SAY IT ISN'T SO

Did Sonny Liston take a dive in his championship title fight against Cassius Clay? Heck, I don't know. But I've watched the replay of the phantom punch that floored him and I couldn't see it. But then again maybe Clay, at the time, prior to his Ali name change, was that good. And quick with his bees.

I'm not saying that he wasn't The Champ. I'm not saying he wasn't the best heavy weight fighter of all time. But the one fight that threw him into the spotlight (definite pun on the verb) was highly suspicious.

Now we sports fans are hearing that the Cubs may have thrown the 1918 World Series. Was that their last until '45 when the lost? I'm too lazy/busy to look it up.

Yet there are those who think Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. Rose, the All-Time hits leader bet on baseball games that he was participating in as manager. He claimed he always bet on his team, but when he lost he would be very susceptible to make changes or decision affecting the outcome. There is simply no place for that in the game. Whether in the '90's when he managed the Reds or back in the heyday of the Cubs in the early 1900's.

Point shaving in games, gambling, taking a fall, paying off an official all reek. It's a great way to ruin some great sports.

So I say there should be more severe penalties than a Hall banishment. I say any player or team caught throwing a game, should be banned from winning a champioship for a century.

Oh yeah, I guess the Cubs agree and took the same action I suggested on their own.