Archive for March, 2009

The announcer is speaking another language, but the video is universal.  Keep an eye on the slick ballboy in this video.  The ball goes out of bounds and before the goalie can get back, the ballboy hustles a new ball to the waiting passer.  I’m not much for soccer videos, but this was kind of comical.   Knowing how rowdy soccer fans can get, this kid can drink all night without going to the wallet once!

Here are some great stories that my colleagues have worked very hard to present:

Dan Rooney Appointed Ambassador To Ireland  *  Hugging Harold Reynolds

Who Will Be The Eighth Seed In The Eastern Conference?  *  PippenAintEasy

Felix Hernandez Looks Strong For Puerto Rico and Seattle  *  Josh Q Public

Jimmy Rollins Imitates Rickey Henderson  *  NESW Sports

Poor Programming At ESPN concerning Donte’ Stallworth  *  Sports Rubbish

ESPN Interview With Drew Carey  *  getin2thegame

Shawn Marion’s Dunk On Danny Granger  *  Docksquad Sports

Remembering the 1990, 91 UNLV Hoops Teams  *  Ed The Sports Fan

Cleveland Browns Release Joe Jurivicius  *  My Sports Rumors

Previewing The 2009 Cincinnati Reds  *  Sharapova’s Thigh

Click on any link to read some good stuff!

Lebron James is clearly in the drivers seat toward the NBA MVP and I will supplement you with reasons why he will win the award rather than Kobe Bryant or Dwayne Wade.  Wade has really poured it on as of late to even be mentioned in this elite MVP argument.

• Don’t forget what Wade did last year when the Heat were eliminated.  He jogged, played hard sometimes, and basically packed it in by March.  Would either Kobe or Lebron mope the way D Wade did?  I think not.
• Lebron James has gotten pulled out of games and missed quarters and halves this year becuase Cleveland was already blowing a team out.  Neither Wade or Kobe has forfeited eligible playing time to avoid risking an injury, not the way Lebron has this year. 
• Remember when Kobe put up 60 at the Garden a little over a month ago?  The next game there Lebron went off too, getting robbed of a triple double ( a more complete stat than just counting points) when someone cried to the NBA to take his last rebound that he hustled for to be removed.  Best part of Lebrons triple double is that he put 50 points with it.  He still managed to find teammates at least ten times to pass.
• Lebron James is a much better defensive player than either D Wade or Kobe.  I have never seen so many beautiful blocked shots in one season.  Don’t believe me?  Go to Google and type Lebron James blocked shots and watch the show.
• If you ask Lebron, he says “Kobe“, and if you ask Kobe, he says “Lebron“.  Nobody is saying D Wade yet. and we are running out of season.
• Wait until the playoffs and finals are over, take an objective look at who meant more to their teams success before elimination, and then vote for the guy you think deserves the hardware. 

Having followed Lebron James since the Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary days, I can honestly say this is the most complete and well-rounded of a season he has ever had.  D Wade is having a remarkable second half but was just good in the first half of the season.  Kobe Bryant is awesome, a great offensive, and good defensive player.  For my money, nobody is better than King James, and we are all witnesses.

I once went to one of those Indian pow-wow deals when I was in high school. I was wearing a Cleveland Indians ballcap and never realized it meant anything until we left when I mentioned to the friends I was with that the people seemed rude and cold toward me. It was then brought to my attention that I had Chief Wahoo on my head. Obviously, I may have offended some of the people participating. I did not do it intentionally and nobody asked me to remove the hat or to leave.

I do not feel that the artwork on the current Indians logo is racially offensive. I have a friend who is part Sioux who I asked (he is an Indians fan). He explained to me that the Washington Redskins name and logo are much more offensive because it is a generalization that stereotypes skin color. Without getting too controversial, many races would go nuts over a team name that did that.

A few more things to ponder:

• While growing up I played Cowboys and Indians. Nobody corrected me saying it was wrong, so I kept playing.
• I was raised to believe that Thanksgiving was a holiday that the Pilgrims celebrated with their friends, the Indians who occupied their fair share of the land. Kids in school still make head dresses out of construction paper this time of the year. If that would seem racially offensive, I’m sure schools would halt the gestures.
• Indians had more controversy with each other than with the early English settlers. Had they banded together, history would surely be different in a few ways.

Bottom Line: I am sorry to all people that this logo offends. I have spoken with a few Native Americans about it over time and they say the minority cries about it. Most are not offended and could care less. I am also sure that over the next twenty or so years that the logo will be changed because a new politician from Oklahoma will feel he is doing his job by creating new laws about racially insensitive sports names.

Here is a look back at some of the best stories making headlines:

Fox Sports Hooters Bracket Challenge  * Fox Sports Fantasy
Hanging Out In The Washington Capitals Pressbox * Capitals Outsider
Buckeye Football Prospects Improve On Combine Numbers * Buckeye Commentary
Siena vs Ohio State NCAA Hoops Preview * Eleven Warriors
Cavs 98, Knicks 93 * Curse of Cleveland
Big Blue vs Pistol Pete Mascot Fight * NESW Sports
The Rebirth of Darko Milicic * Josh Q Public
Fantasy Baseball Preview: Third Base * Sharapova’s Thigh

Check out these great stories!

The Dayton Flyers are pumped about gaining an at-large bid to the big dance.  I don’t think just showing up is going to be good enough.  On Friday, March 20, the 11-seed takes on 6-seed West Virginia in Minneapolis.  This is UD’s first trip back to the tournament since 2004.  They had a great season beating Akron 56-50, beating Marquette 89-75, and defeating Xavier 71-58.  They are one of three Atlantic-10 schools in this years NCAA Tournament with the other two being Xavier and Temple.

Head Coach Brian Gregory has very balanced scoring, a group of quick players who steal and dunk with any team in the NCAA, and a young bunch with only one Senior.  Leading the charge is Marcus Johnson.  He is the Flyers biggest threat from 3-point range and averages 12.2 points per contest.  Chris Wright draws attention in the paint.  Wright finds ways to get to the free throw line and averaged 12.9 ppg, as well as blocking 39 shots this season.  Charles Little and Chris Johnson add to a very well-balanced offense where no single player averaged more than 13 points per game.  As a team, Dayton averaged 67.5 points per game.

If there is one thing I am afraid of with this team it is how they play on the road.  At home, the Flyers were 18-0.  On the road, however, they were 5-6.  Fortunately, this will be considered a neutral site game, and the Flyers are 3-1 in those contests.

My cousin Frank, a Dayton season ticket holder, warned me that they would be tough before the season started.  Frank was right.  College basketball fans everywhere will take notice when Dayton moves on and the program continues to gain notoriety over the next few seasons. 

Enough Already!  How long does Pete Rose have to pay a debt to society?  He has already admitted guilt and said he was wrong for betting on baseball.  Yet the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame continues to snub debate on when the all-time hit leader will be inducted.  Is Bud Selig going to wait until he dies?  Everyone knows that Pete Rose belongs in Cooperstown to take his rightful place amongst the other legends of the game.  He made a mistake, he paid a price, he deserves to be rewarded for what he accomplished as a player. 

In my humble opinion, there are people who are members in the Hall of Fame who have probably done worse.  Constantly drinking (Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin) is not a good message to send to the kids.  Steroid abuse is the hot button right now, the abusers will probably never get in because they altered their bodies to enhance performance.  Pete Rose did not need substances to accomplish anything in baseball.

Granted, he is cocky and hardheaded.  Ray Fosse probably hates him to this day.  But when you are the central cog in something called a Big Red Machine, you deserve some praise when work ends.  Think about it.  He was simply the best hitter of our lives, maybe of all times.  How do you keep the blueprint out of the museum?  Especially for something that happened after he accomplished what he had to for acceptance into this elite fraternity. 

This argument has been hashed and rehashed over a twenty year span.  The common sense of the whole shouting match revolves around whether or not it is time – yet.  I hope baseball does not make the mistake of waiting for Pete to die before they put him in.  In closing, Pete Rose was not the third gunman in the grassy knoll, he didn’t receive sexual favors from interns, and he didn’t kill his wife.  Pete Rose belongs, and his nomination is sadly long overdue.

Andrew “Test” Martin, 33,  was found dead at his Tampa home Friday.  Police responded to a call from a concerned neighbor who claimed she could see Martin lying motionless in his home and saying he was unresponsive to phone and doorbell attempts.  The officers who responded forced entry and proclaimed Martin dead.  Test had a history of steroid and alcohol abuse.  He got a DUI in April of 2008 and had problems passing drug tests eventually leading up to his career coming to a halt.

Martin started wrestling in 1997 after meeting with Bret “Hitman” Hart and performing on a Canadian independent circuit for a year or so under the names of Martin Kane and TJ Thunder.  He debuted with WWE in 1998 under the name of Test.   

While an active WWE wrestler, Martin was a European, Intercontinental, Tag Team, and a Hardcore Champion.  Perhaps his best known angle was his scripted onscreen engagement to Stephanie McMahon.  Triple H eventually drugged her and snuck her through a drive-thru wedding chapel in Las Vegas to complete the storyline.  He also had success as half of T & A, along with his partner Albert and managed by Trish Stratus.

Martin was romantically linked with current WWE Diva Kelly Kelly and had dated Stacey Kiebler in the past as well.  Martin would have been 34 in a few days.  Hopefully, for the sake of McMahon and the WWE the death is not performance drug related.  The WWE is reeling from the recent deaths of Davey Boy Smith, Eddie Guerrerro, Chris Benoit, and Brian Pillman, in drug related autopsies.

Ohio State looks like they may be playing their best basketball at the right time.  The Buckeyes used 53% shooting from the floor and a red-hot Evan Turner to turn back Michigan State, 82-70.  Turner got hot in the second half after failing to score in the first half, ending up with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Jon Diebler added 17 points and was 5 of 10 from 3-point land.  Overall, The Buckeyes shot 23 of 29 from the free throw line and connected on 9 of 16 attempts from 3-point range.

Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 17 points.  Michigan State could only knock down 3 of its 21 3-point attempts.  The Spartans went on long stretches of at least six minutes in both halves where they could only manage one or two baskets.

Ohio State will face Purdue for the Big-Ten Tournament Championship.  Both teams should make it into the tournament, but expect the winner to claim a 5 or 6 seed, whereas the loser can end up with a ten seed or worse.

With Wrestlemania 25 right around the corner, I had to post what I felt was one of the highest risk moves ever attempted by a wrestler.  Jeff Hardy is fearless.  He has done amazing things in ladder and cage matches, but nothing tops this dive onto Randy Orton.  Hardy’s popularity is at an all-time high, mostly becuase of risks he takes such as this one.  He calls this move the Swanton Bomb and usually delivers it off of the top rope to an opponent laid out in the ring.  This particular Swanton Bomb is executed with significantly more air between Hardy and his target, the very “over” Randy Orton.