Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

While flicking through the channels in search of something worthwhile to watch on TV one night, I discovered two things; 1) I really miss ESPN Classic (thanks for taking it away Comcast!) and 2) a taped Democratic Presidential debate.

Now the concept of a debate taking place a full ten months before the first primary is ridiculous enough, but the brief time my clicker finger froze on C-Span provided an even more surreal moment. One of the candidates (I won’t say who, but she’s the one with as many name changes as favorite baseball teams) uttered the following; “If I knew then what I know now about Iraq, I wouldn’t have voted in favor of the war.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the point of being a “leader” to know then what you know now? Isn’t that what made George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and the rest of history’s great visionaries stand apart from the rest?

Before getting too far off track (and before alienating any more people than I already have), let’s get to the point; why do we hold our political leaders to a lower standard than our sports leaders? Mike O’Connell makes a bad decision trading Joe Thornton and he’s sent packing. Presidential candidates make bad decisions on matters of life and death and begin packing for Pennsylvania Avenue.

Which got me thinking; if our sports figures used similar logic, would we cut them the same slack voters cut their political figures? For example;

If he knew then that Roger Clemens would get better as his head grew to “Bondsian” proportions, would Dan Duquette still be Red Sox General Manager now?

If he knew then that starting rookie lefty Bobby Sprowl over Yankee killer Bill Lee in the middle of the Boston Massacre wouldn’t stop the slide, would Don Zimmer be the most beloved bald-headed manager in Red Sox history now?

If they knew then that Alex Rodriguez is the only Yanks veteran whose skills aren’t in decline, would those fraudulent New York fans have stopped booing him sooner so he wouldn’t be counting down the days till he can tell them what to do with their curtain calls now?

If he knew then that cotton uniforms shrink in the rain, would George Costanza be George Steinbrenner’s right-hand man now?

If he knew then that Chris Canty was a better dancer than cornerback, would Bobby Grier still be calling the shots for the Patriots now?

If he knew then that jury acquittals don’t necessarily allow a return to a celebrity lifestyle, would O.J. Simpson have just gone straight to the airport that night and not be such a public pariah now?

If Sebastian Telfair knew then that 3rd string point guards don’t get more than three strikes, would he possess a license to carry a gun now?

If he knew then that the NBA draft lottery wouldn’t produce Tim Duncan, would Rick Pitino have stayed at Kentucky and still be considered a coaching genius now?

If he knew then that Vin Baker hit the bottle harder than he hit the defensive glass, would Chris Wallace be running the Celtics now?

If Jim Campanini and Dennis Whitton knew then how sarcastic and abrasive my writing style was, would they allow me to pollute their newspaper and internet sites now?

What are some other bad judgment calls from the world of sports? Seeing as how they survived incompetence for what seems an eternity, should Matt Millen and Harry Sinden run for political office?