'LandShark Stadium' Is Just a One-Year Thing

If you remember, earlier this month I touched on the Miami Dolphins selling the naming rights to their stadium to Land Shark Lager. The brew, partly owned by Jimmy Buffett, is getting its name on the big stage.

The only thing is that this is just a one-year thing. The "Dolphins' LandShark Stadium" will last through the regular season and playoffs. The deal ends just before the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl ... which are to be held in the stadium.

This is either brilliant or stupid. I'm leaning towards the latter. Just because you name your arena/stadium something doesn't guarantee that everyone will know it. Quick! Name the arena the Boston Celtics play in? Most of you do as I do and refer to it as the Boston Garden. Doing one year deals will confuse everyone even more and will actually decrease the value of any stadium rights.

The buzz is that the Phins cannot secure a long-term partner for the naming rights due to the tough economic times. Aside from the official naming of the stadium, everyone will refer to it as Dolphin Stadium.

The buzz also is that the Phins may be doing this to cater to Buffett. Buffett will perform several shows at the newly renamed stadium and they would like to bring him on as a minority owner.

Of course, it could be quite a trend setter. With the economy like it is, it might be best just to make deals in the short term. After all, how many stadium names have changed due to bankruptcies and takeovers? How'd that Enron deal work out in Houston? Or the First Union ... I mean Wachovia ... or is it Wells Fargo Spectrum in Philly?

I look at it like the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl will always be the Rose Bowl. But they sell some of the naming rights by saying "Rose Bowl presented by AT&T". Maybe we will see that elsewhere. Maybe we will have Cowboys Stadium presented by Nike.

Yeah, that will hurt any long term deals but it could make the short term ones a bit more lucrative.

This will be closely watched but, ultimately, just a flash in the pan. I don't see this catching on.

Sportz Off-Topic: My Favorite "In Living Color" Characters

Another blog got me wondering what my favorite characters from "In Living Color" were.

1-Grandpa Jack: Pork and beans!!!

2-The Brothers Bros.: From their song to their quirks, I don't give a gosh darn do-hickey if you don't agree!

3-Men On Film: One of the best reacurring skits. I loved the way Damon Wayans pushed the envelope each time.

4-Wanda: The first several appearances were awesome (though it did get a little played when they were banking on it). The blind date is my favorite.

5-Frenchie: Au contraire, mon derrierre!

6-Dirty Dozens Contestants: Whether it was Jamie Foxx or Tommy Davidson telling me about my teeth looking like the extract from a domesticated bovine, the Dozens was improved and mostly funny.

7-Obnoxious Gay Guy: Jim Carrey played the guy who just had to tell everyone he was gay. Well, until another gay man approached him. Only two sketches (party and fast food joint) but it did feature Carrey saying "alright-y then!"

8-Mike Tyson: This was the one that I lived for during the early years. His appearance on the Tonight Show as well as Love Connection were classic.

9-Kurt Swanson: Who? That environmentalist that Jim Carrey played. I'm so mad that I can scratch your eyes out!

10-Tiny: Not so much a character that skits were based on, but David Alan Grier's dumb convict who likes "big breasteses" always made me laugh.

11-Clavelle and Howard Tibbs III: All you need to know is BAM!!! The "Oh Knats" skit was awesome.

12-Anton Jackson: I just loved his vulgarness and still use the "pick your seat" joke from time to time.

13-Hey Mon!: Our favorite Jamaican family with 304 jobs.

14-Vera de Milo: Sometimes disgusting, always hilarious. Gotta get a buff-neck!

15-Dickie Peterson: Woodchuck to Grey Squirrel. I'm comin' home!

Hat tip: http://iceicebabies.com/2009/05/in-living-colors-top-10-characters/

NBA's Refs Are Getting Out of Hand

The story of the 2009 NBA Playoffs hasn't been LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. It's been Stu Jackson and the referees.

If it isn't retroactive flagrant fouls or premature ejections, now they are flat out missing game-deciding calls. Today, the Dallas Mavericks got hosed when the refs decided not to blow the whistle when the Mavs were intentionally trying to foul Carmelo Anthony. Melo promptly nailed a game winning three which set the Mavs in a frenzy.

The NBA decided to say that the refs missed this one. Well, I'm pretty sure that will make Mark Cuban and his Maverick players a little happier, eh?

This comes after the refs have been prematurely tossing players out of games. When Ron Artest gets thrown out not once ... but twice ... when he shouldn't have, we have problems. Artest got ran after confronting Kobe Bryant after the infamous elbow (more on that later) in Game 2 and then for a bogus flagrant 2 foul in Game 3.

The NBA downgraded Artest's foul from a flagrant 2 to a flagrant 1. Again, that doesn't get Artest back on the floor for the remainder of Game 3.

And while we are speaking about elbows, the NBA has been full of them. And they've all gotten different answers. Dwight Howard got suspended for his elbow to Samuel Dalembert's head. Kendrick Perkins will not be suspended for doing the same thing to Mickael Pietrus. Kobe wasn't suspended for his elbow to Artest.

I do get why. Howard's elbow was after a play and was excessive and unnecessary. Both Perkins and Bryant did theirs during a play. Bryant was fighting for a rebound. Perkins was fighting through a pick. But then, so was Derek Fisher when he got a suspension for bowling over Luis Scola.

The playoffs have turned into Old Time Pottery. You go in there trying to find what you are looking for by praying that you don't bump into anything and break it.

Right now, I'm watching the playoffs and wondering if someone's gonna do something stupid. I'm even more scared that the refs see something stupid that isn't there. These games are too important to screw up. The Dallas Mavericks just had their heart ripped out by a missed (non) call. The Rockets don't understand why Kobe wasn't suspended, but Artest keeps getting thrown out of games. I don't understand why either, especially when nothing happened when Rajon Rondo slapped Brad Miller in the face.

Phil Jackson said what we all think. We all just want consistency. Sorry, but to me that missed call at the end of the Mavs/Nuggets game was more flagrant than any foul committed.

Who Needs Point Guards? Lakers and Magic Take Series Leads

Heading into the night, much of the chatter going around the NBA playoffs was about who wasn't going to be playing. The Lakers played without point guard Derek Fisher due to a suspension handed out after his body check of Luis Scola in Game 2. The Magic played without point guard Raefer Alston, who was suspended for this Game 2 slapping of Eddie House.

Both Los Angeles and Orlando were without their starting point guards in their respective Game 3s. So it makes perfect sense that both teams would end up winning and taking 2-1 leads in their series.

The Magic got solid contributions from fill-in starter Anthony Johnson and their stars, Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. The Lakers rode another brilliant game by Kobe Bryant and fill-in starter Jordan Farmar.

Now both teams have a chance at taking control of their series with a Game 4 win on Sunday.

What to Look For In Tonight's Lakers-Rockets Game 3

Yesterday started with everyone talking about the physical Lakers-Rockets Game 2. That is until Manny Ramirez, Brett Favre, Dirk Nowitzki's fiance and the Arizona Diamondbacks pushed all that to the side.

So what about Game 3? What can we expect when these two teams meet up tonight for the first time since all the controversy?

YAO/PAU: Playoff series are filled with adjustments. The Lakers made the biggest adjustment so far by benching Andrew Bynum and starting Lamar Odom. That meant Yao Ming had to guard Pau Gasol and it obviously tired him out. Gasol has a very diverse game and it made Ming have to chase him around. I'm one of those people that believe the best way to defend Yao is to run him to death. Then he starts reaching in, getting to ballhandlers late and it seems to effect his intensity on the offensive end. Will the Rockets make a counter adjustment to this?

NO FISH-Y PLAY: After all the drama, the only person that won't be in uniform tonight is Derek Fisher. The debate is if that hit was a good or bad thing. We'll find out. The good part is that it showed Houston that the Lakers weren't backing down. The bad part is that the toughness that Fisher brings will be missing. That forces Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown to take over for Fish in dealing with the ultra-quick Aaron Brooks.

KOBE'S SHOTS FALLING: To me, a big difference between Games 1 and 2 is that Kobe Bryant's shot was falling. Shane Battier said it best when he suggested that Kobe got the exact same shots in both games but they were going in on Wednesday. One of the key stats to look at is Kobe's shots-to-points average.

THE REFEREES: One thing that you know the refs will do tonight is try to establish some peace right off the bat. They may call the game tight right off the back (eventually easing off) which could change a lot of gameplanning. Somebody is gonna pick up two or three quick ones and be forced to the bench.

RON ARTEST: I'm one of those people who though Artest got a bad rap in Game 2. He gets called for a foul when the league says Kobe flagrantly fouled him. He then gets tossed after arguing with Bryant. It will be interested to see Artest's approach tonight with his home crowd behind him. I think he will be assertive on both ends of the court. Remember the last time these two did the Texas two-step was when he and Kobe decided to chat all game long.

ROLE PLAYAS: Like always, the unknown is the role guys. The Lakers will be relying on theirs a bit more since Derek Fisher is sitting. It is widely believed that role guys play better at home, which means the Rockets should get an added boost. Someone is going to surprise and someone is going to disappear. The fun part is figuring out who that will be.

ROAD WARRIORS: The thing is that the Lakers are the NBA's best road team. LA went an amazing 29-12 ... including 2-0 in Houston.

Rick Pitino to Sacramento?

We may not get that Rick Pitino-John Calipari rivalry after all.

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Pitino is interested in the Sacramento Kings head coaching job. The Maloofs (who own the Kings) told Yahoo! that they haven't contacted him. But the word is that Pitino may throw his hat in the ring.

Amazing. Remember that Pitino's last foray into the NBA ended with a colossal flop with the Boston Celtics. I always hate it when college coaches head to the NBA, but I understand. Much more money, no recruiting and less rules you must abide by. You coach men who you don't have to supervise 24/7.

Also remember that Pitino has been dealing with an extortion case, his son leaving Louisville for Florida and rival Kentucky landing a big fish in Calipari.

The Kings fired Reggie Theus during this past season. Theus was an assistant for Pitino at Louisville.

I hope it happens just so I can hear Pitino say, "Oscar Robertson is not walking through that door. Tiny Archibald isn't walking through that door. Doug Christie isn't coming through that door."

UPDATE: The University of Louisville has come out to say that Pitino isn't going anywhere.

Kid on Message Board Threatens to Kill Ovechkin

Pittsburgh police and the NHL are investigating a threat made against Alexander Ovechkin. A 17-year old boy posted on a Penguins fan site that "I'm killing Ovechkin. I'll go to jail. I don't care anymore."

Needless to say, Ovie has added security for the Caps-Pens Game 4 in Pittsburgh.

Apparently the threat was made the afternoon before Wednesday's Game 3. Ovechkin scored his fifth goal of the series in that game, but the Capitals lost, 3-2 in OT.

The post was made on the Penguins official site. Police are questioning a teenager from Chambersburg, PA. His name hasn't been released because he's a minor.

Brett Favre Won't Be a Viking; National Crisis Over

Let me start with this. Brett Favre may have been bent that Manny Ramirez knocked him off the front page today. So it makes sense that he made his own news by announcing that he WAS NOT returning to the NFL.

Yeah, there are reports that Favre told the Vikings that he wants to stay retired and will publically state so.

So, does this bring any finality to any of this? In a word: no.

We've been down this road before. Who's to say that this won't dust up again once training camp starts? As the last season gets further away and the upcoming season approaches, don't you think Favre won't have his name out there again?

Yes, Men Can Be Prescribed Women's Fertility Pills

Now word has come out that Manny Ramirez tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). It is similar to clomid, which is what Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi were linked to. It is used as a women's fertility drug but is also used by steroid users to assist whatever performance enhancing drug they were taking.

So now people are wondering how a doctor could prescribe this to a man. I know. Cuz I take it.

Well, I use clomid. Clomid is also prescribed to men to boost up low testosterone levels. My wife and I are trying to have our first child and clomid ups my sperm count considerably. Yes, I knew it acts as a sort of steroid and I have some of the side effects (mainly the acne and some weight gain).

And if you knew me, you'd no that I would never use clomid as anything other than the reason I was prescribed it.

Now, this isn't to say if Manny was using this for fertility reasons or for performance enhancing reasons. Not that I'm being naive, but I can give some credence that he may have obtained it as a fertility drug. I mean, you do get it for a "personal medical reason" that is sort of embarrassing to talk about.

What makes me dismiss all of that is the fact that everyone in baseball knows that clomid is banned and that any doctor of Manny's should have warned him that this could be against the league's list of banned substances.

I just wanted to post this so people did know that things like HCG can be prescribed to men for purposes other than P.E.Ds.

Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 Games For Testing Positive For Banned Substance

Major League Baseball has suspended Manny Ramirez 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance. This is according to the LA Times.

Not much is known at this point and more should come out as the day goes on. Again, it isn't known if its steroids ... but the LA Times source says that Manny is expected to blame medication that a doctor gave him. Ya know, that old chestnut.

What is known is that this is yet another black eye for baseball. You have, arguably, the top two hitters right now caught doing banned substances. And while Manny shuffles off for a couple months, Alex Rodriguez is set to step right back in.

The only good thing about it is that the testing baseball uses can work, once.

UPDATE: Here is Man-Ram's statement to the media:

"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me," Ramirez said. "Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now.

"I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. I want to apologize to [Dodgers owner Frank] McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, [manager Joe] Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation."

20 Years Since "Shot Over Ehlo ... Good!"

Hard to believe that it has been 20 years since Michael Jordan hit a shot over Cleveland's Craig Ehlo to win a deciding Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 playoffs.

Lakers and Rockets Remind Us That It's Just Playoff Basketball

It is odd that in the hours leading up the the Rockets-Lakers Game 2, several of my co-workers and I were discussing how the NBA is changed. There weren't any flagrant fouls. Hard fouls were normal and a vital part of the game. Nowadays, people get bent out of shape about the smallest things.

The Rockets and Lakers got into each other last night. Techs were given out to Kobe Bryant, Luke Walton and Luis Scola. Derek Fisher and Ron Artest were both ejected. Von Wafer was thrown out by his own coach.

Some issues in the game were blown out of proportion. I don't think Artest should have been yanked. I can get with why Fisher was given the hook, but I don't think a suspension is warranted. Kobe got a tech for talking smack to Shane Battier and he did shove an elbow fighting for rebounding position at Artest. Again, I don't see any reason to take it further.

I'm 33, and anyone around my age or older remembers a time when the NBA playoffs were like what we saw last night. Guys barking at each other, physical play, hard fouls and purpose fouls. It's rare to see that anymore. In 1988, the Detroit Pistons came to power by announcing to the world that there were no easy layups. Now, when Dallas' Erik Dampier says that, he risks a fine.

It doesn't help when ... just before the Lakers-Rockets battle ... everyone was aghast about Raefer Alston slapping Eddie House in the head. What is this, a soap opera? A slap? That makes anything in the Lakers-Rockets game look like manslaughter.

I'm not saying that we need to bring back thuggery. But this is what you get when you have teams that believe that can win a title. While it is a 7-game series, there is a finality to it all. While you can think that there are athletes that just do it for the money, the playoffs are when players do it for their legacy.

Your manhood was on the line. When somebody pushes you, you push back.

London Can Get a Super Bowl ... But New York City Can't?

Yesterday, I wrote that I thought that a Super Bowl in London was a bad idea. Today, I'm taking a little different approach.

London in February.

The NFL likes to have the Super Bowl in warm-weathered cities or domed stadiums. Places like Miami, New Orleans, Houston, Glendale, Atlanta, San Diego, Detroit, Tampa and soon Dallas and Indianapolis. So wouldn't placing a Super Bowl in London be against this practice? I read somewhere that the average high in London during February is 47 degrees and a ton of rain.

If you want 47 degrees with a good chance of rain in February, we can just have the Super Bowl in Seattle (their average is 49 degrees).

The average February high in Charlotte is 56 degrees. The average in Nashville is 52 degrees. Washington DC is 47. Kansas City is 44 degrees. New York is 41 degrees. None of those cities have a shot at getting a Super Bowl because the weather is unpredictable. Yet London can get the game?

By the way ... it's been quite a long time since Los Angeles hosted a Super Bowl. Maybe because the NFL said they don't feel comfortable putting the game in a city that doesn't have a team. Um, when do the London Monarchs start back up?

The point I am making is that it is completely unfair that London can get the game but various American cities have no shot due to the very same rules that the NFL would be breaking by putting the game over there.

Where's Charlotte's Super Bowl? Where's Nashville's? Where's New York City's?

London Super Is Not My Spot of Tea

I don't mind NFL games being held in London. I do mind when the Super Bowl is there.

Rumors are swirling ... despite the NFL's denials ... that the league is looking to put the Super Bowl across the pond. Count my down in the "bad idea" column.

Why does London deserve the Super Bowl? Because they are rabid fans? Again, you could put a preseason game in London and they wouldn't know the difference.

Some of you people are parents. Some of you just got done being kids. Some may still be. Unless you were extremely fortunate, there were times that your parents skimmed on something because they could. Instead of Fruit Loops, you got "Looped Fruit". Instead of Lucky Charms, you got "Magic Treasures". They give you the cheaper version because you won't know better. Same thing with the NFL in London.

With the economy the way it is (and could be), why not help boost an American city with the game? Don't you think Detroit needs it? New Orleans? Why would we export our biggest sporting event to another continent?

I mean, it is extremely rare to be able to get a ticket to an American Super Bowl. How many people do you know that has actually been to a Super Bowl game? Now you want everybody to fly over to London to party?

Even if you are cool with that, what suggests that London should hold the Super Bowl? The great weather? The local fan base? The outstanding field conditions? Santa Claus? None of those things exist, so I don't understand the infatuation.

Play the preseason games in London, Mexico City, Tokyo or Mars. Don't give them the big daddy.

ACC Cancels 2010 Trip to Fenway Park

Everyone in the ACC was excited to learn that Fenway Park will host the 2010 ACC Baseball Tournament.

That was until today, when everyone learned that the ACC is scrapping that and moving the tournament to Greensboro.

Boo! Hiss!

Having the tournament at Fenway was an awesome get. The ACC had been working on this for quite some time and having their schools competing in one of sport's top venues seemed too good to be true. But due to the economy, the ACC is taking it easy and sticking close to its roots.