At the other end of the spectrum, we have some pseudo-philosophers who keep trying to tell us that the only thing that is constant is change. Well, today I will show you why most things - and most people - don't change all that much. And in many cases, the reason for that lack of change is that in order to change, the people would have to get smarter. I used to work with a person who is a professional psychologist who put this situation in perfect focus. He reminded several of us that one of the things that was a cornerstone of the learning in graduate programs in psychology is:

There is no cure for stupid!

Does Lawrence Phillips merit consideration for the Mike Tyson Misogyny Award or has Mike Tyson retired the Lawrence Phillips Misogyny Trophy permanently?

Derrick Coleman remains on the "injured list" for the Charlotte Hornets because he still has not been able to the tonnage he gained in the off-season and in the time he was being put on new heart medication. Wow, Derrick Coleman is out of shape and not busting his butt to get back in there to help out his teammates and his comrades in arms. Oh, yeah, it is bad enough that the Hornets have announced that when he does actually return to the active roster, he will no longer be the team co-captain. Would you be surprised to read tomorrow that Derrick just got a twinge in his hamstring muscle and his workout schedule just got set back by about 2 more weeks? I wouldn't.

Out in Texas where football is king, it seems that Southern Methodist University has been caught cheating in its football program and specifically in the "recruitment process". Is my memory so addled that I remember incorrectly? Wasn't SMU the school that got the NCAA death penalty about 15 years ago where it was barred from fielding a football team that played any NCAA school?

Bud Selig made a startling and brilliantly insightful announcement yesterday. He said that the economic system of MLB is screwed up and needs to be changed. But he also said that he does not know how to change it. Is there an echo in here? I could have sworn that I've heard all that before.

With those exhibits, your Honor, the prosecution rests and asserts that it has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is a constancy in the Universe.

Time will tell if Penny Hardaway will join in the list of pinheads who beat up on their significant others. He is charged with "threatening and intimidating his girlfriend while carrying a gun in his hand at his side." Of course, Penny says this is all a misunderstanding and that he will be exonerated. But the key question is not what happens in that specific trial; the question is whether or not Penny gets involved in another incident of this type in the next 18 months.

The total purse value on the PGA Tour next year is expected to rise by $180M. That will allow players to do even more picking and choosing among the events they will play in; finishing tenth in three tournaments in a row will cover a year's worth of expenses and that will signal time to take a couple of weeks off so they can go and relax and - - play a few rounds of golf. This is a large part of what happened to tennis and killed it. Will the players and Tour executives learn from the past?

Jerry Rice is probably going to be cut by the SF 49ers for salary cap reasons. Had this happened last July, there is no question that Danny Boy Snyder would have signed him with a big bonus and a long term deal that was back loaded. The question now is whether or not Danny Boy has learned that it is not a great strategy for the 2001 season to sign up the entire Pro Bowl team from 1991.

And finally, in a statement that seems on the surface to indicate that there has indeed been some fundamental change, IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch said that the list of potential cities for the 2008 Olympics has been cut to five candidates and that there are to be no visits to these cities and no gifts given by these cities to any IOC members. He made it clear that things have changed and there are new rules and they will be enforced. And he also announced that there will be no new sports in 2004 which means that ballroom dancing and water skiing and darts will not garner Olympic medals for their practitioners. Does that mean things are changing there? Anything is possible, but is anyone willing to wager on it?

But don't get me wrong, I love sports...