NEUBIEDAMUS

Down Goes The Season

2009-02-10T15:39:00.000-08:00

That collective gasp you may have heard came from the folks down at 600 First Avenue. In one fell swoop, the season has come to a screeching halt. In one play, people may have lost jobs. With one bad turn of the knee, there is no more, "Man, this team is playing some great basketball lately." In one crash to the floor, Al Jefferson's season is done.

The Wolves' superstar power forward (not Center) went down for the year with a Torn ACL. This ends Big Al's best season so far in the NBA and may have just doomed us to another couple months of turning the channel whenever you see the grainy channel 45 broadcast.(I hear they have amazing cameramen though) The Wolves had started to prove people wrong who thought that this team was destined to be the worst team in the NBA yet again but starting January 10-2 and becoming competitive in every game while also playing some exciting basketball. They were doing it the right way. Letting the young players, that they had put so much faith in, actually play large quantities of semi-meaningful minutes. Even though they had lost 6 of 7 prior to the injury, the future seemed a little brighter for many Wolves' fans around Minnesota.
With the injury though, the team will struggle to win any games at all, while getting obliterated most nights. People who disagree might say, how much difference can one player make?? Umm.. a lot! When you have one great player and a bunch of mediocre, at best, players around him, you can't afford for that player to go down. When you run your entire offense through this player, the whole team takes a major hit. So get ready fans of the Black, White, Green, with a lil Bright Green, and some other colors(?), in looking at the schedule, it's tough to find more than 4-5 wins the rest of the year.

There is a silver lining, however, to this basketball catastrophe. The younger Wolves will get ample run to see what we actually have on this team for next year and subsequent years. Kevin Love will assume a starter's role and hopefully start to develop some offensive skills to complement his obvious defensive and rebound prowess. Randy Foye will get his chance to prove to all us doubters(and with good reason) that he is better, or on the same level as Brandon Roy. (On a side note, OH My God I still can't believe they did that!) Rodney Carney will get some more extended minutes to see if these flashes of brilliance can continue. On top of all that though, the best reason to lose all those games and be that crappy for the rest of the season... To get a top three pick, if not (gasp!) #1 overall.

The hottest chick in school that everyone is trying to bang this year is Blake Griffin. Ok, not literally but you get the point. ( Maybe literally. Hell, its Oklahoma, so who knows) The best player in college basketball by far is also the best NBA prospect coming into this year's draft. He's currently averaging 22.3 Points per game and 14 rebounds a game this season, and by first hand account, when you're watching him play it seems like a lot more than that. This guy's got the NBA ready body while also having the hops to get over bigger players that he will encounter in the NBA, even though he won't have too much to overcome as he still stands 6'10". The problem with Griffin though is actually two-fold. Being too short to play Center and too tall and big to play Small Forward, he would be stuck at Power Forward. This isn't a problem for most teams but the Wolves, as already mentioned, have an Elite Power Forward already in Jefferson. I suppose you could play them both but then we are back to the same interior defensive problems that have plagued this team for years. The second problem is that Griffin will almost undoubtedly go #1 overall and it's an unspoken rule that the Timberwolves will never get the #1 pick. David Stern will make sure that Griffin finds his way to Washington, making them really, really good or to Oklahoma City; both because it's the whole Travis Kieffer "Hometown Hero" story and also to apologize for having to move the team from Seattle a month before season.

Good thought, but not worth much time. As Sean Connery said, "Losers always whine about doing their best, while winners go home and fuck the prom queen." I'll let you guess which category do you think the Wolves fall into more often then not...

A more likely scenario is getting a top 3 pick and having a shot at the likes of Rickey Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, or James Harden. Rubio, is an 18 year point guard who looks more like the 12 year old kid next door to you that your overly aggressive son beats up after school then a franchise point guard. But don't let the face fool you. Rubio wowed scouts and viewers in the 2008 Olympic games as the starting point guard for the Spanish team that featured Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez. He is drawing comparisons to Pistol Pete Maravich, but that could be solely based on the fact that the look almost identical and happen to play the same position. Either way, this lad looks like he could be the real deal out on the court. He lacks speed, size, and quickness but makes up for that with high basketball IQ, instincts, and hard work. Wow, sounds like every description I've ever heard of any white-skined player, ever. Cool

Thabeet is a 7'3" center from UCONN who could fill an extreme need for the interior-soft Timberwolves. Thabeet is extremely raw on the offensive end but plays like a seasoned vet on the defensive end by intimidating shooters and swatting away more shots then John Daly. Thabeet is averaging 13 points per game and 10 rebounds, while also blocking 4.1 shots a game. He is also the main reason that Connecticut fields the nations top defense, allowing under 40% opponent field goal %. That means that he affects almost every shot taken by his mere presence in the lane. This would be a nice consolation prize for missing out on Griffin. It would be like missing out on the prom queen only to end up convincing both of her almost-as-hot friends to double up on ya at the end of the night. Ok, I promise, no more sexual innuendos.

The last player of interest is James Harden, a 6'5" shooting guard from Arizona State. Again, this would fill a major need for the Wolves, providing an potentially explosive shooting guard to compliment Big Al underneath. Harden is a one man team this year for the Sun Devils, averaging 21.3 points per game. He can shoot the deep ball but can also blow by you the next second. This would be like missing out on the prom queen, getting slapped by her two hot friends for suggesting a double up, and finally settling on the town bicycle that can, literally, score from anywhere. Now I'm really done.

Either way, the Wolves will have some flexibility this year with multiple first round selections. This is probably a moot point, however, as they will do something to mess that up. Just one word of advice, LOSE...!! You have had to opportunity to do so in the past, only to try and impress people by winning a couple of meaningless games that no one cared about anyways. This year is different. You need to swallow your pride and go out there and stink the place up EVERY single night to guarantee yourself a top 3 pick. At least its harder to piss those draft picks down your leg.

It Was a Nice Ride While It Lasted

2008-09-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Rumors of the Patriots demise weren't greatly exaggerated. Or so it seems to this guy anyways. I know that people shouldn't take too much out of one week in the long NFL season. This is not just one week. This will be the entire season.

Some thought that this juggernaut would just run on unleaded rather than the premium it did under Mr. Jissele. People thought Matt Cassel would be able to handle the reigns because he had been the backup for 3 years and, by god, he better have the offense pretty well down pat. Those people failed to see that there was an outstanding, young, hungry Miami Dolphin team coming to town to take down the Belicheck's. Nothing says "on the cusp of greatness" like 0-2 this year fresh off a 1-15 season a year ago. Okay, that "young, outstanding, and hungry" part was a gross exaggeration. The Dolphins are a brutally bad football team, but you could never tell it from the lambasting that they gave the Patriots this past Sunday, making it look easy in a 38-13 road domination. What? How did that happen? Even bad/mediocre teams drill the Dolphins from week to week. Hell, perennial doormat Arizona over matched them just last week, cruising to a 31-7 victory. The Patriots will kill the Miami Dolphins and won't even break a sweat doing it. They hadn't lost a regular season game since 2006, against the Dolphins.(total coincidence) And NOBODY wins in Foxboro!

These things didn't mean shit this weekend and the Patriots were officially exposed. Exposed as old, slow, and unable to adjust. They were even out-coached, which seems like blasphemy to people who have seen "Hey, who's the Dirtball in the Sweatshirt?" coach before. Now, I know that these players haven't seen the option since college, but almost everyone should have seen that form of offense by now. The Dolphins did this throughout the game, and the Patriots simply failed to adjust whatsoever at any point in the game, getting embarrassed in the process. You just let a guy score 5 touchdowns on you, mostly lining up at Quarterback where he proceeded to throw a touchdown pass left handed. You just got pummeled by a team who's best player is playing with a freshly reconstructed knee and you got flat outsmarted by one of the Soprano's, errr.. Sparano's. That ship sunk the minute Tom Brady crumbled to the ground in agony. This collection of extremely aging veterans needed to do it this year, if not last year. Now I know that any team with a healthy Tom Brady is a contender but no longer with they be the class of the NFL like we have come to know the Patriots as. Mark my words, until they get younger, we have seen the end of a dynasty. No more straight Class, homey

So, who will take they reigns from the Patriots. It could just be America's Team. Dallas is scary good. This week, the Cowboys toyed with the Green Bay Packers en route to starting 3-0 on the young season. I say "toyed" because Terrell Owens had a whopping 17 yards receiving and their second best receiver, Patrick Crayton was shut out completely and they still found a way to win by 11 points in Lambeau. Something called Miles Austin picked up the slack by hauling in 2 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.

In the past, many people have had their issues with how the owner of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, runs his teams, engaging in almost everything and being a constant presence on the sidelines, but you have to take your hate off to the man. He has assembled an amazing squad. If you look up and down the roster, the 'Boys have possible all-pros at every position, both offensively and defensively. Everybody knows about Me-O, Romo, Witten, and Roy Williams, but what people might not realize is just how incredibly well Dallas has drafted over the past 4-5 years. Its staggering. Getting Demarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, and Marion Barber in the same year in 2005. Getting Felix Jones and, who some say was the best DB in the draft this past year, Michael Jenkins from South Florida. They are just stock piling players at every position. Its not only been via the draft either, as Free Agency has played a great role in the revival of this team. Even though they drafted Michael Jenkins, they still felt the need to go out and get strip club aficionado, Pacman Jones to shore up an already strong secondary consisting of Anthony Henry and Terrance Newman. The rich get richer, I guess. This is an embarrassment of riches. Its a shame that none of this talent means squat until they get to the playoffs and actually win a game. They could go 16-0 and people would still not care if they get knocked out early like they have done every playoffs since 1996.

I think this is the year. They are just too good and I can only see them getting better when the newcomers get more accustomed to the system. I'm officially on the bandwagon, as I'm always a sucker for great offenses.

Speaking of great offenses... Anyone not notice the transformation that Denver has made this year? They have seemingly come out of nowhere to become one of the 1 or 2 most explosive offenses in the NFL this year. It's that offense thats has them at 3-0 so far this season, albeit with the help of a painstakingly bad gaff by Ed Holculi in the San Diego game. They have all the right pieces in place, excluding only maybe a stud running back. But when you have that great of a passing game, you can run the ball just from the respect they other team has to afford to the aerial attack. They have averaged the most points in the entire league through 3 games and although they are probably near the bottom in points allowed, they do just enough to scrape by for the win.

This is just another glaring example of how the NFL draft is so flawed and basically a crap shoot. Jay Cutler is quickly becoming the best quarterback from the 2006 draft class which included much more highly touted Vince Young and Matt Leinart. How the Vikings didn't trade up with St. Louis (with Scott Linehan!) to get this guy which would have filled to most glaring need on the ball club, I will never know. Instead they, like the 31 other teams, watched as Denver made the trade to get Cutler and proceeded to rebuild an entire offense in just the first three picks of the 2006 Draft. After Cutler, the Broncos next two picks that year were their current tight end Tony Scheffler and a guy who has become probably the second best receiver in the league, Brandon Marshall... in the 4th Round. (Talk about good drafts!) While the unpredictability of the NFL draft can drive fans crazy, it also gives us examples of what one good, calculated draft can do for a franchise. And while Denver won't do much in the playoffs(and they WILL get there) because of their awful defense, the early returns are....Impressive. Hats off to the Orange Crush.

Remember This Guy?

2008-09-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

Anybody? Anybody?

Anybody remember this Vince Young? The confident, if not sometimes cocky, Vince Young? The Vince Young who won a national championship with his whole team(shit, the entire state of Texas) on his back? The Vince Young who almost singlehandedly beat probably one of the two or three best teams ever in college football for the 2006 National Championship?

Okay, I'll stop. You probably get the point by now.

It seems like that Vince Young has gone missing(bad pun). Literally, actually. A shell of his former self, Young took a turn for the worst this past week. In the midst of yet another sub-par performance in his team's first regular season game of the 2008 season, Young was hit viscously at the knees. He lay, grimacing in pain with what would be known later as a sprained MCL. Knowing from experience, not a fun injury to deal with. Young will be out the next 2-4 weeks to recover, which is disheartening, because as bad as Vince has been, the Titans now have to rely of Kerry Collins for a month. This wouldn't be such a bad thing, but you have to realize that Kerry Collins does not have the luxury of playing the Vikings every week of the season. What we didnt know at the time, and since has surfaced, is that before getting injured on that play, Young almost refused to go into the game after being booed by the home fans after another ill-advised interception. What? This guy is gonna pull a Scottie "No Tippin" Pippen on us? This is same guy who was one of the most competitive college players I have ever seen. How quickly things can change. I didn't see this one coming.

This story still keeps gaining momentum it seems, because in the past few days, another juicy morsel has been reported. It appears people became worried for Vince's safety the other night after he apparently had a meeting with a team appointed psychologist. After the talk, Young got into his Mercedes and sped off and was gone for a couple hours. Now, this doesn't seem that weird to most people. Hell, I agree that sometimes you just need to get the fuck out of dodge to clear your head. His family, however, seemed overly concerned and called the police, who in turn put out an APB for Young. When he was finally reached, he claimed to just be kickin it at a buddy's house, eating some chicken wings. This whole thing just reeks of some one who is just not into it, with the "It" in question being playing football in the NFL.

Earlier this year, Young said in an interview that he had contemplated retirement after this season, causing alot of red flags to raise. When a rich, young man who is the starting quarterback for an NFL franchise and a legend in College Football history talks about retiring after only two seasons in the league, it doesn't all add up. What is not to like about this career? I can see not liking the fame or the pressure. That's about it though. You make a shit ton(yes, I said shit ton) of money playing football, and while your performance is nit-picked by just about everyone, when it breaks down to it, no ones life is really affected if you dont perform up to par. It's not THAT hard of a job, comparatively speaking. But something else could be going on here. Something more scary then just not wanting to play football in the NFL. There could be some major depression starting to rear it's ugly head here, and that is something that everyone is hoping is not the case. As a fan, who is starting to get concerned for this guy, I hope it was just a big misunderstanding.

From the football standpoint, if this situation doesn't get resolved, Young could go down in history as being one of the worst draft picks in history. So far in his NFL career, he hasn't proven enough to completely disagree with that. He can hardly throw. He makes bad decisions. And so far, his amazing athletic ability has yet to overcome those two big disadvantages for a quarterback. And you say that the Vikings have had some bad drafts? Have they ever drafted a player with all the "tools" you could want, who turns out not to be very good at playing football?... Wait, Troy Williamson. Bad example. Okay, have they ever drafted someone who didn't come close to living up to his "potential"? Wait.. Derek Alexander. Damn, strike two. Alright, well... have they ever drafted anyone who turned out to be missing a few light bulbs upstairs?? Ha!... oh wait, Demitrius Underwood. I give up.

I miss that Vince Young from the Rose Bowl. I miss tuning in every week to see what spectacular thing he will do next. I miss seeing that will to win so strong it's appealing even watching it on TV. I hope we get to see that Vince sometime soon. Playing football. Where he belongs.

Neubie's First Half Nuggets

2008-07-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

As the second half is set to begin tonight, there are some interesting storylines to keep an eye on in the upcoming months leading up to the playoffs. Some have been beat to death already: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays coming out party and their pursuit of their first playoff spot in franchise history, Josh Hamilton becoming the player that everyone thought he could be,(Only a few years later than expected) and the Cubs having the best shot to finally win the World Series and end the stupidity that is the Curse of the Billy Goat. Along with the storylines for the second half, there were somethings that happened in the first half that I feel need elaboration. With all the things that you hear about on ESPN, things that don't involve the Yankees, Red Sox, or Brett Farve usually get little or no air time. But there are some more than intriguing things that have flown under the radar. Here are a just a few:

The Best Trade of the Last Ten Years...
In the off-season, the Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers agreed to swap a raw, super talented kid pitcher for another super talented outfielder with a more than checkered past. Not many people made anything out of it at the time, but looking back, it may have been one of the best trades in recent memory; one that worked out amazingly for both teams. I'm talking about the Edison Volquez for Josh Hamilton swap. When I first saw this trade, I kind of shook my head. I decided that the Rangers have officially given up on having an semblance of a functioning starting rotation. They always field one of the best offenses in the game, and they are very exciting to watch because they score a ton of runs, but they never have to pitching to come close to contending. Having the story of Josh Hamilton beaten into me over the past All-Star weekend, I have kind of soured on the whole thing. Nonetheless the story is amazing. What this guy has done is awe-striking. Have only had a handful of at-bats, ever, in a minor league uniform and to be doing these kinds of things in the pros. For once, the scouts who touted him saying that he would be one of the best in the game someday, based on the skills of a high school kid, weren't wrong. In half a season, Hamilton is leading the league in RBI with 95 and is on pace for over 170 for the year. The show that he put on at the Home Run Derby was something that even brought me to my feet sitting at home in front of the TV. I can't imagine what the fans inside Yankee Stadium felt like. As for that raw, young talented pitcher that was sent the way of the Reds? He has only been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the first half of this year. Compiling a 12-3 record with a sub 2.50 era. In his first 13 starts, he hadn't given up more than 2 earned runs. So for he has been an aberration. A pitcher that does well in Cincinnati's Great American BallPark, the very definition of a hitter's park. It's not supposed to happen. He is making that possible.

Trades aren't supposed to work this well for both teams. I know, thats the premise of a trade, for it to work amazingly for both teams, but they rarely do. Usually one team gets a proven commodity and the other gets some random prospects that no one has ever heard of that you wont see in the big leagues for the next three years. This is the epitome of a fantastic trade and other teams should take note. This will be interesting to see if both these players can keep up their torrid starts. These are two of the brightest young stars in the game today and I'm personally rooting for both of them to keep amazing us as they have thus far.

Speaking of bright young stars. Tim Lincecum certainly doesn't look like a baseball player. He looks more like the guy you goofed around with in band practice during high school. I can imagine there is plenty of band members that stand 5 foot 11 and weigh 170 pounds. But I can venture to guess there aren't many who throw 99 miles an hour and have a breaking ball that buckles knees. Not many people are like Tim Lincecum. He may be one of a kind, actually. Little guys like this aren't supposed to do the things that he does. He's a truly scientific marvel. Sports Illustrated recently published an article on Lincecum breaking down and explaining the reasons why he could do such things with such a diminutive figure. They explained that it's his windup and his delivery that generates all his power. They described it as his body generating such energy and torque that, basically, his arm just comes along for the ride. This greatly reduces his propensity to injury and will, in turn, make sure we see this Marvel for years to come. The article kept making comparisons between Lincecum and Mark Prior, the oft-injured former future star of the Chicago Cubs, now with the San Diego Padres. Mark Prior was the picture-esqe prospect. Big, strong, strapping young lad with an arsenal of pitches. The Twins were even thinking the same thing when they were deciding between whether to select Prior and Joe Mauer with the 1st pick in the 2001 Amateur Draft. Maybe the Twins saw something that the rest of us did not. The article pointed out that there was obvious mechanical flaws with Priors delivery that everyone seemed to ignore, as they were clearly blinded by his somewhat more obvious frame and stature.

The ultimate quandary.. How does the 5 foot nothing outlast and outshine a 6'5" ideal pitching prospect? Another amazing storyline, although most have never heard of this flamethrower. That might be because of the fact that he plays for one of the worst teams in baseball, the San Fransisco Giants. But anyone who bothers to look at his stats so far this season won't be able to look past him anymore. So far he has an 11-2 record, a 2.57 Earned Run Average, and 135 strikeouts in a 127 innings. Thats 11-2 on one of the two or three worst teams in Major League Baseball! Impressive. Even more impressive than his stats is actually watching him pitch. It's something that I suggest everyone see for themselves. I can tell you, you won't be disappointed.

Lastly, something closer to home.

The Twins are surprising a lot of people with the way they have been playing so far this season. What I hope people aren't forgetting about is that we have a not-so-secret weapon waiting in Triple-A. Fransisco Liriano is officially back. After undergoing Tommy John Surgery over a year and a half ago, people were wondering is what they saw in 2006 was a thing of the past. That the glimpse of greatness and dominance was just a flash of light that faded away. From the sounds of things, that isn't how its going to go. From multiple reports I've come across, Liriano is back to form, maybe even more so then before. One report had him hitting 99 Mph on the radar gun, higher than I ever remember him throwing before. This can only be music to Twins' fans ears. Another problem that he had when he came back from his surgery was his command. That apparently is no more, either. Over his last 21 innings, he has only walked 3 batters, while striking out 24, and over the entire minor league season, spanning 16 starts, he has walked only 28 batters in 97 innings. Fransisco is back to his old self and one can't help but smile at that. In 2006, baseball fans saw greatness and if you are a fan of baseball whatsoever, you have to be rooting for this young man to succeed. The question now is when will we see him in a Twins uniform? The Twins current staff has been pitching very well over the past couple months, with the exception being Livan Hernandez. There doesn't seem to be a spot for Liriano in the current rotation and from what I've read, the Twins seem content with leaving Livan in there, despite his 5+ ERA and leading the league in hits allowed. Apparently there have also been talks about moving him to the bullpen as a late reliever/set up man for Joe Nathan. I couldn't care less how you get him up here, but get him up here. At first I would recommend putting him in the bullpen to get him re-accustomed to major league hitters. If he still has the talent I like to think he does, he will find his way into the rotation sooner than later. He's young and there's no rush. I want to see this kid dominate like we know he can, and if that means waiting a while before throwing him to the wolves, I'm all for it.

Over the past year, I have seen my love for baseball return. These young stars are part of the reason why. With all the steriod talk clouding over the game in recent years, the future still looks brighter than ever. How can that be? These are the reasons why. This is why I still tune in, night after night to seemingly meaningless games in the heart of July. To see things that amaze me. That is why I will keep tuning in.

Stuff and Things... Butt Mostly Stuff.

2008-06-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!!..
Someone out there is a genius! This just proves that you don't need to come up with a new form of rocket science to make it rich. I was watching TV the only day when a commercial came on that I took as a Mad TV skit. This couldn't be a real product, could it? Then I did some in-depth (not really) research on the topic and found out that yes! it indeed was an actual product that you could purchase. Its called Anti- Monkey Butt Powder. For those who are not familiar with the Monkey Butt, it is referred to as to red, chapped rear end resulting from being seated and sweaty for far too long. It can also be used in reference to the phenomenon of going to the bathroom too many times with less than high quality toilet paper.(Ouch) An obvious relative of SWASS, Monkey Butt has affected too many people for far, far too long. There is an end in sight for sufferers of Monkey Butt. While I'm pretty sure its just glorified Gold-Bond or other talcum powder, its still a glorious marketing idea. And whoever came up with the slogan has my respect for the willingness to put such a sexual explicit undertone on the front of a product. It sounds like something Creepy-D Skeet might be interested in.
If anyone is interested, you can purchase it here.

Moving along.
With all the draft talk on this blog centering around the hometown team, I would like to take a minute to focus on the happenings outside of the Twin Cities. It was announced last night that the Pacers and Raptors had
come to terms on a deal that would send Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors for TJ Ford, RASHO, and the 17th overall selection in tonight's NBA Draft. I had heard about this trade rumor for a couple days now, but I was really hoping that Toronto wouldn't give in. From the sounds of things, there is alot of interest in TJ in numerous trades. It's apparent to everyone too that he needs to go in one form or another. Ford was lost his starting spot and 2+ months of playing time to a flagrant foul by Atlanta Hawks Forward Al Horford last year. Little known Jose Calderon took his spot and never looked back. When Ford was eligible to come back, he was open with his frustration of riding the bench. Some deals had him going to Phoenix in a deal involving Boris Diaw, while others had him going to Portland for some players and a pick. It seems, however that the Raptors have decided to take in the oft-injured Jermaine O'Neal and his contract, which stands at 2 years, and 44 Million dollars left. While TJ had to go, this was not the player to get back in return. If he is healthy, O' Neal is one of the better power forwards in the NBA, but the thing is he can NEVER stay healthy. Over the past four seasons, he has missed 122 games, or over 30 per season. So, you are telling me you are going to pay this clown 22 Million dollars to play, on average 51 games per year over the next two. Indiana is probably thrilled at this thievery. Sure, after those two years, that money will come off the books and they will have plenty of money to spend on other free agents or to re-sign stud Chris Bosh, but to me thats too much risk to take on. I have listened to some experts say that they love this trade for Toronto, but only if he can stay healthy. I can agree with them on those terms, but to that, I say "good luck." I have to see it before I can believe that one.

Of the teams in this draft, Miami, along with the Wolves, have drawn the most intrigue about what to do with their picks. Miami is a team, that with one or two players, can jump back into the top of the Eastern Conference picture again. At last check, they still have Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marion on the roster. Couple that with a young superstar at the top of this draft, and things are looking pretty good again in Miami. Many people have speculated that the Heat are decided between Mayo and Beasley with a lean towards Mayo. This would be music to my ears if Beasley falls to the Wolves at #3. While my stance on Mayo has softened considerably since an earlier post when I realized the thing that we needed the most on this squad was some star power, I would much rather have Beasley because he fills an immediate need, which is also a plus. I think its going to be a very active draft all around the league. It should be fun to watch.

A couple baseball topics before I go.

How's the saying go? "There's one in every family." Well, it appears there is one in every league now too. Shawn Chacon, journeyman pitcher, formerly of the Houston Astros was suspended indefinitely yesterday. Chacon has spent years with the Rockies, Yankees, Pirates, and now the Astros. He was suspended after doing his best Latrell Sprewell impression and choking the shit out of his general manager. As much as all of us has wanted to beat up our boss at one point in time, most of us refrain from doing so to save our lively hood and our dignity. Then there is people like Chacon, angry after being demoted to the bullpen, who decide to take matters into their own hands, literally. If you feel the absolute need to choke someone out, find the equipment manager, the ball boy or that guy who shoots the shirts into the stands, don't do it to the guy who makes decisions on whether players stay or go. This is a ticket straight out of the major leagues. Chacon, who was a decent 4th or 5th starter, is now widely considered to be done in the major leagues for good, something that relieves general managers all over the US. Every once and a while, these stories pop up in the news, whether its Latrell or Bobby Knight choking one of his players. It makes me laugh every time because these people don't realize they are committing career suicide. They will always carry that stigma around with them for as long as the play or coach. Thats, if, they ever play or coach again.

Has anyone noticed the Twins are on an 8 game winning streak? Its gone fairly unnoticed as far as I can tell. True, it was against the likes of Washington, Arizona, and San Diego. And sure, it was interleague play, where the Twins always work their National League opponents. And sure, like I told someone the other day, any team can go on a 7-8 game winning streak throughout the season. I mean, hell, the Kansas City Royals are 10-1 in their last 11 games after all. I don't expect this from this Twins team, though, which makes me even more intrigued than I already am. I think this squad has played alot better then people expected them to through this point in the season. They have some rough stretches, characteristic of a young ball club, but if they can keep this up, they might be contending for the division by the end of the season. In a stretch of 5 games this past week, the Twins faced, and beat, 4 pitchers in 5 games that had won one or multiple Cy Young Awards. It doesnt matter what teams you are playing when those are the odds against you. The main reason for their success, I think has been their starting pitching, which has compiled a 7-0 record and a 1.90 Era over the last 8 games. Some of their call ups have even done well. Alexi Casilla has seemed to figure it out, and Brian Busher is hitting .390 at last check.
I think July will say alot about this team. They have series against Texas, the Yankees, the Red Sox, The White Sox, the Indians and 2 series' against the Tigers. This should give us a good idea of where we should expect this team to finish come September.

And for our newest viewer... Hook 'Em Horns!

Milton Bradley.... Still Bl#%pin Crazy!

2008-06-12T07:00:00.001-07:00

Oh, Milton..

Texas Rangers Outfielder/Journeyman Milton Bradley is having by far his best season as a pro. It comes as no surprise that that season is happening in Arlington, where the Rangers routinely field a fantastic offense. Coming into today, he leads the American League in Batting Average at .333, while also leading it in On Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage. He is killing the ball. I probably shouldn't say "killing" too loud around Milton, though, because it appears he may have been trying to do that Kansas City TV broadcast announcer Ryan Lefebvre last night during an 11-5 Rangers win in Kansas City. Lefebvre, a former Twins and Gophers broadcaster, is a regular guest on the PA and Dubay Show on KFAN AM 1130, to talk baseball. Here is the story:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Milton Bradley stormed out of the Texas Rangers clubhouse after an 11-5 victory Wednesday night over Kansas City and bounded up four flights of stairs looking for Royals television announcer Ryan Lefebvre.

Bradley, who was the designated hitter, heard what he considered derogative remarks made by Lefebvre on a TV in the Rangers clubhouse.

General manager Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington were close behind and intercepted Bradley before he reached Lefebvre.

Bradley never reached Lefebvre, although he was within about 20 feet of him in the TV booth before being led back down to the clubhouse.

Upon returning to the clubhouse, Bradley screamed at teammates and broke down in tears.

"I'm tired of people bringing me down," Bradley said. "It wears on you. I love you guys, all you guys. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong. All I want to do is play baseball and make a better life for my kid than I had."

Several of Bradley's teammates consoled him after he calmed down.

Lefebvre, who is the son of former major league manager Jim Lefebvre, said he met with Daniels and Washington about his on-the-air comments, but did not talk to Bradley. Lefebvre said the comments were intended to praise Josh Hamilton, who missed nearly four years of professional baseball with cocaine and alcohol additions, rather than tear down Bradley.

"It was a conversation about how Josh Hamilton has turned his life around and has been accountable for his mistakes," Lefebvre told The Associated Press. "Right now, it seems like the baseball world and fans are rooting for him. ... It doesn't seem like Milton Bradley has done the same thing in his life."

The oft-injured Bradley has a history of losing his temper.

No shit?! To say that Milton has character issues would be like saying Darryl Strawberry liked to occasionally do cocaine. Or saying that Charles Barkley occasionally gambles. Or like saying that Shawn Kemp occasionally has unprotected sex.

One has to wonder what's going on inside Milton's mind. He is so incredibly talented on the field when he can control it and stay healthy. But that has always been a problem. With his baseball ability alone, he would be a perennial all star for years, if he could only settle down. He's an implosion waiting to happen. Milton just needs to work on getting out of Milton's way, and maybe some of those things that can happen, actually will.

On that note, I have to go. I have to lock my door and hide in the corner with a 9 Iron. Just in case Milton happens to see this, I wanna be prepared.

The Celtics Are Who We Thought They Were

2008-06-12T06:58:00.001-07:00

The NBA finals are two games in and so far its been as one sided as it can get. Put aside the 4th quarter comeback in Game 2, because that game was a complete blowout until then. If anything, that comeback was good for the Celtics, a strong reminder that they can't get complacent when the get a lead against this Lakers team. Tonight Game 3 shifts to Los Angeles where the Lakers will no doubt play better than they did in Boston, because in my mind, they can't play a whole lot worse. The Lakers will win one, maybe two at home and the Celtics will finish this series off in 5 or 6 games. I've had the pleasure of watching the first two games in entirety and I have taken a couple things from doing so.

When the season started, everyone picked the Celtics to win the title after they got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen via trade. During the regular season, the Celtics did nothing but enforce people's thinking, with the Celts compiling a 66-16 regular season record. They had the biggest one year turnaround in NBA history. And everyone was drooling over this team.

Then the NBA playoffs began. The Celtics first match-up seemed harmless enough, the Atlanta Hawks. Harmless enough to look past that is. The Celtics played brilliantly at home, and brutally bad on the road. The Hawks brought the Celtics to the brink, to which Boston responded with a 34 point blowout in Game 7. This is when everybody started to question the Celtics. Were they tough enough? Was this the team that we thought they were? Was this team built for the playoffs, or just a fantastic regular season? After 3 losses...

Second round brought more of the same. Three great games at home. Three horrible games on the road. And the doubts grew louder. For me, the only game that got me worried was Game 6 in Cleveland in which the Celts only scored 69 points and failed to score more than 20 points in any quarter. Despite Boston coming back in Game 7 for the series win behind Paul Pierce's 41 point masterful performance. But by then, most people outside of Boston were off the bandwagon. Most analysts I heard predicted the Pistons would beat the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. I think this doubt may have crept into the Celtics mind and instead created a new motivation; to prove people wrong. The KG's showed marked improvement and even won two road games along the way in advancing to the NBA Finals for the 1st time since 1987. But still, people weren't drinking the kool-aid.

This time, they may have had good reasoning, the Celtics opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers had breezed through the Western Conference playoffs, including a 4-1 whoopin' of the usually formidable San Antonio Spurs. They had the newly named MVP of the league in Kobe Bryant. All but about two people I saw picked the Lakers to win, some in 5 games, some in 6 games. Were these people watching the same team I was watching all year long?? The best defensive team in the league. The team with the best FG% against defense. The team with 3 future hall of famers. The team with the best home record in the NBA. The team with the best road record in the NBA. The team that had beat the Lakers twice during the regular season, albeit without Pau Gasol. I guess they weren't. The first two games in Boston were defined by brutal bad defense by the Lakers and brutally good defense by the Celtics. Boston held the best player in the NBA, Kobe Bryant, to around 40 % shooting, after limiting him to 33% shooting during the regular season. Pau Gasol has been greatly outplayed by Kevin Garnett. Gasol looks as soft as freshly baked bread. Lamar Odom, having his best overall season of his career, looks completely lost. Boston has out-hustled, out-rebounded, and out-worked this Lakers squad. After the last game, the Zen-Master, Phil Jackson, complained that Leon Powe, a little used reserve who went off in Game 2 for 21 points, went to the free throw line more than his entire team did. There's a simple reason. The more aggressive team ALWAYS gets the calls. Its that way in every form of basketball at every level. Anyone who watches this series can see that, so far, his team is settling for jump shots and getting beat to every loose ball.

Things may change a great deal tonight in Game 3 in Los Angeles. I will not be surprised if the Lakers win this game. The crowd will be going crazy and its enough to help them win one. But they just can't win this series after the performance they showed in the first two games of the series. They wont be able to beat the Celtics 4 out of 5, of which two of those games are in Boston. I'm not just saying this because as many know, we have a rooting interest in seeing Kev win his first title. And I'm not saying this because the Lakers are a bad team, because they aren't by any stretch of the imagination. The Lakers are probably the best passing team that I have seen in the NBA since I have been old enough to understand these kinds of things. But you can't get past a team that, right now, refuses to lose. You can't get past Paul Pierce's will to win. And you can't get past KG's heart. All that, plus a 2-0 lead, adds up to a parade down the middle of downtown Boston in about a week and a half.

A Fallen Coach, An Amazing Triumph...

2008-06-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

In sports, there are stories that emerge from the doldrums of everyday box scores and headlines that capture our attention, make us feel good, and even make us tear up. Some of the best incorporate a mix of sports coupled with everyday life. Some tell tales of defeat or triumph. Some of motivation or heartache. Some of love or belief in something greater than yourself. But the best stories combine all of these. These stories come along every once and a while. Most get lost in the constant barrage of negative stories plastered all over the daily news. But not all.

I was watching Sportscenter two days ago (there's a shocker) and I came across the story of the Summerville Varsity Basketball team in Charleston, South Carolina. Now, usually when ESPN shows these kind of stories, it means that its a really slow sports day and they have to fill the show with something. I, personally, think they should give more air time to things like this, because the people who put them together do a magnificent job. For a good ten minutes, I sat in silence, captivated by this tale. I can only remember thinking, "I hope they show this again and again so that more people get to see this." This was ESPN's best story since the autistic basketball player/manager, Jason McElwain who came off the bench, for the first time, to reign down 6 threes in 2 minutes on Senior Night. If you didn't get a chance to see it the other night here it is: ESPN story.

The story details the life of Summerville assistant coach name Louis Mulkey. As a coach for the basketball and football teams for many years, Mulkey was able to see most of the kids grow up in front of his eyes. The children turned young men had grown to love the Coach. When Mulkey wasn't changing lives on the field or the court, he was saving them off of it as a firefighter for the city of Charleston. One day he was called to a blazing fire. The fire got out of control, or a flashover according to firefighters, and Mulkey was trapped inside. When a flashover occurs, you generally have 2 seconds to get out. Mulkey needed more. His last words were words that still echo in the minds of the people who knew him best. "Car 1!.. Tell my wife... I Love you." That was it. He was gone, leaving behind a wife of only 1 year and 1 day, fellow firefighters, and a group of young student athletes that he helped mold into young men. After an incredibly tough summer, marked by alot of mending of hearts, it was time for basketball season once again. The amazing thing about the human spirit is that when things are at their hardest and in times of tragedy, we become stronger than ever and come together to help each other. This team was no different. A coach's promise from the time they were 8th graders rang loud and clear in their heads... "By the time you are seniors, I promise, you will win the state championship!"

Bonded by that common goal they had the school's best season in years, amassing a 23-5 record. In the sectional semifinals, after the Summerville Green Wave had blown a big lead early, and had fallen behind late, it seemed like their goal would not be realized. This is the point where they would ask their old coach for advice on how to handle this adversity. But instead of Mulkey, the crowd was there to provide the boost. Seemingly if on cue, the crowd started in with ruckus chants of "Lou-IS Mul-Key!, Lou-IS Mul-Key!" From there on out, there was no stopping this team. They stormed back and won going away. It was on to State. After making it through the state tournament, they found themselves in the State Final, something their coach had prophetically predicted years ago.

This is where the story really gets good. The Class AAAA State Championship was against Spartenburg. For most of the game, Summerville was in the proverbial meat grinder, trading baskets in a game that seemed destined to go down to the buzzer. The Green wave had fought their way to the lead late in the game and had a chance with 1.7 seconds left to ice the 2 point lead with a 1-1 opportunity at the free throw line. The first free throw was missed, however, but no one was really that concerned, as Spartenburg had to get the length of the court in 1.7 seconds. A small guard for Spartenburg got the rebound, took one dribble, and heaved the ball from the opposite free throw line. As he took the shot, the loud buzzer sounded in the background. The shot rattled around the rim and dropped. Wow. Summerville had lost. An amazing ending by all accounts, it left many on the Green Wave standing speechless, mouths agape and tears streaming down their eyes, realizing that all their hard work towards the ultimate goal had still come up short. I can imagine thoughts ran through their minds about letting their fallen coach down by not reaching their collective dreams.
From one moment of defeat and despair, the referees created a different moment. As the head referee, moved his arms back and forth in front of him, signaling that the basket had come after the buzzer and was being waved off, the mood turned from tragedy to triumph and jubilation. In reviewing the tape, there was no real way to tell if the shot was actually after the buzzer or before, but that didn't matter. The team was Summerville had come full circle and overcome a great ordeal to become champions. It was clear to everyone who witnessed the miracle, that Coach Mulkey was in the gym that day, watching over his team.

This may have sounded like a some cheesy Disney movie story, but this isn't a movie, its real life. This story proves how one person can mean so much to so many. It also proves that a coach can make such a profound difference in the players that he coaches.. Coaches are not unlike teachers in that sense. Molding young minds not with a major in Sociology or Chemistry, but maybe with a major in Life with a minor in Athletics.

I really hope that everyone enjoys this as much as I have.

Notes from the Foreskin, Vol.3

2008-05-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Man, the resemblance is uncanny..

The Bears make me laugh. Every day, it seems, some other example of questionable decision making within the franchise comes to fruition. Just like 30 is the new 20, the Bears are the new Vikings. Going all the way back to the Lance Briggs situation, this has been a pretty comical series of events. Let's see, in the past three weeks, Brian Urlacher is threatening to sit out mini camps and part of the season if he doesn't get a better contract. Cedric Benson decided to add some resisting arrest to his drunken boating on Lake Travis in Texas. They failed to address the quarterback position in the draft, indicating once more, to everyone's astonishment, that they are committed to Rex Grossman. That's a laundry list of troubles that only the Vikings and Bengals are capable of duplicating. But wait, we're not done.. The best is yet to come. In their refusal to pay studs like Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher, who have earned their just due, they have chosen to make their kicker, Robbie Gould, the highest paid kicker in NFL history, edging out Adam Vinatari of the Indianapolis Colts. Hmmm let's see, kicking immortality who has made 3 Super Bowl winning kicks and countless other playoff boots that, along with some clever camera placement, helped the New England Patriots win 3 out of 4 Super Bowls.. Or a 3rd year kicker who hasn't proven anything. As a Vikings fan, this makes me smile. Since appearing in the Super Bowl just two short years ago, the Bears have succeeded in becoming one of the worst teams in the NFL. Sure, they will win a few games this year, (5 by Neubiedamus' count) but that's only because their pissed off, underpaid (relatively) defense is good for 2 games and Devon Hester is will win the other 3 for them. This team was the 3rd worst rushing team in the league last year and their top running back is now in serious danger of being cut. The hits just keep on coming. But at least they have their kicker locked up long term... Move over Detriot. Chicago is here to take the "Worst and most idiotic franchise in the NFL title" from ya. You held the reigns long enough.

In another shocker of a news story, the NCAA is investigating whether or not O.J. Mayo took gifts, in the form of cash and vehicles, while in high school and in college at USC. If you could actually here my tone of voice you might sense just a wee bit of sarcasm directed at that last statement. The story goes like this. Some sleazeball talked a poor, super talented black kid into accepting all this money to verbally agree to a contract with a sports marketing agency when he chooses to go to the NBA. Sound familiar?? Does Reggie Bush ring a bell? Same idea. Same school even. I think the moral of the story is. If you want money, no matter the consequence, go to USC. It seems like their athletic department is either too blind to see what the rest of us understand as commonplace, or they are just being enablers to the situation. Either way, I have a strong inkling that the NCAA is gonna come down hard on USC to make an example. Can you smell that? That's the can of worms just being cracked open. Just what America needs, another OJ causing a ruckus in Southern California. (I know its a really bad joke, but it was coming at me like an 83 mph fastball down the heart of the plate)

As for OJ Mayo, I don't think I've wanted a soon to be professional athlete fail more than I do this guy. Since I first heard the story of him walking into USC coach Tim Floyd's office and recruiting himself to the school, I have wished for his demise. It only got worse on hearing about and seeing the tape of him throwing an alley-oop to himself towards the end of a 40 point State Championship Game blowout and then getting ejected from his final game for chucking the ball into the stands. This might even be tolerable, if not excusable, but then he walked around the court, hands held high, basking in the cascading cheers of the crowd like some Roman Gladiator just having defeated a wildebeest. Only this is a high school kid, and it just proves what kind of cocky, attention hogging idiot this guy really is. The sad thing is, he has sick basketball talent and that will land him in a high spot in the upcoming NBA draft and probably some endorsement deals with Sunny D and Hellman's.

A note to PETA: As much as you would like Horses to speak, feel, talk and act like humans, they are not humans. Mr. Ed was just a TV show.

As you have probably heard about by now, two weeks ago at the Kentucky Derby, the second place finisher, 8 Belles, broke both ankles in a post race trot and had to be euthanized on the spot. When word got around about the happenings, PETA got on the horn and started spewing blame at everyone. The jockey was to be fined and fired. The trainer was to be held responsible. The entire horse racing industry is immoral. Please.
This was a fluke accident that could have happened to any horse at any time in any place. In our society, we are so quick to want to assign blame for everything, because that's what makes news and that's what people seem to want. Its like if a kid holding a baseball bat in the batter's box gets struck by lightning, and people want to blame the coach, the parents, and the baseball bat company for not making a more lightning-friendly bat for the kid to hold. This is sickening and PETA needs to go away. These horses get treated better than a majority of human beings do and they need to stop taking one incident and extrapolating it for the entire horse racing and training industry. Just stick to dealing with some lady who has 400 cats in her 1 bedroom apartment or Michael Vick's ignant ass, and leave the rest of us alone.

On a side tangent, horse racing in general sucks and the only people who care about it are the 80 or so people that actually raise horses. And no, the millions of people who bet on the Kentucky Derby and other horse races don't count. Just don't inform my current employer that I just said that.

Lastly, I came across a story earlier that made me do a double take. Clay Buchholz, a young pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, who just got lit up by our favorite club only a few days ago, was put on the Disabled List with a broken fingernail. Yep, I said it. A broken fingernail. Now, I've heard of some really comical injuries over the years in major league baseball, like pitchers having tired arms or Sammy Sosa throwing out his back during a sneeze, but this is absolutely unbelievable. Words couldn't describe the laugh that came out of my mouth after seeing this roll across the ESPN Bottom Line. What's next? A Yankees pitcher goes down for 6 weeks with an allergic reaction to a tampon? Or maybe, the oft-injured Rich Harden's next injury could be cornea strain caused by make up run-off. I don't know what the next one will be for sure, but I just don't want anyone to tell Joe Mauer about this story, because then he might conjure up a reason to sit out night games after night games, instead of just day games after night games, like usual.

Notes from the Foreskin, Vol. 2

2008-04-30T00:51:00.000-07:00

It was a bad week and a half for Carmelo Anthony.

First, he gets pulled over on suspicion of DUI two days before the playoffs start with his team clinging to their respective playoff lives. Then his team goes out and lays a complete egg against the Lakers, getting swept 4-0 in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs, during which time, 'Melo accused his team of quitting during the fourth quarter of a Game 3 bludgeoning. As the "leader" of that team, he simply can't do that. He can curse at his teammates behind closed doors, and call them quitters all he wants in that format, but he cannot go public with those feelings. That is extremely unfair to his teammates because it now paints everyone on that team as "QUITTERS" in everyone's eyes around the league. Already many of his fellow teammates have come out in their own defense. People always want to compare Carmelo to his fellow draft mates in Dwade, Lebron, and even Chris Bosh, but he will never be in the same league as a player like Lebron or Dwayne Wade because he fails to do the things that leaders need to do. Lead by example, come up big, don't break the law, and don't under any circumstances, call out your teammates in the public.

*On a separate side note that I thought was worth noting, somehow we made it through this whole series without an expose` or even some off color jokes about Kobe Bryant having to stay in a hotel in Denver for two nights without getting into any trouble.. I was SO looking forward to that one. ESPN & TNT, you let me down..

While we are on the subject of bad days...or for that matter, bad years...

The hits just keep coming for Roger Clemens. Amid all the hoopla that arose over the last 6 months about him using all sorts of performance enhancing drugs throughout his career, you can now add an affair and possibly statutory rape to the list. You have to hand it to this guy, when he goes down, he really goes down hard. A report surfaced that Clemens had a decade long affair with country music star, Mindy McCready, which allegedly started when McCready was the ripe old age of 15. Clemens would have been 28 at the time. Now, I have always understood older men's attraction to "younger" women, but this is pretty messed up. How can you, at Roger Clemens' level, put yourself out on a limb like that? Facing the possibility of jail time if anyone had found out back then. (And make no mistake, they would have made an example out of him, had they found out) Now, since Roger couldn't follow the popular fad of actually admitting his mistakes and decided to file a defamation of character lawsuit, the skeletons in that closet are a walkin', me boy.. He not only has to worry about his place in baseball history and whether or not, even with astounding numbers, he will make the hall of fame, he will also now have to seriously worry about a perjury charge or two. We have never seen a fall from grace like this before that I am aware of. Maybe Mike Tyson comes to mind, but he's quickly pushed aside because hes just bleepin' crazy. This story has some teeth and there's a lot more to come. So stay tuned. If you were wondering, here's what McCready has to offer at the moment. At a boy, Rog..

In yet another bad week story....
The Washington Wizards are officially the dumbest team in professional sports.
They have talent; alot of it. But what they do have in talent, they are equally as idiotic and immature as I've seen in a collection of players in a long, long time. Pick your Wizard, and I'm sure they have suffered from foot in mouth syndrome at some point either before or during this playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilbert Arenas said the Cavaliers couldn't possibly beat them three straight years in the playoffs and that they were hoping to face them in the 1st round. Deshawn Stevenson called Lebron overrated, and continues to talk shit and dish out flagrant fouls. Brendan Haywood can't shut up either, recently mocking King James in a whiny, pouty, child's tone of voice. And what did they get for their troubles? A 3-1 deficit in a series marked by extreme inconsistency that saw them lose by 36 one game and win by 30 + the very next. That reeks of immaturity. I have an idea.. Don't wake a sleeping giant! Lebron is scary good normally. You give him a chip on his shoulder and now you really have problems. Deshawn Stevenson, along with his 38% shooting, and the rest of the Wizards need to shut their mouths, take their whoopin', and go quietly into the night. Just like the last two years.

I have diarrhea of the mind right now. I'm spewing with talkers, so I must go on.

Larry Brown just got another coaching job. I'm lost for words. I'm flabbergasted. How do teams keep hiring this clown? Owners in the NBA must not like money. Here's the MO with Larry Brown: Sign a four year deal worth roughly 10 million dollars. Coach two years. Get sick/tired/bored. Get a buyout and the remaining $5 Million dollars for doing nothing. That's not an exaggeration. That's just how it is. He doesn't play young players and rookies, which Charlotte always has a lot of. It's sad, because I feel this is the last attempt by Charlotte Bobcats minority owner, Michael Jordan, to prove that he is a good NBA executive. I really hate to say it, but Mike got taken on this one.

Just one more, I promise..

This was kind of a late addition to the column tonight. I just watched the Spurs finish off the Suns in 5 games in their first round series. My disdain for the Spurs has reached a new level. They have now officially supplanted the Utah Jazz of the mid to late 90's in terms of my pure hatred for them. They are good. It's really hard to admit, but I will give them that. But what I can't stand to watch is the amount of bad calls that go their way. Down the stretch tonight, in an extremely close game, the referees called not one, but two phantom tripping calls. One involved the Big Gerbil, Tim Duncan blatantly tripping himself to get a foul called, and Mr. Eva Longoria driving the lane and falling down on his own accord, much to the sch grin of Amare Stoudamire, on whom the foul was called. This team never fails me. Every year something different arises that ratchets up my level of hate for this team. Its amazing. Whether its Tim Duncan hitting a random three to send Game One into overtime, which of course Phoenix lost, or whether its consistently making me watch games ending 82-81. I was a big New Orleans Hornets fan before, but with the Spurs now taking on the Hornets in the second round, I will be rooting for them like I've never rooted for anyone else before. Tonight, I am going to try to conjure up dreams of Tyson Chandler catching a trademark alley-opp lob from Chris Paul, and dunking on Tim Duncan's ass. Okay, not really... But please don't let me down New Orleans. Then I will have to turn my rooting interest to the Lakers, and that's just adding insult to injury.

This just in... Tim Duncan likes dudes.

I'm out.

Things that Don't Suck... Volume 1

2008-03-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Its that time again. With all the talk(and rightfully so) about the NCAA Tournament and all the excitement and intriguing story lines it brings us every year, one might not realize that the NBA playoffs are on the horizon. Now, usually this would bring a yawn to most of you, and it would usually have the same effect on me as well. Usually, no matter how much we all don't want it to happen, San Antonio meets some boring overmatched Eastern Conference team in the Finals and we all know how that ends up. This year, however is much different. I haven't been this excited to watch the NBA playoffs since Number 23 was breaking Byron Russell's ankles in Salt Lake. In case you have lived under a rock these last couple months, you have probably heard that the Western Conference is the most competitive it has ever been. How the Top 8 seeds can be so good and separated by 6 games this late in the season is something to behold. Seeds routinely change every day, preventing us from really knowing who's playing who in the first round up until probably the last day of the season. The East is better too, but other than the top three teams, Boston, Detriot, and Cleveland, it will be irrelevant once the playoffs start. Since its impossible to know match ups yet, I felt that I would just take time breaking down some of the goings on in the West. All the excitement really started after the All Star Break, when a bevy of monster trades happened. First it was Pau Gasol going to the Lakers, then Shaq to the Suns, and finally Jason Kidd to the Mavericks. Usually you see one big trade every year around that time, but not three and especially not three with such big implications. After that, the Yao-Less Rockets went on an unbelievable 22 game winning streak to vault from out of the playoffs to the #1 seed. And now, with about three weeks left before the playoffs begin, the unlikely of unlikely has happened as now the New Orleans Hornets, fresh off a five game winning streak which included the likes of Houston, Boston, and on the road at Cleveland and an improving Indiana Pacer team, sit atop the West Standings. If anyone says they called that one when the season began, they lie worse than Pete Rose does.

The New Orleans Hornets
The feel good story of the NBA. A team that seemingly went from homeless to one of the most exciting teams in the NBA overnight. It all started when Chris Paul fell into their laps with the fourth pick in the 2005 draft. There were two "can't miss" point guards in that draft, Deron Williams and Chris Paul. How BOTH of these two got pass Point Guard-less Atlanta at the Number 2 pick boggles my mind. I guess that's why the Hawks are the Hawks. They are getting better now, but think of a combination of Chris Paul, Joe Johnson, and Josh Smith.. Eek.
But alas, the Hornets got a gift handed to them, and haven't looked back since. Building around Paul, and combining David West with new arrivals Tyson Chandler and a fresh off back surgery Peja Stojakovic, they created a young nucleus that has blossomed into one of the more exciting teams in the league. The can beat you any way you like it: Fast breaking, drive and kick, or pick and roll. Not a lot of people remember that David West was the AP player of the year at Xavier in 2003. How he fell to the 18th pick in that years draft is yet another mystery. I think it was a case of NBA teams being on a Euro Craze and not noticing that hey, there are still good players left in this country. West took a couple years to become the player he is now, but like everyone else on this team, is coming of age at the right time. I get the pleasure of seeing these Hornets at the Target Center in a couple weeks, so I will get to see in person what I think that I already know... This team is for real and any team sleeping on them will be met with an early exit.

Golden State Warriors /Denver Nuggets

I chose to group these two teams together because they are essentially the same team. They both have sometimes amazing offenses, capable of running you off the court. They both, however, have atrocious defenses, which usually spells disaster for teams in the playoffs. The Warriors have been one of my favorite teams since last year when they made their run at the end of the regular season and into the Western playoffs. Anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows thats no secret. But what has changed this year is that they are better than last years team. The roster has changed that much, if at all(minus the failed Chris Webber experiment) but what has changed is that they are a year older and a year better. Last year, Monta Ellis barely had a place in the playoff rotation. This year, there's times that he literally doesn't seem to miss, and his place on the team is no longer in question. Baron Davis has been the healthiest he has ever been in his career in being one of the most valuable players in the league. Everyone on this team can shoot, excluding Andris Beidrens, who doesn't need to. They come at you with numerous three point bombs and they throw athlete after athlete at you. That can be a scary combination when used the right way. This coupled with the fact that they have the best homecourt advantage in the league. Not the best record, but the best advantage. If you have seen that place, you know its the loudest arena in the league. If I can make that conclusion from watching a game on TV, how do you think it feels to be an opponent there?

The Nuggets have more of a collection of superstar players, but its the same story. When they are on, they are really on. I don't know if enough was made of them scoring 168 points a couple weeks back against the Sonics. This wasn't some crazy triple overtime game. It was a regular 4 quarter tilt. They scored 48 points in the first quarter! That's more than about 85% of the league averages in a half. They can score from many different ways also. Any team with Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson better be able to score. They can hit the three too, which can be a great equalizer. Their major drawback, however, is their wretched defense. In that same game against the Sonics, they gave up 116 points. To the Sonics! They had a stretch in which they gave up 135 points to the offensively-inept Chicago Bulls and 136 to the slow-it-down, half court Detroit Pistons. They may get to the playoffs, but because they just can't stop anybody ever, they will be an early exit.

Utah Jazz

This isn't your older brother's Utah Jazz. This team is actually fun to watch at times. This coming from a guy who grew up loathing the site of the Jazz and Jerry Sloan. This team doesn't have boring John Stockton leading the way. Instead, they have Deron Williams, who's quickly becoming one of the best points in the league. Boring Karl Malone is replaced with Carlos Boozer, who, say what you will about him, has become a pretty damn good player. You throw in role players, Ronnie Brewer, Mhemet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, and sharp shooter Kyle Korver, and they are going to be a tough out, especially at home where they hold one of the league's best records.

The Rest

I figure you probably know mostly about the Other Western Conference contenders. The Suns are still really good, and that Shaq-Fu thing seems to be working out alot better than most people thought it would. The Mavericks might not even make the playoffs now without Galloping German, Dirk Nowitzki, who is out for the next couple weeks with a nasty ankle/knee injury. The Lakers can beat anybody if they would just stay healthy for an extended period of time. Oh yeah, and they have that Kobe guy, which is always nice too. It was a nice run for Houston, and we're happy for 'em, but they aren't going anywhere. And the Spurs are the Spurs and nobody cares.

I'm really glad that TNT has wall to wall coverage of this season's playoffs because I will be tuning in for as much as I can take. And while the NCAA tournament will give us plenty to talk about over the next couple weeks, don't forget about the millionaires. With all these great teams and possibly great scenarios, the NBA could have it's own "one shining moment" before its all said and done. Lord knows they have needed one.

So you think your job is pretty sweet, do ya??

2008-02-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

It may just be. But, by no means, is it the best job out there.

When I was growing up, I idolized many different people. Michael Jordan, Tupac Shakur, Hugh Hefner, even Deion Sanders. I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I could be like them, I could win at this game called life. I could accomplish anything. The sky was the limit for this guy.

Sadly, I had it all wrong. I was grossly mistaken every time I drove the basket with my tongue wagging like MJ and everytime I had my football gloves unbuckled like "Neon Deion" hoping to intercept an arrant pass and high step it into the promised land. The entire time I should have spent my hours and hours of practice trying to be a 6'10" white guy who wears goofy ass knee high socks. Instead of dreaming of playing college ball in Chapel Hill or Tallahassee, I should have been aiming at undergrad in Utah. I should have been aspiring to be Keith Van Horn. I know this now, because as we have just learned, he is officially "The Man."

Today, it became official(FINALLY!), and the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks completed the long rumored deal that basically sent Jason Kidd to Dallas for Dallas' entire bench, two first round picks, 3 million dollars, and the aforementioned Keith Van Horn. Now you may be saying to yourself, how can Dallas trade Keith Van Horn? Didn't he retire or die or something?? Isn't he tending to some sheep somewhere? You would be like me if you did. Here's where the good part comes in. Since Van Horn hasn't officially filed his retirement papers with the league, and since he is still under contract with an NBA team, he can still be including in trades such as these. Was this savvy on the part of Van Horn? Maybe. Wouldn't surprise me. The guy is the Man after all. Either way, it pretty much breaks down to be that Van Horn will get 4.3 Million dollars to get off his couch, travel to New Jersey to take a physical, and then probably travel back home. Even if he stays with the team, he will only have to bear that great hardship for a month, and then he can proceed to laugh his way to the bank, after a buyout from New Jersey. 4.3 Million dollars for a month's worth of what? Not work. Not even play. Just to be. To be Keith Van Horn.

So like I said earlier, Keith Van Horn is my idol. He has the best job in the history of jobs. Sure, the guy who paints the silicon paint on those swimsuit models bodies has it pretty damn good. But not as good as this guy. This is whats wrong with the NBA though. Bloated, guaranteed contracts to players who suck ass or, in this case, players who haven't played in a couple years. If you don't believe me, look at some of the contracts on the books for this year....

Michael Finley-6th man/Three Point Specialist/25 minutes a night- $21 Million per year
Chris Webber- half season pickup/25 minute a night bit player- $19.5 Million per year
Steve Francis- Oft injured/ Might Retire/ Whiny bitch- $16.4 Million per

And these are just a few. Those don't even include Allen Houston,(20.7 million) Brian Grant,(17.3 Million) and Jalen Rose (16.5 Million) who were getting paid up until last year despite not playing for a couple years or just sitting their asses on the bench in high priced suits. Allen Houston was making 20.7 million dollars a year from the Knicks while being an analyst on ESPN... Sad.

I'm sure Shawn Kemp is still getting his 19 mill a year from the Portland Trail Blazers. Which is good for his sake with all those damn ill-legitimate kids running around. And I'm cool with that too, because someone keeps paying for my schooling, and I think it's Shawn Kemp.

So what now for Van Horn? Will he actually suit up for a game or two? I would kinda like to see him get bitched again by Marcus Camby, like he is in this picture. But then again, New Jersey is clearly building for the future and no where in that thought process is Keith Van Horn even mentioned. He will probably go back to what he was doing before, but this time with a lot more money.

I think the real question that presents itself to me now is.. What steps do I take from here? Is there a Keith Van Horn major? Do I have to do an internship helping Keith tend sheep? I gotta get on that shit. I have to figure out how to live by the mantra, WWKVHD?

This Kid Looks Hungry

2008-02-19T20:58:00.000-08:00

Seriously, someone get Corey Brewer a sandwich. I haven't been watching many Timberwolves' games this season, with good reason, but I tuned in recently. It blew my damn mind when I took a closer look at Mr. Brewer. This guy looks like a recovering crackhead. I mean no disrespect, as I'm sure he's a very nice fella, but he's 6'9" and 185 pounds. Someone that size should be about about 220-230. He makes a certain "Bez" look like a steroid-poppin' meathead.

Anyways, that random thought was not why I chose to come out of hiding and post.

It was Rick Pitino that said it best.. "All the negativity in this town sucks."
I think in some weird way, he was talking about the Twin-Cities. This has been a record year for suckage in Minnesota. We just had a nice little capper the other day with the worst trade I've ever seen... Ever. I'm referring to the Johan Santana trade of course. Anyone who tries to spin this in the Twins favor is completely nuts. The best pitcher in Major League Baseball for a bunch of "B" players and 3rd or 4th starters is the kind of stuff that should make a Twins' fan so god-damn angry. The hits just keep on coming for Minnesota sports fans. But I ask, when will it end? This negative trend needs to stop. It's making it really hard to be a fan. I think it was more just talk the last time I said this, but with every passing day it gets more and more real. I'm seriously going to start looking for other teams to root for if this keeps up. Some prospects could be the New Orleans Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Colorado Rockies, or maybe the Philadelphia Phillies. I will defect to the highest bidder.

In the ounce of positivity that I have left for the Minnesota clubs, I look to whats happening down at 600 First Avenue. It looks like we have actually have a player in Al Jefferson. I used to think that his nickname, "Big Al" was a bit premature, with him having proved nothing yet. Now, he's starting to live up to it by playing Big and holding his own against the League's best big men. Amare Stoudamire got "his" against the Wolves, (and trust me, he got plenty) but Jefferson got even more and had, arguably, the most dominant game in Wolves history with a 41 point, 19 Rebound explosion which went a long way in helping the Wolves beat Phoenix for the second time in three games. Then he proceeded to make Ben Wallace and some fool named Noah look like his charlie biatchs in back to backs against the Chicago Bulls the last couple days, while totaling 46 points and 32 rebounds in the two games. I was among the many who were very skeptical about Al (We got a good vibe) when he came via the Garnett trade this summer, but he's starting to make me a believer over the past couple weeks. Along with being the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, he should also be representing the Timberwolves in the All-Star Game. He wont even sniff the game though because he currently ranks behind the likes of Luis Scola of the Rockets, Shane Battier, again of the Rockets, and Mehmet Okur from the Utah Jazz at the Forward and Center positions. Man, I sure am glad they let Asia vote for the NBA All-Stars... That's working out swimmingly. That said though, I think hes on the right path, and maybe it wont happen for a couple years but I think he will get his due if he keeps this tear up. If he wants to fast track that recognition, he could maybe think about working on a face up game and 17-18 foot jumpers. He would be pretty scary if he mastered one, or both of those. Keep this up, big fella, and I promise we will trade you to someone who actually wants you to play for their team. Your time will come. That's a certainty.

The Wolves still suck something awful, but I'm doing my best to cling to the shred of light that still exists with them. I do have one request though... Please start losing again! You were doing such a good job of it earlier in the year, but now are being lapped in ineptitude by the Miamis and Seattles of the world. Keep this up and you watch, you'll end up getting screwed by the NBA again in the draft.(circa 1992)

In closing, you know that things have gotten bad in Minnesota sports when the people at "Some People's Kids" turn our collective back's on your ass. We are about as homer as it gets.

The Love We Lost... Part Deux

2008-02-19T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well, It looks like another Minnesota Star is leaving our sky. (Wow, that was cheesy)

It seems as if a deal for 2 time Cy Young Award Winner, Johan Santana, is now imminent. Multiple reports have surfaced in the last week and a half saying that the Twins and new GM Bill Smith are actively shopping the best pitcher in the game. The Yankees and Red Sox are at the forefront with the Dodgers, Angels, and Mariners said to be very interested as well. The deal now seems to be more not "if", but when at this point.

Boy, that sure happened fast...

Only a few short months ago, the sheer thought of trading Santana was blasphemy to any Twins fan and even the organization. But since then, Baseball's little devil child, known as free agency, has reared its ugly head once again, and now Johan has figured, why not me? Why not give me 150 million dollars? Hell, Barry Zito is mediocre and got 126 mill. And who could blame him? In this market, he is worth that much money.. The key words being "this market." Salaries have been ballooning out of control for years now, and it has finally bit your favorite squad in the ass not once, but twice in the span of a month. Mr. Twin, Torii Hunter was the first to go and now this. I have an idea. Why don't we eliminate all the teams not named Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Mets, and Cubs, and just let them go at it. Thats basically what Major League Baseball is leaning towards. Boston got our Ortiz, the Angels got our Hunter, and now the Yankees or Red Sox will now probably get our Venezuelan Sensation. If you are a Twins fan, don't ever go out and buy a Twins Jersey of your favorite player or get attached to another player again, because chances are, they wont be here long enough for you to get your use of out it.

Now, I know that last blurb sounded very negative... And lets be honest, it was. But there also are some very nice positives to the apparent Twins overhaul this year. I think Bill Smith has figured out something that Terry Ryan just couldn't come to grasp over the years. The nature of the beast as it stands now is that before you lose these players for absolutely nothing to free agency, trade them before it gets to that point and get some young studs in return. We screwed the pooch on the Torii Hunter situation last season when we could have eased the blow by getting some great talent in return, possibly from the Angels, who signed him this offseason. This Johan deal, whether it turns out to be the Yanks or the Sawwx, will yield a great return of up and comers.

The Yanks are said to be offering a combination of prized right handed pitching prospect Phillip Hughes, Defensive Center Fielder extraordinaire Melky Cabrera, and some other minor league prospects. Hughes is going to be a stud that could anchor our rotation for years, and Cabrera is already a great fielder and has a high ceiling as a hitter. It would be nice if we could somehow finagle another right handed pitcher, Ian Kennedy from them as well, but that doesn't look like its going to happen.
The Red Sox are looking to obtain Santana as well. If they suceed, they might have assembled the best pitching staff ever, especially if they can keep Jon Lester in the process. I don't say that lightly either. I know you can't give someone the World Series in the offseason, but you add the best pitcher in the majors to the best pitching staff in the league, and they are as close to as you are going to get. The main cogs of the Red Sox offer are Jacoby Ellsbury and Lester, with the Red Sox currently only willing to include one of the two. The other bits that were offered include Coco Crisp and a bunch of supposedly good minor leaguers that no one has really heard of. Ellsbury is a stud. I don't think there is any doubt about that. He's got speed and gap power and in the MetroDome, thats a great thing. He reminds me of Grady Sizemore. Maybe even as dreamy.. Jon Lester scares me a bit. Even with as good a prospect as he might be, the whole cancer thing last year makes me wonder about possible health risks. I admit, that might seem insensitive, considering the ordeal that he went through last year, but I think that its a valid concern when you are thinking about the future of a franchise.

IF it were up to me, I go for the Yankees offer. Although Ellsbury would be nice, the Yankees are giving you the Center fielder that you need and the elite prospect that you need to get back in return for Johan.

After the Twins trade Santana, the last person to go will be Joe Nathan, and thats perfectly fine by me. That will make this process complete. For those of you that think that the cupboard is bare after this offseason, you are mistaken. Our pitching staff is somewhat in flux, but could be very good in about two years. With Fransico Liriano coming back, added to Hughes, Baker, Slowey, and hopefully a slimmed down Boof, this is a rotation I willing to run with. With Neshek moving into the Closer's role, our bullpen might be a little thin, but thats always seemed to be a strength for the Twins. We have actually upgraded the lineup to include possible Star Delmon Young, Cabrera, and Craig Monroe to go with a decent lineup already. There are some question marks with this team, but before anyone jumps off a bridge,(ok, wrong choice of words) they hopefully will take a step back and look at the big picture. These young players, along with the money saved, could help give us some hope for the future. This is something that Twins fans are desperately yearning for after a very curious offseason so far.

I think we deserve that much.

Notes From the Foreskin

2008-02-19T20:56:00.002-08:00

Sundays during football season are some of the best days of the year. These are days that men can usually take a "mental break" from the other things that may otherwise cloud their mind. Women, Jobs, Kids, Hemorrhoids, Women, etc...

I never really get to enjoy these "breaks" like I would like to because I usually work every Sunday during the day. This Sunday was an exception. I caught much of the noon games at a casino in Southern Iowa and caught most of the other action on a beautiful invention known as Sirius Satellite Radio. I took a couple things from this weekend(and Monday....and Thursday)....

We'll start with something that happened late Sunday night. Word came out late that Sean Taylor, safety for the Washington Redskins, was shot in his home in Florida. As I write this, Taylor is still in critical condition and the doctors are telling people to "pray for a miracle." Never a good thing. In the initial report, Taylor was awoken late Sunday when he heard noises downstairs. He got up and grabbed a machete that he keeps near his bed for protection. He was fired at twice, with one bullet connecting. Now, I don't know about you but I gotta respect a man who wields a machete for protection. Whether you like Sean Taylor or not, this is pretty sad news. Drafted out of "The U" in 2004, Taylor had become one of the NFL's premier talents and one of it's hardest hitters. Along with rookie Laron Landry, Taylor helped form the best safety tandem in the league. I won't lie and say that I've watched a great deal of his games, but from the games that I have seen, I've noticed that viewers are only a minute away from seeing a vicious, and yes, sometimes somewhat illegal hit that can bring people to their feet. He would hit you like you stole something... Literally. He was involved in a incident last year in which he was accused of pistol whipping a guy who was thought to have stolen Taylor's all-terrain vehicles.
Anyways, I hope for his sake, as well as his family's, that he makes it through this.

The Vikings game was odd in many ways. First was Tavaris Jackson tossing a 60 yard touchdown pass on the second play of the game. Yes, I said Tavaris Jackson. Second was Eli Manning throwing 4 interceptions to one of the worst pass defenses in the game. Third was that almost every pass the Vikings picked off they proceeded to bring back for a score of their own. The Vikings are the hardest team to figure out. Their play varies so much from week to week. One week they look like they can't do anything and the next week they are breaking all sorts of records. I really think this team is a quarterback away from being pretty damn good.

The rest of the league was screwed up as well. This was the week of the backup running back. Chester Taylor did his thing again, but he was also joined this week by a couple back ups and third string guys. Names like Andre Hall, Justin Fargas, Kolby Smith, and Adrian Peterson(no, not that one) combined to rush for about 440 yards and 5 touchdowns. If you haven't heard of these guys before, you aren't alone. Look for another no name to have a decent week this week. Cecil Sapp is the 5th string running back who might start for the Denver Broncos, who take on the Oakland Raiders and their horrid run defense.

Thanksgiving Day brought us a trio of boring games. The Cowboys and Packers both rolled to victories, setting up a Thursday night showdown this week that will probably determine home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. This is especially important considering that Green Bay in January is not fun weather to play in. Lets hope this game lives up to the hype that the Colts-Patriots game failed to.

Did anyone see that the Eagles were 24.5 point underdogs to the Patriots on Sunday night?? That is the biggest spread ever for an NFL game. I happened to not see it beforehand, but if I did, I would have put my left nut on the line that the Eagles would cover that spread. The Eagles are bad, but not even close to that bad. I'm sure they felt disrespected and overlooked and for that reason they gave the Pats the best game they will probably get all season. NO team deserves to be more than a 17 point underdog in any NFL game. Even the 0-11 Dolphins...

Speaking of the Dolphins. The Monday Night Game brought us another lovely matchup with the Steelers and the aforementioned winless Miami Dolphins. This is now the 4th straight horrible game that the folks at MNF have shown us. And you can't count the Pats scoring 56 points against a really over matched Bills team. This weeks game was the lowest scoring game in the NFL this year, as the Steelers won a WILD one 3-0. It was scoreless until the last 20 seconds. This wasn't your hard hitting defensive struggle 3-0 game that could be fun to watch. It was a sloppy mess of bad play and even worse play. One sequence stuck out from the game. The Dolphins were driving late in the 3rd quarter and lined up for a field goal. A delay of game penalty backed them up 5 yards. Now instead of taking another crack at a field goal which would have possibly put his winless team in position to finally win, Dolphins coach Cam Cameron decided to let his rookie quarterback, in his second start ever, try to convert a 4th and 11 when the team hadn't done anything right all night long. The ensuing play resulted in a breakdown by the line and a sack. Good call, bud. Thats why your team is 0-11. Almost as good a decision as drafting Ted Ginn Jr.

This week was another zany one in the NFL. I'm starting to think that the Patriots are the only sure thing and that anything goes for the rest of the league. Stay Tuned..

No Wonder Steve Phillips Doesn't Have a Job Anymore..

2008-02-19T20:56:00.001-08:00

Who is this broad? I haven't the slightest clue, but let me tell ya, it wouldn't be the worst mistake Steve Phillips has made. It is pretty bad, mind you, but even ugly chicks need love too. Cheer up, Steve... You can always turn off the lights.

Now, I watch Sportscenter quite a bit. Probably too much actually. In watching Sportscenter over the past couple years, I have seen numerous baseball segments involving "Expert" Steve Phillips, former GM of the New York Mets and current baseball analyst for ESPN. To date, I don't think that one of his predictions, or one bit of advice for other clubs has come to fruition. In trying to sift through the numerous World Series predictions gone wrong to all the brutal trade scenarios, I could never really recall a certain incident that stuck out in my mind though... until tonight.

Sportscenter was showing a story on the new manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Joe Torre. Afterwards, they tried to chronicle how the mediocre Dodgers could become contenders in the National League next year. Of course, they went to the Guru Phillips. In really breaking down the situation, Phillips went on to state that all the Dodgers needed to do was to target three positions. Third base, Centerfield, and improve Starting Pitching. Seems simple enough. Sounds like what 90% of baseball needs to do. Then, he went on to say that the Dodgers need to get either Miguel Cabrera or Alex Rodriguez to fill the 3rd base slot, Andrew Jones or Torii Hunter to fill Center field, and then trade for the best pitcher in baseball in Johan Santana to cure the starting pitching. That would make the Dodgers World Series contenders. Thanks Steve. How about we get a donkey, a goat, a 17 year old prostitute, and a one armed midget to go along with it..

This guy is an "Expert?!?" That was one of the stupidest things I have ever heard aired on live television. Even Kenny Mayne poked fun at his fellow colleague afterwards, saying, "That's Steve employing the unlimited payroll rule."

At first I am floored, but then after a quick search to find some out some other things about Mr. Phillips, the situation makes more sense to me. This is the same guy that has traded away the likes of AJ Burnett and Jason Isringhausen, and probably had something to do with the Victor Zambrano for Scott Kazmir trade to Tampa Bay. I also found out that he was trying to trade a couple "Single A" players for the likes of Jose Cruz Jr. and an over-the-hill Roberto Alomar. Those two "A" players? A couple of guys you might know. Jose Reyes and David Wright. This guy is an idiot and needs to removed from television, STAT. I don't really know what that means, but I think it means "fast." I don't know how he got the Mets GM job way back when, and frankly, I don't care, but what I do know now is why he doesn't have the job anymore.

ESPN does its best to annoy everyone watching by constantly beating stories into submission and concentrating about 80 % of their airtime on about 6 professional teams. I can handle all that. I've learned to deal with it. But please, get this clown off the screen.

I can't afford to get any dumber...

Things that Suck

2008-02-19T20:54:00.002-08:00

In honor of Bez's Michael Jordanesk return to the Blog, I have come up with a couple things, not that make me happy, but that really make me upset. Not in a "throw things against the wall" way, but in a "shake my head in your general direction" type of way. Here goes...

Kids on Leashes

Whoever came up with this has got to be the dumbest Mo Fo out there. I'm aware that these have been around a while, but I saw them for the first time this summer at the Minnesota State Fair. I tell ya, it blew my damn mind.. Listen, for all those who are confused, Kids are not Animals! Is it that hard for your lazy ass to walk hand and hand with your child. If you can't pay enough attention to them to keep an eye on them, don't bring them with. Its that simple. Having your kid on a leash since birth is the stuff Mental Hospitals are made of. These are probably the kids that are gonna grow up and pull a Columbine on us. Do the rest of us a favor and stop being an idiot.

Stewart Scott's "Spoken Word" Poetry on Sportscenter

Last night on Sportscenter, Stew broke down the Celtics-Timberwolves highlight by doing a very poor impression of Mos Def or Maya Angelo. I tried to follow some of it, but then, when it didn't rhyme or sound good, it lost me. I know SC is trying to mix things up and not give us the same show every night, and thats all well and good, but please put a stop to this madness. We get it, Stew's black. You don't have to do your best to remind us every night. I want to hear the sports and see the highlights. You have done an excellent job for almost 30 years. Just keep it simple, stupid. I'll take your "Bou-Ya"s and "Cool as the other side of the pillow" lines, and I'm not standing for anymore of this..

MLB Free Agency

This is further proof why the Twins will always be mediocre. There's no stopping it. When you hear that Carlos Silva and Kyle Louse are going to be commanding big contracts this year, the world has officially ended. The free agent market keeps getting crazier and crazier, and when our favorite club refuses to catch up with the times, it seals its own fate. I read somewhere that if ARod opts out of his contract, his agent, Scott Boras, hopes to command somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 million for his next contract. At first, it blew my mind, but then I realized, this is what we have come to. When does it stop? Teams can build all they want through the minor leagues, but its only short lived. When their young studs hit free agency, its over, because only a few clubs out there can afford them, or are willing to spend the money to keep them. Parity is what makes the NFL so great. Free Agency in Major league Baseball with no Salary Cap will make damn sure that "parity" isn't ever even mentioned in the same sentence.

NFL "Timeout Rule"

It was clever the first time someone did it. It was crafty the next time someone did it. Now, its become downright bad for the game. You know the rule, team lines up for Field Goal. Right before the snap, other team calls a timeout at the very second before the team gets the play off, effectively ruining what might be a game-winning, tear jerking moment. Its happened to the Raiders, the Browns, the Auburn Tigers, and this past Monday night to the Dallas Cowboys. Sometimes it works out the same way, as the team still makes the kick. But other times, the team misses on the second try.. I know that the object of the game is to win, but not like that. I think this rule will be short lived as there is already talks in place to change it starting next year. And good riddance, although this wont be the last time we see this this year.

Combo Platter: Sunglasses indoors/ Popped Collars

You know who you are. If you wear sunglasses when its 40 degrees, cloudy, and raining. If you popped your polo shirt collar in any weather. You are what we in the "biz" like to refer to as a DBAG. You aren't Tom Cruise or Puffy. Even though you do some drugs, you aren't Lindsey Lohan. You're Joe Smo. You don't look good. You look like a moron. Its not a fashion statement when people know you are doing for that reason. There is a kid in one of my classes that commits both these fashion faux pas at once.. It takes every ounce of me, not to beat him. Enough said.

Runner up: Men wearing Pink, Dog Purses, Trucker Hats

Kevin Garnett in a Celtics' Uniform.

Not Cool. Big time Suck. Tear.

Skip Bayless, ESPN's "1st and 10" show

It happened a couple years back, with the emergence of shows like "PTI" and "Around the Horn," long time sports writers being thrust into the limelight of television. These writers, working mostly behind the scenes for their entire careers, are now household names. Most of them are knowledgeable and some are even humorous at times. But one thing they all have in common is that they are all old. No where on any of these shows do you see a young, upbeat sports writer come on to discuss sports, with the exception of maybe Michael Smith. For the most part its crotchety old men. None of which is more so then Skip Bayless. I get annoyed hearing this guy talk, let alone actually listening to what he has to say. Sometimes I think he just says things for the shock value of it all, and not because he has a real opinion on something. He is the epitome of what is wrong with these shows. That someone like this clown is famous. And he is suddenly everywhere. He is a regular on the aforementioned "1st and 10" as well as being a guest on recent Sportcenters and on talk radio stations. For the love of god, get this grumpy, old, stuck in the 70's man off the screen, and back where he belongs. Writing in boring newspapers. And dump that show, nobody watches it and its horrible.

Is this a Great Game or What?

2008-02-19T20:54:00.001-08:00

After months and months of waiting, we have finally come back to the start of the best time of the year for sports fans. Its a period of time every year starting from the start of Football season to the end of football season, culminating with the Super Bowl in early February. During this wonderful time, we see the start of football season, both college and pro, the start of basketball season, both college and pro, and the end of a 7 month long baseball season. Baseball's postseason is by far the best of all the four major sports. Every pitch means so much, coaching really shows up, and runs are at a premium. Not to mention that stadiums get uber crazy. Usually there are a few meaningful games come the last weekend of the regular season, but for the most part, the playoff spots are already filled or just a mere formality. Again, I emphasize, usually.

This year.... not so much. Coming into the last weekend, there were about 9 teams still alive for playoff spots, mostly all of them residing in the National League. I've never really been a baseball buff in the past, mainly because I would get bored during the doldrums of summer, when it seems that the season will never end. Again, this year was different. I've become more of a fan now than ever before. I never thought in a million years, I would be glued to the TV, watching a Padres/Brewers game on ESPN, hanging on every at bat. The end of this season has been the by far the craziest I've ever seen. Let me take a moment and try to break it down the best I can from my perspective. This season has seen everything. From a complete and utterly unfathomable collapse, to some teams left for dead showing everyone that they are very much alive.

In an earlier post, I said "That thud you hear is Rick Ankiel." I must apologize. I was very wrong on that one. That thud you hear is the New York Mets. If you realize what has happened to this team in the last month, you have to stand in amazement. Leading the NL East by a seemingly insurmountable 7 games in mid September, the Mets slowly dribbled it down their leg. With every loss to teams that had nothing to play for, the Mets showed us new ways to lose baseball games. They built 5+ run leads, only to have a Guillermo Mota led bullpen blow up in front of their eyes. They lost to teams that were eliminated from playoff contention in spring training. They had people who were brought in to prevent these kind of things from happening, namely Billy Wagner, blow lead after lead in uncharacteristic fashion after being solid all year. As much as I like this team and the players on it, I couldn't help but smile at the magnitude of that collapse. With the loss on the last day of season to the Florida Marlins, in which stallwart Tom Glavine gave up 7 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning, the boys from Flushing completed their fall and lost the division to their rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. Twins fans know this situation all too well. This sounds like the Detroit Tigers team losing a 13 game lead last year to the benefit of our favorite club. The only difference was, those Tigers still made the playoffs, these Mets will not.

The Phillies, along with the Colorado Rockies, were the aforementioned teams left for dead earlier this season. These two clubs, although alot alike, went about their comebacks in different ways. The Phils kept coming all year. They weathered many key injuries and somehow kept their head above water, until their steady pace caught up with the tanking Mets. They are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the league. From the top of the order to the bottom, these Phils have people that will make you sit on the edge of your seat every time they step to the plate. Whether its Jimmy Rollins leading off with his unique combination of speed and power, or Ryan Howard abusing baseballs into the upper deck on a regular basis, these Phils always keep things interesting. Not to mention that Chase Utley may be one of the purest hitters that there is in the league. This team has style, and swagger, and damn, are they easy to like...

The Rockies however, chose a different route to a possible postseason appearance. They just chose to win almost every game since mid September. The Rockies took 13 of their last 14 games including a franchise-record 11 straight, finishing like gang busters to force a one-game playoff for the NL wild card with the (yawn) San Diego Padres. These aren't your cool older brother's Colorado Rockies either. These Rockies do it with both hitting AND pitching. With players that most people have never heard of, they have surprised everyone by winning in the rarefied air of Colorado. Although, you may have no clue who these players are yet, it won't be long until you do. Led not the Killer "B"s, of Houston Astros fame, but the Killer "H"s of Todd Helton, Brad Hawpe, and the possible MVP of the league Matt Holliday, these Rockies can really do damage to any pitching staff. They all can hit for average. They all can hit for power. Its really, really scary actually.

The best thing about these teams, and the reason that you can feel really good rooting for them, is that they were both built through the Minor Leagues, not some flash in the pan, big free agent signing. No one would come to Colorado to pitch, causing them to vastly overpay for very sub par pitchers like Denny Naegle and Mike Hampton. When that didn't work, they just developed their own pitchers. No one wanted to pitch in Philly either, so they developed one of the best young left handers in the league in Cole Hamels. Even their Murderer's Row lineups were built through the Minor Leagues, proving to Twins fans that maybe there is hope after all.

The greatest thing of all though, is that if the Rockies win their one game playoff on Monday, these two teams will play each other in a first round best-of-five series. I'm already smiling about that prospect.

Baseball's postseason this year has so many stories to watch. So many players to watch. With every new series, there will be more intriguing things to watch then the series before it. You need to tune in. Trust me, you won't regret it.

I'd like you to meet my new love. Major League Baseball.

How to Save a Life... and Then Kill a Career

2008-02-19T20:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, that may be a bit over the top. Okay, so its a lot over the top.

Its almost never heard of. Babe Ruth was the only one who did it sucessfully. Go from Pitcher to Position Player. The story itself is just plain amazing. Major League Baseball's best pitching prospect. The world at his finger tips. Then suddenly, to the bewilderment of everyone, he loses it. And not only does he lose it, but he loses it in the playoffs, on national television, when his Cardinal teammates are counting on him the most. In one brutal series of events, he goes from King to Goat, including a major league record for wild pitches in one inning with 5. And these pitches aren't just wild, they would make Yao Ming duck for cover. Then he seemingly falls off the face of the earth, only to emerge again with one main difference, hes holding a bat instead of holding a ball. Hes become an outfielder, and a damn good one at that. He makes his way back through the Cardinals farm system, and because of a couple unfortunate injuries, lands on the big stage once again. That in itself has got to be the story of the year. But it gets better. First game back, he hits a home run in front of a ruckus home crowd. Now thats the stuff that dreams are made of.

Unless you have been living in a cave for the past 3 months, you know this is the story of Rick Ankiel, The St. Louis Cardinals newest right fielder. This guy has all the tools. A powerful bat. A rocket arm(he was a pitcher, for shit's sake). He can probably run well. And he could probably name all the capitol cities of the US. This guy is that good. Some people went so far as to call him, "The Natural", referencing the popular 1984 Robert Redford movie. And who could argue? Through his first 22 games in the Big Leagues(the 2nd time), Ankiel had been abusing opposing pitchers to the tune of a .358 average, 9 Home runs, 29 RBI, and 22 Runs. That is the definition of abuse. Not to mention that he had provided the Cardinals with the "pep" in their step that they had so desperately needed to propel them back into the race in the National League Central.

Storybook.

But, as we've learned before, all good things must come to an end. Some people cant just leave well enough alone. There will always be people out there, for whatever reason, that want to drudge up old things and try to bring people down. Especially with a story like this. I'm sure people were lining up from all over the country to rain on this parade. Well, someone finally did. The story broke sometime early last week. Sometime before 2005, when the league banned the drug, Ankiel had taken HGH, human growth hormone. Now, while not against the rules at the time, MLB can now suspend you based on evidence that you took it. Pretty weak rule if you ask me, but its how it is. Within the span of a couple days, this was all over the news. With names being thrown out left and right, it seemed that everybody who ever picked up a bat had cheated. The news reporters lined up to grill Ankiel with questions about his past. And unlike, Mark Mcgwire, he was here to talk about the past. Whether he had something to hide, or whether he was just shook up by everyone under the sun now calling him a CHEATER, this controversy has had a serious effect on his play. And its a pretty blatant effect too.

That "THUD" you hear is Rick Ankiel.

Since the day when he sliced and diced the Pirates for 2 Home runs, 7 Rbi, and 4 Runs scored, he has gone 2-22 with no Rbi and two runs scored. He also has 8 strikeouts in that span. Coincidence? I think its pretty damn obvious. Now the best story in baseball this year has become one of its worst. We haven't seen a collapse like this since the statue of Saddam fell. With Ankiel, so to went the Cardinals. From 1/2 game back a week ago, to where they stand now 4 1/2 games back.

Its kind of sad really. When you think about how much negative stuff is out there... Then you find a great feel good story for everyone to sink their teeth into... And boom. No mas. I, for one, am getting really sick of it. Memo to MLB, this steroids witch hunt needs to stop. What are they going to accomplish by digging up dirt from the past? All they would do is hurt their sport. Bring about more negative connotations about the nature of baseball in the Major Leagues. I've got news for ya... The fans, they don't give a shit! Its the media that is bringing down your sport. Baseball has drawn more fans this year than ever before, beating the record set last year, and the year before that. People love baseball. Your sport is great right now. Keep it that way. Yes, plenty of people took steroids in the past. We get it. We also get that people scuffed and vasolined balls. We get that people corked bats. We get that people used HGH. We Just DON'T CARE.
Just hit home runs, steal bases, throw some balls around a bit and Smile and things will be all good.

As for Rick Ankiel, who knows what will become of him.. He obviously has the talent to be a fixture in the league for a long time, but will this pass quietly or have we really seen the beginning of the end? What we do know, thanks to the media, is that he may not be so "Natural" anymore.

Terry Ryan was Right!... The Solution WAS from Within

2008-02-19T20:52:00.000-08:00

Little did we know...

We all thought Terry Ryan was nuttier than squirrel turds. We thought that the Twins needed to make a deal before the deadline to try and win the division. All we had to do was look in our own backyard. All we had to do was go to 600 First Avenue. The Secret Weapon? The Ticket...

It only took a moment for the Boston Red Sox to capitalize on Minnesota's mistake. Funny, this sounds like an all too familiar story. Oh yeah, that Papi guy. Yeah, he turned out to be ok. The Boston Globe is reporting today that Kevin Garnett will take over Julian Taveras' rotation spot and become the Red Sox' fifth starter. If the Red Sox didn't have the best rotation in major league baseball before this, its a no-doubter now. Coupled with Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Curt Shilling, and feel good story Jon Lester, the Red Sox rotation now sports the fire power to win in October. Nomah Yastrzemski, a Red Sox fan since birth, had this to say after word of the news had spread, "Ya kno, now with the Gaarnett in the rotation, I don't think the Sox will give up another run all yeeh, not even to Steinbrennah and the damn Evil Empirah." While Garnett has never actually pitched before, he has watched many games on TV and a recent radar gun clocked him at 96. He hopes to get one minor league start at Pawtucket before joining the parent club for next week's series. He got his official welcoming at last night's game versus the Baltimore Orioles. Kevin threw out the first pitch in front of the sellout crowd. With the whole crowd waiting with baited breath, wondering if everything they have heard will be true, Kevin stepped up and threw the much-ballyhooed GyroBall for a resounding strike. Boston fans responded like they had seen the second coming of Christ walk through the turnstiles at Fenway Park.

Maybe if those in the Twins organization had reached out to Kevin the way the Red Sox have already done, he might have been "cool" staying here for some more rebuilding. We could have effectively killed two birds with one stone. We could have improved a very mediocre Twins rotation as well as giving Timberwolves' fans a reason to keep coming to Target Center. It also would have kept Johan Santana happy because apparently he's not down with rebuilding either. But alas, they couldn't see the talent that was right in front of their eyes.

Now, Kevin will have the opportunity to lead his two teams to the pinnacle of their respective sports, and I would obviously have to check with Tim Kurkjian, but I think it would be the first time that anyone has pitched in game 7 of the World Series and hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy on a Sunday in a non leap year with the Summer Olympics a year away. For the Red Sox, the Rich get richer. Getting Eric Gagne and KG in the same two day span, has to be a boon for Red Sox nation. For the Twins, its another missed opportunity to add to many others. I guess it's wait till next year after all. Thanks Terry. You're killing me smalls.

Fearless Fantasy Forecast: 7 Wins, 100 strikeouts, 15 walks, 2.64 ERA, 0.89 Whip

The Love We Lost.....

2008-02-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope you all appreciated it while it lasted. The only true face of the Minnesota Timberwolves since their inception in 1989 is probably busy packing his bags and saying his good-byes. It appears what ADAMBEZ and many others reported earlier today has come true, as Kevin Garnett is apparently heading east to the Boston Celtics. The deal isn't official but I'm going out on a limb and saying its done. The Timberwolves would receive Al Jefferson, Sebastion Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, and two first round picks in return. Go figure it would be with the only team that McDouschbag seems to trade with, mainly because himself and Celtics GM Danny Ainge are buddies. As a Timberwolves die hard for many a year, I can't help but shed a tear at this news. Kevin Garnett is the reason the Wolves have any fans left, and with the exception of one year, the only reason fans came out to games on a frequent basis. Before I break down how great of a trade this is for us, I have no choice but to reflect on everything that Kevin Garnett is. I think he deserves that much.

Drafted in 1995 straight out of Farragut Academy in Chicago, Garnett came into the NBA as the first High Schooler since Moses Malone to be drafted. The decision was not a popular one with many people. Too young, too skinny, too raw. Whether he used that for motivation was not clear, but ever since then he has been everything that Wolves fans had hoped for and more. For 12 wonderful years, Minnesota got to experience not only one of the best players in the NBA but also one of its hardest working as well. It was a joy to watch this lanky 6'11" man exude such raw joy playing the game of basketball. Some people who play the game treat it more like a job than anything else. Kevin treated it like it was the game he grew up loving, and acted like he was truly happy to be getting paid to play. Now, some people might say that he was vastly overpaid, but if you stepped back and thought about what Kevin brought to the table, that point loses a lot of its luster. Not only was good for 22 and 12 almost every game of his career, but he also averaged around 5 assists for most of it as well. He may have not hit as many big shots as everyone would have liked, but he made his teammates better in every way. He never got himself in any trouble and treated the people of Minnesota with respect, always saying that he loved to play here. To me, he was worth every penny of the 20+ million a year he got from the club.

Sadly though, that 20+ million dollar salary, coupled with many horrendous other contracts, completely handicapped the team into mediocrity. Even though many of us did not want to see it end this way, something had to be done. The team had to part ways and start this Biotch over. It appears they have done so.

They couldn't have asked for much more. If all is true and they receive who they are said to be receiving, the trade is the first one in a long time that you can say that we actually came out on top. Sure we give up Garnett, but we get a budding "star" in Al Jefferson and lots of yummy cap room. The other actual players aren't that great, with the exception of Gerald Green, who could bring some excitement to the Target Center. I'm not sure that Sebastion Telfair will be with us, or anyone else, for very much longer. The part of this deal that makes it so appealing is those two first round picks that we acquire. Sure, one of them would be our pick that we owe the Celtics already, but it helps undue some of the mess McHorrible GM made down his leg a couple years ago.

If, for some reason, you happen to be optimistic for this upcoming year, let me be the first one to burst your bubble. This team will be very, very bad next year. And by bad, I'm talking 20-25 wins at most. I'm hoping for 15-18 actually, which would probably guarantee ourselves a top 3 pick, if not (GASP!) the first overall pick. This might be the only way we get to keep our pick that belongs to the Clippers. If you couple that fact with all the yummy cap room I mentioned earlier, this could be a shorter rebuilding process then usually is the case. Taking a quick look at the notable free agents for next years class, names like Elton Brand, Dwight Howard, Ben Gordon, Shawn Marion, and Agent Zero quickly jump off the page. Those are some of the names that could make this pill a lot easier to swallow.

As the Kevin Garnett era nears its end, I want to be one of hopefully many to look back at his time here, not with disdain, but with fondness. I know that we didn't get to where most fans wanted to get, but we truly saw one of the good ones play for 12 years. He did his best to take Wolves fans to the promised land. It wasn't his fault that a couple idiots were driving the bus. I'm gonna keep cheering for Kevin in Bean Town, and I hope that he can finally find his way to more success. He deserves it as much as any player in the NBA. Maybe the people in Boston will embrace him the way Wolves fans have.

Good Luck, Ticket.

On a lighter note, I am currently watching the Twins-Royals game,(and no, I don't know why) and Dick Bremer just uttered the words "Lew Ford absolutely owns Jimmy Gobble."(Royals relief pitcher) Man, has it really gotten this bad?? If they are clinging to statements that absurd, then the answer just may be yes.

So.. THIS Crumb is the Reason I Haven't Won a Bet in the Last 3 Months??

2008-02-19T20:49:00.002-08:00

All those hours of watching games. All the time spent on the Internet checking out stats and the latest trends. All those years gaining the common sense needed to make good decisions. Down the shitter.

The average sports better has always been disadvantaged. Its the nature of the beast. That's why the sports books stay open. With the "juice" that comes along with every bet or the fact that people much smarter than you and I set the lines with the help of more information than any of us with ever care to look at. Most people are sheep when it comes to betting, choosing to pick YOUR team, when they clearly have no chance of staying in the game. Or picking the Yankees or Cowboys because that's only teams you ever hear about on Sportscenter. But the few of us who actually pay attention to going on of things outside 100 miles of our homes are still behind the eight ball. The only reason we might have a better time of wagering is that we can use the information collected to make informed decisions.

Now, saying all that, it means nothing if you have some slappy on the inside working against you. You are pretty much giving your money away to anyone or anything that will take it. The thing is that through out the years, there has been an understanding that sports were sacred. That no one would dare ruin sports. Over the years though, certain people have tested that notion in order to make a quick buck. The Chicago Black Sox, the kid from the Arizona State Basketball team that shaved points, the recent gambling ring run by ex-professional hockey player Rick Tocchet, and of course Charlie Hustle, Pete Rose. The NBA and NFL have never experienced anything like this this related to gambling though.

Until now.

As everyone has heard by now, Tim Donaghy, a long time NBA official has been accused of betting on games in which he was officiating and giving information about the outcome of games that would possibly benefit potential betters. Basically, the douschbag was fixing games. David Stern confirmed yesterday in a press conference that the news story was indeed true and that there was an investigation ongoing.

Probably the thing that stuck out the most from the news conference, and probably one of the funnier things I've seen in a while, was the look on David Stern's face throughout the entire hour. He honestly looked like someone just ran over his golden retriever. I know that's not the funniest thing to think about, but when you think David Stern, you think stoic and firm. You think hard case. Running his league more like a dictatorship than anything else. But to see him stand there limply, looking like a strong breeze would blow him over, it seemed like his baby was being taken away from him. He looked the warden in Shaw shank Redemption, when he realized that Andy Dufrain had single handily just ruined him.

Stern better hope that this was, as he put it, one rouge criminal and nothing more. If this guy squeals and starts naming names, the NBA is ruined. And yes, I mean ruined. For years, people have been wondering out loud if the NBA was rigged, fixed, plotted out like the WWE. And David Stern acted like it was preposterous to think about such things. The league he helped build to prominence could never be taken down like that. Or could it??

Such things make you wonder about happenings in the past and say hmmmmm... Now, as you may or may not know, I am the biggest Michael Jordan fan I know. But even I could see that while he was playing, he got, should I say, the benefit of, oh, a thousand or so calls. Was it that he was just that great of a player? Maybe. Hopefully. But you have to wonder if the most popular player to ever step foot on a basketball court was given the red carpet treatment once or twice. No one will really ever know for sure I guess.

All I know, is that, right now, in the Land of the Major Sports Commissioners, Gary Bettman is king.

I had been wondering for months now how those games that were locks in every way could go so wrong. How with 22 seconds left and the Spurs up 9 in a meaningless game against the Hawks, Jacque Vaughan can proceed to turn the ball over instead of running out the clock as he should. And how the Hawks can then come down and score a meaningless basket, thus making the deficit 7 and ruining my beautiful $30 dollar Parlay. Now, I know the answer. If you need me, I'll be hunting down Tim Donaghy. My new 9 Iron needs to be broken in. I just hope someone else doesn't get to him first.

Does Anyone See What This Guy is Doing??

2008-02-19T20:49:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. Everyone in Minnesota is automatically supposed to hate the Yankees. The Evil Empire. Everything the Twins aren't, basically. I also get the everyone is supposed to hate Alex Rodriguez as well. Being the highest paid player in the league, it just comes with the territory. So why am I writing something about a player so loathed that he gets booed regularly at his home ballpark?? Well, while everyone in baseball has been captivated on the Barry Bonds home run chase or (yawn) the steroids investigation, I don't think people have really come to appreciate exactly whats been going on in the Bronx. Now, you might say... What the hell is this kid talking about? Everyone knows that ESPN pimps the Yankees everyday of every week. Whether its the Clemens travesty or them being 3 games under .500, etc,etc, etc.. Trust me, I've almost had enough too..

Little has been made though of exactly what A-Rod is accomplishing. If you take a look at his stats, I dont see how you can't like this guy, even with everything I stated earlier. One of the most dependable players over the span of his 13 year major league career, Rodriguez has been the model of consistency over that span. This year has been no different. In April, he only hit .360 and only a 6 game drought at the end of the month prevented him from breaking the record for the most home runs in April, ever, with 14. This year he has by far been the best player in the Majors, compiling 28 home runs and 77 RBI, not to mention hitting .333. A serious Triple Crown threat. He is as locked in as Barry Bonds was during the 2001 season, and thats scary. All this while also playing Gold Glove defense at Third base.

Aside from this year, though, the historical perspective that A-Rod is approaching needs to be touched on also. Before the age of 32, he has amassed 492 home runs. 492 Home runs! Frank Thomas can barely walk and is just now getting to 500 homers. Rafael Palmero apparently juice up for years, and just made it to 500. Before he turns 32 on July 27th, Arod will have hit his 500th, making him the youngest player to accomplish that milestone, beating Jimmie Foxx by 10 months, or more than a full season sooner. I feel like no one is even taking notice to how unbelievable this is.
While people have been consumed lately with all the negativity surrounding baseball and the "steroid Era", they may have overlooked that we may be witnessing the best baseball player ever... And yes, Im not crazy when I say, EVER. How can you not like a player like that?

Thinking long term, if Alex plays until he is 40 years old and taking into account his average number of 41 home runs hit per full major league season, he will have hit more than 850 home runs in his career! That will obviously shatter the current home run mark soon to be Barry Bonds'. Thats assuming, too, that he only plays until hes 40. I think he could actually go longer considering that over his entire career hes been so durable that he hasn't played in less than 129 games in any season... and that was only one year. The rest of the years have hovered around 150 or so... Maybe around age 40 he moves to DH to save his body.

And forget about any steroids bullshit to cop out on.. Since coming into the majors, he has done almost anything to help his team win. His first year in the league, he hit .360. One year, along with hitting 42 home runs, he also stole 46 bases. Not to mention that he has now hit 35+ homers for 10.. wait, 11 straight years. There has been no spike in production like you have seen with others. Just a natural progression of a great ball player.

I know that he might have his slight drawbacks from time to time that might make it easy for some people to dislike him. His shenanigans in Toronto a month ago were a little bush league. And, I meant his shenanigans ON the baseball field.

There was that incident with the very boob-a-licious stripper while in Toronto too. Lets be honest though, who hasn't wanted to bang a hot stripper at one point or another in their life??

But aside from all that, one has to appreciate what we get to watch. The best offensive player in the game is also one of its better defensive players too. ARod can opt out of his contract at the end of this year and become a free agent. Even though hes making 22 million this year and more next year, I do believe he will opt out and test the market. The people in New York have never appreciated him and never will. There will be so many teams salivating at the chance to sign him, and if this year is any preview of things to come, he will make comparable money as well. A Rod is already a two-time MVP and will add another one by the time this year is done. Its time for people to weed through all the somewhat negative, and start to really appreciate just how good this guy is..

What to do?.... What to do??

2008-02-19T20:48:00.000-08:00

I think that's what a lot of us Minnesota Twins fans are wondering as the season nears its midway point. With Cleveland showing no signs of slowing down and the Tigers having the most talent in the Central, it doesn't look any brighter for the Twins as they cling to a .500 record that still sees them 6 1/2 games behind the division leader.
Now, I know what you will say. Its the same thing everybody says around Minnesota. "Well, we have a better record this year then at the same time last year and look what happened??" I get that. But that is a very ignorant statement. If you actually believe that the Tigers and Indians are gonna lay down again and let us walk all over them like we did last year, you are just plain crazy. For one, the Tigers are a year more experienced and they had one of the best free agent signings of this past off season in Gary Sheffield. That just wont happen again. That was a once in a decade comeback. Lets move on.
So, instead of waiting for that miracle comeback, why not be proactive for once??
I know, its a pretty aggressive, earth-shattering concept. Definitely something the Twins are not known for, thats for sure. Why not go out for once and get one of the players that could be had for the right price, maybe even less. Why not get the fans excited again and give them hope for this year, not the next or the next after that.
Make a splash like the Yankees do every year. Sure, it hasn't worked for them recently, but I'd take that lineup against any pitching staff in the league and I'd like my chances.
Twins fans need to come to realization that Torii Hunter is not going to be a Twin next year. Sadly, the way free agency has ballooned out of control, we have as much of a chance of re-signing him as we do of trading for A-Rod. Torii has been the heart and soul of this Twins team since I can remember but shit, if you think about it, if Gil Meche can get 55 Million dollars and Barry Zito can get 126 Million for being average pitchers, the best defensive Centerfielder in the league will command somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 million or more from the likes of the Red Sox or Rangers.

People will say that since we cant re-sign him, we should try and trade him so we don't let him go without getting compensation back in return. I agree with this whole heartedly, but if the Twins are unwilling to do so because they are still in the race, I sympathize.
What would be the alternative, you say? Well, Ive thought long and hard about what we could do. First, I was thinking of trading for Florida's Miguel Cabrera. A young power-hitting superstar third baseman would fit beautifully on this squad. One problem, Cabrera would be so much harder to re-sign than Torii would be. It would be the same problem we would have had if we would have traded for Alfonso Soriano last year. No matter how much I drool over the possibilities, it's just not feasible.
Secondly, I thought, why not not trade Torii and scrap this year completely. Wait until next year with a healthy Francisco Liriano, and more mature lineup, and a healthy **gulp** Joe Mauer. We could use the money we save from Torii's contract to try and sign Johan to a longer term deal so we don't lose him too. Then I thought, no, we are too good to just give up on this year so soon. Ya know, with a good tweak here and there, we could be good enough to win the whole damn thing....

Then, it came to me. Finally, an idea that fits all around. Carl Crawford.

Tampa Bay isn't going anywhere without pitching. Even a team thats as talented as they are on offense, just isn't going to be competitive if they cant get anyone out, especially in the AL East. They need pitching. We have pitching. We need speed and power. They have speed and power in the form of one guy. Crawford is young and still getting better. And the best thing is.... He's affordable, if not downright cheap for a player of his quality. He already signed a deal with the Devil Rays for the next two years with club options for two more years. Crawford is a bargain at $4 million this season and $5.25 million next season. His contract also includes an $8.25 million club option for 2009 and a $10 million option for '10. If we do indeed lose Torii for nothing in free agency, the blow will be much easier to absorb with our future stud in the outfield. He has the speed to play center if need be, but as of right now is a left fielder. He could immediately take over for a once again vastly underachieving Jason Kubel. We could use him for situational hitting like he should be anyways. Sure, we might have to give up quite a bit to get him, but its worth it. We could package either a combination of one of the three pitchers that will rotate between the majors and AAA this year in Kevin Slowey, Matt Garza, and Scott Baker. Might seem pricey, but this can be one of the cornerstones of our franchise for years to come.
If you disagree, just take a minute to imagine our lineup with Crawford in it...
Castillo and Crawford at the 1 and 2 spots, getting on base and causing havoc on the base paths with their speed and aggressiveness. Mauer, Cuddyer, Morneau, and Torii waiting to drive them in. And the piranhas at the end of the order to start the madness all over again. That is music to my ears.
So, I implore our favorite squad, please don't drop the ball yet again. Don't let another very attainable talent get away and into the hands of one of your rivals.
Stop waiting for these pitchers to hit their stride, and trade them while you still can get something for them. Don't try and develop EVERYBODY from within... Go out and get Crawford and lets Win this damn thing.

It Was Fun While It Lasted....

2008-02-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

The NBA playoffs provide all sorts of intriguing story lines for us to follow. Whether its D-Wade's coming out party last year, Robert Horry being in every single playoffs(ever!), and even Raja Bell clotheslining Kobe's Ass last year. This year has been no different so far.

The most intriguing storyline this year has been the Golden State Warriors. A team barely alive at the All Star Break, making a second half charge and making the playoffs on the last day of the regular season. Their reward for such a strong push, the 67 win Dallas Mavericks, a team that ran ruck shaw through the rest of the NBA during the season, amassing three 12+ game winning streaks including a stretch where they won 34 of 36 games. THANKS! The Warriors didn't seem to mind though, as the laid the wood to the Mavericks in a 4-1 dominating series win.

The Warriors became the best feel good story in sports overnight. But alas, as we have heard before, all good things must come to an end. This story is no different.
After a third loss in four games against the Utah Jazz, the Warriors are brought to the brink of elimination. Although they are, along with the Phoenix Suns, by far the most fun squad to watch, they have several faults which have been brutally exposed in this series. They have learned the hard way the you can't win in the NBA playoffs when you can't rebound and you can barely defend, aside from a couple steals every now and then. They've learned the harsh reality that you can't shoot 30+ threes in four straight games and expect to win. They've learned that this isn't open gym at Hastings High.
In watching every game of this wildly entertaining series, I've seen bad shot after bad shot after bad shot go up, some going in, but mostly not. Baron Davis, when healthy, is probably the third best point guard in the NBA and extremely exciting to watch. Jason Richardson is a great #2 scorer and again, very fun to watch. They just don't have inside help. Carlos Boozer has torn them a new asshole in this series. It seems now, that all these, flaws have finally caught up to them. And it looks like there will be no fairy tale ending.

So, now we have to come to the conclusion that we will not get to see the Mother of all playoff series', the Suns V. Warriors, and its becoming very evident that instead we are gonna be stuck with a snoozer like Spurs and Jazz. I know, personally, I will not watch a single game of this series. Its clear, that the NBA will have to deal with another Pistons/Spurs Finals and another series that will have ratings below re-runs of Fresh Prince.
Yay.. I think the Royals and Nationals are playing on Direct TV Extra Innings for interleague play... So peace..

Tidbits...

2008-02-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody. My name is Adam and I am the latest addition to the Some People's kids blog. Thats three, count em' , three Adams now contributing. I promise we are not the same person. These are my first, but definitely not last, couple posts. Its a pleasure to be here and I'll try to give my own twist on things I find amusing or shocking, and some in between stuff as well. I'll do my best to follow the lead set by my predecessors. I hope you enjoy...

Oh Joey....

Bye bye Joey Crawford. The long time NBA referee was suspended for the rest of the season by commisioner David Stern on Tuesday. The suspension came about after Crawford apparently challenged the San Antonio Spurs resident gerbil, Tim Duncan, to a fight after ejecting Duncan in Sundays loss to the Mavericks. Duncan was earlier called for an offensive foul and a technical foul. Later, while on the bench, Duncan was seen laughing with some of his teammates. Taking exception, Crawford booted him with a second technical and subsequent ejection. The suspension came after numerous warnings by Stern to tone down his attitude and make sure he wasnt the focus of the NBA games. And as much as I love to see Tim Duncan get the boot, this ejection was truly rediculous. Ya gotta love referees wanting to throw down with players. First you have Charles Barkley challenging Dick Bavetta to a race and now you have Joey Crawford wanting to fight Tim Duncan. Who says the NBA isnt fun anymore!! Stay tuned for the pay-per-view wrestling match this summer. I hear the old man is a 5/3 favorite already, which makes sense to me.

Also, on Monday, this weekends PGA tournament finished in playoff fashion with something called Boo Weekely coming out on top. Aside from having by far the coolest name on the PGA tour, there is a story going around that this guy wrestled an Orangutang. What a weekend for my man... First he wins a PGA event then becomes a bad ass when this story hits the media. Impressive. Anybody who busts up an Orangutang has my respect. This guy is my new idol.

Lastly, a side note that you all should be aware of... Ricky Davis will now be known as Ricky Avis, as there is clearly no "D" anywhere in sight when it comes to him.

F*@#in Crazies....

2008-02-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

Just when you think that the world could'nt get any more messed up, we are slapped back to the harsh reality of the way things really are. Just when we think that we have seen the last of major massacres on innocent people, another kid goes postal. It just doesnt seem to be getting any better anytime soon.

Of course, by now, this particular situation isnt news to anyone. The brutal killings of 32 innocent students at Virginia Tech the other day have rocked the country. Once again some random kid decides he's had enough and instead of just killing himself, he takes out his aggresion on 32 other students and ends their lives as well.

Im sure when it all gets broken down, from every angle, we will find out that this fool felt that the world was shitting on him. Im sure it will come out that the kids in Gym class snapped him with towels every day for two months. Im sure it will come out that his girlfriend just cheated on him with his best friend. Im sure it will come out that Burger King refused employment to him, even with an impending college graduation on the horizon. People will look at society and at Virginia Tech and at music he was listening to, and ask why? The answer? Maybe hes just nuttier than squirrel turds! Maybe he's bleepin crazy!
Everyone has been through some bad times in their lives, but 99.9 % of the population doesnt go kill people because of it. That .1 % screws it up for the rest of us and makes us all feel unsafe. I dont mean unsafe like when I go outside, Im looking over my shoulder every minute. I mean knowing that despite living a good, productive, normal life, some dude could come out the wood work and decide that you've lived long enough. And that's scary.

More details have come out about this horrible tragedy, including the identity of the shooter and that he left a "long and disturbing" note in his dorm room. In the note, Sueng-Hui Cho, a senior student, claimed "YOU caused me to do this." I got news for ya, though it wont matter cause your brains are splattered all over the floor in some classroom, no one did this to you. No one caused you to do what you did. Your messed up little mind caused you to do this. No matter what anyone did to you, it never warrented killing a bunch of kids, minding their own business, on their way to class. Why is it always someone elses fault? You never hear someone say, man, Im just really screwed up and I decided to some other people should suffer for me being that way.

Im not ashamed to say that I've been picked on more than a few times in my life. Everyone who went to any kind of school did. The difference is, I never felt the need to go find a gun and start blasting. I went home and beat up pillows, listened to music, and even cried sometimes. Kids need to stop thinking that the world is their playground and they can cop out and take out their frustration by killing a bunch of people. For the love of God and the sake of that 99.9% of us, Get OVER IT! Take a walk. Get a role model. Collect coins. Start doing drugs. I dont care.

Just dont kill people.

Ladies and Gentlemen.... We've got him

2007-04-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

There are certain things that I've been taught throughout my life. Things that have been beaten into my brain over the years by numerous teachers, parents, and the even by the media. Some of these things are the things that I've come to believe. Some of these things have gone in one ear and out the other. Some things Im still waiting to pass judgement on. But one thing that I know for sure is that when, and if, the oppurtunity presents itself, you should be always take the BBD. The Bigger, Better Deal.
A while back, my contract at Random Thoughts through Blogger ran out. My 3 months there were amazing. Those were the times I've only dreamed of. I put my heart and soul into this "project." I've sacrificied numorous things for this "project." I thought I would be working with Random Thoughts for many many wonderful years until I would gracefully ride off into the sunset. Alas, my fine bosses at Random Thoughts didnt feel the same way. They thought that hiring some big shot who actually went to college was better for the company. Who knew?? So alas, my contract was not renewed. I thought the world was truly shitting on me.
After months and months of wallowing in my own sorrows, drowning myself in twinkies and cheap, imitation Wild Turkey and reading self-help books, I came to the realization that things would not get better. That there would not be that bigger better deal that I had always dreamed of.
Then, one rainy afternoon, wedged in between re-runs of Maury and TRL, I recieved a phone call from the fine people at Some People's Kids. Apparently, one of their contributors scours the internet for 8 hours a day and came across a long lost Blog called Neubiedamus. Thought to have been lost forever, this blog caught a certain person's eye (for conversation's sake, we'll just call him "Bez") and he brought his idea before the board of directors. After confirmation that I still exsisted, I recieved said phone call from "Bez." He asked me to contribute the "Some People's Kids" blog. After asking if it was really my uncle Morty, calling to razz me for the amusement of his children once again, I gleefully accepted.
I had found my Bigger Better Deal. The terms of the contract are disclosed but lets just say I've got enough coin for a couple lap dances at Augies.

So this will be my last contribution to the blog formerally known as "Neubiedamus." If you liked this blog, and would like to see more, or even to laugh at how big of an idiot I am, please go to Adam Bezdicek's blog, Some Peoples Kids on the same website. Its been fun to let you into my mind for a while, giving you a glimpse of what happens in here from time to time. But I will be checking in from there now. Until then....

Why I hate Joakim Noah... Vol. 1

2007-03-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

I apparently just woke up from a coma and realized that I haven't written a post on here for what seems like a coon's age. I may have never woken up from said coma had I not been watching basketball one Sunday afternoon. After watching superb basketball games all day long, the last image of the day really stuck with me. Plastered all over CBS was an indelible image that, I have a feeling, will appear over and over in my nightmares for long time. After the Florida Gators dispatched of another over matched SEC team to claim yet another tournament title, they showed Joakim Noah, moving in such a way that would scare little children. In what has been described to me later as "The Chicken Dance," young Noah looked to be suffering from seizure like symptoms. It was strongly affirmed to me, in that moment, of my pure hatred of Joakim Noah.
Over the years, there have been certain players that have always rubbed me the wrong way, so to speak. For example, Tim Duncan would be one of these players. Aside from the obvious resemblance to a gerbil, "The Big Fundamental" has the personality of park bench and despite being a very good player, is probably one of the more boring to see play. There have been other players of course, Terrell Owens and everyone on the Utah Jazz teams of the 90's, to name a few. No one else, however, has made me as mad as Mr. Noah. There are a couple glaring reasons for my disdain.

First off, he's NOT GOOD! I've been hearing people all over the country, on various radio and TV shows, claiming he is a first round pick, even a Lottery pick. Are you kidding me?? Have these same people been watching the same player I have for the past two years? He's big... I get that. He blocks some shots and gets some rebounds, and everyones happy and thats great. But anyone that has watched any basketball (EVER) can see that his shot is absolutely aweful. When I see this thing go up, it looks like it could hurt someone. I liken it to a broken heat-seeking missile, weaving this way and that, with only the help of blind luck actually finding its eventual target. Anyone who drafts this idiot is going to have to spend 3 years totally revamping his shot until it somewhat resembles graceful, which may never happen. Hes not even the best player on his team! Al Horford, Cory Brewer, and Torrian Green are all better players and prospects than is Noah. He has been the product of a very good team and thats it.

Secondly, hes ugly. I dont mean that kind of ugly you could look past because "he's really cool." I mean the ugly that you just have to sit back and say, "damn, that fool is ugly." When I see this guy, Miles Tarver comes to mind. Thats how bad it is. You could hide a small country in the poof that resides in the place where his hair is supposed to be. You could drive a semi through the gap in his front teeth. You would think that since your dad is famous and some great musician/ tennis player that no one has heard of, that you might be able to get that thing fixed. When I see a picture of his father though, I realize why this has not happened yet. He's still got to fix the same gap in his teeth before he can get crackin' on Joakim's. Hes so ugly in fact, that during one game last year, he winked at a cheerleader of an opposing team, and got a "Yuck" in return. Thats when you know its bad.

He can't dance. He's a African American who cant dance. How many of those have you come across? If you don't believe me about this, check this out... www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ3y5hTHuP4.....

It looks like hes trying to hump Bill Raftery next to him. He reminds me of a certain cartoon character you might know.
Lastly, he's extremely cocky. Every interview Ive seen with him, he's touting himself or his team. When I look at him, I keep referring to the classic T.O. quote, "I love me some Me!" His team is a very, very good team, but he is about the fourth or fifth best player on his team, and he needs to start realizing that fact. What I'm really hoping is that, when that time comes around to see how much better the players in the NBA are then the jokes that hes been playing against in college, he will finally come back down to where the rest of us reside on Earth.

But alas, despite all the things that I have just laid out, some desperate Lottery team will draft him because of his "Potential." Some team will just have finished a terrible season and have the need to corral its fan base back in, that they will buy in to all that they have been hearing for the past two years. Some team will try to re-invent the wheel, yet again.... and be disappointed, yet again...

Funny. This team bears a striking resemblance to my favorite squad. And that makes me sad.

Will What Happened in Vegas, Stay in Vegas??

2007-02-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

This past weekend the NBA held its annual All Star Weekend.. One different theme from this weekend was that the game was held in none other than the gambling mecca of the world, Las Vegas. This marked the first time in which a city that didn't host an NBA team, hosted its mid season All Star game. The always eclectic and extravagant city had a little bit extra boost this weekend from all the star power that arrived to see the best players in the world put on their usual no defense, dunking exhibition. Every one from Jay-Z to Puff Daddy, Wayne Newton, to David Hasslehoff were there. And you know that when David Hasslehoff shows up, it must be a big deal!
The weekend pretty much played out as it usually does. Black guy wins race. White guy wins shooting contest. Black guy wins dunking contest. Same old song and dance from years past. The major difference from this weekend to me, was the excitement of the Vegas community to have pro sports in their fine city, if only for a weekend. Big signs were hung from sides of enormous casinos. Lady Liberty at New York, New York Casino and Hotel donned a massive Dwight Howard #12 All Star Jersey. Even the mayor was out campaigning, although this time he wasn't trying to win an election, but instead showing off all his fabulous city has to offer.
With all this excitement surrounding a rather meaningless game, one has to wonder.. Why isn't there even one pro sports team that calls Las Vegas home? Las Vegas gets roughly 40 million tourists a year. Add that to the 2 million or so people that live there, and you have, in theory, one of the larger cities in the States. With teams all around the United States clamoring over how to afford a new stadium and teams going bankrupt because their city cant, or chooses not to, support the local club, why not VEGAS!? A city that already has a plot set aside by that very same mayor to build a stadium should a team arrive. A city that could easily build a privately funded, state of the art, stadium. A city that got decked out for an EXHIBITION game...
The one glaring reason why no league has chosen to put a pro franchise in Las Vegas is simple.. As stated earlier, IT IS the gambling mecca of the world. Sports has such a phobia of gambling desecrating the purity of their sport, that they are all afraid to even give Vegas a chance. I think these leagues are missing the point. Gambling is everywhere! People gamble over everything. If people want to gamble on something, anything, they can find the means to do so. Hell, there are web sites that even allow you to bet on who will win Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars or Who will be our next President. If people were going to cheat at gambling in the NBA or NFL, it would have happened already. If people had that little dignity to throw a game because they could win large heaps of cash, point shaving would be rampant by now.
The point is, from Minnesota, I can bet on the Los Angeles Lakers. I can bet on any team while sitting at home in my skivvys. Having a pro team is Las Vegas would be no different from having a sports team anywhere else in the US, except the fact that there would now be pro sports in a city desperately longing for it.
Maybe a solution for all those opposed would be a ban on wagers involving the Home team. It may be a bit hypocritical but if thats what it takes for that city to have a sports franchise, then so be it.
Think about this.. now besides all the glitz, glamor, and excitement that Las Vegas has to offer, they would also have a major sports team to root for. Going to games would be an experience... like how its supposed to be. A entire city built for entertainment would have another chip in the big game.
This weekend was definitely the time to be in Vegas to watch the NBA showcase its best and brightest young stars. Just think if it were like that every week for 8 months out of every year.
Intriguing, I'd say..

And introducing your new Golden Gopher head coach...

2007-02-14T11:25:00.000-08:00

So for as long as I can remember, us Minnesota Golden Gopher basketball fans have had one.. count 'em, one year to get excited about our favorite squad.. Even that year though, supposedly doesn't even exist anymore because a couple of big dumb kids couldn't write their own papers. We have had some good talent come in here recently, only to have said talented players leave after one year for greener pastures. Our team has been a complete joke since that wonderful year of 1997. I have actually gone as far as to turn down free tickets to Gophers' games on certain occasions unless they are playing someone worth watching. I don't understand why our program cannot free itself from the doldrums of the bottom half of the Big Ten Conference. We have a historic arena. We have fans that long to see a good team and will back them every step of the way. We have tradition that rivals most Big Ten schools. So what has gone wrong here over the past 8-9 years? Ah yes, the answer is simple. Dan, freakin, Monson! We thought he would never leave and just go on collecting that big check knowing damn well he hasn't come close to earning it. But, in a shocking turn of events, Monson resigned and that ruckus cheer you heard was the entire state of Minnesota.
But now what??
We still don't have a head coach... Sure, we have something called Jim Molanari as a lame duck coach but lets be honest... I have as much of a chance as he does of being the head coach next season. I have a solution that will help bring Minnesota Gophers basketball back to at least respectability, if not prominence. I have single-handedly broken down hours of film and stats and here's what Ive come up with...
Hire Trent Tucker!!
How could you not choose Double T?! A former NBA player who starred for the Gophers back in the day. Here are a few of my reasons if you have a
hard time agreeing with that decision:
1.) Anyone who has the moniker "Tha Professor of Hoopology" has to have extensive basketball knowledge. A true X's and O's guy, Trent would be the solution we need to create the fun and extremely efficient team that we all covet.
2.) He knows what it takes to win! He knows what it takes to be a champion. Having played with and against long time friend, Michael Jordan, for many years, he has seen how hard you need to work to be THAT good. He also won an NBA Championship with the Bulls in 1993. I've heard he also does well at his Celebrity Golf and Poker Tournaments, held annually. (Actually, I don't have any idea about how he does, but it supports my point...)
3.) HE WANTS TO BE THE COACH OF THE TEAM!! He has said numerous times publicly that he would be very interested if the Gophers came asking. He even went back to school recently and finished his degree, something that is required to be a coach at the college level.

I did weigh other options in making my decision. I thought about possible candidates such as former Utah basketball coach, Rick Majerus and former UCLA basketball coach Steve Lavin. I eliminated Majerus based on the fact that I know he likes to go to Cosetta's for Italian food and with his health issues, I don't know if he would last even a year before he kicks the bucket. As for Steve Lavin, I don't think the state of Minnesota would be able to come up with close to enough hair gel to satisfy his needs. So thats out of the question as well...
I know that Trent Tucker may sound slow and stupid, but hes quite the contrary. Hes a very smart individual would could really do some good with this program. Although, no one would have the slightest clue and how effective he would be on the recruiting trail, I'm willing to roll with him any day of the week.
Think of it this way, just imagine being courtside at a Gophers game and hearing, "LM to ST for the 2-handed Throwdown!" (Lawrence Mckenzie/ Spencer Tollackson)... That alone is music to my ears!

Hey look at me! Im gay.. now please buy my hardcover book for 20 bucks

2007-02-13T10:06:00.000-08:00

So this is sort of a week old story, but hey I just started this blog yesterday and I wanted to comment on it. John Amaechi, a former journeyman in the NBA admitted that he was gay in a news interview last week. To my knowledge, John is the first NBA player to come out of the closet and say it publicly. Amaechi claimed that while playing for the Utah Jazz, his coach, Jerry Sloan and/or owner found out his "secret" and decided to trade him. Although he just came out, anyone who had eyes could tell that he was gay.. I mean look at the guy.. but in all seriousness, it takes seeing things like this to realize how far our society HASN'T come yet. In an era where we are supposed to be more accepting of everything from different races, religions, points of view, and yes, sexual orientation, this just proves how "caveman" like some people still are. Saying that, I don't doubt that Jerry Sloan was born sometime at the end of the stone age.. That anyone would ever trade a serviceable NBA big man, which us Timberwolves fans will tell you, is VERY hard to find, just because he likes dudes is just ridiculous. I have never had a problem with homosexuals since I was old enough to have a decent opinion of people. I think every person in the world likes different things and different people and personally, I will always be accepting towards that choice of lifestyle.
The only problem I have with this certain gay man is the timing of his announcement. His newsworthy admittance came, coincidently, at the same time he was releasing his book. Hmmm, curious timing I would say. I understand that it must have been hard to come out when you were in the league, especially if you already supposedly got traded from one team for being gay. I understand if you were still contemplating it a couple months after you had left the league. What I cant understand though, is if you have wanted to come out for so long, and if you wanted to help other active NBA players feel comfortable with the idea that some of their fellow players, might be (gasp!) gay, then why come out now? Why discredited this big announcement by coinciding it with the release of your book? I have a problem with that.
This is also not the first time that a former athlete has come out in the media. Esera Tuaolo, a former NFL athlete and Minnesota Viking, admitted that he was gay on HBO's Real Sports. This announcement also happen to come out around the same time he came out with his book.
I'm don't think I'm being naive here and saying that its easy for an athlete at any level to come out to everyone. Both of these men recalled hearing numerous gay jokes and anti-homosexual remarks in the locker rooms. I know that it would be extremely difficult to admit being gay in professional sports, where players are supposedly to be the epitome of what a "man" is supposed to be like. I just wish I would see someone come out just because he felt like it, not to sell things. I'm waiting for that day because then I will look at that person and say, finally! But alas, with the nature of how things are still perceived by some, we will probably never get to that point, so theres no reason to hold your breathe.

30 Years of Sports..

2007-02-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

So last night, Im watching Sportscenter and they are broadcasting their 30, 000th show, which in itself is amazing now-a-days, but they are breaking down the different eras of highlights and sports. What I found interesting, is what amazing sports events I have seen in my relatively short life so far....
In 24 years, Ive seen the greatest Golfer ever, the greatest Basketball player ever, and the greatest Hockey player ever. And I mean EVER. I dont think we will see dominance like that for as long as I live. Ive seen a young, black golfer dominate the field in a historically prejudice and racist Augusta National. Only to have that same golfer continue to lap the field year after year at a record pace. Ive seen a person with such perseverance to play for 21 straight seasons without missing one game. Not sick. Not suspended. Not injured. Not "resting", ala Barry Bonds. Ive seen an NBA player be so dominant and charismatic that he transformed the entire way basketball was thought of and played throughout the world. Ive also seen that player lead his team to the pinnacle of his sport three straight years, take a year off, and lead them right back there three more straight years like he never stopped. All this not to mention that we are now witnesses to perhaps the greatest Tennis Player ever in Roger Federer.
One person I have always wanted to see and will never get the chance to is Mohammad Ali. Ive only heard, read, and seen highlights of him boxing. From afar though, I have always admired him for standing up for what he thought was right, even though it made him lose his boxing license. He seemed to be admired by all who saw him, not only with his dominance but the way he carried himself with such bravado and confidence.

One thing is for sure though. The reason that I watch sports and love sports is the same reason I will always come back for more. To see that next big thing. The next Greatest of all time... Could it be Lebron? Dwade? Sidney? Ndudi Ebi?.... wait a second.

Sports pulls at our heart strings like nothing else out there. We all have our favorite teams, clubs, sports, and players. And thats the thing that makes it great for us fans. We can banter back and forth about who is right and who is the best and who overdosed and who didnt, but theres one thing that we should all be aware of.. we all win with sports. We are all witnesses to something special.