Strange week

Wow, you leave the country for a few days and all hell breaks loose.

First, the Columbus Catfish cleared the last hurdle in their way of leaving town after this season. When I read the story while on vacation, my initial reaction was, "Hmm, didn't realize there was a minor league baseball team in Columbus,'' but then I remembered that I had written, oh, about a year ago that they were going to be moving to Bowling Green. Based on attendance figures, it seems a significant number of folks are under the mistaken impression they had already moved.

It's a shame because I don't see any scenario that will allow Columbus to carry on with major league-affiliated baseball.

There are a number of culprits in the blame game, but the field personnel is exempt from the discussion. They put on a pretty good show. The failings of the previous owner have been chronicled, but what amazed me were some of the reader comments posted on our web site after Major League Baseball approved the Catfish's relocation request.

A couple readers suggested attendance was so moribund because of the proximity of a housing project to South Commons and suggested fears of crime kept fans away. I have to call foul on that. I've worked in Columbus for 11 years now and have covered a number of events at Golden Park, the Civic Center and Memorial Stadium. Generally, I'm leaving those venues late at night, longer after the last of the fans have filed out. I have never felt unsafe in that environment.

It’s a shame that some have chosen to stay away from South Commons because of urban legend and ridiculous prejudice. There may be a number of reasons why baseball has failed in our city, but the neighborhood around Golden Park is the least legitimate of them.

Speaking of preposterous comments, can you believe Don Imus opened his mouth again?

The guy just had to weigh in on Adam "Pacman'' Jones' race and somehow imply that his off-field misdeeds are somehow connected to his skin pigment. Imus should have abandoned his attempts at armchair sociology after the Rutgers brouhaha. I'm all for defending free speech, but I'm beginning to wonder how many Imus moments are required before duct tape should be invoked.

Perhaps the strangest story of the week involves Alabama running back-turned-linebacker Jimmy Johns, who was arrested yesterday and charged with selling cocaine and possessing ecstasy pills. Johns had been a regular occupant of Alabama coach Nick Saban's doghouse, which brings up an interesting sidebar to his arrest.

I ran across the web site www.JimmyJohnsPitBulls.com this morning (a recent check indicates it has been removed). Apparently, Johns was breeding and selling the animals. There were photos of Johns in his Alabama jersey, information about the breed and a visitor registry that proclaimed: ''Yo ass has been counted.''

Nothing illegal about breeding or selling pitbulls. Just fighting them, although there is no evidence that Johns has done that.

Still, it makes you wonder if Saban and his staff ever really knew Johns or had any chance of heading him off before he could find the sort of trouble that isn’t punishable by extra wind sprints and one-game suspensions.