Things come in threes, including dynastic successions -- first we had Rocky Wirtz taking over for the departed, not lamented Bill Wirtz as the managing partner of the Chicago Blackhawks, then we had Hank Steinbrenner succeeding his father George as the loudmouthed public face of the Yankees, now it's Raul Castro in for Fidel in Cuba.

When the younger generation takes over, we're conditioned to expect reform -- policies more in tune with those of everyday rational human beings, not Croesus-rich oligarchs who sincerely miss the Nixon years. That's what the Cubans are crossing their fingers for, and what Blackhawks who fans remain (although they're judgement-impairingly desperate for any positive sign) are beginning to see from Wirtz the Younger.

I was sorry to see Hank Steinbrenner get raked over the coals on the ESPN chat shows this afternoon. What Steinbrenner said to invoke such disgust was something I've been harping on for years -- why isn't the NFL subject to the same public scrutiny with regard to performance-enhancing drugs? Well, why isn't it? The talking heads on "ATH" and "PTI" barely addressed the issue, which is the entire root of the problem -- just as they once were in baseball, the media covering the National Football League is in massive denial about the rampant HGH abuse taking place in the sport. Instead they just told Steinbrenner to shut up, invoking the ol' glass house-in-order argument. That's as may be -- the Yankees obviously have their very own homegrown PED problems -- but somebody had to say something. This thing with the 380-pound offensive linemen in the NFL is beginning to remind me of the climax to Zoolander, or "The Emperor's New Clothes," if you like. How can nobody else realize this? Why is nobody saying anything? Humans ought not to be that big! It's weird! It almost certainly is taking years off these players' lives!

So you go, Hank. For one day in February at least, you're the man in my book.