I really thought of skipping our little Sunday morning exercise in spelling and grammar after spending much of the week out of the office. But when I got back to the office, that ancient tome, the Columnist Manifesto (not to be confused with the book by Karl Marx), was in all its red, white and blue glory (not to mention a whiff of maple leaf, for our readers in Canada), all agog about the Fourth of July and everything it means.

So, when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, as the paper which launched this humble experiment in democracy called the United States of America some 233 years ago says, I'm just wondering if we as sports fans ought to declare freedom from a few things as well.

• Freedom from the steroid users that have underpinned the foundation of trust we once had in that great game of baseball. As we said in this space around Opening Day, baseball needs to act swiftly and decisively to eliminate this problem. Instead, it seems to be deeper in it than ever.

There is a partial way out, now that Donald Fehr is stepping down as chief of the players' union. Perhaps now we will see some realistic steps taken toward solving the problems.

Fans can do their part. Don't cheer the abusers when they return from suspension, ignore them. Boo them, even if they are on your team. If we're going to hold "tea parties" full of symbolism and short on substance, how about a dreadlock party?

•l Freedom from paying as much for one hot dog at a game as you would for a whole combo meal at your favorite fast food eatery. Even better, freedom from paying as much for a beer or a soda at a game as you would for a six-pack of your preferred beverage at your friendly neighborhood supermarket.

• Freedom from Williams vs. Williams in the finals of Grand Slam tennis events. Not that seeing Serena and Venus square off is a bad thing (and even more amazing, them combining on the same side of the net hours later yesterday to win the doubles title), and it may very well be like Joni Mitchell put it years ago about not knowing what we've got until it's gone, but it makes one wonder if we're in for another down cycle in women's tennis. Granted, Maria Sharapova is still on the mend, but what of the rest of the Eastern European contingent with names that seem better suited for the NHL?

• Freedom from noise, namely, public address announcers who seem to think they are part of the cheerleading team, with orgasmic-like screams as the starting lineups are revealed. Bring back the days of Joe Friday: "Just the facts, ma'am." Down and distance, who's hitting, how many foul shots, time of goal. You know, that important stuff you can't always get on the scoreboard because it's too busy showing a dot race.

• Freedom from egos. For all the fuss over Manny, TO, Chad Ochocinco and their ilk, give me the no-name teams like the Steelers, Cardinals and Phillies that get the job done. But what of Kobe and Shaq? As Dizzy Dean said, "It ain't bragging if you can back it up."

• Freedom from things disguised as a sport, but really not. Yes, I'm talking about the summer revival of "The Superstars," that Sunday afternoon trash sport staple of the 70s, now in prime time with extra cleavage.

And now, a few more thoughts hopefully worth that second cup of coffee as we throw the dishes from breakfast at Wimbledon into the washer:

• A week ago in this space, it was suggested even a solid showing against Brazil would be enough for Team USA against Brazil in the Confed Cup final. A week after seeing the U.S. blow a 2-0 halftime lead, we'll have to backtrack a bit. Let's not "oooh" and "aaah" over this club for a good effort like they were an under-12 recreational squad, let's figure out how they blew a 2-0 halftime lead, and not be happy until wins against the world's elite squads are the norm, not an upset.

• The "Best of Both Worlds III" card July 16 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino gained a little more local flavor when former Hanford High School and Cal Poly standout Chad Mendes (3-0) was added to the card in a three-round featherweight main event against Steven Siler (13-6) of Odgen, Utah.

The boxing side of the card is an interesting mix as well, with 2008 Olympian Shawn Estrada (6-0) taking on Fresno's Loren Myers (7-5) in a scheduled four-round super middleweight bout ... but given Estrada's love of the first-round knockout, don't count on it going the distance.

Also part of the card is a 12-round World Boxing Council Caribbean heavyweight title fight between Manny Quezada of Wasco (27-4) and Travis Walker (31-2-1) of Tallahasse, Fla. Quezada is No. 11 in the WBC rankings, while Walker, a former North American Boxing Federation champ, is ranked No. 17.

Richard de Give is The Sentinel's sports editor. He can be reached at 583-2430 or rdegive@HanfordSentinel.com.

(July 5, 2009)