Training camp was not officially open yet, but Bill Bellichek is in mid season form when it comes to lack of congeniality. He said yesterday as camp opened that too many guys were overweight and out of shape and had not "paid the price" that they needed to pay at this point of the season. Bill, the season began when you put the key in the lock and opened the gate to training camp. Lighten up a bit. Remember how your "winning charm" got your ass booted out of Cleveland?

Know why Davey Johnson is in the hospital with heart problems? Just look at the Dodgers. They have the second highest payroll in MLB (just over $91M) and they have just now passed the Colorado Rockies to move into 3rd place in their division even though the Rockies have lost 11 in a row and were losing the second game of a double-header last night when I went to sleep. Colorado has not won since the 4th of July.

In New York last night, the Phillies won their first game ever in Yankee Stadium. They beat David Cone who pitched a perfect game one year ago and - according to ESPN - has won 2 games since then and has had an ERA of 4.95 since then. Last night, Cone said that he has "run out of excuses" but he stopped short of saying that he has lost about a foot on his fastball and he does not place the slider close enough for hitters to chase it anymore. Result is he gets hit like Francois Botha.

Memo to Francois: Botha what?

This news just in. Richie Kotite - a man who certainly has time on his hands - announced that an injury will keep him from continuing his quest for a position on the US Olympic team. Richie said that a training injury will keep him from trying to be one of the US Javelin catchers. And now back to your regularly scheduled drivel...

The Walt Disney Company and ABC have bowed to pressure and they will cover the political conventions on Monday nights in addition to bringing you pre-season NFL Monday Night Football. ABC and the NFL agreed to move the games up to a 7:00 PM start on two Monday nights so that after the sports chatter they can bring you Peter Jennings and political convention speeches. I think they had it right the first time. The conventions have become non-events; the outcomes are known just like rasslin matches; the rhetoric is tired; the smiles on the faces are painted on. Frankly, pre-season MNF - bad as it will be - sounds like where I'd have my channel selector.

And in other Monday night news, Boomer Esiason will now be the third man in the booth with Howard David and Matt Millen on CBS' Radio broadcast of the Monday night games. After the "less than amicable" separation of Boomer and Al and MNF, this move will put Boomer and all those folks in the same venue about 15 times next season.

Memo to Stadium Security Personnel: Calibrate the metal detectors.

Memo to Matt Millen: Remember what happened to Dan Dierdorf when Boomer joined that booth?

Memo to Dan Dierdorf: Boomer is now the rookie guy at CBS and you are the veteran just like it was at ABC. Don't let him get you again.

Speaking of Las Vegas, here is a hunch bet for you. Last year the East team in the WNBA All-Star Game scored 61 points and lost by 18. This year, the East team scored 61 points and lost by 12. Projection is that next year the final score will be West 67 - East 61. And if that happens, bet on an OT game in two years.

Here in Washington, there is a booming business in personal training for high school athletes. Companies have sprung up to train kids to run faster and get stronger; high school and middle school athletes get personal trainers and coaching in game skills. Tennis coaches and tennis lessons for players start as early as age 9. I'm not talking about lessons where they teach a kid to hold the narrow end of the racket; I'm talking about lessons and training sessions to develop - nominally - collegiate level and world level competitors. And these things are not cheap. Lots of people think this is the product of pressure on parents to find ways to get their kids a free ride to college. I think it is a way for parents to occupy time for their kids while they continue about in their own personal pursuits. If parents spent this kind of money and devoted this kind of time to academic tutoring, college admission and career success for their kids would be a piece of cake.

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