What the Heck Happened to Sports?

We're in crisis mode, folks. Not since the pronounced death of baseball during the strike year a decade ago, or unwatchable NBA (post-MJ Bulls and pre-2003) has the American sports scene been so dreadful. Every major sports league is under attack:

• Baseball: the albatross of Barry Bonds hung around the neck of MLB. Will baseball ever get over the taint of steroid use on the slugging records of recent superstars? The last meaningful record breaking moment without the stink of steroids was Ripken's consecutive games streak. Since then, nothing but juicers mashing the ball.
• Basketball: sure, the Detroit melee was bad. The referee gambling scandal is much worse, bringing into question the integrity of the game. Sure, bball fans have always criticized the quality of NBA referees. However, the fix appears to be on, especially when reviewing critical playoff games such as last year's Spurs-Suns game 2 fiasco. Read Sports' Guy's take. Basketball is a game with limited participants compared to the 9 a side in baseball and the 11 a side in football. Five on five games with three refs allow for one person to influence the game tremendously. The NBA is not going to be able to shake the "ref's been paid" thought that will now often be thought during a professional game. Additionally, you won't see that Vegas team anymore.
• Football: Oh, Mike Vick. You of supreme talent (at running) but questionable morales (remember Mexico?)(remember his brother?). You have added additional shame to the NFL, who only two years ago was being lauded as a squeeky clean pro athletic institution. Now, we've got steroids lurking around (Merriman), crime running rampant (any Bengal, Tank Johnson, Pacman Crazy-Jones), and an angry retired players community. Recently, a friend of mine sent me a list of 7 news points from the sports page...six were crime related, with only one link about a free agent signing. We've come to the point where Sportscenter is now going to be on CourtTV.
• Hockey: is anyone watching this league? Not I, since the lockout.
• Soccer: ooooohhhhh, Beckham came over and now I have to care about inferior football. I'm not saying that soccer is inferior to american football...I'm saying that the MLS is inferior to american football. Now, an aged midfielder is supposed to set the USA aflame...something that Pele couldn't do.

I mourn sports in its current state.

Onto sadder news: Drew Carey is the replacement for Bob Barker on the Price is Right. There's a joke in here somewhere, but I'm too busy imagining a musical version of Plinko. This is a stupid choice. Obviously, the right answer was Dan Patrick.