zeller, Muhammad) shopNCAAsports.com will turn back results with all of their jerseys. This hardly seems fair. In fact, it's not fair one bit. There's a possibility that Manziel could be suspended for the season because of this. It's about time these athletes get paid for the NCAA using their name for profit.

This is nothing new in the world of college athletics. The debate on the NCAA using players' likeness has raged on for years (see "Fab 5 Michigan"), but it has heated up recently and the Manziel story comes at the perfect time. Find a way to explain how it's fair that someone can search "Johnny Manziel" on a NCAA website and get back results with any kind of Texas A&M #2 jersey? The NCAA sees all of that money, but Manziel won't see a dime.

So, just to make sure we're clear here, Manziel doesn't own his own name. The NCAA owns his name for the time that he spends in college. Johnny Football can win the Heisman and be apart of dozens of functions that make the NCAA money, but Johnny Manziel can't make any money off his own performance. So, what it really comes down to, is that the NCAA encourages/wants Johnny Manziel to be as big of a business as he can, but if that business includes himself then it's the wrong kind in the NCAA's eyes.

What a shame because Texas A&M is rolling in the dough due to Manziel's celebrity. How many millions of dollars has the school made because of television revenue and bowl game payoffs that was mostly generated my Manziel? Too many too count, but the quarterback won't see any of it. Sure, they will thank him after this year is over, pat him on the back and hope the door doesn't hit him on the way out. Then they will wait for the next Johnny Manziel to come along and get the Benjamins flowing again because that's the way college athletics works.

It's a flawed and corrupt business. The ones who are making the money for the NCAA aren't seeing any of it and it's about time that changed. Props to Jay Bilas for exposing part of the corrupt nature of the NCAA and, in fact, he exposed them so badly that they disabled the search bar halfway through the day.

Problem is, their next move will most likely be to disable Manziel's attempt at a Heisman repeat and national championship run. Just because the guy thought he owned his own name. Silly him right?

Jay Bilas' Twitter account: https://twitter.com/JayBilas

Oregon's Football Performance Center is Worth a Look

By now some of you have probably seen the Oregon Ducks' new Football Performance Center that was donated by Nike chairman Phil Knight. If you haven't then you need to. The place is absolutely incredible and shows just how far collegiate athletics have come in terms of facilities. The 130,000-square-foot structure cost $68 million to build and the Ducks hope it will be a factor in bringing top football talent to Eugene.

Chip Kelly has departed for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oregon won the 2013 Fiesta Bowl despite controversy related to recruiting, but the program hopes the new building will ensure that they don't miss a beat. With a palace like this one I can't imagine they will. Oregon is ranked third in the USA Today poll to start the season. Here's a look inside...

Second story overlooking new practice fields

Hydrotherapy pool

Cafeteria with "Eat Your Enemies" and the Pac-12 logos on the wall

Barbershop

The first floor of the two-story weight room

170-seat theater-style film room

Game room

The players' lounge that includes an outdoor terrace not pictured

The 44-inch wide lockers are opened by a personalized key code and then each player's helmet and shoulder pads come toward him on a spring loaded shelf

Head Coach Mark Helfrich's office with views of the three new practice fields