Ozzie and LaRussa

                              

OZZIE SMITH:  "At some future point, when things change, when management changes, I'm more than willing to come back because it's where I belong. I know it's where I belong. That time will come. When it does, I'll welcome it with open arms."

TONY LARUSSA:  "Speaking personally, I don't think he would be good for our ballclub.  For him to repeat those comments is really unreasonable. That invitation is no longer there. He's not welcome."

"When my time is up, they can welcome him with open arms, but I don't want to be anywhere that he is.  I won't ever be around when he's around. Cardinals fans can embrace him all they want to, and it won't be uncomfortable because I won't be there."

"I won't be in the area. I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror."

NBADRAFT.NET'S COMPARISONS

One thing I love about the NBA Draft is.....well....NBADraft.net.  I've been going to this site for several years now to get the haps on all the players.  Sure, it ain't perfect [it had Johan Petro as the early #1 in last years draft] but it does an excellent job researching the draft process as well as the possible drafted players waaaay before they become household names.

One thing I love to do is check their "player comparisons".   They take the draftees and put a kinda comparison to the kind of games these players have.  Mind you, this doesn't mean they are as good or as bad as the players they are compared to.....just the styles of play. 

Like many people, they label Adam Morrison like Larry Bird.  Again, Morrison won't be anywhere near Bird as far as their careers go....but they do have similar types of games.  They hustle, excellent shooters and can do a variety of things on the court.  Oh, and they are white.

Ah....but don't let the skin tone fool ya!  The very white Kevin Pittsnogle of the Pitt Panthers is compared to the very black Sam Perkins because they are both big men with great range. 

They have Duke's JJ Redick compared to Drazen Petrovic.  This is a fair assessment.  I really see Redick as a Steve Kerr type player.  I don't think Redick will be an All Star or anything....but Redick should have a long career.  He has that sick range which will be an asset in the NBA.  Like Kerr, Redick should be a bench guy that's sole purpose is to come into games, stretch defenses, hit weakside jumpers, and be on the floor in those "FT fouling" situations. 

So here is a quick list at some of the other guys on their list....

Tyrus Thomas.....Shawn Marion
LaMarcus Aldridge....Channing Frye
Andrea Bargnani....Dirk Nowitzki
Rudy Gay....Scottie Pippen
Randy Foye.....Chauncey Billups
Brandon Roy.....Jalen Rose
Marcus Williams.....Deron Williams
Rodney Carney....Richard Jefferson
Mardy Collins.....Aaron McKie
Ronnie Brewer....Marquis Daniels
Patrick O'Bryant.....Brad Daugherty
Cedric Simmons.....Nene Hilario
Sheldon Williams....Antonio Davis
Hilton Armstrong....Ervin "Not Magic" Johnson
Maurice Ager.....Derek Anderson
Jordan Farmar.....Luke Ridnour
Shawne Williams......Walt Williams
Rajon Rondo.....Mookie Blaylock
Kyle Lowry....Tim Hardaway
Josh Boone....Brian Grant
Mike Gansey.....Jeff Hornecek
PJ Tucker....Mario Elie
Leon Powe.....Larry Johnson
Marco Killingsworth.....Anthony Mason
Craig Smith.....Corliss Williamson
Daniel Gibson....Derek Fisher

Barbaro Goes Down

I didn't watch much in sports on Saturday [aside from the Cubs-Sox brawl on Fox].  My wife's best friend was getting married....and we had a great time out there seeing it.  As I am writing this, my wife is passed out on the couch [I don't drink, so I am okay]. 

But, with the help of my ESPN Mobile, I was kept abreast of all the goin's on. 

                        

BARBARO BREAKS LEG:  In a very, very sad event, Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro broke his leg right off the start of the Preakness.  The horse fractured his leg above and below his ankle....ending his career and possibly ending his life.  Bernadini ended up winning....but the story of this was the injury to Barbaro.  He is undergoing surgery to hopefully keep him alive....but it may be a grim conclusion.  This comes at a time where several good race horses have had to been euthanized after acquiring the equine herpes disease.  Barbaro was a champion horse who was a legit Triple Crown contender and a star in the making. Get well, Barbaro!

BARRY BONDS TIES BABE:  Barry Bonds smashed his 714th home run in Oakland...tying him with Babe Ruth for 2nd all time.  So, every HR he hits after this will have only been matched by Hank Aaron. 

WELCOME BACK TO CHARLOTTE:  The racetrack in Charlotte [okay, Concord which is a step over the county line] is called Lowe's Motor Speedway.  So it is fitting that Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's car is soooo dominant at that track.  Johnson won the Nextel Cup All Star Race on Saturday night....the precursor to the Coca Cola 600 next weekend.  Johnson has 7 wins at Lowe's since 2002.....including the last three Coca Cola 600s.  So, guess where my money will be for the 600 next week.

CUBS-WHITE SOX BRAWL:  Scroll down for the pick of the punch.....but a good ol' basebrawl is fun to watch at times.  Especially when it really came from nowhere.  Sure, AJ Pierzynski did plow into Michael Barrett.....but where is the problem??  As a catcher, it is expected.  Barrett said that he didn't have the ball....okay, then why block the plate????  Anyway, thanks for that, guys!

THE WNBA BEGAN:  With it's 10th season beginning....the defending champion Sacramento Monarchs celebrated it by thrashing the Phoenix Mercury by 27.  That happens when you outscore your opponent 26-6 in the second quarter.  Other haps?  The expansion Chicago Sky beat the Charlotte Sting, in Charlotte, for their first ever win.  In that same game, the Sting retired Andrea Stinson's number.  The Sun beat the Liberty....and the Fever beat the Shock.  And, yeah, only 5 of the 14 teams have names that actually end with a plural "s" [Mystics, Sparks, Monarchs, Silver Stars, Comets].  The Fever, Shock, Sun, Sky, Liberty, Sting, Storm, Lynx and Mercury round out the league. 

SABRES BEAT CANES:  In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Sabres jumped out to an early lead and hung onto it all game long as they took the series lead from Carolina.  Today?  Well, Game 2 of the improbable Ducks-Oilers Western Conference Finals [Oilers lead 1-0].

              

 

 

Oh, Yeah.....Interleague Play

    

I admit that I am one of those guys that likes interleague.....in moderation.

I'm on record, in this blog, saying that we need to keep the interleague rivals.  But, don't keep the interleague setup as it currently exists. 

Again....move one team from the National League over to the American League....please.  My pick would be the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Then, move the Houston Astros to the NL West [hey detractors....the Astros were in the NL West for 30 years].

Then have your ONE interleague rival which you played every year.  And with the odd number of teams in each league, you can have every series have an interleague matchup.

I mean, wouldn't it be more fun with just the one MAJOR rivalry at a time.  Instead of having the Cubs-White Sox and Yankees-Mets at the same time....the Subway Series gets it's own stage.  Then, later on, the Chicago series gets it's own stage.  As will the Freeway Series....Bay Series, Battle of Ohio, the Show Me Series, Beltway Series etc. 

So...here are your rivalry matchups.

Braves-Red Sox [no real rivalry, except the Braves once called Boston home]
Marlins-Devil Rays [Florida]
Mets-Yankees [New York City]
Phillies-Blue Jays [Phills once were called the Blue Jays]
Senators-Orioles [Beltway]
Cubs-White Sox [Chicago]
Reds-Indians [Ohio]
Brewers-Twins [Upper Midwest]
Pirates-Tigers [Rust Belt]
Cardinals-Royals [Missouri]
Rockies-Mariners [Northwest]
Astros-Rangers [Texas]
Dodgers-Angels [Los Angeles]
Padres-Diamondbacks [Southwest]
Giants-Athletics [Bay Area]

*Only two of the "rivalries" don't make that much sense....but it works out.

Those are great.  Especially in those natural geographic rivalries which the fans get into it as much as the players do.  In a city like Chicago, seeing that fight at home plate today had to have been special.  I'm a Reds fan, and the city does get up a bit for the series with Cleveland.  And because of the two-league format....baseball is really the only major league that can capitalize off this.  I mean, look how much this does for college sports!

You can still have an interleague schedule....but tone it down.  Maybe just two or three more interleague rivals during the year.  That way, instead of being bogged down...these series become special again since they would be played infrequently again.  I don't need to see the Mariners come into Great American Ballpark every three years.  Every 5-7 years is fine. 

Hey NBA......PLAY YOUR GAMES!!!!

                 

The NBA playoffs make no sense.

Remember when the first round of the NBA playoffs was a best-of-five??  Yet, for some reason it took two weeks to play that series.  I am a Lakers fan....and I'd routinely see the Lakers play Game 1 on Sunday afternoon then Game 2 on Friday night.  Yeah, FOUR OFF DAYS between two games played in the same city. 

The NBA did for TV, as they could show every game on TNT during the week instead of overlapping games.  Now, it is a best of seven....meaning there are 3 games on per night with NBATV getting one of the games.  Clever. 

Still, the second round has been a best-of-seven for quite a while and the schedule is still messed up.  There will be THREE Game 7s to be played.  Today is Saturday and there is no NBA action.  Alright, that's fine.  But on Sunday, there is just one game.....the Cavs-Pistons finale. 

The Spurs-Mavs and Clippers-Suns wait until Monday night to crown their series winners.  For the Texas teams, that gives them an extra day off to prepare [and help with the big travel from Dallas to San Antonio....ha ha].  For the Suns and Clippers, they haven't played since Thursday, meaning they will have a full three days off between games.  Ten days ago, the Mavs and Spurs had three days off [with no NBA action on Thursday the 11th].  What is that?

Maybe it is the NBA's committment to Turner and ESPN.....read: cable.  ABC has barely carried any games at all during these playoffs.  This is sooooo NHL of them.  Wait, the NHL gets the same run on NBC [and OLN....which will be renamed "Versus" in the fall....has been going balls to the wall for the rest of the time].  So what's up NBA?

Why shaft us?

Why not have the ULTIMATE day of NBA basketball.  Why not have the Cavaliers and Pistons tip off at 12:30pm.....the Suns and Clippers at 3pm.....then the ultimate game, the Spurs and Mavs tip off around 6pm??  This would be a great tension packed day of hoopage.  I mean, you will have the last two champions, the defending NBA Finalists, and top seeds in each conference playing for their lives.  You will have, arguably, the top performer in these playoffs, LeBron James, playing for his survival and his legend.  You will have the MVP of that last two NBA seasons, Steve Nash, playing to stick around.  You will have the NBA's 2nd largest market [and largest playoff market] seeing if the Clippers can go where no Clip team has gone before.  You will have Mark Cuban on another Game 7 stage trying like crazy to finally get his team over ANY hump. 

This is a day where Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, LeBron James, Elton Brand and those Pistons Five playing to move on.  We can get to see, in one big swoop, which teams join the Miami Heat in the NBA's Final Four.

And you are screwing it up, Mr Stern.

The NHL does it right.  You play every day.  Sure, it gets exhausting...but that's what makes it special.  It isn't always the best team that wins it....but the team with the biggest heart and willingness to win in this "second season".  The NBA and it's primp primadonnas should learn to do the same. 

We don't want a big buildup and the sit and wait for days to see what happens in the final act.  Especially for you to turn around and schedule Game 1 for each of the conference finals with just a day off to prepare.  THAT is when it is allowable to wait an extra day or two to play the next game.

Give us what we want, David.  We are the ones paying for and watching this stuff. 

--------------------------------------

Who am I picking in these games???  The home team, of course.

In my "HOOPS ASSASSIN" by The SPORTZ ASSASSIN blog, I picked the Pistons to win in 5 games [okay, it will take longer], with both the Suns and Spurs winning in 7 games [I also had the Heat winning in 6]. 

...And That's Why These Guys Are Champions

                

The San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons have a lot in common.

They are the last two NBA Champions.

They are the two defending conference champions....meeting in the Finals last year with the Spurs winning in seven games.

Both are the top seeds in their conferences this year.

Both have lost three consecutive games in the conference semifinal series to put their backs right against the wall. 

And both had to play Game 6....on the road....to avoid elimination.

And both won.

Both teams won very close games by making big plays down the stretch.  Big, smart plays.  Detroit stayed alive by getting a huge "and one" shot by Rasheed Wallace; a forced shot as the shot clock expired from Chauncey Billups; key offensive rebounds in their final possession; and a good, if unplanned, foul on LeBron James with under 2 seconds remaining and only a 3 point lead.  All of that completed a huge win which forces a Game 7 on Monday night in Auburn Hills.

Down in Texas, San Antonio used clutch free throw shooting and good tough defense to preserve a win in Dallas.  The undertone of the game was the fact that the Mavericks were without guard Jason Terry, as he was suspended for this game for punching Michael Finley in the yarbles.  He'll be back for Game 7...Monday night in San Antonio.

The Cavaliers and Mavericks had golden opportunities to end their series tonight.  Both failed.  So now it is they who must go on the road to win games or else they will be eliminated.  And just 24 hours ago....they were on the verge of ending the seasons of the favorites to meet back up in the NBA Finals.

Never underestimate the heart of a champion.

              

Jerry Kramer Gets Super Bowl I Ring Back

                   

I heard this story twice on the radio yesterday.  Once on Jim Rome as I was heading to work....and then again on JT The Brick as I was heading home.

Kramer [who somehow isn't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame] was a right guard for the Packers during their "Camelot" run in the 1960s.  He was part of the line which made the famous "Packers Sweep".....it's sorta like the precursor to the Counter Trey...and was an All Pro five times.  He also subbed in as the place kicker for parts of three seasons. 

He also won 5 NFL titles with the Packers....including the first two Super Bowls.

But while on a flight way back in 1981, Kramer removed his Super Bowl I ring while washing his hands. He came back to his seat and a few minutes later realized he left the ring behind in the bathroom.  He went back to the bathroom.....and it was gone. When announcements were made over the plane's PA system.....no one stepped forward.

Since then, Kramer has been hoping it would find it's way home....but it didn't happen.  So, he had a duplicate ring made from Jostens and had been wearing it ever since.  But as Kramer said on both shows....the ring was more than just diamonds and gold.  It was a bunch of memories that led up to getting it.  The teammates, Coach Lombardi, the practices, the games....everything.

On April 21, Kramer learned from a friend in Canada and from John Nitchske, son of Kramer teammate Ray Nitchske, that the ring was for sale on the Mastro Auction Web site.  Kramer's attorney did some talking....and got the ring back from the person selling the ring [who wasn't the one who stole it.  The auctioneer had bought it from a pawn shop some time ago]. 

On Tuesday, Mastro Auctions bought the ring and presented it to Kramer in front of Lambeau Field.

So 25 years after losing it.....and 40 years after first getting it....Kramer has his Super Bowl I ring back.

Ah....but what about that replica ring he had made???  Well, Kramer is going to hold an auction on his website, JerryKramer.com, to raise money for the NFL players pension fund [if you don't know, the pre-free agent era players basically get nothing in pension from the league that it helped build].   So if you got some major cheese and you are interested in getting some Packers or NFL memorabilia....check out the website for more info on the auction. 

Here is a release that Mr. Kramer made on his website: 

Twenty Five Years ago, while I was on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to New York, my Super Bowl I ring was stolen.  I never thought I would see it again.  Today, Doug Allen of Mastro Auctions returned that ring to me.  He presented it to me at Lambeau field.  Wow, what a feeling to slip it back onto my finger.

 

Since learning that my ring had resurfaced in an auction conducted by Mastro, I have received many emails and notes from fans.  I must say it warms my heart. I was touched by the concern, interest and good wishes.  It has been so wonderful to hear from everyone.

 

I am grateful to Mastro for working so hard to secure its return to me, as it is something that is much more than a chunk of gold and a diamonds. It is a lifetime of memories, emotions and experiences, times I have listened to Coach Lombardi, moments I have shared with Davis, McGee, Hornung, Starr, Dowler.  It is a symbol of all my experiences and all my emotions from that era of my life.

 

Now, with the help of Doug Allen, I am going to be able to do something positive and take a step to help some of the retired NFL players that are in need. I am auctioning my Super Bowl I Replica Ring right here on JerryKramer.com, using the funds raised to be the first in establishing a fund that will  assist retired NFL players who are in need.   

The fund will provide financial assistance to those retired players who are disadvantaged or indigent due to the inadequate pension and disability compensation provided to older players by the league. 

I have always felt great concern and frustration regarding the condition of some of the retired players who helped build the league. The physical and economic conditions they deal with due to the lack of a sufficient pension and disability compensation is reprehensible.  I just want to try and do something about it personally to help some of the guys who need it most. 

Once the auction of my Super Bowl I replica ring has been completed, Doug Allen and I plan to go to work on a larger acution that will include many items and artifacts from the history of the league. My hope is that it will raise a significant amount of money to add to the fund

QB Mike Paulus Commits To North Carolina

                                     

from FoxSports.com

 

The North Carolina football program has picked up a huge commitment in quarterback Mike Paulus, who told Inside Carolina on Friday afternoon that he has decided to become a Tar Heel.

Paulus, who attends Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, N.Y., said he chose North Carolina over USC.

"Coach (John) Bunting was extremely happy," Paulus said. "He said 'I'm a very, very happy head coach right now. I'm grinning ear to ear.' "

A four-star prospect, according to Scout.com, Paulus also made a phone call to Southern Cal head coach Pete Carroll to inform him of the decision.

"Coach Carroll was very classy; he said 'You're unbelievable, we wish we could have had you - North Carolina is really lucky because you're going to be very good,' " Paulus said.

In addition to finalists UNC and USC, Paulus received more than 30 scholarship offers, which included Tennessee, LSU, Miami and Alabama. And although Signing Day 2007 is nine months away, Paulus said his commitment is very solid.

"I'm not even interested in any other schools," he said.

Paulus, the younger brother of Duke point guard Greg Paulus, gave several key reasons for choosing the Tar Heels.

"The overall atmosphere, the coaches, my level of comfort there," he explained. "With coach Frank Cignetti I feel like me and him together can do some big things in the ACC at North Carolina."

As a junior, the 6-foot-5, 208-pound quarterback led Christian Brothers to a 7-2 record. Paulus passed for more than 2,100 yards and 20 touchdowns with a 59 completion percentage during the season.

But as good as he is now, the coaches that recruited him said his potential is off the charts. And Paulus was looking for the right school to help him realize that potential.

"That was a big part of it, too — who could develop me because I'm so raw. (Coach Cignetti) will be able to develop me," he said.

"Everyone talks about my potential and upside and I feel the same way about North Carolina. With the players there, the sky is the limit. I'm going to go up there, get after it and win some ACC championships."

Sportsvite

                                      THE KILLER GUPPIES

Because, apparantly, I have a high readership of this blog, I get some neat e-mails from time to time.  So I like to pimp those who take the time to drop me a line and pass along some interesting events going on around the country.

I had the Human NCAA Bracket e-mailed to me.  I had the guy who ran the Harlem Ambassadors drop me an e-mail informing me of the plight of his team's ability to get major gigs since the Globetrotters were painting them into corners.  Some friends from "across the pond" wondered if I'd cover The Ashes. 

Here is another one.  It is Sportsvite.  It is a place where people around the nation can get plugged into their local sports scene.  Say you are a softball player who just moved to a new city and want to find out how to get into a local league.  Well, use Sportsvite to find teams in your area that are looking for players.  Or, say, you are organizing a paintball gathering.  You can use this site to contact possible interested parties.  Maybe you are starting a basketball league and you need some more players.  Maybe you just need a tennis partner. Maybe you play a non-popular sport like rugby or cricket.  Try out the site.

I searched around my local area and found several people who are interested in various sports.  It really looks like a place where people can get plugged into their local sports scenes.  So, try it out.

Here is the e-mail that was sent to me.

Hey SportzAssassin –

My name is Keith and I'm a founding team member of Sportsvite.com, a free Web service that helps people organize and play more sports.  The site currently has about 10,000 members and over 800 league teams, and it's growing rapidly.  I thought your readership might find it of interest. 

Sportsvite was set up from a personal experience of not being able to organize and manage our sports games effectively here in New York City.  Aside from helping teams to better organize their games, we created it to help people find other like-minded and like-skilled players.  People become members of the site to set up their games, set their season schedule, send out reminders, collect rsvps, find other players, upload online photos / video, and host post-game chats.  Think of it as a combination of evite / meet up / myspace, but focused completely on sports

We find that the people who are really into reading about and following pro and college sports are also into playing and organizing their own games.  Also, we are adding a number of community features centered around being a sports fan, including a tool to help organize outings to games.  We’d love to get feedback from your readers on what we can do to continually improve the site.

I'd love to get your thoughts on the site after you get a chance to check it out.  I hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks and take care,
Keith Emmer
keith@sportsvite.com
212-920-9205

Dream Jobs Don't Always Turn Out So Dreamy

                               

As a Carolina fan....I root for all former Heels no matter where they are.  Whether it is guys like Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace and Vince Carter in the playoffs......or anyone else still around.  That includes coaches.

The problem is that one of those coaches, Larry Brown, is being torn apart about as quickly as he's been built up.

I like Larry....and I don't like him.  As a coach, he'd be a perfect college or high school coach.  He loves to teach and some of his methods [breaking down players] is a bit easier to do at the "amateur" level.  It is true:  so far he's won everywhere he's gone.  But he was forever known as a nomad since he bounced around from job to job without really finishing the deal.  Then, like overnight, he takes over an already pretty good Pistons team and ends up in two straight NBA Finals...including one title.

Then, he turned from Nomad Larry to Larry The Great.  His quirkiness is all of the sudden genius.  And he became the star of a team without stars.  And it went to his head.

His "the right way" mantra became hypocritical as he turned against his organization during a championship run.  During the Pistons 2005 postseason, he apparantly was "secretly" meeting with the Cavaliers top people about taking over as president of that franchise.  Instead of focus being on Detroit's quest to repeat...it was on whether Brown would stay or go.  The right way, indeed.

He then ushered a nasty buyout with the Pistons so he could jump to his dream job, the New York Knicks.  Since then, all the Pistons did was cruise to the best record in the NBA this season without him.  And his Knicks, with the highest payroll in the NBA, finished with the 2nd worst record in the league. 

Hey, things happen....but not this.  Brown had a public feud with Stephon Marbury, his point guard.  Doing that in Indiana or Detroit may be one thing....but this is New York.  He mismanaged his team all season long.  He abandoned the veterans early on by plugging in their rookies to take the major minutes.....then scratched that no too much longer and those same rookies barely saw the court again.  The players don't trust him or believe in him....which is usually the first sign of a need to replace your coach.

Now comes word that the Knicks may buy Brown out just to see him walk.

But why?  Truth be told....Brown does deserve at least a Year Two.  Sure, it looks as if nothing was accomplished this season for the Knicks....but you are gonna pay Brown to leave so you can have.....what?  No other coach can make this mess into art.  Maybe Phil Jackson squeezes a few more wins out of this bunch....but that's it.  And remember, Jackson had a shot at this job but decided it was easier to kiss Kobe's butt after ripping him in a book than deal with this crap.

And "this crap" isn't Brown's fault.  This wasn't a good team when he arrived either.  The roster is full over overpriced and overhyped "talent" that has no business being together.  It is Brown's boss, Isiah Thomas, that molded this roster in his own image.  It is Thomas, armed with owner James Dolan's credit card, who blew this thing up.

                                 

A buddy of mine, LBERG, wrote this about the Great Zeke.....

Let's see...and forgive me if I have this in the wrong chronological order...

Isiah Lord Thomas' post-playing resume:

Mismanaged the CBA into destruction

Mismanaged the Toronto Raptors into near implosion

Bungled his duties in Indiana, who were smart enough to get him out of there before he crashed the entire franchise

Hopelessly mismanaged the New York Knicks, already mismanaged before he arrived, to new, remarkable lows - a grotesquely bloated salary cap hell loaded with sorry ballplayers to the point where it will probably take them at least 5 spectacular years of management by someone other than Isiah Lord before they will see daylight again

When you hire this man to "manage" your franchise you deserve whatever you get.  Apparently Cablevision, the Knicks' parent company headed by the father of Knicks' CEO James Dolan, doesn't care how much of their capital is pissed away by the boss' son while he continues to learn the hard way how not to operate a business.

 

Quite simply...astonishing.

 

And he may get the chance to guard his inmates.  Word is that Thomas may get knocked down from the skyboxes to babysit this team.  If as punishment, Thomas will get to be chided while on the stage....not as he's peering from behind the curtain.  Serves him right.  This entire craphole is his fault. 

 

Thomas is the one that gave Jerome James a 4-yr $22M deal.....even though he averaged 3 pts and 2 boards per game last year in Seattle.  He's the one that dealt the Knicks top draft pick, which could be the #1 to the #5 pick, to Chicago for Eddy Curry and his heart condition.  He's the one that continues to stock pile players who have had no major team successes in their playing career. 

 

There is no quick way to fix this thing.  They have nothing of value that would make their team better....save Channing Frye.  But even dealing him along with one of those horrid contracts won't gain them anything too outstanding that would make them credible.  Dealing one of their combo point guards would be nice.....but ya can't trade Francis because, well, look how well the Magic played once Stevie Franchise-Killer left.  Marbury could get some interest, but what team has $18M+ in contracts that they are willing to part with make it happen?  Jamal Crawford is young, but his very long term deal will scare off most teams. 

 

It doesn't matter.  Thomas will end up dealing away Jalen Rose and his expiring $16.9M contract for $17M worth of crap.  He also will deal away Mo Taylor and his expiring $9.7M contract for some castoff.  Maybe they'll bring in Baron Davis????

 

No...to fix this mess is just to watch it die and then grow it back down the road.  Keep Brown.  Might as well.  I mean, you will be paying him around $20M to go coach the Sacramento Kings anyways.

 

                                    

Happy Mother's Day!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!  I'll give you one guess to which person above is Shaq's mom

YEP.  BASEBALL NEEDS A FEW MORE PLAYOFF TEAMS:  I know, I know.  I am the devil for thinking this.  Hey, I was just like you.  I liked the fact that baseball rewards just it's elite into postseason play.  But, with Wildcard teams winning World Series about as much as the division champions are....why not add another round to the playoffs? 

The reasons I have for this is Hope and Fun.  One thing the Wildcard has done for MLB is bring another race into the mix.  That adds more teams into the fun....and everybody another shot in case there is a runaway winner in their division.  It instills hope.  Well, adding another 2-4 teams in each league not only adds more hope....it adds more fun. 

One of the biggest gripes from the small and mid market teams is that they cannot compete.  That really isn't true.  They can compete....just not consistently and not as easily at the level that the big market ones can.  As a Cincinnati fan, just being "in the race" is a successful season now....something idiotic just 15 years ago.  Adding another round means adding another 4-8 teams which adds more excitement.  I mean, this is baseball....in a playoff format, anyone has a chance. 

Under this plan....last year the Indians and Athletics would've made the AL playoffs.  But, also, teams like the Twins and Blue Jays would still be in striking distance into the last few weeks.   In the National League, the Phillies and Marlins would've been in....with the Mets, Nationals, Brewers, Cubs and Diamondbacks just within 6 games of that final playoff berth.  Add those teams....give the top two division champions in each league a first round bye.....have a 5-game series with the other four teams in each conference with the winners facing the bye teams in a 7-game series in the AL or NLDS. 

I know, you don't like it.  So what.  It's my blog, lol. 

HAVE AN 80s WEEK:  Speaking of tangents....why not have an 80s week in baseball??  For one week during the season, each team has to don their 80s uniforms.  If they weren't around in the 80s, make up some unis that they may have worn then.  Hey, this is my excuse to see those Brew Crew uniforms on non-Sundays....oh, and those Phillies uniforms [ya know, the burgundy pinstriped ones].  Bring back the sweatshirts where blue was the roadies.  Oh, and those Astros home unis, too! 

NBA PLAYOFFS:  Can the Spurs come back??  In their current championship era, the Spurs haven't been able to make a comeback in a playoff series.  When trailing in a series after Game 3.....the have comeback to win ZERO of the series.  The last time they trailed after the third game of a playoff series was the last series they lost....to the Lakers in 2004.  Can the Clippers actually advance to the Conference Finals??  Yes.  They are using the Lakers blueprint to how to beat Phoenix....pound the ball inside.  Elton Brand is averaging nearly 30 ppg in this series.  If it wasn't for a poor offensive showing in Game 3, the Clippers could be looking at a 3-1 series lead right now.  Can the Heat beat the Pistons?  Well, that series isn't set in stone, but c'mon.  I think the Heat can beat the Pistons....but I don't think they will.  Despite all of what I've just said, I still expect a repeat of last year with the Suns-Spurs in the West and the Heat-Pistons in the East. 

LARRY BROWN MAY BE OUT OF NYC:  There are rumors that Larry Brown may be bought out of his Knicks head coaching contract.  Wow...what a weird stretch.  He wins an NBA title and gets into the Hall of Fame in Detroit.  He then moves to New York to own the 2nd worst record in the NBA while his old team cruises to the best record. 

SHARKS FANS BOO "O CANADA":  Don't know why this all of the sudden became an issue again.  Sure, there have been issues of Canadian fans booing "The Star Spangled Banner"....but San Jose fans didn't do that in games 1 and 2, nor did the Edmonton fans do that in games 3 and 4.   I find it quite disrespectful....not so much that because their opponent, the Oilers, are from Canada.....but because many of the Sharks players themselves are Canadian citizens. 

METS-CARDINALS SERIES ON TAP:  This is the series to watch for the first half of the week.  Both lead their divisions....as both are own the top two records in the National League.

AND THEN INTERLEAGUE PLAY BEGINS:  A fun thing to have.

ARAS WINS SURVIVOR:  Since my wife didn't do a Survivor blog this time, I'll pass along the word. 

And RIP Floyd Patterson and Ryan Francis. 

                              

Darth Kobe

Great article from RobertLittal.com.  It is about DARTH KOBE.

Read Quitter: The Darth Kobe Story from his site to read about his take on how Kobe Bryant went from media darling to the most hated athlete right now.

Rob Littal says "the whole premise of the Darth Kobe persona is the fact that Bryant had realized that the majority of people, players and media will never like him regardless of what he does and to use that as fuel to destroy everything in his wake." 

Also, read his "Darth Kobe" The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Kobe Byrant.  He says "the era Darth Kobe is in full force and as the hate and jealousy continues to flow he will continue to get stronger.  I for one embrace Darth Kobe because this is who he has always been.  From the time he kicked his high school sweetheart to the curb for Brandy, to dry humping white girls in Colorado and to dropping a “T.O.” on the league this is who he is and it is scary what a man can do when he can look in the mirror and the reflection is the real you."

Check it out.

PS Thanks to Ktmdog for finding this. 

Oh Man, That O.J. Simpson Is Funny

               

via ESPN.com - NFL - O.J. pretends to sell white Bronco for TV program

LOS ANGELES -- In a scene from his new candid-camera program "Juiced," O.J. Simpson pulls a prank involving the infamous white Bronco, drawing criticism from the family of a man he was accused of killing.

As part of the pay-per-view show, Simpson pretends to sell the Bronco at a used car lot and boasts to a prospective buyer that he made the vehicle famous, according to a segment aired Thursday on "Inside Edition."

"It was good for me -- it helped me get away," Simpson said, referring to the slow-speed, televised police chase that preceded his 1994 arrest on charges of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

Goldman's father, Fred, told "Inside Edition" he found Simpson's comment "morally reprehensible."

Simpson was acquitted of murder. A civil jury later held him liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to the Brown and Goldman families.

Much of that judgment remains unpaid.

"Any money that he makes, I hope, will go to satisfy the multimillion dollar judgment made against him in the civil case," said Brown family attorney Gloria Allred.

The hour-long program is airing on pay-per-view this month, and a DVD offering uncensored material will be made available soon, "Juiced" executive producer Rick Mahr told The Associated Press.

Other practical jokes include Simpson disguised as an Elvis impersonator, a vagabond selling oranges for money and an elderly man leading a Bingo game.

Simpson was not paid for the program, Mahr said.

"Basically O.J. Simpson has decided to do this because he wants to do it, and he wanted to have fun with it," Mahr said.

Barry, You Screwed Up Our Record!

 

Any day now, Barry Bonds will hit his 715th home run....something that only Hank Aaron has ever done in Major League Baseball history.  Maybe some time after that, Barry will hit his 756th home run....something nobody has done.

And that blast will elevate the already debated topic of steroids into a more historical context.  This entry isn't about whether Bonds took steroids or not [I think he did].  It's about how robbed we all are about this record.  How cheated we all feel.  Even if he is deemed clean....he will still have that sort of "OJ Simpson stigma" surrounding him. 

In sports, the two biggest records are the single season HR record and the lifetime HR record.  The only one that comes even close is Wilt's 100 point game.  Bonds could own both of those records before he is done [which would be the first time someone owned both since Babe Ruth did in 1961].  We should all be amazed and in awe of that.  But we aren't.  No one is.

Ask what is more memorable....and everyone will pick "The Chase" in 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both broke Roger Maris' single season home run record.  We certainly were in awe of that.  But Bonds broke it three years later and no one bats an eye.  There are no "where were you" questions about that Bonds record breaking HR. 

There most likely will be that question on number 756....in what may be the most controversial home run ever hit.  Every home run Bonds hits makes me so happy and guilty all at the same time. 

I am happy because this is my era of sport.  I was barely alive when Aaron was wrapping up his career.  My parents were kids when Babe Ruth died.  I never saw Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle play.  No....my era of baseball once saw 35 home runs lead a league [Fred McGriff in 1992 with San Diego].  Then one decade later, Bonds hit more than twice that [73 home runs in 2001] to set the record.  The six highest single season HR marks were set from 1998-2001.  Amazing when you think that in 71 years [from 1927 to 1998] only Maris hit as many as 59 HRs in a season. 

I've actually seen Bonds come up into the majors and have witnessed his entire career.  When they debate the greats of all time, he's the guy we have to throw into the mix.  In statitudes, he's in that conversation.  And it feels good to actually witness this kind of magical record being set.

Again, you remember where you were when McGwire passed Maris. 

But then there is guilt.  So that single season record seems to be a bit tainted.  How about this grandaddy one??  No matter how we want to coat it....this will be known as the Steroid Era.  I am not one for astericks.....but perceptive astericks will be applied by many when reviewing this time in baseball.  I already have them.  I look at my era with a bit of shame.  When I am 50 or 60 years old.....I will tell 20 and 30 year olds about what it was like to watch Barry Bonds play.  And those 20 and 30 year olds will say "yeah, but Pops, that's when they all were juiced up."  Just like NBA fans can gaze upon the gawdy scoring and rebounding numbers in the 1950s and 1960s.  Those 50 and 60 year olds can say "Wilt and Russell were the real deal!"....and I can say, "yeah, but, Pops, that's when the free throw lane was thinner and they shot free throws after every foul". 

Of course, debate is a key element to sport.  But when a record like this is broken, immortality is thrust upon the great.  No one remembers what Aaron's 755th home run looked like....but we all know about that 715th one.  It isn't McGwire's 70th dinger that gets the run....it's #62. 

So when home run number 756 is hit....will we all be celebrating?  Personally, we will a little.  We will have witnessed the first time anyone has hit that many home runs.  But just as personally, there will be some uneasiness that goes with it.  That same feeling like when you beat a video game with the cheat codes.  Or passing a test by copying someone else's sheet.  You did great...but did you really do it?  Even if there isn't complete proof right now, everyone and their mama's mama thinks that Barry Bonds was on performance enhancing drugs over the last five years and that all those gawdy numbers he's been putting up are just garbage.

There won't be an asterick by the record.....just a huge elephant in the record room. 

The only good thing that comes out of this is that Bonds' records will be broken someday.  Both his single season and [eventually] the all time record.  And the great thing about it is that whomever is fighting to topple Bonds....we all will be rooting for him.  Albert Pujols has a great shot at the single season record....and don't tell me that people won't be rooting for Pujols to knock down Bonds' record.  We all can respect the record again when we think it isn't tainted. 

Same thing with the lifetime record.  Maybe we can celebrate the breaking of that record...unlike when Aaron was go for Ruth's record and Bonds is going for Aaron's mark.   No one was/is rooting for them.  Everyone will be rooting for the next guy.  And then baseball may make another resurgence. 

I wouldn't say that I like Bonds....but at face value and if there were no steroid accusations, I would be rooting for Bonds every step of the way.

So would the rest of you. 

Um, Those NBA and NHL 2nd Rounds Aren't Too Exciting

       

People surrounding the NBA and NHL both proclaimed their first round series were great [even though each league had just ONE series that went the full seven games].  On opposite ends of the spectrum, the NBA had every one of their teams that held home court advantage in the first round advance....and the NHL saw the top four seeds in the Western Conference all fall. 

Then the second round came.

In the NHL, three of the four series are currently at a 3-0 stage....though the East's top seeded Senators are one of the teams down by that margin.  Though the series may be all but done, the games have been pretty good.

In the Oilers-Sharks series and Sabres-Sens series, every game has been decided by one goal.  In the Canes-Devils series, the last two games have been decided by just one goal. 

             

Now....flip all of that for the NBA.  In the NBA, all but one series is tied at 1-1.  But the games haven't been too exciting.

In the Nets-Heat series....the Nets jumped all over Miami early [though Miami did make it respectable later on] in Game 1.  Then in Game 2, Miami had a 41-19 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.  The Heat won by that same 22 points. 

We've also had the Mavericks beat the Spurs by 22.....the Pistons beat the Cavaliers by 27 [and then dominated them in the next game]....and the Clippers beat the Suns by 25 points. 

Here's hoping that a change in venues may tighten up those NBA games.....and that maybe next week we will get some great NHL conference finals.