AIN'T NO COMEBACK LIKE A JEFF GEORGE COMEBACK

From the "uh, ok" department comes word that the much-maligned Jeff George, five years removed from throwing his last NFL pass and previously seen coaching his son's fourth-grade team, has been signed by the Oakland Raiders.

Question: What is it that hacks people off so badly about Jeff George? It's never been properly explained to me why among so many sports fans and media types, all you have to do is say "Jeff George" to get a cheap laugh. At least with either Manning sibling, you understand where the resentment and ridicule comes from. (Short answer: Rich kids riding Daddy's coattails. And they look like a couple of dorks.)

In George's day, he put up numbers. He led a couple NFL teams to the playoffs, but there's always just been something about him that put people off. It can't be just a personality defect, since in football, very rarely does someone who isn't a people person ever get a chance to play quarterback. Is he just woefully bad at locker-room and office politics, or does the media resent him since he doesn't go along with Clichés 101 or whatever.

To be honest, it's pretty stupid to dislike an athlete without a) knowing what it is about him that makes him so loathsome or b) knowing how your own insecurities push you want to hate this guy and what he stands for (see Rodriguez, Alex). But really, what's the deal with Jeff George? He wasn't the first or last player to transfer in college to help his own career, he wasn't the last player to stage a holdout, and he wasn't the last quarterback to argue with his coach during a game. Then again, he has done all of that, and each time, all the past incidents are dredged up.

OTHER BUSINESS

• Cleveland 6 Jays 4. Damn you, Grady Sizemore ... you and your five-tool skills and your boy-next-door good looks that make the women and differently oriented men in Cleveland swoon. Jays righty A.J. Burnett didn't have his fastball or his sinker working, and without that, he was sunk.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.