There are things about sports I simply don’t understand. In fact, they far outnumber the things I do. That said, some are really worth noting.

The Jacksonville Jaguars cut starting quarterback David Garrard, less than one week before the regular season starts, in favor of Luke McCown. The fact that the Jags got rid of a guy who is clearly not up to par to handle a starting role is not the shock, it’s more the fact that it took them until now to do it. Never mind that it sucks to do that to by all accounts a decent human being if mediocre at his job, they completely gypped the guy out of a chance to earn a job elsewhere. He is good enough to be a backup somewhere, and will possibly get a chance… a chance that he would definitely have taken had they released him when they should have… two years ago.

So this is funny. In today’s Nationals Dodgers game (Stephen Strasburg’s 2011 debut), Dodger catcher Rod Barajas had a lengthy mound visit with closer Javy Guerra (a shoe in for ROY honors if the Braves didn’t have two guys named Kimbrel and Freedman) after Guerra created a bit of trouble in a non save situation. After their talk, Barajas went through a series of signs… a couple of which Guerra shook off. Call me silly, but I would have figured pitch selection was something Barajas and Guerra might have discussed during their visit at the mound. Regardless, Guerra shut the door and Barajas had the game winning rbis with a booming double an inning earlier. Who am I to judge? Drunk, that’s who! Or is that a what…

ESPN is consistently showing early round US Open tennis coverage. That’s it, I don’t get it. Who cares unless some combination of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or a naked Caroline Wozniaki are playing against each other. Or with each other. Pass the Doritos! Uh, trademark… or whatever.

Fearless forecast. The Saint Louis Rams win the NFC West this season and make the playoffs. Am I a homer? Fine, they do it without a single pro bowler. Still a homer? You betcha…

I had something else funny to post here, but alas I lost it to gin and tonic number four.

On to stuff that isn’t funny. Bobby Rhine, the former Mr. Do Everything On the Field and current play by play guy for Dallas FC of MLS has died of an apparent heart attack at the way-too-effing-young age of 35. Rhine will never be mentioned in any discussion involving the greatest soccer players of all time, let’s be honest, but you’d struggle to find a harder working guy on the pitch. He was also a talented announcer, from what I’ve read and heard. For lack of anything poignant to say, it simply sucks that decent and likeable people suffer fates like this. Bobby Rhine played his entire MLS career with FC Dallas, scoring 23 goals.