Greg Bromberg

I've been hearing Earmark a lot lately in political debates and discussions, and it sounds like a pretty important word. An Earmark is not as exciting of a word, I presume, as misremember, which is a word I hadn't heard until Roger Clemens spoke it a few days ago. I suspect, however, that the word Earmark could play a very important role in this year's political race, which is why I feel a certain urgency to understand its meaning.

All I can say is that I hope that I do eventually remember to not misremember what an Earmark is, because that would be bad. But then again, how can one misremember what an Earmark is if one hasn't even remembered what it was in the first place? That's the question I pose to you.

And speaking of misremembering, I would venture to say that it can be applied to all demographics, but even moreso to our older generation. A guy like Andy Pettitte can rest assurred that he's not the only one misremembering things these days. 

For instance, my dearly departed Grandpa, Otto Johan Henry Bromberg, most likely misremembered some things in his elder years. But his ability to misremember (or inability to remember) was simply a product of his age (He lived 87 years), and it was, in my opinion, nothing to be ashamed of.

My dad, Robert James Bromberg, confided to me that he's starting to misremember some things, but I have assured him that his mind is still very sharp, even though he's in his mid 70s.

Me? Why I'm in my mid 30s and I'm misremembering things all of the time. For instance, I left my car running for four hours at work the other day. True story ... I left the key in the ignition upon returning from lunch and burnt a quarter of a tank of gasoline in the process. I simply misremembered to turn the engine off. But, I assure you that there was a time when I was a very good rememberer. I think the older I get, the more I become a misrememberer.

Sorry ... I misremembered what the point of all of this was.

I read John Feinstein's Season on the Brink right around the time that it came out. It followed Bobby Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers the season prior to the famous last-second shot by Keith Smart to win the 1987 NCAA basketball national title. To me, it was a terrific book. It was sports writing at its best.

I remember how Feinstein portrayed Knight in several different lights. He was tough on his players, making some of them cry. But, his loyalty to his players (past and present) when they needed Knight's help was very admirable.

Having played team sports myself (baseball, basketball and football) back in high school, I could identify with Knight's personality. I had some coaches who were extremely tough on me and I didn't understand why. In hindsight, I was a stupid little kid and I thought I knew everything and I struggled with authority ... big time.

I was very immature in those days and I also had a horrible temper that I couldn't control, particularly on the field or on the court. I always placed the blame on others and never pointed the finger at myself. These coaches who were tough on me had my best interests in mind and tried to steer me down the right path. At that time, I was too blind to see it. But, eventually, I matured and I learned how to control my temper.

My point is that I have a lot more respect for those coaches who were tough on me because they obviously saw things in me that I failed to recognize in myself. These coaches made me a better person and taught me things about life that you can only experience when you play team sports ... things that I have carried into my adult life and have applied to my job here at CBSSports.com.

I applaud Bobby Knight, who undoubtedly had that type of impact on a large majority of the young men who have played under him all these years. There are and have always been a lot of shady characters in college basketball, but Bobby Knight isn't one of them. He's a geniune person who so happens to wear his emotions on his sleave.

Congratulations on a great career!

Upon further review, the whole complexion of the NBA shifted with this Pau Gasol deal, which gives the Lakers a viable chance to compete with all of the great teams in the Western Conference. I've always loved Gasol's frontcourt prowless and ability to take a game over. He shoots very well, he can grab rebounds and is a competitor.

The Lakers gave up those two first-round picks but they were also able to move Kwame Brown, who has been one of the NBA's biggest busts. Memphis may eventually find a gem with one of those two picks, but right now this deal favors the Lakers, who should see immediate returns from its investment.

As a managing producer here at CBSSports.com, I'm always thinking about the next thing. The NFL draft is three months away, but we're already working hard to produce original draft coverage. I'm also thinking about free agency. We've found that users like yourselves can't get enough of this content and so we are trying our best to accommodate you. Having said that, keep your eyes peeled for unique and original content from us that will focus on the NFL offseason. Let me know if there's anything we can provide for you that you aren't already getting in some shape or form.