By MICHAEL SCOTT
Special to FOXSportsDetroit
We’re nearly one month into 2013 and one thing is clear: We want to know.
We think we know, but to quote the old Bo Jackson commercial, we don’t know diddly.
Think about it, we could have a normal rest of the year and 2013 would still be a year we’d never forget.
NEWS ITEM: Lance Armstrong confesses to blood doping and using PEDs.
What we thought we knew: Armstrong overcame cancer in one of the most inspirational comeback stories in American sports history. The guy even created his own company, Livestrong, to help cancer patients. If he could do this, we could certainly overcome any challenges in our lives.
What we know now: Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey told us a few things (besides where the heck Oprah’s network is on our cable system). We learned that Lance is a cheat, even to this day. While he always talked about giving 100 percent of yourself, he couldn’t’ even admit 100 percent of his wrongdoings.
Yes, he blood doped and took PEDs while winning his seven Tour de France titles. But the cycling chemist couldn’t bring himself to admit what USADA says has already been proven -- that he cheated during his comeback.
We also learned that while Lance is a self-admitted bully, it’s not all his fault; it was just the force of the story. That, and the fact that he can call others all kinds of names, but would never call them fat.
NEWS ITEM: Manti Te'o was involved, either intentionally or not, in a hoax regarding the death of his girlfriend.
What we thought we knew: Again, another story of inspiration. Not only did this “tragedy” put Te'o on the map, but it almost won him the Heisman Trophy. The emotional pull and a magical season put Notre Dame into the national championship game against Alabama, which was supposed to be a game for the ages.
What we know now: I’d argue that while we don’t know the complete story yet, we already know more than we could possibly want to know. It seems that Te'o was a relatively innocent victim in this hoax.
He was either fooled by a man or a woman, then didn’t tell anyone about the story all through the buildup to the championship game. Maybe that’s the reason Te'o missed so many tackles against Alabama –- he thought he was really hitting someone.
NEWS ITEM: The NHL sacrifices 40 games in its third lockout in less than 20 years.
What we thought we knew: That the NHL is not the dumbest league in the history of professional sports. It cares about its fans and even more about the game.
What we know now: We were wrong on all three counts. If you’re serious about trying to forge a deal, do you really hire Donald Fehr (aka the man who helped force the only cancellation of the World Series in baseball history)? When you’re a niche sport, coming off a very good year with renewed interest, with a first-time champion in a major market (Los Angeles), and improved ratings around the league, what’s the next logical step? A lockout, of course.
So far, fans have come back, both in attendance and viewership. Will it last? Maybe the NHL knew what it was doing after all.
NEWS ITEM: Tiger Woods is reportedly dating Olympic skier Lindsay Vonn.
What we thought we knew: According to the National Enquirer and Yardbarker, Tiger had seen the error of his ways and asked his ex-wife, Elin, for another chance at marriage -- with a $200 million prenuptial agreement. Last we heard, she was holding out for $350 million.
What we know now: Maybe Tiger got sticker shock, but he’s supposedly turned his attention to Vonn. She’s younger, is already famous on her own and apparently costs less. You’d have to hope that Tiger doesn’t follow his good buddy Phil Mickelson and start skiing. Remember, Lefty missed a good portion of 1994 after breaking his leg on the slopes.
The moral of the Tiger/Vonn courtship? The greatest golfer of all time will do anything to prevent his game from going further downhill.
NEWS ITEM: Speaking of Mickelson, Phil says he might move from California because of the state’s high tax rate.
What we thought we knew: After years of verbal missteps, this was an older, wiser Mickelson who had finally learned his lesson about thinking before he speaks.
What we know now: Not. The guy who questioned Tiger’s “inferior” equipment can still fit those soft spikes right in his mouth. Yes, in California, the wealthiest citizens pay the highest tax rate -- although maybe not the 62-63 percent Mickelson said -- but there are a couple of things to think about here.
First, Lefty has averaged about $60 million in earnings the last several years. As my father used to tell me, “I wish I was in the highest tax bracket; it would mean we were rich.”
Second, if he wants to move to a tax-free state like Florida, nobody would blame him. Tiger did it, and so have many baseball players. The difference is that they don’t complain about it.
Mickelson might be focusing on a more conservative approach on the course. The same idea off of it might be a good idea, too.
NEWS ITEM: Ray Lewis announces his retirement, and the Ravens are in the Super Bowl.
What the NFL wants us to know: (Yes, I changed this one -- this is my column, and I can do what I want.) You watch Lewis’ last game, there’s the well-deserved special introduction. There’s Ray hugging NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Here’s Ray in New Orleans, able to celebrate a Super Bowl in his last game.
What we know now: I wasn’t in Atlanta 13 years ago. I don't know what Ray Lewis' role was in the murder of two people at Super Bowl XXIV. I do know that he was involved in some way. That’s why he was fined $250,000 by the NFL.
I know that Lewis is supposed to be all about team. Supposed to be. So why exactly were we treated to the look-at-me introductory dance that seemed to last 30 minutes?
Ray has found religion, and he also made sure the cameras found him praying after the AFC Championship Game.
One of football’s greatest linebackers is also a great family man. That’s why he's retiring, to spend more time with his kids. And that's a full-time job for Lewis -- with six children by four different women.
I don’t know what’s going to happen in the rest of 2013. I don’t even know who’s going to win the Super Bowl.
I do know one thing, however: We don’t know diddly.
