A few talking points while awaiting my invitation to address the Columbia University School of Journalism (must have accidentally been sent to Tehran);

Yesterday’s announcement by the Drug Enforcement Administration that 120-people were arrested as part of an 18-month international investigation into illicit steroid labs is going to send shock waves through the sports world. The DEA reportedly has more evidence than they know what to do with at this point, and the scope of this sting dwarfs the Albany, NY investigation that outed Human Growth Hormone users Rodney Harrison and Rick Ankiel, among others.

That collective gasp you hear is coming from locker rooms throughout the country. Athletes mistakenly thought they could get away with using HGH because they’re only required to take urine tests, assuming they’re tested at all, which can’t detect the substance. What they didn’t count on was the labs used to purchase drugs being busted and having their records confiscated.

If only they were smart enough not use their own names. Then again, the brain is one body part HGH can’t strengthen or heal!

For the record, I find Rodney Harrison to be one of the more interesting, eloquent and stand-up athletes I’ve ever covered. Despite finding out he made steroid purchases as early as 2003 (if not earlier), I still think he’s a good person, and an even better teammate. That said, any of you who’ve denounced Barry Bonds yet plan on applauding Harrison solely for the purpose of showing support are a capital H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E, no better than the San Francisco sycophants who cheer BALCO Barry’s accomplishments.

On a related note, a rather remarkable streak ended this weekend. I’ll bet only fantasy leaguers fighting for a championship cared that Hank Blalock hit a home run off Chad Bradford Saturday. (Of course, if you have either Blalock or Bradford on your fantasy team, chances are you aren’t competing for a championship!) I’ll also bet you didn’t know that was the first homer allowed by Bradford in 128-games, the longest such streak in 51-years.

How is that related to the steroid talk in previous paragraphs? Well, because Bradford’s accomplishment is even more remarkable when you take into account the rampant cheating going on in baseball these days. And yes, I fully realize pitchers are doing the stuff as much, if not more than hitters.

Speaking of fantasy sports, pretty solid advice I handed out about not expecting big things out of Randy Moss this year, wasn’t it? In my defense, I had Wilmington High’s Ernie Melo (7-rushing TD’s vs. Lawrence) and Tewksbury’s Derek Lowe (he sank Lowell with TD runs of 55 and 73 yards) in my schoolboy league. (Wink, wink)

That was a pretty classy move by the Boston College football team Saturday, standing behind Army during the playing of their song, then shaking hands with the Cadets and thanking them for their service. Shows me that head coach Jeff Jagodzinski gets it.

Barry Scanlon’s article a couple of weeks ago about Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel struggling since leaving Foxboro reminded me of a discussion I’ve had with a few friends about the Patriots success beings a “chicken or the egg” argument. Is it mostly due to Bill Belichick, who wasn’t exactly a “genius” until a certain 6th round pick appeared on the scene? Or should most of the credit go to Tom Brady, a relative nobody until a certain head coach got his mitts on him?

Try broaching that one next time you’re hanging around with friends and family. Or better yet, right here! Guaranteed, you’ll get an argument either way!