Things certainly have gone awry

by Jeobs

With the recent news of Michael Vick's love for dogs, an NBA ref's strict policy of calling a fair game and Barry Bonds' self-assessment that he remains unsure of what drugs he ingested, Gary Bettman can smile these days.

True, his league is about as visible as Brittney Spears' hair, but at least his beloved NHL doesn't have the weight of police baggage bogging their pro league down.

Of course, this isn't going to cause people to jump allegiances and opt for a sport that half the nation doesn't understand. However, this is where Bettman can put this to good use.

If he were smart (and judging by the television audience from Stanley Cup playoffs this past June, he isn't), he would be running ad campaigns depicting his ice soldiers as polite and friendly.

Perhaps have notorious bad boy Hal Gill hold a baby while he helps an older woman cross the street.

The MLB, NBA and NFL have also gift-wrapped NHL's slogan for this season: "Just a bunch of good guys."

But good guys never scored the hot chick for the prom and it appears they won't do anything for a league that is still looking to get out from beyond the bad boys' shadow.