Home Field Advantage: Sports. Commentary. Picks. Blog.

Cavs owner wrong with LeBron-to-NY "insult" rant

2008-09-26T11:39:00.003-04:00

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert attempted to stick it to the media on Thursday, blaming them rather than the ineptitude of the franchise for speculation that LeBron James will flee Cleveland after his contract is over for either the New York Knicks or future Brooklyn Nets.

He called the media's reporting of the issue out-of-line, "an insult to the city" and simple conjecture from bored soprts reporters.

PUH-lease.

Really, Dan Gilbert?!

Yeah, I guess LeBron James isn't best buds with Jay-Z, who just happens to be a co-owner of the New Jersey (soon Brooklyn) Nets?

Really?!

I guess the Nets and Knicks haven't been making trades, cutting players and clearing cap space for 2010 when they can make max offers to James and bring him to NY?

Really?!

Because Dan Gilbert isn't one of the worst owners in professional sports who didn't fall ass-first into the best player in the league and has YET to provide him with an acceptable supporting cast in order for him to take that sorry franchise all-the-way to an NBA title?

Really?!

Because LeBron James (noted front-runner aside) didn't wear a New York Yankees cap to a Yanks/Indians playoff game...IN CLEVELAND?

Really?!

When asked about New York, LeBron didn't specifically say he loves the city and thought it would be a great place to live and play?

Really?!

Because LeBron didn't come out with a limited edition line of a New York style of his shoes...only sold in New York City...featuring many Yankees references?

Really?!

Because LeBron is going to indicate his team's owner (who is currently paying him millions of dollars for the next two years) that he plans to leave? There is a max contract in the NBA, so the best the Cavs can do is match exactly what the Knicks and Nets will offer.

Really?!

Because LeBron doesn't have a clause in his Nike contract that promises to DOUBLE his endorsement deal if he moves to a major city like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles?

Really?!

Gilbert's not going to worry about a contract extension for the best player in the NBA who is disheartened with the lack of effort made and money the team has spent to fill up the rest of the roster with appropriate talent to compliment LeBron and help them win a title?

Really?!

Sports reporters are bored because they don't have the entire NFL season to cover, NCAA football every Thursday through Saturday, tight MLB playoff races, Brett Favre, O.J. Simpson, Lance Armstrong, (locally) Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn, Ohio State, etc.?

Really?!

THAT speculation is an insult to the city? Not the fact that the Indians made the playoffs last year and gave up on this season before the All-Star break? That Ohio State made it to two BCS title games and got whooped by superior opponents? That OSU just got bludgeoned to death by USC? That your 2008 gem of an NFL team is at the bottom of the league and about to lose their starting QB, coach, etc.

Really, Dan Gilbert?!

(Just for the record...I've been doing "Really?!" columns since the late 90s...so no posts about ripping off Saturday Night Live on this one. Thanks.)

Oklahoma City fails to create excitement in unveiling name, colors

2008-08-28T09:59:00.001-04:00

The NBA’s newest franchise is the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oh, that was supposed to be a secret? Sorry, I’ve already known for a month…as have most of you and most of the media.

There are only a few ways to make a big splash as a franchise in professional sports outside of winning a championship. Moving a team is one of those ways, changing the name and colors are another.

So while every NBA fan already knows the name of the former Seattle SuperSonics franchise, Oklahoma City’s public relations and media staff still feel the need to make it a big spectacle. They just announced a huge downtown rally and unveiling on Sept. 3.

When you unveil something, it is supposed to have been a secret prior to that day. That is what creates the excitement. Even the definition of the word is “to disclose, reveal.” But if the world already knows what you are going to disclose, what is the point?

As if the name choice wasn’t bad enough already.

Look, I am all for getting creative in sports, but I draw the line on two points as far as naming teams goes. (1) Do not name a team after an inanimate object, and (2) Make the team name plural.

The NFL and MLB have figured this out. The NBA, NHL, MLS and (worst of all, not that anyone cares) WNBA got some ‘splainin’ to do.

The worst offenders are the weather group: the Heat, Lightning, Sky, Sun, Storm and now Thunder. Uck. I am sure Kevin Durant is happy to say, “I am delighted to be a Thunder.” “I have wanted to be a Thunder my whole career.” Not.

Then you get into the other oddballs: Magic, Jazz, Wild (though I like the name), Dream, Shock, Fever, Liberty and Mercury.

I just can’t wrap my head around the people making these marketing decisions, especially when starting anew in a different city. And in case you were curious, two of their other options were “Wind” and “Bison.” Who are these decision-makers?

With all of my complaining, I can already hear a few of you saying to yourselves, “Yeah, like he can come up with anything better!” I sure can. Here are two names, off the top of my head, which (1) Make more sense than Thunder, and (2) Follow my rules.

Oklahoma City Barons
Oklahoma City Slickers

Using the second name, in particular, would be fantastic. In addition to the double usage of “City Slickers” and “Slickers” alone, it is catchy, fun and is easy to utilize in marketing campaigns. Naming the restaurants and clubs in the area, creating a mascot, everything becomes easier with a good team name.

With all that being said, I guess it is too late to change it now. After all, there is a secret unveiling on Wednesday!

Lovable Barkley ready to make you uncomfortable

2008-08-21T10:06:00.003-04:00

If you’re a sports fan, it should almost be a requirement for you to love Charles Barkley. Aside from his greatness during his playing days in the NBA, Barkley is a cut-up, a character, he’s like the uncle that makes you laugh even though you sometimes roll your eyes.

And while you may not agree with his opinions on basketball or politics or his decisions on how to manage his money, Sir Charles is still there cracking a joke, smiling wide and making you feel comfortable.

Until now.

You see, it is not that Chuck is heading for a downward spiral or anything; he’s just going to be showcasing two pretty uncomfortable events in his life to the national viewing public: a colonoscopy and the attempted fixing of his golf swing.

To get a, well, “deeper” look at Barkley, be sure to tune in to the “Stand Up to Cancer” special being aired Sept. 5 simultaneously by NBC, CBS and ABC. Cameras will follow Barkley through his home state of Alabama while he prepares and completes the procedure that screens for prostate and other cancers. Barkley joked that the show’s producers probably wanted a celebrity with the biggest ass.

Then, if you weren’t shifting uncomfortably in your seat already, make sure your cable company or satellite provider carries the Golf Channel so you can watch Barkley’s newest unnamed reality series. The goal? “Fix Charles Barkley’s swing,” Sir Charles says.

Barkley, as well as the rest of the golf-viewing public, is embarrassed by his “turrible” swing and thinks Tiger Woods' swing coach, Hank Haney, can do some good.

“I was telling Hank that when I’m standing over the ball, I’m (expletive deleted) terrified. I have no idea what’s going to happen. He told me he used to have the yips, but not as bad as me. That’s what makes me think he can fix what’s wrong.’’

You’re not the only one whose “turrified,” Chucky. I wish you the best of luck on both because, well, you need it.

Baby daddy champ Shawn Kemp to play in Italy

2008-08-19T12:05:00.004-04:00

With the recent rush of NBA-level talent signing with European teams, one would assume the squads are looking for bright young stars that will help them win their league’s championship. Not Premiata Montegranaro, apparently. The Italian league team reached out and signed 38-year-old Shawn Kemp a few days ago to play for them beginning in November.

The best part about the signing is the quote from their head coach.

"I am happy that a player that has made basketball history would come to Montegranaro," coach Alessandro Finelli said.

What basketball history? Sure, Kemp is a six-time All-Star, but he hasn’t played since the 2002-03 season, and he hasn’t been the Reign Man since the 90s. He’s just not relevant anymore.

The only basketball history Kemp has made that I am aware of is being the all-time baby daddy champion--the record for fathering the most illegitimate children by one NBAer, ever. Shawn Kemp has more illegitimate kids than adoption centers. Kemp has had more kids than Jenna Jameson has had…well…you get the point.

Oh, and the last time Kemp played international basketball? Perhaps you remember the Olympics when he grabbed his crotch following a monster dunk? Face of a franchise right there.

Listen, I’m happy for the guy. He’s making some good money, playing basketball again and will probably get some endorsement deals over in Europe just because of his name and history. I’m sure he needs the money…especially if they have food and cocaine in Europe.

I’m just wondering what guys like Allan Houston are doing. All of these retired players who need money should take advantage of these European teams and their deep pockets. Houston won the $100 million lottery by hitting one huge shot for the New York Knicks (one of the best sports moments of my life). He still wants to play…I don’t know if he can…but at least he can move better than the 310 lb. Kemp.

Patriots Actually Celebrating Imperfect Season with Rings, Banner

2008-08-18T13:30:00.007-04:00

As if Boston-based teams have not already given us a plethora of reasons to despise them, the New England Patriots and owner Robert Kraft are now seemingly ignoring their historic Super Bowl (collapse, loss, what-have-you) and are presenting players with rings commemorating last year’s near-perfect campaign.

According to the Boston Globe, the Krafts are presenting rings which have “16-0 – perfect season” on one side and “18-1 AFC Championship” on the other.

I have heard about second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, hell tenth place being celebrated in youth leagues to boost the self-esteem of kids that way no one is titled a “loser.”

Guess what, Patriots players and fans?! This is the pros. YOU LOST! YOU ARE LOSERS!

As one former AFC East rival once said, “You play – to win – the game.” You lost the game. You don’t deserve a ring. You don’t deserve a banner in the rafters (which the Krafts are also planning). You don’t get to celebrate failure. 16-0 is not a perfect season; 19-0, however, is, and you fell short.

If Kraft is all about spending money to accurately represent the Patriots accomplishments, shouldn’t there be a little video camera/asterisk on their last three Super Bowls…or at least this past imperfect season?

The Patriots came 35 seconds away from winning a Super Bowl…but they lost. Where is the New York Yankees 2001 ALCS ring for 95 wins and being an out away from winning their fourth-consecutive World Series? Where is Rocco Mediate’s U.S. Open trophy for finishing just a stroke short in extra holes on Monday? Why aren’t the Miami Dolphins celebrating going 1-15 with a Jake Long sign hanging next to Dan Marino’s?

Because you do not celebrate failure, no matter how well you play up until you fail.

Where are Mercury Morris and his quotation-churning brain when I need them?

Injuries not excuse but reason for Yankees fall

2008-08-15T13:04:00.006-04:00

While no one will be pulling out the world’s smallest violin any time soon and playing a sympathy song for the New York Yankees, the fact of the matter remains that the massive amounts of injuries this team has incurred are the main reason they will break their streak of 13 consecutive playoff appearances.

Yankee haters will turn to the “injuries are no excuse” or “every team has injuries” cards, trying to diminish the extent and effect that these have decimated the team. Instead, they will argue that it is the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox who will ultimately be responsible for the demise of the 2008 Yankees.

I am here to tell the Yankees critics one thing: You’re wrong and the Baby Boss is right.

That’s right, amidst all the comments by the media that Hank Steinbrenner is a blow-hard (or worse), he has been right more times than he’s been wrong since taking the reigns of the Yankees.

He was right to choose Joe Girardi over Don Mattingly (as a Mattingly fan it pains me to say that), right that Joba Chamberlain should be a starting pitcher, right that Mike Mussina needed to pitch “more like Jamie Moyer” and right that, “There’s only so much you can do. They’re not supermen. (These injuries) would kill any team.”

Injuries are expected when your roster consists of men with such a high average age, but no one could anticipate the extent they occurred this year with 20 trips to the disabled list—20!

Let’s start at the top. Ace and consecutive 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang starts the season 5-0 then injuries his foot on June 15 in an interleague game while running the bases—something he shouldn’t be doing in the first place. Out for the season.

Veteran newly re-signed catcher Jorge Posada injuries his right shoulder early in the season and never recovers—now out for the year. Starting left fielder Hideki Matsui and starting pitchers Phillip Hughes and Ian Kennedy have also been out for the majority of the year, forcing the Yankees to sign Sidney Ponson and deal with a combination of Daniel Rasner/Dan Giese to fill the fifth rotation spot.

Aside from the fact that the Yankees lost the bats of Matsui and Posada, more importantly they lost Posada’s ability to manage the Yankees stable of veteran and inexperienced pitchers. What could be more important? Oh, I forgot, losing your ace. Give the Yankees a moderate 8 more wins to this point from Wang and they’re battling for the division lead.

GM Brian Cashman has done an adequate job of replacing the offense in making spectacular trades for outfielder Xavier Nady and catcher Pudge Rodriguez though, at this point, it looks like too little too late. While not an excuse, it is inequitable to ignore the Yankees massive amount of injuries as the primary reason for their 2008 failures.

Why Miami Dolphins fans shouldn't care about Brett Favre to New York Jets trade

2008-08-07T09:33:00.005-04:00

To Miami Dolphins Fans: There is no doubt that the 2008 NFL off-season has been dominated by two stories: Jason Taylor’s exodus from the Miami Dolphins and Brett Favre’s decision to unretire (like he was actually retired in the first place) and return to the NFL.

As Dolphins fans, we thought we were in the clear with Taylor being traded to the Washington Redskins a few weeks ago. But then Favre’s situation worsened. It became more than a national story. The Favre Watch was on and, no matter how hard we tried, we could not get away from it. All that we could hope for was some type of resolution—anything to get Favre out of the ESPN.com top story, away from the PTI headlines, muting the mouths of our talk radio pundits and sports commentators that all had their own opinion on the situation. Something that would allow us to re-focus on real sports stories—our own team’s training camp and pre-season games, the exciting MLB season and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Then they (the Packers, media, God himself) go ahead and f*&k us again. Favre gets traded to our rival New York Jets late Wednesday night. Let’s stop right here so I can clear something up. No, this is not some rant about how Favre being on our hated foe is going to keep us from winning games or the division. In fact, the only negative of this entire situation is that we will not stop hearing about Favre no matter how hard we try. We play the Jets twice a year and follow our division closely—now there is no escaping Favre and the drama he drags along with him.

Aside from that, the fact of the matter is this: as far as Favre and the Jets are concerned, I could care less. I’m indifferent. It doesn’t matter. I could even argue it helps us. Let me break it down and show you The Silver Lining of this whole situation.

* I am going to start by matter-of-factly stating that the Jets are no longer my most hated NFL franchise. The New England Patriots, with the help of Bill Bellichick and the city of Boston, have taken that title with ease. The improvement of the Jets can only help to overthrow the villainous Patriots franchise, perhaps even knock them out of the playoffs all together with a little luck and some hard work. Maybe Favre can be instrumental in sending the Pats back into the dark ages.

* Favre’s first game in the green-and-white will be against our Dolphins at home in Dolphins Stadium on a hopefully hot and sunny Sunday afternoon. Aside from the fact that we can deal a strong blow to Favre’s celebratory return to the NFL by going out and beating the Jets, the game is going to be a LOT of fun! The stadium will be packed, the Dolphins will sell a LOT of tickets—it will be CBS’s 1:00 p.m. nationally televised game. If they allowed a Week 1 Flex game, it would be on Sunday Night Football.

* Favre’s tenure with the Jets will not be long. We’re looking at most likely a two-year run, three years max. (Interesting, considering he “retired” this year and may now play for another two.) The Dolphins are nowhere near close to seriously competing for a division title, conference title or Super Bowl championship in the next two years. Let’s stop kidding ourselves. We’ll be lucky to win 4-5 in ’08, 6-8 in ’09 and 9-11 in ’10…and that’s if everything goes right! Favre’s presence in New York does not affect the future of the Dolphins. Will we lose a few more games to the Jets over the next two years? Sure. Do the Jets have more time to find a suitable QB to replace Favre? Maybe. Aside from that, it doesn’t matter.

So, in the end, the Favre situation has come to impact us more than we would have originally hoped. Luckily, it will all be superficial. He is not a threat to the future of the Miami Dolphins, and the present isn’t promising enough for us to get worked up over anyway.

The goal of this edition of The Silver Lining is to qualm any concerns about Favre joining the AFC East before they arise—to put out a flickering, hopefully non-existent fire. To say, honestly, as far as Brett Favre is concerned, I no longer care and haven’t for quite some time—and neither should you.

LeBron James: Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

2008-07-29T09:34:00.003-04:00

Honestly, what exactly have the Cleveland Cavaliers been doing this offseason? Because I can tell you what they have not been doing…getting star forward LeBron James an ounce, a bit, an iota of help.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…What the hell is wrong with this franchise? Absolutely horrendous for a decade, lady luck finally strikes the Cavs in the form of Akron-born King James in the 2003 NBA Draft. Aside from being arguably the best player in the league right now, James is a hometown guy and as much a star away from the court as he is on it.

He took a downtrodden franchise to the top, barely missing the Eastern Conference Finals in 2005-06, barely losing the NBA Finals in 2006-07 and again barely missing the Eastern Conference Finals and losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics this year.

And he has done it…alone. All by himself.

Do the Cavs want him to be impressed by their endless list of third- and fourth-rate support players? Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall, Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak, Anderson Varejao, Delonte West…? It’s pathetic.

You have a franchise player who has the ability to take you to the title game every single season. Give him a little help getting to that point, and he will finish the job.

And what do you do with perhaps the best player we’ve seen since Michael Jordan? You waste your opportunity and sit Indian-style watching as he gets disgusted with the franchise—his franchise. You wait and expect him to do it on his own while his contract slowly expires; you leave him no other choice but to head to New York (Knicks or Nets) for greener pastures and championships without so much as trying.

So you’re going to take the 2003-04 Rooke if the Year, annual All-Star (four appearances, two MVPs), four-time All-NBA player, league scoring champion in 2007-08 with career averages of 27.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.6 apg and 1.8 spg (17 triple-doubles) and let him sit in Cleveland and fester?

Smart move. But you’ll be kicking yourselves when he’s putting up those numbers for a franchise that cares and will help him win titles.

Steinbrenner placates to media about Bonds

2008-07-25T11:18:00.006-04:00

Let me start by saying that I hope I don’t lose what few readers I have by posting two New York Yankees columns in a row. Some “news” stories hit me a certain way that I feel the need to comment and with the Yankees, well, what could be bigger?

Anyway, back to topic. Now that we’re over 100 games into the 2008 MLB season and former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds is still unsigned by any club, just the mention of his name is sure to grab headlines. And, like him or not, Hank Steinbrenner has already learned the media-suaveness of his father and is using it to his and his team’s advantage.

Chances are every team at one point or another has had someone in their front office make a mention of Bonds. Whether it was in passing, a serious discussion or what-have-you, his name has been brought up in every front office around the league. The only stories we have heard about Bonds up until this point have been, “Nobody is going to sign him” even though everyone has discussed him. And nobody will sign him.

Following their normal annual meeting after the All-Star break at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa to discuss franchise and personnel decisions through the end of the season, A reporter asked Steinbrenner what issues were covered. His response?

"We covered everything, including Bonds."

Genius. Five words that in reality meant nothing but for sports writers meant an article with a headline of “Yankees may bring in Barry Bonds,” “Yankees talk about Bonds,” “Yankees to add Bonds?”

It is the non-story of all non-stories. Instead, they should be writing about how the Yankees are interested in trading for San Francisco Giants catcher Bengie Molina, Seattle Mariners pitcher Jarrod Washburn or Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady. But no, those are reserved for the last two paragraphs, with the prior being about a story that doesn’t exist.

At some point the media changed. It switched from reporting news stories about facts and rumors to reporting and inferring stories from quotes. Steinbrenner easily could have said, ‘We covered everything including trades and free agents.” But he didn’t, because he knew how to get the story, and it only took five words to do so.

Jorge Posada done behind the plate?

2008-07-24T13:25:00.004-04:00

Love or hate them, the New York Yankees are never void of interesting news stories. In an offseason met with a lot of questions, the Yankees decided to keep a number of their veterans signing Andy Pettite for a season and Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada to multi-year deals.

As is often the case with older players signing these types of deals, Posada has been injured all season. The most recent diagnosis is that his right labrum is deteriorating and will require surgery. A catcher without a labrum is useless.

During spring training and in rare bouts this year, new manager Joe Girardi had Posada practicing and playing at first base, giving him another option to contribute aside from staying behind the plate. While not his natural position, Posada played well, but nevertheless fought the move:

"I want to catch. I'm a catcher; I'm not a first baseman," Posada said.

Now, with the only two options being to play first and DH or sit out the remainder of the season, Posada has thankfully changed his tune.

"It's not about me. It's about the team now," Posada said. "How can I help the team? That's why I'm going to go through the rehab. If I'm able to hit, I'm going to try to do that. If I'm not able to hit, I'm going to have surgery."

I love Jorge, let’s not get it twisted. He had a career season last year. Nevertheless, the quote disturbs me. “It’s about the team now.” Now? What about before? If Girardi, your manager, former teammate and catcher-in-arms thinks it is best for you to play first, you do it.

Considering the Yankees haven’t had an everyday first baseman since Tino Martinez, Posada should see this as a welcome move and a way of making his career in pinstripes last longer. On the other hand, the Yankees now need to find Posada’s replacement and find it before next season. Jose Molina is great defensively, but a Yankees catcher needs a strong bat.

On a seven-game win streak and now only 3.5 games out of first while missing both Posada and Hideki Matsui, perhaps the Yankees have finally righted the ship. Now if Posada can start hitting the ball like he did last year, he can fuel them back to the top.

Army orders Caleb Campbell to withdraw from Lions, fulfill obligations

2008-07-23T16:40:00.005-04:00

I am sure there are plenty of you who remember the story from the 2008 NFL Draft of Army safety Caleb Campbell. He was drafted to the Detroit Lions and, therefore, avoided military service due to a new rule giving those with a chance to play for a professional sports team the ability to serve their term of duty in the United States as a recruiter instead of on active duty.

Well, it should come as no suprise to you that the inspiring story has changed course.

Caleb Campbell, the Detroit Lions' seventh-round pick, will not be playing for the team this year. According to a Lions press release, the U.S. Army reversed its stance that would have allowed the safety to fulfill his military obligations in Michigan had he made the Lions' roster.

What a crock! In a time where the Army is trying to recruit new members and increase military service in this country, they do something to once again hurt their image. It is not like there are hundreds of soldiers that this affects at the present time, just one. They allowed the kid to get drafted, earn a roster spot and sign a three-year contract and then they take that all away from him?

The fact of the matter is this: Campbell is an Army guy and will never mention a word about how hurt, upset and dejected he probably is right now. That doesn’t change the fact that this is the wrong decision. If I was the Lions, I’d consider suing to get the signing bonus that I’ve already laid out back. This is wrong in every way and, unfortunately, these things aren’t even a surprise anymore. Big mistake, Army, big mistake.

Childress signs with Greek club team Olympiakos

2008-07-23T13:57:00.005-04:00

Josh Childress signing a three-year $20 million deal is not that outrageous—except for the fact that it is for a non-NBA team. Leaving the NBA and the United States behind, Childress is really the first of his kind to spurn NBA offers to play in Europe.

In Olympiakos, he is going to a title-contending club that finished second to Panathinaikos in the Greek basketball league last season. They also just signed another big-name player, Greek star Theodoros Papaloukas, completing a solid roster overhaul that should bring them close to the title.

So let me get this straight... Childress went from being an Atlanta Hawks reserve to possibly the premiere player in the Greek league. He will play fewer games, get paid more money and be a star? Sounds like a good deal to me.

The best part about the contract is after each season, he has an opt-out clause to return to the NBA. So all Childress really needs to do is have one great season in Greece to hopefully raise his value even more than the $5.6 million he was set to receive from the Hawks’ rumored offer. Atlanta will retain his rights as a restricted free agent as long as they provide him with qualifying offers each season.

While I can see this as a bit of a hit to Atlanta, who is in the middle of a resurgence and just made their first playoff appearance in years, Childress definitely made the right decision for his life and career. Aside from the notoriety he will gain abroad, if all goes well he will be an even bigger commodity here. Besides, he’s making $6.66 million after taxes as opposed to $5.6 million before taxes…big difference!

The only question I really have is: Where did Olympiakos get the money?

Carson Palmer speaks his mind, the truth

2008-07-22T09:52:00.004-04:00

That’s it. Game over. Carson Palmer is my favorite NFL quarterback.

Not because he won me a fantasy football championship (he didn’t), plays for my favorite team (he doesn’t) or is even the best at his position in the league (he’s not.) It only took one long quote, one radio interview, one beautifully phrased piece of truth to turn me into a Carson Palmer fan.

I don't watch what I say. I cannot stand the Buckeyes and having to live in Ohio and hear those people talk about their team, it drives me absolutely nuts. We got Keith Rivers out there and we got Frostee Rucker, we finally got a couple other 'SC guys. It's amazing to hear what those guys think about that university and what they think about that football program and (Ohio State coach Jim) Tressel and all the crap I gotta put up with being back there. I just can't wait for two years from now when 'SC comes to the 'Shoe and I get to, hopefully we'll have a home game that weekend and I can go up there and watch us, pound on them in their own turf and kind of put all the talk to rest. Because I'm really getting sick of it and I just can't wait for this game to get here so they can come out to the Coliseum and experience LA and get an old-fashioned Pac-10 butt-whoopin' and go back to the Big Ten . . . I can't wait.

Have I converted you, too? No? You must be an Ohio State fan.

Let’s put aside the cojones it takes to say these words while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in Buckeye country. Especially because the fans that pack your stadium and buy your jersey care 10 times more about OSU than they ever will about the Bengals.

The fact of the matter is Palmer did two things I love and respect: (1) He spoke the truth without regard for backlash and (2) He still has pride and loyalty to his school and conference.

To a lot of NFL players, college football is a stepping stone to the pros. But there are always those select few that bleed (in this case) cardinal and gold through-and-through, even when their playing career is over. It is even better when those players are solid pros as opposed to your fourth-stringers that hardly see the field.

Aside from having pride in his former accomplishments, Palmer points out a painstakingly obvious fact: the Big Ten is a joke. It has been a joke, and it will continue to be a joke until one more team is added and there is a conference championship game. As if their last two BCS Championship games are not proof enough, they have missed the boat on how the game is played these days while the powerhouse SEC schools like LSU, Florida and Georgia and major programs like the Pac-10’s USC and Big 12’s Texas have it easily figured out.

Yet fans of the Big Ten and, more importantly, Ohio State, continue to carry on like their stool don’t stink while they slowly become the Buffalo Bills of college football—always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Taylor's acting desire a finely orchestrated deception

2008-07-21T10:03:00.005-04:00

For my conspiracy theorists and pessimists out there, I bring you the following: A commentary on my own suggestion that Jason Taylor’s recent and sudden desire to escape to Hollywood was nothing more than a finely orchestrated deception by his agents and management.

Seemingly content as a Miami Dolphin for a decade, things began to unravel for the All-Pro early during the 2007 season. Noticing the Dolphins falling to an inconceivable level with a boob (Cam Cameron) as a head coach and no prospects of success in the near future, Taylor began to turn. His power in the organization was legitimate—from having owner H. Wayne Huizenga’s ear to being the vocal locker room leader. When Taylor spoke, people listened.

It was during the ’08 season that Taylor dropped the ball—he gave up. He realized the worthless, day-to-day struggle he faced as a member of the Dolphins. His attitude and disposition permeated throughout the locker room. Once Cameron lost Taylor, he lost every remaining player, the season and his head coaching career with the Dolphins. No wonder Bill Parcells was put-off by Taylor; he realized Taylor’s contributions on the field would be less significant than the detriment he would do to the team in the locker room. In a Parcells system, the coaches (and specifically chosen players) have the voice, not just sour veterans.

With the season over and an offer on the table from ABC to compete in “Dancing With the Stars,” Taylor finally had his out. And as any agent worth his 10% would, Gary Wichard started putting together a plan. Perhaps not the perfect plan, but nevertheless a good one.

Taylor performed on DWTS for two reasons: to be more noticeable in Hollywood and to begin the deception—the deception that his goal all along was to be an actor. Once again, any agent worth his 10% should have a plan ready for his client’s post-playing career. Taylor is not unique in wanting to go Hollywood and keep himself in the spotlight. He is, however, unique in using that desire to deceive his team into trading him.

Go on DWTS, refuse to commit to the Dolphins and then publicly state you are only going to play for one more season (and you want it to be with a contender) because of your desire to act. Refuse to attend any mini camps or OTAs, making up excuses that, while sounding legitimate, are obviously bogus. Then, continuously placate to the media and your fans that you are not doing this because you WANT to leave but because with such limited time left you have to leave. Why would any team accept a player doing those things? They would not, and Gary Wichard knew that from the start.

And now that the deception is completed and a trade has been made, everyone will begin to see it unravel. It started with Washington’s executive vice president Vinny Cerrato being "100 percent positive he'll play longer than one year." Of course he will; he was always going to.

Let’s face it--Taylor’s prospects in Hollywood are slim-to-none. Meeting with Denzel Washington, studio executives and reading offers in La-La-Land? They may have happened but none were approached with much seriousness. Taylor probably made his rounds to learn more about the industry for when he actually retires in 2011 or 2012. Yes, you heard it here first—2011 or 2012.

Taylor will play out the remainder of his contract (two years) with the Redskins, and he will be happy to do so because he NEVER truly considered retiring. When the Redskins have not provided Taylor with his shot at contention for a Super Bowl ring, he will do what so many two-faced athletes (read: Junior Seau) have done and sign a one- or two-year deal with a team (read: New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys) for that last shot at glory. Then, he will ride off into that Hollywood sunset that will look eerily like an ESPN (owned by ABC who produces DWTS), NBC or FOX studio.

In the end, he may win his ring, get his Hall of Fame bust and win back some fans, but one thing will never change: This was a farce, a sham, a finely orchestrated deception.

Tomlinson Campaigns to be No. 1 Fantasy Pick

2008-07-17T15:53:00.002-04:00

San Diego Chargers RB LaDanian Tomlinson wants your vote. No, he’s not campaigning for Barack Obama or John McCain. He wants to be your No. 1 fantasy draft selection.

Tomlinson has been making his rounds on the talk-show circuit, throwing out advertisements and even shaking hands and handing out bumper stickers in Times Square asking fans to trust him to lead their fantasy teams for the 2008 season.

"I should be the No. 1 pick because I'm proven," Tomlinson told The Associated Press. "I've been doing it for a while and have experience helping owners win their leagues. I got a good track record, and I'll be ready on day one."

Awesome. But, maybe not.

It seems LT isn’t doing all of this for himself, but because FOXSports.com is paying him to promote their fantasy games. So much for the great story! If Tomlinson had been doing this on his own, I’d be praising him for being unique, fun and an example for a lot of the guys in the league to learn from.

Instead, he’s a shill.

Nevertheless, I’m giving consideration to not even taking a RB in the first round for the first time in my fantasy career. After seeing how the NFL passing game has exploded and the abilities of Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning and New England Patriots QB Tom Brady to put up huge fantasy stats, one must wonder if it makes any sense to go the power RB route anymore.

MLB Delivers All-Star Game Present for My Birthday

2008-07-16T17:42:00.002-04:00

It is my birthday so, needless to say, I’m taking the day off from the blog. More importantly, MLB gave me the best birthday present I could ask for last night with a touching tribute to Yankees Stadium, the New York Yankees and principal owner George Steinbrenner.

Even better was the game, a fantastic display of pitching, clutch offense and even cluthcer (yes, I know it’s not a word) defense in the extra innings. Am I exhausted today? Sure. But it was all worth staying up until 1:37 a.m. this morning. Maybe it was a little extra gift to have it last into the morning of the 16^th.

What is the most interesting is how the circumstances of this game came about. Bud Selig screwed up by calling a tie in the 2002 All-Star game, leading him to adopt the slogan, “This time it counts” and make future games decide home field advantage for the World Series. In effect, he is the reason last night’s game lasted 15 innings.

Of course all of the players want to play hard and have their team win, but if the World Series HFA wasn’t on the line, that game would’ve ended a helluva lot earlier. Instead, we had players like Brandon Webb and Scott Kazmir who never should have been in the game (because they pitched on Sunday) chancing injury to help their squad win the game. Interesting turn of events, huh Bud?

So much for not writing today! Be back tomorrow and please keep reading and start posting comments!

Who Does Papelbon Think He Is?

2008-07-15T12:27:00.005-04:00

Honestly, who does this guy think he is? Lips-pursing Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon made an ass out of himself on Monday, stating to reporters that he deserves to close the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankees Stadium for the American League rather than future Hall of Famer and New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

"We've both earned that right; us, by winning the World Series and having the opportunity of having our manager there and our team being represented, and Mariano by what he's done for this role, we're in Yankee Stadium and blah, blah, blah," Papelbon said. "It's not that easy."

Then he recanted.

"I feel I owe a lot to this game and that's one of the things I owe to this game, to let an elder statesman go ahead of me."

It’s not that easy? Yes, it is. Winning two World Series in your career is nice, especially if one of them was last season. Let me know when you win FOUR and play in SIX. Let me know when you are the best closer in the history of the game and have 466 saves.

Let me know when you’re a nine-time All-Star selection and World Series MVP. Let me know when you hold the MLB records for lowest postseason ERA of all-time (0.77), most postseason saves (34), most consecutive scoreless innings (34 1/3), most appearances in postseason history (76), most…do I really need to continue?

This is all not to mention the fact that the game is at Yankees Stadium, and it is the final season of its existence. But...it’s not about age, last season or who is managing the team. What it's about is who is the best closer in 2008.

Oh, and Jon, why don’t you take this into consideration: Rivera is having a BETTER SEASON than you are—1.06 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 23 saves for Rivera compared to your 2.43 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 28 saves.

Pathetic. Shut your mouth, stop blowing saves and start worrying about whether or not your team can hold onto that AL East lead after the break...or at least what flavor your next chapstick is going to be.

Favre Speaks, (Billy) Packer Fired, Donaghy Co-Horts

2008-07-14T18:43:00.008-04:00

I figured Monday is a good time to tie up some loose ends from the weekend and, without computer access all day, I honestly didn't feel like going too in-depth on one story.

Favre Speaks: Retired Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre spoke publicly for the first time since deciding to return to the NFL with none other than Packers fan and shareholder and FOX News talking head Greta Van Susteren. Conflict of interest?! Among other asinine comments, Favre said he wants to return but no longer feels welcome in Green Bay. Read the rest...

(Billy) Packer Fired: After 27 years as the lead college basketball analyst for CBS, Billy Packer was fired over the weekend. Packer covered 34 consecutive years of March Madness tournaments (starting at NBC) and is now being replaced by studio analyst Clark Kellogg. While I enjoyed Packer during broadcasts, especially the two Florida Gators runs in 2006 and 2007, it was time for him to leave. All the best, Billy. Read the CBS story...

Donaghy Co-Horts: Also big news stepping from the weekend is former NBA referee Tim Donaghy's private phone records. According to reports FOX, Donaghy made 134 phone calls during the 2006-07 season (most before or after games he worked) to fellow official Scott Foster. Perhaps this scandal is not based on "one rogue official" as Commissioner David Stern claims?

R.I.P. Bobby Murcer: 1946-2008

2008-07-13T12:08:00.008-04:00

As a lifetime New York Yankees fan, I've seen and read about plenty of great players that have come in and out of the Bronx. For some it is merely a stop during their career, for others, it is the perfect place to end theirs. For Bobby Murcer, the New York Yankees were his life.

While I barely remember seeing him play, Murcer holds an important distinction as the only Yankee to play with both Mickey Mantle and Don Mattingly. He was immensely popular and hit .277 with 252 home runs and 1,043 RBIs in 17 seasons in the majors.

A five-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner and three-time Emmy Award winner, Murcer dealt with a malignant brain tumor for years; it never stopped him from continuing to help the team as a broadcaster even up to the middle of last season. All-in-all, Murcer spent nearly four decades in pinstripes as a player, executive and announcer. He spent his whole life as a great human being.

"Bobby Murcer was a born Yankee, a great guy, very well-liked and a true friend of mine," owner George Steinbrenner said. "I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay, their children and grandchildren. I will really miss the guy."

"Bobby was a gentleman, a great ambassador for baseball, and a true leader both on and off the field. He was a man of great heart and compassion," Commissioner Bud Selig said.

"If there's a Hall of Fame for people, he's in it," Reggie Jackson said. "He was such a good person, and he was appreciative of the people who cared so much for him."

"Just a wonderful person, a great teammate and a heck of a baseball player," ex-Yankee teammate Lou Piniella said. "It's a sad day."

"I've never met a more genuine person," Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said. "What he went through the last couple of years no one should ever have to go through, but he went through it with such grace. He was an amazing, amazing guy. He was a piece of work in the best way possible."

Klitschko Wants to be the "People's Champion"

2008-07-12T11:52:00.005-04:00

Who knew Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) watched WWE? Or maybe he's just a big fan of The Rock...I mean Dwayne Johnson. Nevertheless, Klitschko wants to be known as the "People's Champion" once he becomes the Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion of boxing. The question I pose is: Can anyone stop him?

This afternoon, Klitschko defends his IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles against Tony Thompson (31-1, 19 KOs), his next lackluster opponent. The fight is at 4:30 p.m. (EST) because it is in Germany and is on HBO for free.

In order to fulfill his dream, he will need to defeat WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) and undefeated WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagev (24-0-1, 17 KOs). While the world is waiting patiently for someone to step up and hold all the major belts, it doesn't seem that boxing as a whole is in any rush to make it happen. Do they not see the amount of ground they are losing to MMA?

While the heavyweight division has dropped in popularity faster than the Titanic sank, there are no violins playing on the way down, just a rowdy crowd ready for the rebirth of the division. And while Klitschko may only have amounted to a good contender a decade or two ago, he is in the position to be the first Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis.

"I will not see myself as champion until I have all of the belts," Klitschko said. "I still have work to do to be recognized as the real champion, and this is driving me on, this is my motivation. To me, it is important to become the people's champion, the real champion. This is why I fight."

Klitschko, a Ph.D., is a smart cat. He realizes his talent but also has that important desire to be more than he's made out to be. It is time for him to separate himself from his peers and prove his desire and ability to be a worthy and undisputed champion. The only problem is time might be running out.

Brett Favre: I Want To Play (Just Not in Green Bay)

2008-07-11T16:45:00.007-04:00

Just when you thought it was safe to be an NFL general manager, your long-time, future Hall of Fame, Super Bowl-winning RETIRED franchise QB makes your life difficult. That has to be what Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy are thinking this afternoon as Brett Favre has told the team he wants to play with an unconditional release from his Green Bay Packers contract.

Wow.

Three days after expressing to Packers' officials during a conference call his desire to play in 2008, Favre had his agent James "Bus" Cook send an overnight letter officially asking for his client's contractual release. Favre claims pressure from the Packers seeking a decision caused him to retire in March even though he had felt the same way about retirement as he did in previous seasons.

More so, Favre indicated that his tenure and dedication to Green Bay should be enough to afford him an unconditional release, without any strings or worry of trade: he wants full control of his future, even though he is under contract for three more years.

Wow again.

Simply put, this is a horrible move on Favre's part. While I fully support ANY athlete wanting to play as long as he is physically able to, Favre went out like a champion last year, even if his last pass was an interception. The only reason to return should be to win a Super Bowl and, at this point, is that really going to happen? Of course not.

What are the chances that Favre is going to pick the one team out of 32 that will win the whole schabang? He is going to have to learn a brand new system and work with a new offensive line and receivers. The chances for ultimate success are slim, regardless of where.

This may be all fun and games to Favre, but while his achievements and success in Green Bay will be unscathed, his legacy won't be. All he needs to do is look at Joe Montana and ask him how it worked out in Kansas City. Montana got injured and played well but never reached the level of success he did in San Francisco--and he spent FIVE YEARS there. What is Favre going to accomplish in one or two? Or is he planning to play until he's 43?

Green Bay Packers Press Release: The finality of his decision to retire was accepted by the organization. At that point, the Green Bay Packers made the commitment to move forward with our football team.

As a retired player, Brett has the option to apply for reinstatement with Commissioner Goodell. If that were to occur, he would become an active member of the Green Bay Packers. As always, the Packers will do what's right and in the best interest of the team.

Brandon Jennings: One Smart Teenager

2008-07-10T13:08:00.007-04:00

If you haven't heard about Brandon Jennings already, let me get you up-to-date. Jennings is a recent high school graduate and the nation's top point guard who wants to play in the NBA. Unfortunately, because of a change to the league's eligibility rules in 2006, in order to do so he must be 19-years-old or one year out of high school. Like most graduating seniors, Jennings agreed to sign and play NCAA basketball for one year with Arizona before being the next "one-and-done" player and to enter the NBA draft after his one and only season is complete.

Where Jennings deviates from the path that fellow phenoms Kevin Durant (Texas), Michael Beasley (Kansas State) and O.J. Mayo (USC) have laid out is his most recent change of mind to forgo college and his scholarship to Arizona. Instead, Jennings will play professionally in Europe for his "one year out of high school" and earn about $300K doing so. Smart move, I say.

There are two issues at hand here. The first is the NBA's eligibility rule itself; the second is Jennings' decision. Below, I will briefly explain the flaws in the rule, and the genius to Jennings' move.

The Rule: Flawed is the best word I can use to describe it and there are two major flaws that prevail--age and impact. To base eligibility on age, rather than readiness, is absurd in basketball. At 18 you can serve in the Army, vote for President and are considered a legal adult, yet you can't get a job you've been working towards for years? For those that will bring up the NFL, it is a much more physical sport and while a rare high school athlete may be able to go direct, more often than not at least two full seasons of college are needed to prepare them for the physicality and nuances of the next level.

Next, impact. Playing one year in college may help the "maturing" process of some players, but it does little to help the NCAA product, the universities that take these one-and-done players or even the NBA product. It gives the athletes an extra year to get injured and possibly ruin their future without getting a dime while implying NBA team officials are not intelligent enough to draft realizing their age and possible inexperience.

The Decision: I could not support Jennings' decision any more. Aside from earning money while taking the same injury risks he would face in the NCAA game, Jennings is putting himself up against better competition. He is also in Europe for a year and, let's be honest, who wouldn't love to do that after high school? A year in college will not provide him any useful education (let's be honest, freshman year is a joke) or benefit outside of being seen on television more often. Scouts have no problem considering European players for the NBA Draft as we've seen in recent years, especially if they're American to begin with. He won't have to worry about the risks of signing with an agent, illegal benefits or any of the other baggage that comes with playing in the NCAA.

The Fix: Two points here. (1) If the NBA wants the eligibility rule to work, it needs to be two years out of high school, not one. Align it with the NFL's rule, allow the athletes to have some impact on their college programs, actually develop their skills and get a legitimate education. (2) Stop being hypocritical. A 19-year-old from Europe who has been playing professionally since he was 16 doesn't cause the fluttering of an eye, but an 18-year-old planning to forego college and play in the same league as that other player does? Give me a break. Fix the system or get rid of it.

Brand to 76ers, Spurns Davis

2008-07-09T15:36:00.007-04:00

I am all about athletes doing what is best for themselves, though I may sometimes disagree with the methods they take to do so. Case in point is Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, who lied for months to the Cleveland Cavaliers, promising the team and its owner he would re-sign with them, continue to play with LeBron James and help build a winner. Cleveland stopped looking to acquire big-time free agents and were devistated when Boozer signed an offer sheet with Utah behind their backs on July 1. Why did he do so? Well, the Jazz offered $28 million more.

Yesterday's not-so-shocking development of Elton Brand agreeing to a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers first got me thinking about Boozer. No, Brand didn't promise the city of Los Angeles he would stay, nor did he sit down with owner Donald Sterling and guarantee he would be back next year. However, one does have to wonder if he had struck a deal with pal and newest Los Angeles Clippers point guard Baron Davis.

It seemed fishy when, at the start of free agency, Davis and Brand both made initial statements that in an ideal world they would stay at their respective clubs (Golden State, L.A. Clippers.) Then, as quick and as shocking as lightning, Davis signed with the Clippers for $65 million. The Clippers' signed Davis to bolster their team, figuring they were going to lose Corey Maggette but would be able to re-sign Brand and have the twosome lead the team. No doubt Davis had this thought as well.

While I don't think Brand has any reason to feel guilty, that does not mean he shouldn't apologize. Not to the Clippers or Sterling, even though his intentions to stay led them to throw big money at Davis and dream of a legitimate, competative team. Brand should apologize to Davis. Because now, the talented PG who couldn't find a team to lead is stuck with the Clippers and neither Brand nor Maggette is there to help. Whether they had a deal or not is irrelevant, Brand led him astray with his comments and chose money over winning. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

What to Watch: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

2008-07-08T13:12:00.007-04:00

With the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games exactly a month away, I thought this would be a good time to detail what I planned to watch and follow closely over the course of the event. I should preface this column by saying that I love the Summer Olympics, could pretty much watch any event and am much more concerned about the United States in my viewing than anything else. That being said...

1. Michael Phelps (USA) - Going for a record eight Gold medals, Phelps is already setting world records in the trials and makes his stiffest competition look like they are in a different class. Former Florida Gator Ryan Lochte, the next best American swimmer, has a chance to win some medals of his own.

2. USA Basketball - After being embarrassed in Athens in 2004 and at international competitions, USA Basketball realized their decline was steeper and more dramatic than they originally thought. The entire system was re-organized from top-to-bottom and features Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Jason Kidd with Coach K at the helm. They are again the favorites to win the Gold, but one has to wonder about the lack of front court players on the team.

3. Usain Bolt (JAM) / Tyson Gay (USA) - Outside of Bolt's great name, these two are the fastest men in the world. Bolt holds the world record in the 100 m (9.72 s), but Gay just ran the fastest-ever 100 m (9.68 s), though it was wind-aided. He is also the defending 2007 World Champion in the 100 m, 200 m and 4 x 100 m defeating Bolt in those events. Though Gay injured himself in the 200 m trials, he will still be facing Bolt in the 100 m making for probably the best race in the Beijing Olympics.

4. Dara Torres (USA) - Back to swimming, the 41-year-old (also former Florida Gator) Torres is set to be the first American swimmer to appear in five Olympics. Her first was 1984, meaning she's been in Olympics as long as I've been alive. Already with nine Olympic medals, Torres may be at her best yet and just broke her own American 50 m record. Oh, and if she didn't tell you already, she's drug-free.

5. The Rest - I know, it's broad. But with 34 sports and 20 times as many events, it is hard to pick from the rest. I may be criticized of recycling the same storylines the media is pushing here. Tough--they're being pushed because they're the most interesting. Of course we have a 16-year-old dynamic gymnist, an exciting beach volleyball duo, some young talents in boxing and a great softball team. Just stay away from synchronized swimming, badminton and archery and you should be OK.

The New Pac-Man

2008-07-07T16:06:00.004-04:00

There are plenty of good nicknames in professional sports but since Dallas Cowboys CB Adam Jones decided to drop the "Pacman" there is no good reason NOT to anoint a new one.

Meet Manny Pacquiao. WBC Lightweight Champion, WBC Super Featherweight Champion, 47-3-2 with 35 KOs (75%) and perhaps the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world now that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has retired.

He's lightning fast, can take a punch and, most importantly, is proven and tested. Pacquiao has fought against solid and strong competition for the last five years and most recently won the WBC Lightweight Championship from David Diaz (34-1-1, 17 KOs) on June 28.

He has fought as low as Light Flyweight (106 lbs.), and is considering moving up to 140 lbs. to fight Ricky Hatton (44-1-0, 31 KOs). Considering the popularity of both, fighting Hatton could be big money for Pacquiao. He has won four major titles in four weight classes and would have a legitimate shot of winning. He is also considering a fight with Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs), the WBA, WBO and IBF Lightweight Champion as soon as November.

But, before any of that, Pacquiao will be representing the Phillipines at the 2008 Bejing Olympics and will even be the flag bearer for his country. It has gotten to the point that people are wondering who he will beat next and how bad it will be.

While MMA has grown in popularity recently, boxing has made strides of their own. Pac-Man, Kelly Pavlick, Ricky Hatton, a final match for Oscar De La Hoya and the possibility of a unified Heavyweight Champion in Wladamir Klitschko are all blright spots, and boxing could begin to make a comback if solid fights with good opponents and title defenses continue occuring.

Arenas Gives (Little) Back to Wizards

2008-07-05T16:01:00.000-04:00

Call it a fulfilling a promise, helping his team or whatever else you would like. As far as Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas' recent decision to sign for less than the maximum the Wizards offered him goes, I'll call it a PR move. Not only that, I'll call it insignificant and, while a nice gesture in spirit, not nearly enough.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with Arenas as a person. He's great in the community, entertaining off the court and has a great shot. But, let's be honest, he's NOT a max deal-caliber player. When signing or re-signing a player, you need to consider a few things. Paramount among all of them are talent and health. Arenas is talented but not the most talented, and we all know he's not the healthiest either.

The fact of the matter is that Arenas decided to "give back" $16 million. Sounds good, except when you consider that it is over six years. That's $2.66 million a year to help the team sign other players while he's still earning $18.5 million. Research NBA salaries; $2-3 million doesn't get you much unless you add it to a mid-level exception.

If Arenas really wanted to make a statement and help his team he would have negotiated down to $90 million. Not only would it have been more helpful by freeing up $6.16 million a year to improve the team, but he'd also be getting his fair market value. However you slice it, $111 million over 6 years is overpaying for Arenas.

"(The Wizards) offered me the max, and I'm basically giving back $16 million," Arenas told the Washington Times. "This is in line with what I've been saying the whole time. You see players take max deals and they financially bind their teams. I don't wanna be one of those players and three years down the road your team is strapped and can't do anything about it."

"What can I do for my family with $127 million that I can't do with $111 million?"

What's going to happen when Arenas' knee doesn't hold up three years from now? Is $18.5 million really any less binding than $21.16 million? No, it's not, but $15 million sure as hell is less binding. And what can Arenas do for his family with $111 million that he can't with $90 million? It's not like he doesn't have financial planners and accountants who are going to grow that money. Not to mention endorsements and six more years of being the face of a franchise.

I'm not saying it's not a nice gesture; it's just not enough of one. If you want to help your team, get paid exactly what you deserve and give them the flexibility to actually improve. Getting paid $111 million is fleecing the franchise, even if you're taking less than they originally offered.

Hot Dog! Chestnut Wins in Playoff

2008-07-04T13:15:00.001-04:00

For me, July 4th is about two things: America and baseball. The problem is, July is in the Summer, and the heat causes people to do some crazy things like, you know, shove 59 hot dogs down their throats for a Mustard Belt.

Now I love hot dogs as much as the next guy, especially Nathan's. But in no way, shape or form do I want to watch anyone shove food down their throats at that rate. Especially when the result is a water-soaked bun residue face coating and watching people jump up and down to try to fill themselves with more after tying in regulation.

I watched the highlights, Joey Chestnut won, the title stays on U.S. soil. Great. Takeru Kobayashi is quickly turning into the Atlanta Braves of this contest. Now I'm going to celebrate what this day is really about: watching the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox while eating maybe two hot dogs of my own.

Clemens Better Not Drop the Soap

2008-07-03T16:10:00.001-04:00

In a story that for some reason is not getting the coverage it deserves, it appears as if baseball great Roger Clemens' next destination will be prison, rather than Cooperstown. According to a court brief filed by Brian McNamee's lawyers, the syringes and steroid paraphernalia turned over to federal agents will test positive for Clemens' DNA.

Uh-oh.

Clemens has had plenty to deal with over the past few months including questions about his achievements, statistics, credibility and marital fidelity. While the latter has all but left Clemens to look like a cheating husband, many continued to defend him in the trail against his baseball identity--after all, guilty until proven innocent, right? But at this point, there is no defending The Rocket anymore.

The paraphernalia, including syringes and bloodied gauze pads, "will test positive for Clemens' DNA," the brief states. "Once the DNA results are revealed, there will be little dispute about who is telling the truth."

McNamee's attorney, Richard Emery, said McNamee kept the items from as far back as 2000 because he "had this inkling and gut feeling that he couldn't trust Roger and better keep something to protect himself in the future."

If these reports are true, Clemens is a cheater. Worst of all, he's a lying cheater. Say what you will about Andy Pettite, Jason Giambi and some other athletes that have admited their wrongdoing and asked for the public's forgiveness. At least they were honest.

McNamee's lawyers will again motion for a dismissal of Clemens' suit. With this evidence, they will probably get just that sometime in August or September. The question will then turn to the federal grand jury and how Clemens will have to face and potentially pay for what will amount to be a serious perjury charge.

Brett Favre Not Retiring?

2008-07-02T15:52:00.002-04:00

Don't call it a comeback because, let's face it, he never really left. According to multiple sources including ESPN's Chris Mortensen and current Green Bay Packers players who wish to remain nameless, future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre is giving serious consideration to returning to the gridiron this year.

What a surprise.

For me, the surprise was that Favre "retired" in the first place. Especially considering he put up totals of 4,155 yds. and 28 TDs while compiling a 95.7 passer rating just last season. He also brought his team to the NFC Championship game and came close to making the Super Bowl a season after putting up dreadful numbers: 18 TDs, 18 INTs and a 72.7 passer rating.

ESPN is expected to go on the air in just a few minutes with a Favre report. I was allerted to this from a text message from ESPN's news service telling me to be sure and watch NFL Live at 4:00 p.m. today. The show started with host Trey Wingo saying Favre has told head coach Mike McCarthy that he has the itch to play again and continued with studio analyst and current Green Bay Packers player Al Harris saying he has spoken to Favre on a few occaions in which he has reiterated the same feelings.

If Favre does return, one would expect he wants it to be with Green Bay, though in all actuality it may have to be with a team other than the Packers. They just spent the draft giving new QB Aaron Rodgers a plethora of back-ups and competition for his job. One now wonders if Favre's retirement was premature or if he's trying to pull a Roger Clemens and get max money for the least amount of work and has wanted to play and return to the field all along?

Favre is still under contract with the Packers and is currently listed on IR. His family is reportedly pushing him to return to the field. All he would have to do is speak with management and request a reinstatement into the league in order to make his contract active again. There should be more developments in the coming days.

All I can say is if I was the Packers, I would say it's time to move on. If they decide not to, Rodgers should find somewhere else to play.

A-Rod's Affair with Madonna? Davis and Brand Opt Out, Ronaldo Not Re-Signed by AC Milan

2008-07-01T16:05:00.004-04:00

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is no stranger to publicity and the media inciting rumors about his professional career and love life. Neither is singer and worldwide pop icon Madonna. Are both so used to the spotlight and controversy surrounding them that they are fueling it even more with an alleged long-time affair? The New York Post and Us magazine say so. All I can say to A-Rod is: Your wife's hot, Madonna's ugly, you have two kids, you just signed a record deal that you could lose half of in a divorce settlement...are you really that stupid?

I do not know why everyone is so surprised about Baron Davis and Elton Brand opting out of their contracts. Both play for sub-par teams with low market shares and neither gets the respect they deserve. All staying under contract does is limit their chances of winning a championship and earning their worth at the present market value. I hope both wind up in better situations, though Davis claims he is focused on Brand's former Los Angeles Clippers but prefers to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors. Speaking with ESPN's J.A. Adande via e-mail, Davis wrote: "Clipps r possible. G State is where I wanna b." Good thing the contracts don't take into account their grammer.

Three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo met with AC Milan over the weekend, only to be told his contract with the club would not be renewed. After severing a tendon in his knee playing in a Serie A match against Livorno in February, Ronaldo has been recovering from surgery and is expected to return in early 2009. The non-renewal is interesting as Milan is said to be considering re-signing El Fenomeno if he can prove his health. Prove his health? Besides winning World Cups and league titles, I do not see what he has left to prove. If the man says he will return, he will return. Chances are he will not be re-signed and while he could go to Brazil and play at home, I would not be surprised to see a lucrative offer come his way from the MLS in the next six months.

Short Hiatus, Returning July 1

2008-06-30T12:34:00.000-04:00

Sorry to those of you that loyally visit every day because as you can tell I have been on a short hiatus from updating the blog. That will all change tomorrow as Home Field Advantage returns with fresh commentary, a slighly updated look and back on our regular schedule. See everyone back here tomorrow!

2008 NBA Mock Draft

2008-06-26T12:37:00.006-04:00

While I have no problem sitting here and telling you that I can do a NFL mock draft as well as any of the experts (and did this year), a NBA mock draft? Not so much. What I will do, however, is provide my mocked-up lottery selections for tonight's 2008 draft. Through sites like Sportsbook.com you can bet on these picks, so feel free to take my advice if you're a bit stuck.

Note: If the Seattle/L.A. Clippers trade goes through, expect Eric Gordon to go to the Clippers and Brook Lopez to the Sonics.

1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis
Chicago needs two character attributes desperately on their team—leadership and speed. Rose has both along with ideal size and court vision for a point guard. They would be hard-pressed to do better in the draft, and that is not to mention getting a player from Chicago who wants nothing more than to be a member of the Bulls. The no-brainer of all no-brainers.

2. Miami Heat - Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State
Miami is not going to give Beasley away for free. There is enough value in him for them to gain some players they want while still getting a top draft pick. Look for them to trade down somewhere in the top five, but first they will have to make this selection.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves - O.J. Mayo, SG, Southern California
While Mayo does not fill their biggest position of need, he is the third best player in this draft without question. There is a top tier and these three guys are in it. Minnesota is also considering Stanford C Brook Lopez (and will move Al Harrington to PF or trade him) but that looks doubtful.

4. "Seattle" Sonics - Brook Lopez, C, Stanford
Seattle is said to be very interested in UCLA PG Russell Westbrook, Indiana SG Eric Gordon and Lopez at this slot. In the end, while they need a PG to pair with Kevin Durant, I feel they will opt for the big man to sure up the middle and help provide Durant with an inside-out game.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana
There was supposed to be a trade with the New York Knicks here, but it does not look like that is going to happen. Eric Gordon is the most talented shooter left in the draft while Kevin Love is the most versatile big man. Memphis will go with one of the two here, and I think they are shying away from Love.

6. New York Knicks - Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA
The Knicks need a PG to replace Stephon Marbury at year's end and defense. Westbrook satisfies both needs. GM Donnie Walsh actually wants Mayo and has been trying to trade up to No. 3 in order to get him. If that does not happen, 3-4 should be as projected here and Westbrook should fall to the Knicks. Otherwise, gasp, Danilo Gallinari or even Joe Alexander.

7. Los Angeles Clippers - Jerryd Bayless, G, Arizona
Mark it down now: the Clippers are taking a PG. It just depends who is available.

8. Milwaukee Bucks - Joe Alexander, SF, West Virginia
Scott Skiles likes him and Alexander has been one of the easiest calls of the whole draft. He's tough, high-energy and knows Manderin so he can converse and be friends with Yi. Alexander is a bit rough around the edges but should work well in Milwaukee.

9. Charlotte Bobcats - Kevin Love, PF, UCLA
If the draft plays out as I've laid it out, Charlotte will be happy because one of the most talented and fundamentally sound players will fall into their lap. Larry Brown will be pacing until he is available and ecstatic that they grab a player with an old school mindset and drive.

10. New Jersey Nets - Danilo Gallinari, SF, Armani Milan (Italy)
If the Knicks pass on Gallinari, rumor has it he still has a guarantee to be drafted in the top ten. Is it from the Nets? Maybe. Could it be from another team with a deal in place to trade up (cough, Portland, cough)? More likely. Especially if they can get a PG in Jarrett Jack in return.

11. Indiana Pacers - Anthony Randolph, SF, LSU
After trading Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana wants to replace him in the middle. They are said to be looking at Randolph and Kosta Koufos. With Texas PG D.J. Augustin still available, they have a tough decision to make. Nevertheless, I see them going with Randolph here.

12. Sacramento Kings - D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas
Augustin won't have to wait too long. He still gets drafted in the lottery and for good reason; right now he is the best and most ready PG in the draft. The only negative is his height.

13. Portland Trailblazers - Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas
95% chance Portland trades out of this pick; they really want to move up for Augustin, Randolph or Gallinari. If they don't trade and the three aforementioned are gone, it is Rush in a heart beat. The Blazers will be able to contend next year and Rush is a defender and shooter.

14. Golden State Warriors - Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State
Some has Koufos off the board already, I do not. If he's gone, look for the Warriors to take Robin Lopez or Donte' Greene. Greene is the most talented, Koufos and Lopez fill a need for size and offense.

As for the rest, tune in to ESPN at 7:00 p.m. See you back here tomorrow! Feel free to leave comments or questions below!

Fresno State Sets Records, Wins College World Series, Not at Midnight

2008-06-25T22:14:00.009-04:00

Talk about a Cinderella story.

The Fresno State Bulldogs became the lowest seeded team in history to win a NCAA National Championship on Wednesday evening. Not just in baseball or in men's sports but the lowest seed ever in any sport for any gender.

Starting their season 8-12, the Bulldogs barely earned a Regionals birth. (They only got a chance to contend in the College World Series after suprisingly winning the Western Athletic Conference.) They were then given a No. 4 seed (the lowest possible) in the Regionals. This is the equivalent of a 13 or 14 seed in March Madness. To put it in perspective, imagine if George Mason won the whole thing in 2006.

I'll spare you the details of the journey to the ultimate dogpile and rather point out some amazing circumstances surrounding their win on Wednesday.

Fresno State had never won a men's national championship before tonight.
Tonight was only Fresno State's second national championship in school history.
OF Steve Detwiler went 4-4 in the final game, hitting two home runs and driving in all six team runs. He also hit a double and a single and, by the way, only has use of one thumb from a torn ligament.
Fresno State is the first team in five years to come back from one game down to win the CWS.
P John Wilson pitched eight innings strong with 9 Ks, only allowing one run late in the game.
Fresno State scored 62 runs to tie for most in a CWS.
The Bulldogs' 31 losses were the most ever for a CWS champion.

At first everyone was chocking the Bulldogs' run up to luck. Right time, right place. But to beat this many ranked teams, in order, with very few losses or let-downs...is there really any question? Congrats to the Bulldogs (never thought I'd say that) on the win and amazing story.

Hey Shaq, how does being a civilian taste?

2008-06-25T14:25:00.006-04:00

Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal may have been asking former teammate Kobe Bryant to "tell me how my ass tastes," but his freestyle rap at a club in New York has his fans, the media and the Maricopa County police asking a bunch of other questions.

Once such question: Hey Shaq, how does being a civilian taste?

Following the publicity given to Shaq's freestyle, the head sheriff of Maricopa County is asking the future Hall of Fame center for his badges back. And no, he's not doing it because of Shaq's lack of talent on the mic but rather the racially derogatory language he used while doing so.

"I want his two badges back," Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Because if any one of my deputies did something like this, they're fired. I don't condone this type of racial conduct."

You see, Shaq has a love of law enforcement. In Maricopa County he was a special deputy then promoted to a colonel. It is no suprise, though, that the Miami Beach Police are keeping him as a member of their team.

I really don't mind the freestyling, the shots at Bryant or much else of what O'Neal said. Watch the whole freestyle. Well, except for two lines:

That's like Patrick Ewing having more rings than me

AND

Kobe, can't do without me

I can't stand up for anyone taking shots at Ewing, my favorite player. Not to mention if Ewing and the New York Knicks had a Bryant and didn't have to play every Conference Finals against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, he'd have a few rings of his own. He was a victim of circumstance.

Bryant may not have won a ring without Shaq, yet, but he will. Shaq was carried to his last title on the back of Dwayne Wade, and odds are he'll never win one again. His future is as an entertainer not a basketball player.

He used to be able to tell us how the glass tastes. Now he'll just be telling us how his gas tastes.

Imus Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot...Again

2008-06-24T14:13:00.004-04:00

Don Imus is a racist. Has been a racist. Will forever be a racist. He has been on the radio for decades and colleagues can point to dozens of occasions where he either uttered the defamatory N-word or made racially offensive statements both on AND off the air. And all of that was BEFORE 2007.

I am not going to revisit last year's controversy because, let's be honest, if you don't know about it then you were living under a rock. What I will do is show you his newest defamatory statement about new Dallas Cowboy Adam "Pacman" Jones.

Few things here. 1) It is racist to ask, "What color is he?" Implying that the man's skin color has an impact on or is a reason for his actions. 2) Responding, "Well, there you go, now we know" also directly implies that he expected the answer to said question to be "black" or "African-American" confirming his racist beliefs.

To say anything else is ludicrous and laughable.

"I meant that he was being picked on because he's black," Imus said. "What people should be outraged about is that they arrest blacks for no reason," Imus said Tuesday. "(I was trying to) make a sarcastic point."

I call bullshit.

When defending himself, Imus also reminds everyone that his show has a black producer and two black co-hosts. Like that makes a difference. It somehow makes what he said acceptable. Having black employees now gives you a shield to say whatever you want because you are "down." Even his black co-host (who happened to be reading the news story) was offended, hence his lack of response to not stir anything up on the air.

Not to mention, and this is the most important point, the three black staff members are brand new to his WABC show. He has never had a black co-host or producer prior to the Rutgers incident! It was almost a condition of his new hiring.

People are termed hypocrites, racists and a number of other terms without justification. Imus deserves both labels. He also deserves to be off the air and back at his ranch, where he can rant and rave and have the same number of listeners as he does now.

George Carlin: Baseball and Football

2008-06-23T17:50:00.001-04:00

I figured with today's recent events, it would be a good idea to bring it full circle with one of Carlin's rants on sports, more specifically baseball and football.

R.I.P. George Carlin: 1937-2008

2008-06-23T12:14:00.010-04:00

It is not often that I will dive into a non-sports topic here at Home Field Advantage but certain days and events cause for us to take a step back and remember. This is one of them.

George Carlin was, without question, the funniest person I have ever seen, heard or read. Alive for 71 years, he practiced his hilarious brand of stand-up comedy for 52 of them. There was never a Carlin special that did not have me rolling on the floor or crying hysterically.

Entertainers and comedians pass away as often as the rest of us but few make you stop and think about your whole life. I may not be that old, but I remember watching Carlin from childhood (maybe that wasn't the best of ideas) to just a few months ago in his last stand-up special. Intelligent. Profane. Hysterical. Sarcastic. Consistent.

He taught me how to curse intelligently, and while some saw him as profane to a fault, I saw him as a man who hated hypocrisy, was intrigued by word play and loved to make people laugh. Either way, everybody loved George Carlin and he will be greatly missed.

Award-winning comedian George Carlin dies - CNN.com
How George Carlin Changed Comedy - TIME.com

Pacman Jones: Just Call Me "Adam"

2008-06-22T17:32:00.007-04:00

In his latest effort to improve his image now that he is a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Adam "Pacman" Jones is telling you, I and whoever else will listen what to call him these days. Like it makes a difference.

"There's really just a lot of negativity behind (the Pacman nickname)," Jones said. "It's just time for a change, man. I'm doing everything to make sure that I'm all right as a person, mentally and emotionally."

While that is all well and good for his brain, in reality what you call yourself couldn't matter any less. In fact, dropping a nickname after it is already established in the sports landscape is usually more of a negative change than a positive one...at least for Jones' portfolio.

Now I realize Jones worked in professional wrestling during last season but things don't work the same way in real life. You don't become a good guy just because you change your name from Rocky Maivia to The Rock or a bad guy because you go from Hulk Hogan to Hollywood Hogan.

You improve your image, career and legacy by BEING a good person. Making assurances that you are not around situations or people that could compromise your image, personality and actions. Making smart decisions starting with those that advise and surround you.

"Pacman" Jones was marketable. Adam Jones is nothing. Nobody even knows who he is because as far as the average fan is concerned, he's never exited. Jones may want to be like his new idol and mentor Deion Sanders (who coincidentally dropped the "Neon" after departing the NFL), but Adam is not as cool of a name as Deion is. Trust me, I know.

Stick with football, your coaches and teammates, your new mentor and improving your day-to-day life and associates. Stop worrying about trivial things like your name. Nobody else, including the media, your employer or your fans do. What they care about is you keeping your nose clean (literally and figureativley) and only "making it rain" on an American Indian reservation. And no, not a casino.

Misses of the Week

2008-06-21T13:52:00.010-04:00

Every week the sports media reacts to certain stories that they should leave alone and makes poor decisions that aren't spotlighted enough. From time to time I will provide some "Misses of the Week" that I either failed to cover previously or did not necessarily constitute a full column. This week...

Barkley back to gambling: After being embarrassed during the NBA Playoffs when a casino made it public that Charles Barkley owed them $40,000, he swore he would quit gambling for at least "a year or two." While that is laughable in itself (imagine an alcoholic saying he'd quit drinking for two years), what is even more crazy is how the media is jumping all over him for accepting an invitation to play in a charity poker game. Sure, it is not the best way to stay away from a casino, but gambling implies risking your own money; Chuck is playing for charity. Give the man a little slack.

NBC, Notre Dame sign new deal: Five more years?! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE watching football and all sports on NBC. I also hate that they've lost MLB and NBA coverage over the past decade to crappy FOX and ABC respectivley. The reason this deal bothers me is two fold. First, signing Notre Dame to their own television deal keeps them independent from a conference. We all know it is time for them to join the Big 10 and allow them to be a REAL conference with a championship game. Second, well let's be honest, Notre Dame sucks.

NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said the network doesn't look at year-to-year results when it comes to Notre Dame, calling the football program a premier brand that defines the network as much as the Olympics, the NFL and the U.S. Open golf championship. Really?! Maybe he should. Notre Dame is NOT what it once was and does not deserve this type of treatment, even if Tony Kornheiser continues to call them the "university of football in America."

Switch PITCHER vs. Switch Hitter

2008-06-20T14:15:00.005-04:00

Any baseball fan has heard of and probably seen a switch hitter in action, but very few have seen, let alone thought about, a switch pitcher. Pat Venditte, an ambidextrous pitcher from Creighton recently drafted by the New York Yankees in the 20th round of this year's MLB Draft, has set out to change your line of thinking.

After the draft, Venditte was immediately sent to begin his pro career with the Class-A Staten Island Yankees. All was going well for Venditte who, on 39 occasions in college, struck out batters from both sidess of the mound in a game.

That is, until he met his apparent arch-nemisis, switch hitter Ralph Enriquez of the Class-A New York Mets-affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones. In classic fashion, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Enriquez enraged Venditte by continuously switching sides of the plate before the first pitch. Venditte countered by switching glove hands and sides of the mound. After an official time out, some warm-up pitches and a consultation with the rule book, everything ironed out.

Watch the highlight and full video of the at-bat here.

Venditte's father encouraged his son's ambidextrous pitching from the beginning. He uses a six-fingered glove that has two webs and switches hands depending on whether he's facing a lefty or righty hitter. As a toddler, Venditte's father traced his hands and requested a special glove from Mizuno (a baseball equipment company) and continued to do so as his son's hands grew.

Notes about Venditte:

The Yankees wanted Venditte so badly that they actually drafted him in the 45th round in 2007, but he decided to stay in school.
He throws 10 mph harder from his right side, up to 90, though has effective off-speed pitches with his left arm.
He is a reliever rather than a starter.
Being able to pitch from both sides does not limit pitch count, meaning he could be perfect for long relief or late inning substitutions in various situations.

Mets a Gangsta's Paradise?

2008-06-19T10:25:00.010-04:00

We all know the story by now. The New York Mets went ahead and pulled a Baltimore Colts, taking out the dirty laundry in the middle of the night when they fired manager Willie Randolph a few mornings ago. One is to assume GM Omar Minaya did this to shake up the clubhouse and, let's be honest, save his job for the time being. But nobody thought he would replace Randolph with 50 Cent.

In his first game as interim manager of the Mets last night, Jerry Manuel met resistance from shortstop Jose Reyes when he wanted Reyes to leave the game after his left hamstring tightened.

"I told him next time he does that I'm going to get my blade out and cut him. I'm a gangster. You go gangster on me, I'm going to have to get you. You do that again, I'm going to cut you right on the field," quipped Manuel.

Is this guy freaking serious?

Where is the media on this one? Then-Miami Hurricanes TE Kellen Winslow, Jr. says he's a f'n solider and everyone goes crazy. A man in a position of authority says he's a gangster and "going to cut you right on the field" and nobody bats an eye?

Even the author of the article where the quote is originally published doesn't react to it. Besides, wasn't Manuel's rap when he managed the Chicago White Sox that he was too laid back?

It is not that I have a problem with the quote; simply the hypocracy of the media. Has Manuel been dooping us all along? Seeming mild-mannered while he's been spendin' most his life, livin' in a gangsta's paradise?

Woods Won and Done 'Till 2009

2008-06-18T13:11:00.005-04:00

Following up from my post on Monday, Tiger Woods was apparently so badly injured during his remarkable U.S. Open run that he will undergo season-ending knee surgery that will force him to miss the remainder of this year's tournaments and majors.

Two weeks ago, Woods suffered a double stress fracture in his left tibia (knee) that caused him most of the pain he encountered at Torry Pines. He did not discover the fracture until before the Memorial Tournament at the end of May and barely had enough time to rehabilitate it before the U.S. Open. This was following an arthroscopic knee surgery on April 15, two days after Woods finished second in the Masters.

Now, in addition to rehabilitating the fracture, Woods will undergo surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the same knee. What is most interesting about the ACL injury is that it actually occurred in 2007 while Woods was running at his home in Orlando after the British Open. He said he decided not to have surgery at that point, and he went on to win five of the next six events he entered.

"While I am obviously disappointed to have to miss the remainder of the season, I have to do the right thing for my long-term health and look forward to returning to competitive golf when my doctors agree that my knee is sufficiently healthy," Woods wrote on his Web site. "My doctors assure me with the proper rehabilitation and training, the knee will be strong and there will be no long-term effects."

One can only hope his doctors are right in this case. Even though it came out of Woods' own mouth, many pundits did not agree that Monday's U.S. Open victory was his greatest major win to date. With a stress fracture and ACL injury hampering his drive strength, shot quality and walking ability...is there really any doubt?

NBA Finals - Game 6

2008-06-17T16:25:00.007-04:00

Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals leaves the series in a position that I did not previously anticipate. In addition to thinking the Los Angeles Lakers would be up at least 3-2 at this point, I also never would have predicted that they'd blow such huge leads to the Boston Celtics (in one case causing the latter to win the game) at home.

With the series 3-2 in the opposite direction, tonight's game holds obvious signifigance. Two prevalent questions will be answered. 1) Can the Lakers win a decisive game on the road? 2) Do the Celtics have the wherewithall to prevent a Game 7? Two other thoughts are pretty standard throughout the playoffs. The home team's bench plays better, and great players play their best in do-or-die situations.

With that said, you would expect the Celtics bench to dominate as they have in the past. Kendrick Perkins expects to play but is not 100%, and Ray Allen is still reeling from his child's illness which may lead to some increased opportunities for Eddie House and Leon Powe.

While Paul Pierce may very well win the MVP if the Celtics prevail, Kobe Bryant is the best player in this series. He's been dynamite throughout the playoffs but has struggled a bit with the multiple coverages and defenses thrown at him by defensive guru Tom Thibodeau. The question is whether or not he can overcome that adversity in a decisive game on the road.

On a betting angle, I took the Lakers (yes, again) +5. The Celtics have covered the spread for all five games in this series. That doesn't happen. Covering six would include a win tonight, and I must stick to my guns even if it means going flat even for the entire playoffs.

91 Holes, Only One Tiger Woods

2008-06-16T16:34:00.007-04:00

Is there anyone in sports who is more automatic than Tiger Woods?

Stuck at two U.S. Open titles and thirteen major wins, Woods came back from a surgically-repaired, still injured left knee to play in a tough U.S. Open tournament at Torrey Pines. He hadn't walked or played 18 holes since his surgery on April 15, let alone 72...or 90...or 91.

Yet while hobbling throughout the tournament, grimacing from twisting his knee during most of his tee shots and double bogeying the first hole in three of the four regulation rounds, Woods once again made the impossible possible and won his fourteenth major to date in possibly the most amazing fashion.

I've watched my fair share of final round Sunday's but decided this tournament would be my first to watch from beginning to end. In addition to seeing a tough fight to stay above par all weekend, I witnessed two of Woods' top ten shots of all time--the eagles on 16 and 18 on Saturday.

I also saw someone fight against continuously increasing adversity including hitting his final birdie on 18 Sunday to force today's playoff. Everyone knew he would make that put, including the best sport I have ever seen, Rocco Mediate. Then today, Woods loses a three shot lead at 10 to drop a shot below Mediate and doesn't capitalize until the last minute--grabbing another birdie on 18 to force a sudden death playoff. That's not to mention two puts that fell short of winning Woods the title outright both in regulation and at 19.

It only makes me wonder how this tournament would have turned out if Woods was healthy. That is something we may not see for a while as indicated by Woods in his post-match interview.

"I'm glad I'm done. I'm done. I really don't feel like playing any more. (My left knee) has been sore, and all I can say is the atmosphere is what kept me going. The tournament being a major championship here at Torrey Pines, all the people. I could never quit in front of these people--it wasn't going to happen."

"(I'm) not (going to play) for a while. I'm going to shut it down here for a little bit and see what happens."

But for now, Woods is stuck no more. Make that three U.S. Open titles and fourteen major wins, even if it took 91 holes to accomplish perhaps his most amazing major win thus far.

NBA Finals Picks

2008-06-16T11:53:00.006-04:00

There isn't much to say, except that I've had this NBA Finals series all wrong. While personally I am able to place bets during games with the service I use (and have been doing pretty well), my pre-game line picks have been off. That is probably because I have picked the Lakers in all five games so far, though even when they are win they are not covering the spread.

I hope I will be able to do better for the last game or two, though I do see myself taking the Lakers yet again in Game 6. I would be hard pressed to take them a third time in a row in a Game 7, however. As long as I finish even for the Playoffs, I guess no one can complain!

Will be back with another update this afternoon, probably on the U.S. Open playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. Should be fun to watch the beautiful weather at Torry Pines in San Diego, CA while it is down pouring rain here in South Florida.

And the picture? Gambling + Golf + Basketball = Chuck. Plus, you have to admit, it's pretty funny.

Bomber Attacks as Iraqis Celebrate Soccer Win

2008-06-14T17:03:00.005-04:00

We have all heard about ridiculous celebrations associated with soccer wins and losses but rarely does one hear of a suicide bombing attack coinciding with a national team victory. Even in the Middle East.

Earlier today in northern Iraq, a female suicide bomber targeted exhuberant soccer fans who were in the process of celebrating a national team win in a big match against China. More than 29 people were wounded when the suicide vest was detonated in a marketplace with no casualties being reported as of press time.

The match, which Iraq won 2-1 in China, was part of the Asian qualifier for the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa. Iraq, along with China, Australia and Qatar are in Group 1 of the qualifier. The top two teams will advance to the next stage of qualifying. Iraq was able to eliminate China from the competition with their win this morning and is on their way to advancing.

With Iraqis fighting over a number of issues, one of the few things all of their people can rally around is watching their national soccer team in worldwide competition. In Baghdad, as is customary, celebratory gunfire rang out after the Iraqi team won. Certainly no one expected a travesty to unfold the same day the nation was able to come together and celebrate a victory.

MLB to Institute Replay Aug. 1

2008-06-13T20:41:00.003-04:00

I found it interesting that after all of the hissy fits commissioner Bud Selig threw after being told instant replay was instantly necessary in MLB, it is now looking like we will miraculously have it working and instituted by Aug. 1.

Two months too late but good progress nonetheless for a league that historically takes the longest to make the least. As I have already written in these four posts, if the NHL could make a brand new rule and institute it during their playoffs, why couldn't baseball get this done as quickly or at least in, you know, a month? Especially considering the league's owners had already agreed to look into instant reply nine months earlier.

USA Today reported Friday on its Web site that MLB had approached the World Umpires Association about implementing replay on Aug. 1. However, it appears that's merely a tentative target date. While it's possible a system could be in place that soon, some baseball officials merely want to get some form of replay system up and running before this year's postseason. -ESPN

All's well that ends well, I suppose. Except, that is, for the outcomes of those ten games that were already affected this year by botched home run calls and the ten more that will occur over the next six weeks.

Kobe Respnds to Schilling Slander

2008-06-12T13:31:00.003-04:00

So how does Kobe Bryant respond to the questions of motivation, leadership and chemistry brought forth by blow hard Curt Schilling's 38 Pitches blog? By being a New York Yankees fan, of course.

"You're asking for my response to it? Go Yankees."
"Look, I know my team," said Bryant. "After all those bleeps, we almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in history. It seemed to motivate the team pretty well."

There's one high and tight for ya, Schill.

The best part of it all is that Bryant admits to his tirade and the players did respond reasonably well to it, albeit half of a quarter later.

"They're used to it and we all have thick skin around here on the team," Bryant said. "That's just how we, we're brutally honest with each other. Our team is built for that. We all love it."

And if the Lakers are in the process of going down again tonight in Game 4 at home, expect a repeat performance from Bryant. They've come back from 16 twice against the Spurs to win and came within points of coming back from 24 against the Boston Celtics in Game 2.

Schilling is a JERK-of-all-trades

2008-06-11T16:14:00.007-04:00

With respect to T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times, I stole the title of this post. Simers wrote an article this morning condemning Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling for comments made in his blog following Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. Schilling was in attendance and sitting in seats ridiculously close to the Los Angeles Lakers bench and shared his criticisms on Kobe Bryant in his blog, 38 Pitches.

"From the first tip until about four minutes left in the game I saw and heard this guy (Bryant) bitch at his teammates. Every TO he came to the bench pissed, and a few of them he went to other guys and yelled about something they weren't doing, or something they did wrong. No dialogue about 'hey let's go, let's get after it' or whatever.

"He spent the better part of 3.5 quarters pissed off and ranting at the non-execution or lack of, of his team . . . as a fan I was watching the whole thing, Kobe, his teammates and then the after-effects of conversations. He'd yell at someone, make a point, or send a message, turn and walk away, and more than once the person on the other end would roll eyes or give a 'whatever dude' look."

Aside from the fact that I think blogging by athletes in general is a bad idea for a number of reasons, Schilling is already known as the blow hard of all blow hards, the asshole of all assholes, a jerk-of-all-trades if you will. He created his blog as a way to refute press reports about him and tell his side of the story. That is fair and acceptable enough. However, he has instead used it as a public forum to start conflicts with the media, management and even other players like Barry Bonds, making comments on issues that are none of his business.

I know you could turn this around and say I am being hypocritical because, well, isn't that what I am doing? The difference is that Schilling is a public figure and knows the media reads his blog solely to find tidbits of information to publicize.

Now he wants to comment on team chemistry and make insinuations on certain looks and comments on a sport he knows absolutely nothing about? Do you know how insanely crazy Schilling would get if Gilbert Arenas made comments on his demeanor inside the Boston Red Sox dugout in his blog the next day after being given tickets right next to it? While Simers' article comes off as a bit biased because he is a columnist in L.A., the general concept of his anger and justification for it are spot-on.

Schilling should keep his mouth shut. He is not a news reporter or basketball player, he is a baseball player--one that throws fits when the media makes false accusations or insinuations about him. How does he think the Lakers or Bryant feel about his comments?

And while taking his dump on Bryant and Pau Gasol ("saw a seven-footer who grabbed like four rebounds and spent the entire game whining about getting fouled"), he gives props to his Boston Celtics pals Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. How purely biased is he going to get? I wonder who got him the seats? Why was he next to the Lakers bench anyway? Bill Beli-cheat got the seats right behind Doc Rivers. Wait a minute...Boston athletes by each bench, all of whom love and support each other...are all of these teams in cahoots? I mean, Schilling has nothing better to do anyway...

Viagra Being Used for On-field Edge?

2008-06-10T12:53:00.007-04:00

...and I thought the golden thong story was weird.

According to the New York Daily News, Viagra has recently become a popular pre-game drug for athletes looking for an edge on the field (and I suppose off the field as well.) In particular, the paper cites a source familiar with the New York Yankees clubhouse that says Roger Clemens stashed the little blue pills in a GNC bottle in his locker.

But don't think for one second that Clemens was alone. Reports are that numerous athletes have been using Viagra and doing so for a while, making it one of the hottest locker room drugs. Apparently use has become so widespread that anti-doping officials have begun looking into it.

"All my athletes took it," BALCO founder Victor Conte said. "It's bigger than creatine. It's the biggest product in nutritional supplements."

In addition to the main use Viagra that we are all familiar with, it is said to build endurance, especially for athletes at high altitudes, by delivering oxygen, nutrients and performance-enhancing drugs to muscles more efficiently.

It is important to note that Viagra is not a banned drug in any sport, though the World Anti-Doping Agency is funding a study at three U.S. universities to determine if it aids training and improves performance. And if studies are conclusive, it could be added to the list of prohibited substances in Olympic sports as soon as the 2012.

So while just as strange as a golden thong, the use of performance-enhancing Viagra may have one advantage...it works.

There Can Only Be One

2008-06-09T22:29:00.009-04:00

Say what you will about this blog, but you cannot deny that I have been more on than off over the last month. As further proof, I remind you of this post from last Thursday. I also provide the image to the right that went along with that article and the following submission which one of my readers, Chad, pointed out aired on ABC during the tail end of the third quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals this weekend.

If you didn't believe me at the time that the NBA was trying to fuel this series by its past rather than the merits of its current players, this should be enough proof for you.

Yankees Surge; Red Sox, Rays Tussle

2008-06-08T19:18:00.005-04:00

The AL East is always a topic of conversation when talking about MLB. Usually the conversation is whether or not a team other than the New York Yankees can win the division. In recent years, especially this season, that conversation has changed. It has become, "Can the Yankees come back to win the division or get a Wild Card?" and "Are the Tampa Bay Rays for real?"

I'll answer the latter question first. Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays are for real. Any team with Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena stands a solid chance to win a division, especially when their young pitching and supporting cast is playing well.

As far as the tougher Yankees question goes, it is looking like it might get a little easier to answer. Looking back over the last week in baseball, it seems the tides may be turning a bit in baseball's best division. The Bronx Bombers are 12-6 in their last 18 games and have won four of the last five. Alex Rodriguez's return from the DL, coupled with the reemergence of Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi has propelled the Yanks offensivley. They are averaging 6.5 runs a game over the aforementioned span and put up eight or more runs in six of those games (one extra inning loss). Their pitching is struggling a bit, but Joba Chamberlain and Dan Giese's recent appearances should give them some hope.

On the other side, the division-leading Boston Red Sox and Rays are struggling. Injuries have plagued both teams; David Ortiz and Daisuke Matsuzaka are out for the Sox, while Pena and Rocco Baldelli are out for the Rays. Fights are occurring for both teams on the field against each other as well as in each team's dugout. The on-field fights led to suspensions for both teams while match-ups of Kevin Youklis/Manny Ramirez and Matt Garza/Dioner Navarro have stirred up both clubhouses.

With the Yankees surging, this is the worst time possible for the Sox and Rays to start infighting. With over a month until the All-Star break, there is plenty of ground to catch-up before the Yankees have everyone dissecting them while they are in the spotlight and hosts of the game.

Belmont Stakes, Big Brown Wrap-Up

2008-06-08T16:22:00.004-04:00

While I, along with the rest of the world, was certainly disappointed at Big Brown's performance and inability to win the Triple Crown, the 140th Belmont Stakes wasn't all bad. Due to the close attention I paid to the first two legs of the Triple Crown, I was able to get a nice look at some of the competition and saw Denis of Cork as strong competition that could go the extra distance.

It led me to take three bets on Saturday--Big Brown to Win (simply for fun and with the odds at 1-5 it couldn't have been for the money), Denis of Cork to Win, Place or Show and Denis of Cork to Place. Obviously two of the three came in, and at 16-1, it paid nicely. That doesn't mean you should start listening to anything I say about horses; I'm simply patting myself on a back for a day of betting gone well.

It will now be interesting to see if Big Brown's trainer, blowhard Rick Dutrow Jr., plans to race his horse in the Breeder's Cup in October. Everyone expected Big Brown to race in the event if he won the Triple Crown to "prove" his dominance in the sport. Now that he failed during the third leg, what will his legacy end up being? We shall see...

Ham Sandwich?

2008-06-06T17:04:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the late post today, was down in Miami at an interview and away from the computer. Let's hope it was all worth it!

Now, let us discuss Game 1 of the NBA Finals. After sitting through three quarters of glory, my Los Angeles Lakers pick fell apart during the fourth. That's OK. More importantly, I was dismayed to see how the Lakers and Kobe Bryant especially handled the Boston Celtics' defense and rebounding. Granted they are going into the game undersized, but the Lakers are certainly more talented from top to bottom.

Even more interesting, aside from predictions and results, was Paul Pierce and his "injured" knee. I put "injured" in quotes because, let's face it, that seemed to be a bit of a ham job. You cannot have it both ways. You either get carried out (which was funny enough on its own) , put into a wheelchair and sit out the game or come back much later after being worked on, or you hobble your way to the locker room, get a cortisone shot and go back on the court.

To see Boston rally behind either an overblown (maybe even fake) injury really turned my stomach. Sure there are die-hard Celtics fans, but where have these people been the last decade? First there were the New England Patriots fans that appeared out of nowhere, then "Red Sox Nation" which encompassed all true die-hard Sox fans and soon all New York Yankees haters and now the Celtics are the big ticket?

If I had my own dictionary, front-runner and Bostonian would be synonyms. As would ham and Paul Pierce.

Back to the Future

2008-06-05T16:54:00.010-04:00

No matter what you do, where you look or how hard you try to avoid it, you cannot help hearing the 2008 NBA Finals be compared to the 1987 Finals, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and every other time the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics previously squared off for the trophy.

It is in the ESPN promos, on the front page of every Web site and will undoubtedly be centrally featured both on pre-game montage videos and in-game statistics. The problem is...none of it matters. It doesn't matter that the Celtics have won a majority of the meetings or that the Big 3 are supposedly a reincarnation of the old Big 3. They aren't even this bad with Yankees/Red Sox series.

I understand games need to be advertised and hyped. I also understand that Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, James Worthy, A.C. Green, Byron Scott, Robert Parish and Danny Ainge are not on the court. So instead, let's concentrate on the guys who are and keep the spotlight where it belongs, on the accomplishments of two teams in 2008, not 1987.

Since when were Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol, Ray Allen and Lamar Odom not good enough to advertise a Finals series? Look at their shoe endorsement contracts and then tell me they can't sell product. Bryant in the Finals without Shaquille O'Neal, Pierce playing against the team of his youth, Garnett trying to prove he can win the big game, Phil Jackson trying to break (Boston Celtics Coach) Red Auerbach's record nine NBA titles. Which of those is not compelling enough for you?

I'll count the references tonight, from pre-game onward, and I doubt they'll fit in two hands. Honestly, I'm still surprised they haven't done the split-screen promo with Magic and Larry yet. Then again, there are two more weeks to go.

NBA Finals - Pick of the Day

2008-06-05T12:35:00.006-04:00

The NBA Finals...after a week-long wait they begin tonight and the Los Angeles Lakers, almost suprisingly, are favored over the best defensive team and the team with the best overall record in the NBA, the Boston Celtics.

While I will still pick each individual game, the most important bet you can place on the Finals is the series bet. And for this series, I see the Lakers taking the title without question. Even though it is going off at -200, it is worth putting a double game bet on the line. (Ex. If you bet $20/game, put $40 on the Lakers at the series line).

It is tough to bet every individual game and doubling-up on the series allows you the comfort of knowing you have a straight-up, solid bet if everything else goes wrong. (Of course, the Lakers could lose...in which case you lose it all...but that is why this is called gambling.)

Tonight could very well be the best game of the series, think Suns/Spurs Game 1 in the first round. Coach Phil Jackson knows how important Game 1 is, especially when the Lakers get three consecutive games at home in filling out the 2-3-2 format of the Finals. We take the Lakers tonight with the minuscule +2.5 points (which could change to +2 by game time). If they're going to win the series, they need to start somewhere.

Pats Also Good at Spying for Government

2008-06-04T12:19:00.004-04:00

New England Patriots offensive lineman Nick Kaczur was arrested in April for illegal possession of painkillers but somehow it never got out to the media. That is because Kaczur, instead of being arraigned like a normal arrest, decided to cooperate with federal agents in a sting operation against his alleged supplier.

Even though Kaczur, 28, had purchased hundreds of oxycodone pills from this dealer beginning in November 2007, the federal government must have seen something that said "spy" in him and had him wear a wire during three drug buys in southeastern Massachusetts. According to the Boston Globe, the third of those buys was followed by federal agents arresting the alleged supplier.

While, of course, no one will comment on the matter further, it does make for an interesting thought: Maybe the Patriots teaching their players to cheat and their team to spy is good for something?! Nah...

Flipped Out

2008-06-03T11:54:00.007-04:00

For the second consecutive time in his career, Flip Saunders has been fired as head coach of an NBA team. This time, Saunders will say goodbye to the Palace at Auburn Hills and the annual NBA title-contending Detroit Pistons.

And, honestly, it is no surprise. Sure, he's a player's coach and everybody loves Saunders, but you can't lose the Eastern Conference Finals three years in a row and keep your job! It is not that the Pistons can't win with Saunders, they simply can't win in the playoffs with him at the helm. These Pistons players take themselves to the conference finals every year and need Coach to take them over the top. He isn't defensive-minded, controlling and strong enough to keep them together as a cohesive unit. This thing was over when he lost Game 5 to the Cleveland Cavaliers last year...Joe Dumars just didn't want to admit it.

In my opinion, Dumars should have known better. This was obvious from the get-go, considering Saunders' history of falling short with Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He made the playoffs eight consecutive times with Minnesota--seven first round exits and the 2004 Finals appearance. He was a questionable hire in the first place and even more questionable now.

The Pistons need a mature, strong and calming influence with sound basketball strategy to get them to that next level that they achieved twice under former coach Larry Brown. Someone to take the reigns of Rasheed Wallace and prevent him from getting six technical fouls, make sure there is no lull or lapse in desire just because you are probably going to win a series and to take this team to the level it is talented enough to be--the perennially contending San Antonio Spurs of the Eastern Conference.

If this was a perfect world, Brown would not have taken the Charlotte Bobcats job and would be returning to the Pistons. But, it isn't, and now Dumars is left to decide if he is going to promote from within or go scour the barren wasteland of free agent NBA head coaches like Avery Johnson. My suggestion? Jeff Van Gundy.

Supreme Court Declines Case on Fantasy Sports

2008-06-02T17:18:00.005-04:00

In the vain of "What will the government waste their time with next?" finally comes a story about the Supreme Court declining to hear a case between Major League Baseball and fantasy sports about licensing rights. The MLB was sued for denying a fantasy sports company, C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing, a license to use the names of players saying they would be illegally profiting from the commercial use of a person's name.

With fantasy sports exponentially growing on a yearly basis, "A federal court and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled in favor of the fantasy baseball business, saying that enforcing state law rights would violate C.B.C.'s right of free speech protected by the First Amendment."

Of course, this answer wasn't good enough for MLB, who tried to take the case to the Supreme Court but were flat-out denied. Interestingly enough, the NFL Player's Association supported MLB's request that the case be heard.

Weird that the NFL and MLB want the government's help now but continue trying to keep them out of other matters much more important to the fairness and legitimacy of their games and call those an intrusion on their private businesses. Can't have it both ways, fellas.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2008-06-02T13:06:00.006-04:00

Some stories from the past weekend, then a new post later today!

Prior injured, again: San Diego Padres pitcher Mark Prior has a shoulder tear, again, will require season-sending surgery, again and will go without pitching in another full season, again. All the talent in the world and this guy can't catch a break for anything.

Kimbo should box: The New York Post's Dave Willis writes a great article about Kimbo Slice following his so-so coming out party on CBS. Willis thinks Slice's fists would have been better off in boxing then MMA. I happen to agree.

Whose moving to L.A.? With Los Angeles still without a NFL team, many have begun speculating who will take the home of the new $800M stadium that has already been promised a Super Bowl? The San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and Minnesota Vikings are all viable options. This article explores the issue.

Get over it! And finally...New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison is stuck in denial over New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree's circus catch in Super Bowl XLII. I guess Bill Belichick didn't have the Spygate film on that one. 18-1 is perfect to me.

Update: Taylor Speaks, Does Not "Demand" Trade

2008-06-01T01:21:00.014-04:00

Miami Dolphins DE Jason Taylor was expected to formally, and publicly, demand a trade from the sole team he has known in his career at a press conference at 11:30 a.m. EST on Sunday. Instead, he announced his full intentions to play football in 2008 and will do so with the Miami Dolphins if a trade cannot be completed. While Taylor did make these statements, he would not confirm that he would be at mandatory team training camp in July to the media or the team.

Taylor also said he will skip the team's reamining OTAs and mini-camps and only show up for training camp if not traded. This will cost him about $8,638 in daily fines.

“Do I want to be traded? I want to win in ‘08, and that’s what I want to do. I told the Dolphins from Day One that was my intentions. My intentions right now are to play one more year. I tried to give the Dolphins an opportunity that if they wanted to do something and move me that I was OK with that. If they could get value for me, then do that. That was a conversation we had behind closed doors a long time ago.”

Please discuss in the comment section below and visit a forum thread on PhinsCENTRAL.com for more!

Saturday News & Notes

2008-05-31T13:59:00.006-04:00

Rose Won't Wither - Continuing the trend from two stories below, Pete Rose still can't keep his mouth shut. This time he claims he would have amassed 5,000 hits if he would have been on steroids. Pete, I thought we just went over this--stop.

Kimbo Slice Debuts - There is no more waiting as backyard brawler-turned-MMA superstar Kimbo Slice will fight in an EliteXC card tonight live on CBS. This is the first time MMA is being broadcast on network television and EliteXC is using Slice (real name Ferguson) as their poster boy for potential success. While his peers still question Slice's ability, there is no questioning his star power and potential to brutally dominate the sport.

I Thought Seau was Retired? - New England Patriots LB Junior Seau retired from football (and his Miami Dolphins contract) in 2006 by signing a one-day deal with the San Diego Chargers. Four days later, he signed with the Patriots and is now considering a third year with the team. What a stand-up guy, huh?

Dukies Hire Notre Dame AD - While Duke (outside of lacrosse and basketball) leaves little to be desired as far as a collegiate athletic program, hiring the AD that hasn't done much at all with Notre Dame makes you wonder if they are even serious about improving their programs?

More U.S. Friendlies with Euro Clubs - F.C. Barcelona has signed to play two friendlies in the United States by scheduling games in Chicago and New York against Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara at Soldier Field and the MLS's Red Bulls at Giants Stadium respectivley. This will be the club's third trip to the U.S. in the last five years.

Kobe Bryant is NOW

2008-05-30T18:10:00.008-04:00

Before I start this entry, I want to refer everyone to my LeBron James article from the beginning of the month. With that being noted, and regardless of my sentiments below, I do believe James is the future of the NBA. Unfortunately, he's not the present, because that is Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant.

What Bryant has done in these playoffs leaves little to be desired in terms of talent, athleticism, teamwork, execution, determination and dedication. He has transformed from a young, talented player who needed to be coddled by his coach and brought up and taken down by teammate Shaquille O'Neal to the man that provides the coddling to his own young, talented teammates.

Many continue to forget the most important factor in Bryant's playoff performance thus far which is the fact that everything he has done since the All-Star break is being accomplished with a torn ligament in the pinkie finger on his shooting hand. Bryant is injured and playing better than he ever has before.

I will not start comparisons to Michael Jordan because Bryant (and James for that matter) is his own player. But when you think of Bryant and watch him play the same words used to describe Jordan come to mind: clutch performer, perfectionist, teammate.

And while media types continue to praise GM Mitch Kupchak for this season's turnaround, I say we should look at Bryant as the real catalyst. While some saw his off-season antics as petty, insulting and rude, I disagreed. Bryant did what James needs to do, demanded help or a trade. He wanted to succeed as a Laker. He wanted to win more championships as a Laker. He wanted to retire a Laker.

It may have taken an injury to center Andrew Bynum to give Kupchak the kick-in-the-ass to make a deal for Pau Gasol, but now that he has, can we really question who was right all along?

You can see where I am going with this. It was Bryant. The league's MVP, the superstar on the best team in the NBA and the probable Finals MVP. He could also be only the second player in history to win both MVPs, a championship and a gold medal (at this summer's Olympic Games.) The other player? You guessed it...Michael Jordan.

Pick of the Day

2008-05-29T17:23:00.006-04:00

As I have said since the beginning of the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to take the trophy and Kobe Bryant is going to bring home the Finals MVP to go along with his first NBA MVP.

And while the Lakers should win and close out the series tonight, it is tough to imagine them blowing out the San Antonio Spurs for a second time (game 2). Eight points is a big spread even with the Lakers at home AND they're playing the defending champions who are on the verge of elimination. At worst this game should be a dogfight and if the Lakers do have a large lead, the Spurs won't concede until the final buzzer. Take the Spurs and the points, though the Lakers should end up winning the game.

Rose: I bet "like $2,000" per game

2008-05-29T15:18:00.006-04:00

Enough already. Pete Rose is the greatest hitter in the history of Major League Baseball and nobody could care less. Proof of this fact is that his most recent non-news story has barely been picked up by media outlets. I, however, have my own piece to say about Rose and find this as the most opportune time.

Living in Boca Raton, FL, I've had a little more than my fair share of Rose over the years. He opened a restaurant here, his children went to the same lower and middle school as me and it was never tough to find him if that was your goal.

But, when you think about tarnished legacies in sports, Rose is one of two that immediately pop into your mind. The other is O.J. Simpson. The difference is that Simpson actually killed human beings (please, let's not get into semantics) while Rose simply bet on baseball. The similarity is that neither of them will STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!

Rose has wondered out loud for years if he will ever be allowed into Cooperstown. The debate has raged on for decades. The problem is as each year goes by, Rose continues to bring up the negatives instead of focusing on the positives. I've heard the following all come out of Rose's mouth:

I did not bet on baseball. OK, I bet on baseball. But, I only bet on my team. I bet on my team but never fixed a game. I only bet $1,000 on my team and $2,000 on football games. And finally...actually, I bet "like $2,000" per game.

There are two choices when confronted with a negative or difficult situation: Lie or tell the truth. You will probably end up in the same spot either way (like Rose) but telling the truth gives you the good graces of being honest and forthcoming. If Rose admitted gambling when he was banned in 1989 for life by then-commissioner Bart Giamatti with full disclosure instead of waiting until 2004:

Jim Gray's bash-worthy interview never would have occurred, Rose would have sold more books as people would be interested in hearing the real, true story and maybe, just maybe, there would be some consideration to inducting him into Cooperstown and preserving the positive aspects of his legacy...instead of none whatsoever.

Daily News Update

2008-05-28T16:55:00.011-04:00

Outside of my individual posts, I thought it would be a good idea to provide a "Daily News Update" with other interesting stories to which I'm not necessarily going to devote a full post.

* Update: Noah's punishment? Six months probation and a $200 fine.

* SI.com's Tom Verducci realizes he's a week behind on the MLB instant replay argument.

* China has stopped airing NBA playoff games because they are too entertaining. Obviously they didn't watch the Pistons/Magic series.

* Our own Brian McBride returns home from Fulham after five years in the EPL. He cited the desire to play against better competition as his reasoning.

* Former Memphis forward Joey Dorsey "knows" the Chicago Bulls are NOT picking Derrick Rose.

* Former New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing is upset new GM Donnie Walsh did not interview him for the open head coaching position.

Sosa to Retire After World Baseball Classic

2008-05-28T13:33:00.008-04:00

Former Texas Rangers outfielder Sammy Sosa announced today that he will retire from baseball following the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Sosa, best known for his 13-year stint with the Chicago Cubs, is a free agent and not signed to a MLB roster after posting 21 home runs and 92 RBIs last season.

"There's something that I wish to state very clearly: I'm not looking for a job," Sosa told Hoy, a Dominican newspaper. "In fact, I have told my agent that he should stop offering my services to MLB teams. I'm not retired. I remain highly focused and not begging for a contract."

Sosa's alleged involvement with steroids, coupled with his June 2003 corked bat incident, badly hindered the reputation of the only player in MLB history with three 60+ home run seasons. He will retire from baseball as one of only five players to hit 600 home runs and at number five on the career home run list.

"It would be great if folks can see me for the last time wearing the uniform of the [Dominican Republic] National Team," Sosa said. "It's always an honor to represent your country."

While Sosa has certainly had his ups and downs since 2003, I am still left wondering why he is not on an MLB roster right now. As a DH for an American League team or even a Tim Raines-like pinch hitter for a young team that needs a little extra pop, Sosa can still contribute as proven by his 2007 numbers.

I also find it interesting how all of Sosa's achievements are still overshadowed by the corked bat more so than anything else (including steroids.) People fail to remember one simple fact: Sammy Sosa was instrumental in the rebirth of baseball in this country. He, along with Mark McGwire, were responsible for some of the most exciting drama in sports history culminating with McGwire's (at the time) record-breaking home run and celebration with Sosa who was both his opponent in the race and during that game.

So while some may only remember Sosa for his faults, I choose to remember him for his glory and, most of all, his swing.

Noah Ticketed in Gainesville, Again

2008-05-28T10:32:00.007-04:00

A day after receiving an order to appear in Gainesville, FL court for possession of under 20 grams of marijuana and an open container violation, Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah had a second run-in with police officers.

This time, Noah was traveling 32 mph through the University of Florida campus in his Hummer with a posted speed limit 20 mph. The UF Police issued two tickets to Noah--the first for not wearing a seatbelt and the second for unknowingly driving with a suspended license. To knowingly drive with a suspended license is a criminal offense, something which Noah was not charged.

None of these four violations are really that much of a big deal in the long run, and I have to agree with his father Yannick who doesn't understand "all that fuss" about the situation.

I certainly disagree with Noah being detained for an open container violation in the first place that is disregarded in the town on a daily basis. As far as being pulled over on campus, I suppose that is fair as he was going 50% over the speed limit (which is ridiculously low to begin with) and was not wearing a seatbelt. Having your license suspended and not knowing about it is even more ridiculous.

Say what you will about the rest, but Jo, put your seatbelt on.

Pick of the Day - Rule No. 1

2008-05-27T23:37:00.004-04:00

The No. 1 rule in sports gambling is to always go with your gut. This is a rule I've known and gone against repeatedly, usually with negative outcomes. The latest instance of rule No. 1 was tonight's San Antonio Spurs/Los Angeles Lakers game. I agonized over the pick all day but decided no matter how much better I think L.A. is (much, much better), the defending champions will not lose a game four at home. O, how you taunt and teach me, No. 1.

Can David Haye Bring Boxing Back?

2008-05-27T17:10:00.007-04:00

David Haye is the biggest name in boxing you have not heard of yet. And it is not your fault. Nobody can expect you to follow a sport that does not provide reasons to watch. That, however, is about to change.

Haye, 27, has a professional career record of 21-1 (20 KOs) and is the current world cruiserweight champion, holding the WBA, WBO and The Ring magazine cruiserweight titles (he vacated the WBC title on 5/12 losing the distinction of being “undisputed.") And now, after dominating the cruiserweight class, Haye is ready to take his chops to the next level—heavyweight title fights.

That transition has begun as Haye officially signed a five-year contract with Golden Boy Promotions as announced this morning by ESPN. He plans to vacate his cruiserweight titles over the next few months as he prepares to step up to the heavyweight division. Hailing from London, England, Haye has said he wants to be the next Evander Hollyfield.

"If you look at the heavyweight landscape, it is waiting for someone like David Haye to come along," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. “He's very exciting in the ring. He knocks guys out and he gets dropped. If he can succeed at heavyweight, boxing fans around the world will have a heavyweight who can define the division and the sport."

Haye has taken his dedication to the next level to heart and even met for lunch with world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko to discuss a title fight for later this year. Klitschko agreed in principle, but wishes for Haye to fight some heavyweight bouts before giving him a title fight.

"I see myself at the top of the pile in the heavyweight division," Haye said. "There's only one guy out there and that's Wladimir Klitschko. That's who I have my eyes set on. He's the premier heavyweight on the planet right now and I am coming for him. It's always been my strategy to go after the best."

With a boxing pedigree like Haye’s, coupled with the promotional power of Golden Boy and the desire of the world to see a return to the glory days of heavyweight boxing, it is looking like that fight will come sooner than later. The only question is, can it revive and help legitimize the sport once again?

Jarvis Returns to College Coaching

2008-05-27T13:34:00.005-04:00

Former St. John's University head basketball coach Mike Jarvis has taken his first head coaching job since being fired by the Red Storm over five years ago with the Florida Atlantic Owls.

FAU, most recently known for winning the New Orleans Bowl (their first bowl appearance) in football, has been growing as a university and athletic program over the past decade.

The basketball program made the NCAA March Madness tournament in 2002 under the reigns of then-coach Sidney Green (father of Denver Nuggets guard Taurean Green) and has sought to stay relevant by hiring Matt Doherty and Rex Walters to head the program. With Walters leaving to coach San Francisco, a new head coach was needed.

Jarvis, a resident of Boca Raton, Fla., where FAU is located, signed a four-year contract that will be approved Wednesday.

The Caleb Campbell Story

2008-05-26T13:42:00.008-04:00

To honor Memorial Day this year, I wanted to take a look back at the 2008 NFL Draft in April and the roller coaster ride it was for one student, former Army now Detroit Lions safety Caleb Campbell.

Campbell was in the unique position to take advantage of a new Army rule allowing those with a chance to play for a professional sports team to serve their term of duty in the United States as a recruiter instead of oversees in active duty. Please take a look at the story below on both a factual and opinionated basis.

My favorite storyline of the 2008 NFL Draft - Caleb Campbell.

Caleb Campbell story from the eyes of an Iraq War veteran.

Home Run Mistake No. 5

2008-05-25T17:49:00.006-04:00

For the fifth time this week, a questionable home run call was made in a MLB game that would have been changed with instant replay. Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Luis Rivas hit a long fly ball to left field that bounced off the top of the wall and dropped back into play. The ball was called a home run although, by rule, the ball was in play.

Dear Commissioner Bud Selig, we're waiting...

Noah Faces Charges in Gainesville

2008-05-25T17:20:00.003-04:00

Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and an open container violation early Sunday morning in Gainesville, FL.

Noah, the 2006 Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and part of the Florida Gators back-to-back national championship teams in 2006 and 2007, was found carrying an amber-colored liquid in a cup with ice while walking in the city's downtown area. After being brought to the police annex to be charged and served a notice to appear in court, the Gainesville Police Department also found a marijuana cigarette in his pocket.

It is tough to argue the marijuana charge, but the original stop for the open container violation is quite ridiculous. As a former University of Florida student, I have seen dozens (if not hundreds) of students stopped for open container violations both downtown and on campus. When those stops occurred, as long as the student cooperated, the usual punishment was for the drink to be discarded and to expect a stern warning from the officer.

I'm not suggesting Noah receive any special treatment, simply fair treatment that a normal student (Noah is in town taking classes toward his degree) would receive. But, let's be honest, this happened in Gainesville. Give the guy a free pass and move on. He was on foot, by himself, not causing any problems. Then again, it is the end of the month and there are few students in town...perhaps it was a quota situation?

Celtics Dominate on the Road

2008-05-25T12:50:00.005-04:00

Apparently all the Boston Celtics needed was the feeling of panic and desperation to win on the road.

After starting the postseason 9-0 in home games and 0-6 on the road, the Celtics broke both streaks with a home loss and road win in consecutive games against the Detroit Pistons. Most interestingly was the dominating fashion in which the Celtics beat the Pistons on Saturday, at one point leading by as many as 24 in the Palace at Auburn Hills.

Now the series is proving to be competitive and Game Four is a must-win for Detroit to stay alive in their quest to reach the NBA Finals. The important question now is whether the league's best road playoff team can win a second game on the road at the TD Banknorth Garden?

And with everybody now hyping the Celtics after their win, who else but Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace was there to calm everyone down.

"I don't see it as a big thing," Wallace said, choosing not to make his latest guarantee. "It's all about whoever gets to four."

Wallace better hope he doesn't get to seven (technical fouls) or he may not be around to see the Pistons win four.

Saturday News and Notes

2008-05-24T14:32:00.005-04:00

Where is Instant Replay?! Referring back to my post from yesterday, yet another home run was incorrectly called when Cleveland Indians OF Ben Francisco hit a four-bagger off of a railing above the outfield wall. Is this starting to add up or what? Stop stalling, MLB!

Back from Cancer: Arizona Diamondbacks P Doug Davis returned from thyroid cancer surgery on April 10 to pitch seven innings of five-hit ball with only one earned run. Nice story, but let’s hope he can do better than a 13-12 record this season.

Mr. Two-Face: San Diego Padres P Chris Young was struck in the face with a returned line drive and is suffering facial bruising and a small fracture. He’ll be out of action for two weeks. Houston Astros P Jose Valverde met the same fate during his save opportunity on Friday, however the pitcher was able to deflect the ball enough with his glove to prevent damage—he stayed in and got the save.

Bye Bye Grant: Chelsea FC fired manager Avram Grant on Saturday, three days after the Blues lost the Champions League final to Manchester United. Grant took the Blues to a 2^nd place finish in both the Premier and Champions Leagues; however the team’s “boring style and key loss to Tottingham” were blamed. I personally didn’t find Chelsea’s play at all boring, especially because Grant didn’t have the squad for a full year. A little premature in this case.

Zito Wins! Congratulations. It looks like that seven-year, $126 million contract is paying off.

Pick(s) of the Day - 5/23 and 5/24

2008-05-24T00:57:00.003-04:00

I do not plan on posting explanations/details for my picks on a daily basis, unless requested by the readership, so do not get used to seeing many of these "Pick of the Day" threads.

With that being said, tonight the Lakers supported and solidified my belief that they are the best team in the West and have what it takes to win any game in any situation (see Game 1). This is an opinion I share with one other team left in the playoffs--the Pistons.

As I said before Game 1, the Pistons will win this series. They are battle-tested, playoff-experienced and have a better starting five and deeper bench than the Celtics. Yes, I said it. A better starting five. The Celts can go on and on about the "Big 3" but that doesn't matter when they have P.J. Brown and Eddie House coming off the bench. Personally, I'd rather have the "Complete 5" with Rodney Stuckey.

Take the Pistons again in Game 3 giving the points and look for a Lakers/Pistons Finals.

Porter Brings Heat on Beli-cheat

2008-05-23T18:54:00.006-04:00

During an interview with NFL Live and host Trey Wingo this afternoon, Miami Dolphins LB Joey Porter called out the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick and the NFL for the handling of Spygate and the most recent discovery of further cheating by Belichick by allowing players on the IR to practice with the team. Below is my transcription of the interview:

JP: They cheated, there should be an asterisk. They cheated and they got caught. Marion Jones—she got caught they took the gold medals back. Obviously, they got caught. If it wasn’t that bad, why would they destroy the evidence? If you have nothing to hide, why would you destroy it? Why destroy something that doesn’t have to be destroyed? Let everybody see what was on that tape. Why are you going to destroy it so fast? I think it must’ve been that bad to where they didn’t want anybody else to see it. It had to be that bad. And if it wasn’t helping nobody, why did you do it? If Tom Brady wasn’t getting help out of it—why would you do it every week? Everybody wants to wonder how these guys just went from 0 to 60 overnight. That will do it for you.

TW: Is there a lot of talk among the players about that? Whether the Dolphins or other locker rooms around the league?

JP: Anybody I know that lost to them in big games—they’re very upset about it. The slap on the wrist didn’t really fit the crime. I don’t think the $500K fine was really big enough when you make multi-millions and billions off of the championships. He probably didn’t even have to pay it anyway—Kraft probably paid that fine, so it didn’t really hurt Belichick. He’s supposed to be this great coach—but cheating. He’s supposed to be a good coach, a great great coach and he got caught cheating. I don’t understand that. I lost two of those championship games, and if you tell me that happened, there is no way I can look at it and not feel cheated.

Anyone that knows my opinions of the situation will agree that I've been calling for steeper penalties, further investigations and the suspension of Belichick since the original punishment was levied. With further confirmation from former New England Patriots OL Ross Tucker that the Pats did, indeed, cheat in more ways than Spygate--why hasn't Commissioner Roger Goodell done more to investigate and justly penalize the coach and franchise?

Read my thoughts on Goodell and Spygate from February 2008.

Pitcher Traded for Maple Bats

2008-05-23T15:53:00.006-04:00

We've all heard of some far-out independent baseball league trades either as publicity stunts or simple jokes. Earlier today, one such trade was completed as a necessity rather than a gag.

The Golden Baseball League's Calgary Vipers were unable to get newly signed pitcher John Odom into Canada for immigration reasons. So they responded like any logical team would and traded him to the United League's Laredo Broncos in exchange for 10 sorely needed Prairie Sticks Maple Bats.

Check out the story from the Associated Press.

I appreciate the readership and support of everyone who has helped kick-start Home Field Advantage. Please continue reading and feel free to register and leave your comments! Thanks for visiting!

Basebally "May Try" Replay in Fall Leagues

2008-05-23T02:42:00.012-04:00

I never thought that I would find something, anything to commend the NHL on, until I heard the MLB's possibly planned plans for maybe, possibly trying out instant replay in their fall leagues--after the season has ended.

In a time with betting scandals in the NBA and blatant cheating (and cover-ups) going on in the NFL, why can't a league--or, more importantly, its commissioner--take care of an obviously prevalent flaw in the way its games are run and rules are constructed?

This is what the NHL did when Sean Avery found a loophole in the rules in the current Playoffs and blocked Martin Brodeur with his back to him in the crease while waving his arms in the air obstructing the view of the goaltender:

Incident occured Sunday night, April 13, 2008.
Response below occured Monday afternoon, April 14, 2008.

National Hockey League Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell issued a statement Monday to make the league's position clear going forward. The statement said:
"An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play."

It took the NHL less than 24 hours to change/add the rule and please fans, players and the media. At a time when the NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA sports and Pro Tennis all use some form of instant reply, the MLB is letting the FOUR incorrect home run decisions in the last week begin a trend rather than help find an immediate solution to one. This is 2008 not 1908--it is the standard in professional sports in this country.

How about the fact that seven months ago in November, the MLB's own collective general managers voted 25-5 to at least explore the possibility of using a form of instant replay to help decide disputed home run calls such as fair or foul (ONCE this week) and in or out of the ballpark (THREE times this week).

The NHL's problem popped up overnight. The MLB has seen theirs coming and, after seven months, should have done enough research to fix it and be able to do so immediately.

But, they won't. Nah, they'll just wait until one of these ill-fated calls occurs during Game 7 of the ALCS during the bottom of the 9th with a team down by one. And then they'll finally decide to test instant replay in their fall leagues and the World Baseball Classic and institute it on Opening Day next year with some dumb restrictions or decisions the umpires can't overturn--but should be able to. And then we'll have to wait another year until those are corrected and the system is ironed-out.

When it all could be done in a day.

(It is just now being reported by the Chicago Tribune that the system MAY be in place by the upcoming postseason but probably will not. The point is made regardless as the postseason is in six months.)

Pick of the Day

2008-05-22T17:40:00.004-04:00

So while on a personally good run, I decide to start posting my picks and start out 0-2. Standard.

In my defense, if the Lakers never got in such a deep hole last night, they would've easily covered -7. The Spurs were tired and held over after an 11-hour flight and proved it with their second-half play.

We take the Pistons again as they haven't lost two consec. games yet in these playoffs, won't let the Celtics shoot 55% from the field again, will attack the basket and are still my pick to win the series.

Taylor "Steps" Away From Dolphins

2008-05-22T14:41:00.009-04:00

During a post-practice press conference Wednesday afternoon, Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano shocked the media and sports landscape with his announcement regarding the future of Pro Bowl DE Jason Taylor and his decision to hold out from the team.

"This is my reaction with the Jason Taylor situation, and I'm going to answer this question one time. I'm not going to answer another question about the Jason Taylor situation after I answer this," Sparano began.

"Here's what I know: What I know is that Jason Taylor -- and I'm glad we've gotten the information; that's important -- I know that Jason is not going to be at any OTAs (organized-team activities). I know that Jason is not going to be at any minicamps, and I know that right now, that Jason is not going to be at training camp. So that's what we know. Jason's a player under contract with the Miami Dolphins. He knows that. Both parties are well aware of the information. That's all I'm going to say about it. I want to talk to my players now."

There are not many situations in which I find myself at a loss for words. This is one of them. The fact of the matter is that I have never been more dead-on in my assessment of a situation such as this one in as long as I can remember! Additionally, many columnists have already put this story in such great perspective that I would rather feature their words to sum-up my opinions.

In this case, we are talking about Omar Kelly, the Sun-Sentinel's Miami Dolphins beat writer and blogger.

The voluntary stuff most of us can understand. After all, it is VOLUNTARY. But passing on an obligation, missing mandatory team stuff...that's betraying your commitment to the relationship, and it crosses the line. (. . .)

Dolphins fans need to hear the words for it to officially be over. Jason Taylor, you need to breakup with the Dolphins for everyone involved to move on, allowing you and the team to finally part ways. (. . .) If Jason Taylor wants out he needs to say it so we know where he stands.

Stop being so darn image conscious. Stop dancing around your intentions like you do a dance floor. We understand you've been unhappy in this relationship for the past four or five years. We understand the reasons you might want out. It's never fun losing. How many new coaches and regimes have you had? You want to end your possible Hall of Fame career on a title contender, and we realize we've let our looks slip a little.

It's fine that you want to move on. Not everyone still believes in true love. But don't try to blame shift your desires for another on our alleged wandering eye. Don't try to make new management out to be a bad guy to save your image, painting a picture that Bill Parcells wants to get rid of you, and has given you - the franchise player - the cold shoulder.

While that very well might be the case, if you truly plan to sit out training camp for WHATEVER reason you need to fess up. Put ego aside, as difficult as it might be right now, and be a man! Jason Taylor needs to stand-up and say it's over. Say, "I love you, we've had a good run, but I don't want to be with you anymore Miami. (. . .)

But you Jason Taylor, all this sneaking around, all this he said she said. All these rumors about your secret desires, and back-door dealings and demands, or requests, it's made this situation ugly.

All the Trifecta did on Wednesday was air out your dirty laundry, put your business out on the street without any spin doctoring. They blame shifted, and it was strategically done. Now the ball is in your court.

If you're ready to move on, we can deal with it....we really can, and we'll still check out your movies and support your charity efforts.... but you need to be upfront and tell Dolphins fans that's the case.

Sure it'll hurt, but that's the only way there can be a clean breakup, and that's what Dolfans need to start the healing process. It's about time this franchise finally starts healing, and if that means doing it without you, so be it.

Read Omar Kelly's full column and his blog at Sun-Sentinel.com

Champions League Final

2008-05-21T11:31:00.005-04:00

The 2007-08 season will end like it started - with Chelsea FC and Manchester United fighting for bragging rights as the best team in England. Except this time, the winner will also be declared the best squad in all of Europe. For the first time since the UEFA Champions League began in 1955-56, the finals are all-English and starting later than ever.

United have won the Premier League already this year, edging Chelsea by two points in the final standings, but for both clubs the Champions League holds a greater significance and you know Chelsea is looking for some revenge after being over-shadowed all year by United. The two squads split the season series 1-1, with Chelsea defeating United 2-1 most recently at Stamford Bridge on April 26.

With Chelsea D John Terry still recovering from a dislocated shoulder injured on May 11, the Blues look to face one of the best Man U squads in the history of the team's existence. Manchester United F Wayne Rooney is still recovering from an injury as well, but both men are expected to be on in the starting 11 for kickoff.

This afternoon's match will either be a showcase for United's young'ns Rooney and MF Cristiano Ronaldo, a power contest with Chelsea's F Didier Drogba and MF Michael Ballack, or another snooze fest like earlier in the season. I highly doubt it will be the latter.

While today's match certainly has its implications for both sides, Chelsea seems to have a bit more riding on the result. They are desperate to win the Champions League Final following three semi-final eliminations in the last four years. Moscow is also home to the Russian-born Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who would love nothing more than a win in the white North.

With Joe Cole and Florent Malouda providing support from the flanks, Drogba may be playing his last contest with Chelsea after admitting a desire to play for Milan. Recent reports cite that Drogba may have changed his tune and may want to stay after all.

One thing is for sure--England and Europe will have a new champion in just a few hours.

New Feature: Pick of the Day

2008-05-20T18:08:00.003-04:00

To your immediate right you will see a new feature of Home Field Advantage, my pick of the day. As this is unsolicited (and complimentary) gambling advice, I am not responsible for your losses. However, I will fully accept responsibility for your gains and tips are welcome. I will also keep track of my picks and tally up the results at the end of each day.

Tonight, we take the Detroit Pistons +4.5 as Boston is tired and shaky coming off of their second-consecutive game seven. The Pistons are well-rested, playoff-experienced and capable of winning on the road.

Rose Garden?

2008-05-20T14:01:00.009-04:00

Tonight, before the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, the NBA’s non-playoff teams are in for a little excitement of their own with the NBA Draft Lottery at 7:30 p.m. in Secaucus, New Jersey. And no team has more at stake than the New York Knicks.

With the fifth most chances (76 / 1000), the Knicks certainly do not look poised to receive the No. 1 overall pick. At this point, most columnists would delve 23 years ago into the first Lottery in 1985 with the selection of Patrick Ewing and the supposed “frozen envelope.” Didn’t happen—get over it.

But if the Knicks get lucky and do receive the No. 1 selection, a franchise turn around will seem more feasible than ever. No, there is not a LeBron James or Michael Jordan sitting at No. 1, but there is Memphis point guard Derrick Rose. For a team that hasn’t had a first round selection the last two seasons because of a (standard) horrible Isiah Thomas trade with the Chicago Bulls, Rose would be the perfect catalyst to re-invigorate the team and fan base.

Rose has more than talent. He is the absolute perfect fit for new Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun scheme. I promise you this, if the Knicks win the Lottery tonight, D’Antoni (who is representing the team) will slam the table with excitement harder than Dave DeBusschere once did.

In case you don’t believe me, here is some proof of how the Knicks organization feels about rose.

"I just haven't seen too many guys with that kind of explosion from the point-guard position," GM Donnie Walsh told the New York Post yesterday about Rose. "It's the kind you rarely see."

"There's guys who are going to be very good point guards in this league," Walsh said. "Derrick Rose instinctively is a good point guard. There's not one as obvious as Rose but they can develop into really good point guards. Our job is to find which is the one."

D’Antoni has told those close to him that he thinks Rose can be the next Steve Nash. He told the New York Post that Rose is “Jason Kidd with a shot.” That is pretty high praise from a guy that knows his point guards like Charles Barkley knows the hard-six.

With a 16 percent chance of receiving a top two pick, the Knicks would likely trade up to No. 1 if they were concerned the team in front of them would pick Rose over Kansas State PF Michael Beasley. Most important for the franchise is that they are not unlucky and fall out of their natural No. 5 spot. At No. 5, the Knicks would still be in position to try their hand at O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gorden—combo guards that could be converted to the point. If they fell, they’d be looking at Texas PG D.J. Augustin.

Oh, by the way, Jay-Z will be representing the New Jersey Nets at the Lottery. Just thought I’d throw that out there.

Help Wanted: All by himself

2008-05-19T17:30:00.006-04:00

I had a strong belief since watching a high school basketball game in 2001 that LeBron James (in only his junior year) would be the greatest player in the history of the NBA. To this point, he has done nothing to prove me wrong.

After earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2003-04, James has become an annual All-Star (four appearances, two MVPs), a four-time All-NBA player, league scoring champion in 2007-08 and has taken the Cleveland Cavaliers to three straight playoff appearances including an Eastern Conference Championship and NBA Finals appearance in 2006-07.

He has career averages of 27.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.6 apg and 1.8 spg including 17 triple-doubles—Magic Johnson numbers. Also like Magic, he can and will play all five positions on the floor, based on talent and team needs. However, that is where the comparisons to Magic and Michael Jordan end. Worse of all, it is not his fault.

Where is his surrounding talent? James won the East last season with David Wesley, Anderson Varejao, Eric Snow, Donyell Marshall, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden and Daniel Gibson.

I randomly pulled out the roster of the 1996 NBA Finals. Jordan had Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Bill Wellington, Ron Harper and John Salley.

There is no other player in the history of the NBA that has done so much with so little. Hughes was supposed to be James’ Pippen. He’s not even on the team anymore. The Cavs blew up James’ championship-contending squad and traded for/added Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace and Deltone West while losing Wesley, Hughes, Gooden and Marshall.

That isn’t enough. West has proven himself to be a nice point guard and you cannot argue with Ilgauskas’ fundamentals or Wallace’s defense. However, West is far from polished, Ilgauskas can barely move and Wallace is a huge liability on offense.

Now it is time to put the pressure on GM Danny Ferry. James needs a compliment, not a spot-up shooter. He needs a baller, a player that can contribute 25 points any given night. A guy that can take the pressure off James to put up 30-40 points a night and allow him to dish and rebound like he wants to. Just look at how much Pau Gasol helped Kobe Bryant improve. Imagine that times two.

James may be, forget that, IS a great NBA player. He has the potential to be a legend, if not THE legend. But he cannot, and should not, be expected to do it himself. And if that help doesn't come by 2010, the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets will have their arms (and wallets) open and ready.

A-Rod Powers Up

2008-05-18T20:31:00.005-04:00

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez completed the second and final "game" of his rehab stint at the team's Minor League facility (Himes Complex) with what many Yankee fans hope is a dubious omen on his impact once he returns: a grand slam.

Earlier today, in a situation of the bases loaded with two outs, Rodriguez launched a ball off of the high center field fence for a grand salami--now it is time for him to do it in the big leagues.

The three-time American League MVP will be returning to the Yankees' line-up on Tuesday in New York against the Baltimore Orioles.

After straining his right quadriceps against the Orioles on April 28, A-Rod returned after just three games, a desperate move that backfired for the Yanks as he re-aggravated the injury. He has been eligible to return from the 15-day DL since May 15, but the Yankees decided to give him an extra five days to recuperate as they have a scheduled day-off on Monday.

After Sunday morning's simulated game, Rodriguez said it was the best he has felt since before the injury occurred.

"I did as full of a workout as I could do today," Rodriguez said. "I left it all out there. I felt nothing [in my quadriceps], so I'm ready to go."

This is his second Minor League home run in as many "games," as A-Rod made his first rehab start yesterday at the Raymond Naimoli Complex of the Tampa Bay Rays and hit a solo shot. He played five full innings.

The Yankees are 20-23 and in last place in the AL East. They trail Boston by 5.5 and Tampa Bay by 4.5 games respectively. It is important to note that New York has been without their top two power hitters from last year in Rodriguez and catcher Jorge Posada for the majority of the season.

Two down...

2008-05-17T19:12:00.005-04:00

War Admiral, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and...Big Brown? It has been 30 years since the last thoroughbred racing Triple Crown winner (Affirmed, '78), and the country is ready for another horse to capture its imagination.

With the tragedy of Eight Belles stealing Big Brown's thunder at the Kentucky Derby, this special horse was not receiving nearly the amount of press and spectacle he deserves. He did, however, get plenty of respect in the odds. Going off at 2-1 in the Derby and 1-5 in the Preakness Stakes, Big Brown seemed poised for his second-consecutive victory. And the odds won't get any better.

Not only has he won the first two legs of the Crown, but he has done so in dominating fashion. Not a single horse in either pack has come close to catching Big Brown, who should end the longest-ever drought without a Triple Crown winner.

The three most recent threats to win the Crown were War Emblem in 2002, Funny Cide in 2003 and Smarty Jones in 2004--all of whom won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Only Smarty Jones came close to completing the Crown, losing by a length in the Belmont. More importantly, none of the three dominated their packs in the Derby or Preakness.

Big Brown is the most able-bodied and poised horse to contend for the Triple Crown in three decades. He looks prepared to be only the 12th ever to capture the attention of the country as a Triple Crown winner and may be the catapult to send thoroughbred racing back into prominence.

In a time when steroids, transvestite prostitutes, decade-long affairs and cheating are grabbing the sports headlines across the country, a remarkable athletic achievement is something we can all look forward to and, hopefully, celebrate.

Gold thong key to slump-busting?

2008-05-17T17:24:00.008-04:00

Well, at least New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi thinks it works. While strange superstitions are nothing new in Major League Baseball, this one seems a bit out of, well, left field.

My question is this: You started this little trick in Oakland around the same time you and your teammates were 'roiding it up, right? Maybe there is some truth to steroids and their causation of smaller packages?

Then again, you're hitting .193 while your team is 20-23 with A-Rod finally coming back on Tuesday. I guess it can't hurt.

ESPN: Teammates have tried Giambi's lucky thong...

WNBA: “She wouldn’t say that, would you?”

2008-05-16T20:51:00.009-04:00

In an example of yet another marketing campaign gone horribly wrong, the WNBA has shot itself in the foot with their latest attempt to be relevant in the sports landscape.

Below are two of their 30-second spots airing through the duration of the NBA Playoffs.

I’m sorry, but you couldn’t pay me to watch women’s basketball. Nothing exciting ever happens. Look at the WNBA—the league has stayed the same for 10 years. There is no new blood. What kind of future does that league have? None that I can see. – Candace Parker, WNBA “Expect Great”

No offense, but women’s basketball is a joke. You won’t see me driving hard to the hoop. I’d rather settle for mid-range jumpers…wide-open ones too…since girls don’t play defense. You want to see real basketball? Don’t watch me. – Tamika Catchings, WNBA “Expect Great”

Problem is, genius marketers, not only are these beliefs commonly held by the majority of sports fans—they are spot-on true. Most sports fans would rather watch a replay of a NFL regular season game from 1994 than Game 5 of the WNBA Finals. With the exception of Parker and Diana Taurasi, there is no influx of marketable, young talent. The game is stagnant and dull. Crowds are small, ratings are embarrassingly non-existent and polls show overwhelmingly that even women and children (the league’s target demographics) would rather watch or attend something else.

And, please, don't get me wrong. I am not a hater of women’s basketball. I enjoy a solid Women’s NCAA or USA National Team Olympic game as much as anyone. I worked for two years on press row for the University of Florida women’s basketball team. While it is low on my list of sports, I respect ability and good competition and women are certainly capable of that.

But when the only reason you still exist is because of your NBA backing and ability to help foster non-profit efforts, it is time to fold and look elsewhere. Throwing marketing campaigns out that provide dissenters further reasons not to watch your product is simply not intelligent. Sarcasm is not effective if the statement is commonly held or true.

Even the tag line is ineffective. "Expect Great." How can I expect great if all I've seen in 12 years is mediocre?

Sorry, WNBA, back to the drawing boards. Oh, and to answer your question: Yes, I would say that.