By Gary Gambino

This being my first column for The Sports Courant, I figured I would play it safe and tell you a bit about myself and what I believe. [In the interest of full disclosure, I gleaned this particular idea from an old Blue Collar Comedy Tour movie. GIT-R-DONE!]

I am a 1996 graduate of the University of Louisville with a major in Communication and a minor in Political Science. I have held part-time positions covering high school and collegiate athletics for various local weeklies in Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana.

About 12 years ago, my U of L user ID was GDGAMBZ1@louisville.edu. At the time I was a staff writer for a publication much like -- but far less organized than -- this one. During a routine back-and-forth with a reader, he called me "Gambz." He said, "It just flowed out of me." Since then, bosses, landlords, mayors, co-workers and my current fiancée have addressed me as Gambz. Later, I teamed up with a suburban Philadelphia veterinarian to write a Web column called "Don and Doc Talk Sports," with me as "The Sports Don."

Speaking of that, about once a day I am asked if I am related to the Gambino crime family. I am not, Gambino being a rather common Sicilian surname.

But enough about boring lil' ol' me:

* I believe the ending to the series finale of The Sopranos, while subject to much pretentious critical acclaim, was really bogus. I mean, Tony didn't have to get whacked, but something other than the Leotardo whacking needed to happen. That hour was almost as boring as the NBA Finals. The real Finals ended a couple of weeks ago [Phoenix lost that game]. And add me to the millions of disillusioned hoops fans who thinks the Suns were royally jobbed in that series. The NBA, the only pro league that does not re-seed their playoff match-ups, needs to get with the program and do so.

* I believe LeBron James will eventually win an NBA title. But it won't be this year or next year.

* I believe the perfect replacement for David Stern is Vince McMahon. Ask me why.

* I believe, as do my fellow columnists, that the NHL is irrelevant. I used to be a big Flyers fan. No more.

*I believe Cowboys All-Pro QB Tony Romo needs to have at least one full productive season -- which he surely will have this year -- before he starts asking for megabucks. I'm not pro-management; I'm just anti-greed.

* I believe the Colts will repeat this season. If you think I'm wrong, tell me why.

* I believe Don Imus' "crime" was trivial compared with his punishment. And let the Rutgers women's basketball team refuse to play on national television next time they are scheduled. At that point they will cease to be public figures and revert to the sweet, innocent, educated young ladies their motor mouth coach would have us believe.

[Aaron? You mean I can still write for you guys? COOL!]

* And I believe that if Commissioner Bud Selig can threaten Jason Giambi with suspension, he darn well better threaten Barroid Bonds with suspension as well. While he's on a roll, he needs to threaten to banish Mark McGwire and Sammy "No hablo inglés" Sosa from baseball and thus the Hall of Fame. Joe Morgan is already on record as saying the steroid scandal has hurt baseball much more than Pete Rose's gambling ever has. Giambi would be wise to follow the advice of my fellow Kentuckian Abe Lincoln: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a druggie than to open it and remove all doubt."

I feel better already, I believe.

NEXT TIME: What is a sport?