I've always said that if you bet real money on NFL exhibition football games, you need to get into a twelve-step program quickly. Well, some Las Vegas oddsmaker(s) have set odds on who will be the final Survivor. An estimated 30 million people will watch the finale tonite. I wonder if anyone will get a bet down on an Exacta of Rudy and Kelly. It should not shock any of you to learn that I have not watched any of this stuff, but looking at the photos in today's paper and glancing at the condensed "bios" of these folks, it comes to mind that you could probably get more than a few folks to chip in a couple of bucks and raise enough money to convince these folks not to leave the island at all. Since it would be a service to humanity, maybe the donations could be deducted as a charitable contribution?

Onto more sports related stuff; the widow of Fred Lane has turned herself into the authorities in Charlotte NC where she is now accused of murdering him. Previously, the story was that she shot him in self-defense in a "domestic situation." I tell you; there is something strange in the water supply in Charlotte.

Two position players were brought in to pitch in baseball games last nite. The Mets used Derrick Bell to mop up in a game they were losing 11-1 when he entered the game and they wound up losing 16-1. But the Rockies used Brent Mayne to pitch the 12th inning when they ran out of pitchers and he had never been on a mound before even in Little League. He got the Braves out and then the Rockies won in the bottom of the 12th when a pinch hitter for him got his first major league hit. Last position player to win a game was Rocky Colavito in 1968. Question: If you have him on your fantasy team and you played him this week, do you get credit for his "win" even though you played him at a different position? League commissioners are scrambling to their rule books all over the country.

Now that the monster trade in the NBA is kaput, how can the Knicks keep Patrick Ewing? And since it is pretty clear that he needs to be traded, wouldn't you think that the price he could command has gone down just a little bit? And I don't understand the fascination the Knicks had in getting Vin Baker and Glenn Rice. They already have lots of outside jump shooters so Rice is redundant and Baker is hardly the physical banger at forward that they would need if they were going to have Camby play 35 minutes a game at center.

The Wizards traded Ike Austin to Vancouver and got 4 players who are marginal. But the Wiz got the best of the deal since the three largest of the four contracts are over and done with at the end of this year and that gives them a shot at getting under the cap. And they added by subtracting; for those of you who did not pay attention in algebra class, that is perfectly possible! The Wiz get:

Felipe Lopez (Some thought he should jump from high school directly to the NBA. He did not and should not have. He gives honest effort; he is talent limited.)

Dennis Scott (Good outside shooter and therefore he makes Tracy Murray expendable and losing Murray would be like getting rid of an intestinal flu. Danger with Dennis is that he can add pounds at an alarming rate and on a team with a history of Kevin Duckworth and John "Hot Plate" Williams, this is a worry.)

Cherokee Parks (Nice kid; big kid; can't play. Dookies, you just need to deal with that.)

Obinna Ekezie (Nice kid; big kid; small chance he might learn to play some day.)

In NFL roster moves, the Bears must agree with me because they signed Brad Culpepper to a two year contract the same day he was released by the Bucs. The Bears released Chris Mimms who had one really good year in San Diego and has been going through the motions ever since. Mimms is a "disaster pick-up" for a team that loses both starting DTs and needs a large body out there when the other team has the ball.

The Chargers lost DE Raylee Johnson to surgery for the year. He developed into a good pass rusher last year and that is their second DL to get hurt. Given that the secondary in San Diego is not exactly superb, this could be a serious blow.

The Eagles lost DE Greg Jefferson to reconstructive knee surgery. Jefferson is not to be confused with an All-Pro, but he was important to the Eagles because of his size; he can play the run. Now the Eagles main DEs are Hugh Douglass and Mike Mamula who are speed rushers who weigh in the 250-260 range. I hope the Eagles' OLBs are good tacklers.

Running back,John Avery, was waived by the Broncos. Just two years ago, he was a first round pick in Miami and touted as a game breaker because of his speed. It is understandable that he cannot crack a line-up with Terrell Davis and Olandis Gary ahead of him, but if he is not picked up by a team with a deficiency at RB, then there is more to this story than meets the eye.

Detroit picked up Atlanta RB castoff Ken Oxendine and no one will ever pretend that Oxendine is a game breaker. He can outrun the 40 yard line, but not much more. If Oxendine gets a new job in 24 hours, then Avery should too, unless of course …

Back to the Broncos for a moment; Rod Smith was fined $25,000 by the league for a domestic-violence incident. We are starting to put milestones down on the trail here. Domestic-violence costs you $25K; obstructing justice costs $250K. Lots of room in the middle there!

The Dolphins cut Gus Ornstein, the QB they signed just last week. In merely one week of practice, he lost out to the Huard/Fiedler/Miller troika. That alone should be enough to assure that his agent's phone does not ring off the hook.

Finally, the Kansas City Chiefs threw away their openers and cut a pair of kings. Guard Eric King and Safety Percy King were both axed yesterday. Don't these people have any sense of history; don't they remember that the Sacramento Kings used to be the Kansas City Kings.

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