April Fool's Day

Where exactly this "holiday" came from, I have no flipping clue. It's hopelessly stupid, and every year, without fail, I'll come across someone that tries to pull some sort of poorly conceived prank or joke.

Now, I know that the first of April isn't much to celebrate, but, in honor of the big day, I present to you a few things in the sports world that, if you heard them, you would almost certainly be waiting for a loud, "APRIL FOOLS!"

New York Yankees Front Office: In light of the recent economic downturn, we've decided to scale back ticket prices. Tickets that originally cost nearly $2600 will now cost approximately $100 dollars. In fact, even when the economy rebounds, these more realistic prices will remain.

Gary Sheffield: All I want is for the team to get better. If that means me losing at-bats so that some of the young guys on this team can develop, I'm all for it. Honestly, I don't care if I ever get to 500 home runs. Winning comes first for me.

Barry Bonds: Alright, alright. You caught me. I did it. I took steroids. Phew, that feels like a load off, you know? Why I thought this whole aloof, tough guy thing would play well in the media, I have no idea. Can I just get back to playing the game I love so much now?

Gary Bettman: We really don't feel as if the strike hurt our league that much. In fact, we think we've come back stronger. More people that watch Versus on a nightly basis watch our sport than any other sport.

Shaquille O'Neal: From now on, I promise not to make mountains out of molehills, flop, or do anything else to stir the pot unnecessarily to bring my name back into the headlines. I will simply let the fact that I'm still playing at a high level (actually, true) speak for itself, and hope that does enough.

Albert Haynesworth: Yes, 100 million dollars for a defensive tackle is a bit steep. OK, it's down right ridiculous. Especially when you consider I've only really tried hard the last two years.

Jay Cutler: Josh, my bad. I've acted a little immature. Truth is, I can kind of understand the idea of wanting Matt Cassel instead of me. No big deal. I'll be there in a little bit.

LeBron James: I don't know what New York is getting so excited for, I'm actually going to go and play in Europe when my contract's up. Poland's where it's at, y'all!

David Stern: We truly believe that this year, it's anyone's game. Sure, the Celtics and Lakers are playing well, but it's not like we're rooting for them to make the Finals or anything.

Any Cubs Player In The Last 100 Years: No, the pressure never gets to us. Just bad luck and bad circumstances. We don't really buy into the whole "curse" thing.

The list of these is potentially endless. Any others in mind?

Christmas in March

How great is Selection Sunday?  

The hour between 6 and 7 p.m. on the East cost, 5 to 6 p.m. for those in my neck of the woods was pure bliss.  Granted, this year Syracuse was comfortably in the tournament as opposed to the last two years when they were left out.  I know, that makes a difference.  I can't say it doesn't.

But I still love this day, and I love this tournament.  Unlike Scott, and like many of you, I prefer the college game to the NBA game.  And not for the stupid reason people usually give that the college athletes are playing for the name on the front rather than the name on the back, or that they care about the passion of the game and NBA players don't.  Exhibit A for why that argument is ridiculous are guys like Dwyane Wade, Kobe or LeBron.

It's the grand nature of it.  It's the controversy, the pairings, the anticipation of weekends filled with game after game after game.  It's the match-ups that pit David vs. Goliath.  It's the ability to participate in a pool.  It's the constant barrage of entertainment and the countless hours of discussion.

Oh how I love it.  And it begins on Thursday.  I can't wait.

Paul Pierce Snubs a Kid's High-Five Request

Check this out. Paul Pierce is coming off the court, and he's getting high-five requests from a bunch of fans. Watch as the little kid in the LeBron jersey gets the big time shaft...



It doesn't even look like Pierce even saw the little guy. If he did, the kid was wearing a 'Bron jersey in the first row at a Celtics game. He shouldn't have to give the kid a high five. He's rooting against Pierce! Kind of funny, to say the least. Thanks to the guys at Ball Don't Lie for the tip.

Let Me Give Them Their Props

I've been critical of ESPN in the past.  My complaint has always been that their coverage is too star driven and has too many biases, which questions their ability to be fair and balanced.

But here's the bottom line: star driven content sells.  If it didn't, they wouldn't discuss it so much.

Scott and I have been working on this blog for just over three months.  The most discussed posts on our blog almost always have to do with Alex Rodriguez or Terrell Owens.  I may criticize ESPN for over-publicizing every move that each of these stars makes, or having clear biases towards east coast teams or sexy story lines.

Yet it's these topics that get sports fans to talk.  And that's all the network can ask for.

They cover sports.  That's their job, sure.  But their job is also to entertain.   Apparently, A-Rod, T.O., Kobe, and LeBron are the topics that sports fans want to hear about most.  It's easy for us as sports fans to blame ESPN or other media for spending too much time on these topics.  Yet the fact remains that when they talk about it, we talk about it.  Consequently, if we talk about it, we're going to watch more coverage of it, and media like ESPN continue to flourish.  

So let me give ESPN their props.  Do I get annoyed with wall-to-wall coverage of T.O.?  Yep.  As sports fans we all get sick of it at some point.  But the Worldwide Leader knows what it's doing when it comes to topics to cover.

When you start to get annoyed again that you're hearing too much about these superstar players, ask yourself whether you've been discussing the same things recently.  The answer is probably yes.  And that's why you're hearing about it so much on ESPN.

Weekend Headlines

A few musings from Friday night in the world of sports...

• The Celtics must be out to prove how little value Kevin Garnett actually has to the team's success.  Boston is now 4-2 without "The Big Ticket" in the lineup, and put forth an outstanding effort at home Friday night against the Cavs.  A game back in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the game, Boston came out on a mission and out-willed Cleveland 105-94.  The Celts made it their mission not to let LeBron James beat them, and they succeeded.    LBJ had just 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, but shot a miserable 33-percent from the field.  Mo Williams was great, scoring 26 points on 8-15 shooting, but if he's the only guy doing well for Cleveland you know they're in trouble.  Granted, the game was in Boston which no doubt was an advantage for the Celtics.  But the fact that Cleveland played as poorly as it did last night at TD Bank North Garden sends the message that if they don't nail down that top seed before the regular season ends, they're going to have to figure out a way to win in Beantown if they hope to reach the NBA Finals.  The Celtics are now 49-14 and while KG may be out another week or so, Boston is showing it doesn't need him for now.  A big statement was made between the top two teams in the East, and right now it appears Boston has the upper hand.
• Speaking of the Association, while the top teams in the East are the cream of the crop in the NBA, the opposite could be said about the teams holding the bottom seeds in the conference.  With their 15-point victory over Milwaukee Friday night, the lowly Chicago Bulls have now taken sole possession of the 8th seed in the East.  Let me be the first to tell you this Bulls team is not good.  The fact that they would make the playoffs if the season ended today is merely a product of the fact that there are just too many teams that qualify for the post season in the NBA.  I know, I know.  It would theoretically be good for the league if the Bulls made the playoffs because of Chicago's market size and the fact that Derrick Rose is one of the league's bright young stars.  But if the NBA were smart, they'd allow just 6 teams from each conference to make the post season and have the top two seeds earn a bye like the NFL.  Is it perfect solution?  Well, no, frankly.  But it's better than having teams like Chicago or Milwaukee who are five and six games below .500 respectively earning a spot in the playoffs.  That's really a joke, isn't it?
• Thankfully I didn't go to Florida State, nor am I a fan of their athletics.  It's not that I don't like them, but man are their fans bumming tonight.  The NCAA slapped the Seminoles with four years of probation and may force the football program to forfeit some of their wins in the record books as punishment for their academic cheating scandal.  Bobby Bowden's 382 wins ranks 2nd all time to Joe Paterno, who has just one more career win.  But if he has to give back some wins JoePa really distances himself in that book, doesn't he?  The 'Noles football program will have to forfeit two scholarships in recruiting this year and one next season, and that's just part of the problem.  Other sports are going to lose a bunch of scholarships and victories too.  Apparently the track and field program will have to give up three NCAA championship crowns.  That's what happens when a reported sixty-one FSU athletes cheated on an online test in 2006 and 2007, and also were provided the answers to tests and had papers written for them by university staff.  A couple of things I thought when I saw this:  1) While this is pretty significant corruption, athletes at every school in America cheat.  If they were going to cheat, they should have been better cheaters.  2)  What does it say about the pressure to win at FSU when university staffers are cheating for these athletes?  Apparently Myron Rolle didn't need the help.  Maybe they should be recruiting smarter athletes so they can handle the academics so FSU doesn't have to spoon feed them to keep them on their respective teams.  Or here's a thought, mandate some study time in their practice schedule!  Florida State basketball is actually good this year, but forget about that for a while.  Now that recruiting takes a hit the upstart team will decline, and so will seemingly every other sports team in Tallahassee.  Yikes.
• Is there a bigger joke than agent Drew Rosenhaus's claim that there are "several teams" interesting in signing Terrell Owens?  I guess the thought would be plausible if he hadn't thrown in the thought that he won't identify the teams that are in fact interested.  If you can't identify teams, then how can we believe there are several teams interested?  Conventional wisdom would suggest Oakland is interested, because they'll take anything they can get.  But beyond that, who?  San Francisco?  Maybe Washington?  That's three teams, which wouldn't suffice for my definition of several.  This could end up going a lot like the Manny Ramirez situation went.  No, T.O. won't end up signing back with the Cowboys, but Rosenhaus will try to create a market that doesn't exist for a player with significant character flaws.  Like Ramirez, there's no question that you'd want T.O. for the talent he possesses.  But how many teams want a guy who seemingly obliterates every locker room he enters?  Rosenhaus is doing his job as an agent, trying to create some leverage to find Owens a contract.  But please, enough with this garbage about how there are several teams interested.  I cannot believe that's true.  Can you?

When It's Not About The Game

Last night my dad and I went to the Bulls game.  It happened to be a great game, and a 17-2 Chicago run capped a Bulls five point win over hated rival Detroit.  But the game wasn't what I'll remember from last night.  It was this:

Granted this is just part of the ceremonies.  There was more, including speeches by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and President Barack Obama on the jumbo-tron.  

Bulls TV voice Neil Funk led the ceremonies, and did an admirable job.  They brought in a bunch of ex-players, former Johnny "Red" Kerr teammates, and ex-broadcast partners of his.

When Michael Jordan stood up to speak, the United Center shook.  It was so loud that you could barely hear the beginning of Michael's tribute to Red Kerr.  The showman that he is, MJ walked up to Kerr and clapped some talcom powder in his face, just like he used to do every game.  That was the original talcom powder ritual in pregame, before LeBron James copied Michael by throwing it into the air.

The speeches were great.  The spectacle was great.  Red Kerr should be in the hall of fame, and this tribute to him was quite fitting.  Kudos to the Bulls organization for doing such a good job with the ceremony.

It was a memorable night, and not because of the game.

Hump Day Headlines

In this week's version of Hump Day Headlines, we discuss the latest steroid news in baseball, Mo Williams finally gets his all-star bid, Mike Brown crushes the referees, and the best in hockey duke it out in Beantown...

• A day after the A-Rod steroid saga that has taken up post after post on our blog (thanks for the tremendous feedback by the way), now baseball has a new name to worry about.  Miguel Tejada has been charged with lying to Congress, although it was for lying about an ex-teammate's use of steroids, not his own.  Tejada is a real winner, not only because he himself has been accused of taking steroids by his own former teammate, known 'roider Rafael Palmeiro, but the all-star shortstop also lied about his age after he forged documents when coming to play baseball in America to make him appear to be a younger, more marketable player.  So it's not like lying isn't a trend with Mr. Tejada.  The teammate wasn't identified in the court documents, but apparently played with him in Oakland in 2002.  And for the record, the '02 season was the year Tejada won the American League's Most Valuable Player honor.  Miggy is expected to plead guilty.  If convicted, Tejada could spend a year in jail on the misdemeanor charge, but it is believed he won't get that great a sentence.  (Remember, constitutional law doesn't always apply to athletes.)
• After being snubbed, and then being snubbed again, Mo Williams finally has his all-star selection.  First he wasn't selected as a starter, which was no surprise.  But the curious part of this saga is that he wasn't selected as a reserve by the Eastern Conference coaches, and then was passed over by Commissioner David Stern in favor of the Celtics Ray Allen when Jameer Nelson's injury had him out of the game.  Now that Chris Bosh is out, Williams finally will get a chance to represent the Eastern All-Stars at the game in Phoenix this weekend.  The Cavs' point guard is having a very solid season this year, averaging 17.1 points and 4.2 assists per game, and is one of the biggest reasons for Cleveland's 39-11 start.  He ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring among point guards and second in free-throw percentage.  Congrats on the selection, Mo.  I'm sure you're looking forward to feeding LeBron in the All-Star game on Sunday.
• And while we're talking about the Cavaliers, how about their loss lass night in Indiana?  Two fouls called with less than a second remaining in regulation determined the outcome.  First, with the Pacers leading 95-93 with 0.8 seconds left, the Cavs tried an alley-oop inbounds play to LeBron James.  Danny Granger went up with him, and James drew the foul on the contact.  He hit both free throws to tie the game.  Then with 0.2 seconds left, referee Joey Crawford called a foul on Bron, and Danny Granger hit one of two free throws to ice a 96-95 win.  Cavs coach Mike Brown was livid after the game, calling referee Joey Crawford's call "horse crap" and "the worst call I've ever been a part of."  (Click here to read more of Brown's comments.  They're worth the read.) Expect a fine for that one, Mr. Brown.  But the man has a point.  A foul with 0.2 seconds left?  Seems like a make-up call to me.  That's what Brown alleged, and after seeing the replay, it certainly looks like overtime would have been the better option.  Another point here, why is Joey Crawford still employed?  This guy has butchered many calls over the years.  He thinks fans are coming out to watch him referee.  David Stern should have his pink-slip in the mail today.
• Finally, for all you puckheads out there, a great match-up last night may have changed the argument for which team is the best in hockey.  A lot of hockey experts would probably tell you the Boston Bruins are the best team in the league this year.  In 55 games played, they have accrued the most points, with 85, as they're 39-9-7 on the year.  But last night the best of the west, the San Jose Sharks slapped the B's with a 5-2 win in Boston to come within 4 points of the black and gold.  San Jose, in just 51 games, is 37-7-7 after the win, and scored four goals in the 3rd period on Tim Thomas to win it.  (And no, it's not the same Tim Thomas who Scott awarded a spot on the "All Don't Give a Crap Team".)  San Jose is loaded, just as is Boston, but last night was definitely a statement win, especially when you consider the Bruins only have lost four times in regulation on their home ice.  Granted, I'd say the Eastern Conference is tougher than the Western Conference this year in hockey from top to bottom, but the Sharks definitely showed that the best of the west is just as good if not better than the best in the east.  Oh, and what sweet revenge for former Bruins captain Joe Thornton.  

Hack Wilson, Anyone?

LeBron James triple-double of Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden is no more.  The NBA determined Friday morning that one of his rebounds actually should have been credited to Ben Wallace, and the mistake was corrected.

This is one of those stories that makes me cringe.  Does it really matter?  Can't LeBron just have the rebound?

Listen, I'm all for accuracy in recording of statistics.  Stats are extraordinarily important in sports these days.  They help determine a player's value for his next contract, they help millions of fantasy geeks live (a.k.a. Scott) and they are fascinating for sports fans to analyze.  

But does this one rebound really matter?

The NBA, upon further review noticed that the rebound in question, credited to James with 39.3 seconds left, actually fell into the hand of Wallace who quickly fed it to James as he led the break.  It is the correct call, no question.  Having seen the highlight on PTI today, it's obvious the statistic was incorrect.

Why did the NBA get it wrong to begin with?  It seemed like a pretty obvious rebound to me.

I know the league is really worried about its image and credibility after the whole Tim Donaghy debacle.  But this seems like a plea to reassure its fans that they care about getting things right now more than they care about what is good for the game.

It's like when Major League Baseball credited Hack Wilson with his single season record 191st RBI sixty-nine years after the record was thought to be 190 RBI in 1930.

BERNing on Yahoo

The Kobe and LeBron show of the last few nights has certainly been the talk of the sports world, and it has been no different here.  After my post last night on my conspiracy theory, it has now been picked up elsewhere.

J.E. Skeets, who does a fantastic job with the "Ball Don't Lie" NBA Blog on Yahoo! Sports, put BERNing's take on his blog.  Check it out.

Conspiracy Theory, But Maybe True

What if I told you the New York Knicks had a team meeting last week.  

In that meeting, GM Donnie Walsh, Owner James Dolan, head coach Mike D'Antoni and the powers that be with the Knicks sat around a table at Madison Square Garden and came up with an ingenious plan:  make sure that when Kobe and LeBron come to town, they have record setting games.  Play less defense, let them light up the scoreboard, and make them feel like the Garden is magical.

Let them be showered with praise by the Garden crowd.  Let them be the top story on SportsCenter for a night.  Let their performances be the talk of the town for a while.

That way, when both become free agents in the infamous summer of 2010, both will have fond memories of playing in New York.

It would certainly make it easier to entice them to join the Knicks then, wouldn't it?  

They can just look back at their all-world performances from the winter of 2009, on back-to-back games at the Garden.  Kobe pours in 61, LeBron goes for a triple-double with 52 points.  Ah, how sweet it would be to play 41 games a year in that building.  

The Knicks have already made it clear that they'll be contenders for top talent when that big summer comes around.  They've already made some moves to get them well under the cap so they can take on a couple max contracts.  And everyone knows this year the Knicks aren't going anywhere, barring an unforeseen run to the eighth seed in the East and a first round playoff defeat.  

The fans know that everyone in Manhattan is gearing up for that big summer, so they have already accepted the team will stink the next couple years.  They're all looking ahead to that summer of 2010, and are expecting a top flight free agent to be wearing orange and blue come the fall of that year.

So what better time than now to plant the seed in the players' minds?  It's not like you have to convince Mike D'Antoni to have his team play lackluster defense.

It was probably an easy sell in that meeting with his superiors, because relaxing on defense for a couple nights could mean Kobe and LeBron in a year and a half.

Hump Day Headlines: Afternoon Edition

In this week's Hump Day Headlines, we discuss Barry Bonds' latest mess, Michael Phelps potential criminal charges, David Beckham's failed soccer experiment, and LeBron reaches 12,000 points...

• As we have mentioned in past Hump Day Headlines, we've been waiting a while for the day to come when Barry Bonds would finally get nailed for cheating his way to baseball's all-time home run crown.  Despite everyone's best efforts to discredit the hundreds of pages filled with evidence damning Bonds in Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada's Game of Shadows, and the fact that not enough has been made of the fact that Bonds has already admitted to steroid use but says "he didn't knowingly take them", we now know that the proof is in the pudding, or urine sample.  The Federal Government has decided to unseal evidence against the slugger that includes multiple positive drug tests.  Bonds attorneys will try yet again to discredit these drug tests, which date back to 2003, but how a jury could actually be convinced that Bonds didn't know that he was taking steroids yet was consistently failing drug tests would really be a miracle.  Then again, O.J. somehow got away free.
• Now that Michael Phelps had been caught in a photo smoking marijuana from a pipe at the University of South Carolina, he could face criminal charges for his actions.  The Richland County Sheriff's department is investigating the situation, and apparently has a very tough stance on drugs (then again, who doesn't?).  The photo was revealed in "News of the World" a British tabloid, and can also be seen right here on this very site, courtesy of Scott's recent post.  Unlike Scott, I don't think you can give Phelps a pass for this act despite the fact that he's 23.  I'm 23, and Scott is 22, and if either of us were caught smoking pot we'd get into trouble.  Granted, many could chalk it up to us being young and dumb, and for that opinion those people would be right.  But neither of us is making monopoly money for endorsements with countless companies or is expected to be a role model for kids across the globe.  Phelps is a moron for rolling the dice with his reputation, especially after he had already been picked up for an under-age D.U.I.  I say Phelps deserves whatever prosecution he gets, and it's a shame he would be so dumb.  I guess he's not the wholesome kid we all hoped he might be.
• Remember when David Beckham came to the U.S. to play soccer for the Los Angeles Galaxy as a way to popularize the world's game in this country?  That experiment surely failed.  He's barely through two years of a 5-year, 32.5 million dollar contract that was going to pay him far more cash in endorsements, and he's trying to get out of his deal to remain with Italy's A.C. Milan, the team he has been playing with for the last month and a half.  His lawyers are currently talking with the Galaxy to see if he can get out of his deal.  So basically, David Beckham's career in the states was short, filled with injury, and unimportant.  It was a novelty at the beginning, but fizzled quickly, like when Katie Couric got the CBS News job and people tuned in for the first week and then went back to their regular destinations.  That ends the argument that soccer could ever be popular in America.  If David Beckham can't do it, no one can.
• With his 33 points in last night's 101-83 win over the Raptors, Cavaliers forward LeBron James has eclipsed the 12,000 point mark for his career.  He is the fastest player ever to reach that scoring total, faster than Michael and faster than Kobe.  At 24 years, 35 days old, he passed Kobe who reached 12,000 at 25 years, 220 days old.  Said Cavs coach Mike Brown, "He's still going to get better, that's the scary thing."  There's an understatement.  The way LeBron is going, there's no telling what kind of statistics he can amass as his career moves along, and he could finish with the best statistics of any player in NBA history.  But until he wins a bunch of titles, and makes his team a champion around him, he'll never get to where every new NBA star has to get to, and that of course is Michael's standard. 

Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? Or, Other?

Like it or not NBA haters, there are some serious stars in the game today.  While none of them carry the weight of the NBA on their shoulders like Jordan, Bird or Magic, they're pretty damn good in their own right.  But, you know that.

Not that anyone needed any reminding whatsoever, but Kobe Bryant went out last night in New York and lit up the Knickerbockers.  20 of 20 from the line, 61 points in just over 36 minutes.  Here's a look at all of those points.  

OK, so again, you knew all this.  Kobe Bryant is good at basketball.  However, around spectacular events such as the one documented in moving pictures above, there seems to always be debate generated about "Who is the best?"  Is it LeBron James?  Is it Kobe?  Is it another guy, maybe Dwyane Wade, or Chris Paul or Dwight Howard?  

Sometimes, I must say, I don't get this debate.  Who is to say which player is better?  In what category?  I'd probably rather have Kobe on my team with the game on the line, but as far as a fantasy team, I'd likely take Bron Bron.  Kobe's won championships, sure, but never on his own or without some serious help.  LeBron took his team to a championship without any serious assistance from the other 11 active Cavaliers at the time, and simply ran into a better Spurs team.  You could go over stats and awards doled out to the two players til you were blue in the face.  So, to save that likely dangerous situation, I'm changing the terms of the debate.  My question is, with all these players still in their prime, which would you take to start a team?

Right off, I'm crossing Wade off my list.  He's a phenomenal talent, has played big on the biggest of stages, and can do just about everything.  Problem with him though is two-fold.  First, he's been too injury prone in his career.  Second, dude hasn't been able to do much in the way of winning on his own.  

Next to go is Dwight Howard.  I love Superman, truly.  And, while I'm a big proponent of centering your team around your big man, especially one that can block shots and lock down the paint, I just don't think I'd take Howard over these other guys.  His game just has too many holes in it right now.  He isn't a great passer yet, can't hit free throws, and doesn't have a great offensive game (outside of putbacks and dunks).

Now for the most intriguing debate: LeBron or Kobe next? (Ooops...I think I just blew who I would take.  Damn it!).  People that don't watch a ton of LeBron think it's "in the know" to say that he doesn't really have a jumpshot.  That just isn't true.  He's worked big time on it over the past few seasons, and while it's not at Kobe's level (and likely won't ever be) it's certainly better.  He's got the great all-around statistical game that Kobe doesn't have, but there's something about Kobe's determination to simply dominate and destroy that would have me scratching off LeBron first.  Not to say Bron doesn't care, he does, no doubt.  But, Kobe seems like the kind of guy that would kill his brother if it meant guaranteeing a win. That instinct has to count for something.  Truly though, toss up between the two based on personal preference. 

The guy I'd take is Chris Paul.  I know he got hurt last night, but, assuming he's fine (word is mild groin strain) he's my choice.  Paul is that rare, once-in-a-lifetime combination of player that can be both the best scorer and best distributor in a given game, at any time.  Granted, he's far better as a distributor, but he's shown (on many occasions) that he can take a game over offensively if need.  Defensively, he's as quick with his hands and into the passing lanes as anyone in the league.  He shoots a better percentage from the line than everyone mentioned above not named Bryant (only by .2%, by the way).  He can do everything (he, not LeBron or Kobe, leads the league in triple-doubles and is third in the league in double-doubles).  

To me, the league has changed from being dominated by bigs to being dominated by guards.  Paul can anchor a team for years to come, while allowing a secondary star to blossom as well.  When your best player doesn't need to score much to be the best player in the game (think Brevin Knight, but amazing), that's a good thing.

And now, of course, your turn.  Who would you take, starting a team, tomorrow.  And no, Sam Dalembert isn't an acceptable answer.

Hall of Fame Personality? No. Hall of Famer? Yes.

Jeff Kent is planning to retire Thursday afternoon.  The all-time home run leader among second basemen hit seventy-four more home runs (351 as a second baseman, 377 overall) than the previous record holder, hall of famer Ryne Sandberg (282 career home runs, 277 at second base).

He was the MVP of the National League in 2000, and was a five time all-star.  Kent was the most feared hitter among second basemen once Sandberg retired, and he put together some fantastic years for San Francisco during the peak of Barry Bonds steroid induced run.

There's no question that he should get into the hall of fame one day.  After all, how could a guy that holds the record for most home runs at his predominant position not get a call to Cooperstown?  

Kent was a great hitter who hit more than twenty home runs in nine straight seasons (1997-2005).   But his surly personality and his unwillingness to back down to teammates is what he might be remembered for most.  If there's anything that keeps him out of the hall on the first few ballots, it will be his tumultuous relationship with the media.

Is it fair?  Maybe not.  Though the fact remains that the way a player is perceived by the Baseball Writers of America, those who vote for him, is immensely critical to his potential enshrinement.

Jeff Kent had his famous shouting match with Barry Bonds in the dugout, which made him look good to people that knew Bonds was a terrible clubhouse influence at times.  But it didn't help his image in the media.

Nor did his lie to media that his 2002 motorcycle crash happened because he 'fell while washing it'.  When San Francisco Chronicle writer Henry Schulman found later that he fell off his bike while doing a wheelie, when the Giants had distinctly told him and Bonds not to, he became much less friendly to the writers in which he had previously confided.

Jeff Kent was never considered one of the good guys.  And he never had enough clout to be so surly.  While former teammate Barry Bonds was smashing the single season home run record in 2001 with 73 round trippers, (granted, we now know he did that using steroids, [allegedly, ha!]) Bonds could afford to act the way he wanted around the media because at the time he wielded such immense power in the game.  Kent was softer spoken, but while he quietly racked up quality season after quality season, he never let the media in, and consequently never received any positive publicity.

Media darlings like Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and LeBron James can do no wrong in the press.  As a result, one day their careers will be revered and celebrated, then validated by trips to the hall of fame.  In the case of Kent, he'll never have the fan fare.  He'll never have the appreciation associated with what was a great career.  Sure, he's not at the level of the three players mentioned above, but because he was never thought of as a good person, he'll never be recognized for a superb and steady seventeen year career.

So if Kent was smart, he'd smile and be cheerful in announcing his retirement.  Because if that's the last image we have of Kent as a baseball player, for his sake, it better be a positive one. 

Who In The H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks is Paul Shirley?

Good question.  

Many of you may not have ever even heard of Paul Shirley, though some of our more diehard Chicago Bull fans/readers might have...  

Paul Shirley's a fella (rather large one, about 6'10") that played for parts of three different seasons with three different NBA teams.  LeBron James, this month, has had games that nearly eclipse Shirley's entire career totals. 

In my searches, the best description of Paul Shirley came from the About the Author of his book, which he likely wrote himself:

"Paul Shirley is a human being who sometimes plays basketball and sometimes writes books--although, to this point, he has done more of the former than the latter, as evidenced by the number of basketball  games in which he as played (approx. 700) versus the number of books he has written (exactly 1)."

And now, if you've read this far, you have to be wondering, why should I care?

Well, for those of you that read (no, this doesn't count, I'm talking about those things that are actually bound and have page numbers and covers--books, I believe?), I've got a suggestion for you if you're looking for a new page turner.

And no, Paul Shirley isn't paying me to say this.  Matter of fact, I barely paid him to be able to say this to you (more on that later).

The name of the book is "Can I Keep My Jersey:  11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond".  Initially, when I saw this book on the shelves of a local Barnes and Noble a while back, I thought, why on Earth would I want to read 300 pages about a guy that couldn't even play a lick in the NBA?

As it turns out, that's precisely why I'd enjoy reading it.  The great thing about this book is that it isn't just for NBA diehards.  Why?  Frankly, he's rarely in the league and can barely stand the types of guys that it tends to employ.   

Written in a journal format, Shirley details the four years of his basketball career which took him to nearly every corner of the Earth (from Phoenix to Kazan, Russia to Greece to Atlanta to...).  To call the book witty, honest, and interesting would be an understatement.

Amongst Shirley's seemingly endless rants are the following:

• Why religion has no place in sports.  That same guy with a tattoo that says "Only God Can Judge Me" will be the first to check the sports page in the morning to see what the beat writer had to say.
• The craziness that is the concept that people, worldwide, seem more than willing to pay him to play a game.
• His constant inability to relate to basically every NBA player.
• Stories about life in the ABA and European basketball. (A particularly interesting one:  in an ABA game, a referee knowingly blew calls against Shirley's team because the opposing Mexican team's officials threatened to kill him.  Shocking.  Scary.  Hysterical.)

And so, if this has piqued your interest, I have yet another suggestion.  If you're looking to buy books at Amazon.com or any other of those on-line book sites, make sure you buy them under the New & Used Section.  It cost me, with shipping, just over eight dollars.  Not bad.  

This book won't win Pulitzer Prizes, but it's an easy read, and an honest look at the life of a pro-athlete. I'd venture to say that most of our readers haven't played professional sports, and for that reason would like to know more about how it all works.  This book should help with that.  And, you'll definitely laugh along the way.

Back and Forth: Fixing The NBA Edition

Jordan: Scott, I have two radical ways we can change the NBA so that it's no longer an inferior product. (And you can fight me on whether it's really an inferior product or not in a second.) But before you tell me I'm insane, hear me out. First, the NBA should limit timeouts to three per half. We already have built in TV timeouts, and with 7 extra team time outs per half, the game stops and starts far too much. One of the appeals of NBA basketball, or basketball in general for that matter, is it's fast paced action. The NBA has ruined that by having so many time outs, especially in the last two minutes. Second, for every foul in the last two minutes of a game, teams should be awarded three free throw tries each time. This would help prevent the 45 minutes that it takes to finish the last two minutes of an NBA game. Also, all those timeouts are full time outs, since the 20 second time outs are really just full timeouts that don't go to commercial.

Scott: First of all, you are insane.

J: Why am I insane?

S: Well, to be honest, for reasons unconnected to this argument, which makes some sense, but not a whole heck of a lot. Would you like me to tell you why?

J: That would be good, yes.

S: First of all, college basketball has the same sort of problem with too many timeouts and fouling at the end of games, no? And does anyone complain that the action there is too slowly paced? Honestly, does the game need all of these extra timeouts? Probably not, you're right. But I don't think that would solve the problem. The fouling thing, well that's just strategy, boring as it may be.

J: Ok, I hear you. But you never explained why I'm insane. Maybe that's assumed. Either way, the fouling and timeouts are an issue with college basketball too. I agree. But the NBA is the league declining in popularity and not college hoops. These are the better athletes in the pro game, so why shouldn't it have more interest? If you make it a faster paced game, it has a different style and likely more appeal to the mass audience that has soured on it. Oh, and the strategy of fouling ruins basketball on both levels. Try this: play defense.

S: Let's clear up the confusion. You're insane, like I've said, for reasons unconnected to this post. However, would a bit of defense help? Yes. But as far as I'm concerned, that's not the biggest problem.

J: Then what is the biggest problem?

S: Thought you'd never ask.

J: I'm an inquisitive man, Scott.

S: So I've noticed. Basically, it comes down to a lack of rivalries. Simply put, there aren't any left in the NBA. None. Think about it for a second, can you come up with any?

J: Well, no. Maybe Lakers/Spurs, Spurs/Suns, Celtics/Cavs or Celtics/Hawks. But I suppose those are just recent rivalries and not legitimate rivalries that you can count on year after year.

S: Exactly. Think back to when the NBA was truly great. Just say Michael, get it over with. You know you want to.

J: Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Whew, out of the system.

S: Good, now we can all progress.

J: Bulls/Pistons, Celtics/Lakers, Knicks/Heat, Bulls/Knicks...

S: See, that's what I'm talking about. Knicks versus everyone basically. If you were playing in the mid-90s and didn't hate the Knicks, you weren't alive. But that sort of hatred of teams and not just cities (be fair, we hate Boston more than the actual Celtics largely because they were bought a summer ago) is what is lacking in the NBA today.

J: Quite true. But how do we restore rivalries? David Stern has the marketing of the players down pat. How does he rekindle the old rivalries?

S: That I can't answer. You didn't ask me to actually solve the problem. Just address it.

J: True enough. So for the time being, my rule changes would help.

S: I can only do so much. As it is now, I'm already listening to music and talking to you. To taxing already.

J: Sorry to strain your already small mind.

S: Rule changes might help mask the problem, at least for a small while. Not solve it, that's for sure.

J: But they would ultimately help too. Wouldn't you rather the game be faster paced and have less stoppages? It doesn't solve everything, but it does make NBA a better product.

S: Yeah it would. But because in college and even in the pros back when it was viable some years back, there were the same amount of timeouts and fouling at the end of the games and all that nonsense. And yet the product was still enjoyable. There were stars back then. There are some great stars now. Maybe now, to be honest, there are more. The lacking factor here? rivalries. Of course, no one's going to be MJ. That's ridiculous. but the NBA doesn't need another MJ to restore some glory.

J: That hurts, I agree. But the renaissance with the league is over and it's time to make some changes.

S: Kobe's and LeBron's and D-Wade's are enough star power.

J: It doesn't need another MJ, but people will always negatively compare those players to MJ. That's another problem with the league. The last decade or so has been the MJ hangover.

S: Again though, I think that's because there's been nothing for the fans to focus on alternatively. If there had been some great rivalries and such, people would be focusing on the product rather than what it was missing.

J: Maybe. All I know is I'll never be as interested in it unless there are changes. Whether that's a new rivalry to watch or rule changes. But I'd rather it be rule changes because those are easier to fix. You can't call up two teams and ask them to hate each other for the good of the league. (Although It would be great if you could)

S: It just takes one tough guy like Al Horford to start some crap. And if those two teams face off again [the Celtics and Hawks] that will be fun again. All I know is, I'm starving. Not for some NBA action, but for food.

J: Well then go eat and I'll get David Stern on the phone.

Top 10 Media Pet Peeve Cliches

Ever listen to the radio, watch TV, or read something in the paper or on the Internet where you really just don't know what the heck they mean?  You hear it said all the time, but it has makes no sense.  Here's a list of my top ten media pet peeve cliches...

10.  "At The Hands Of"

Ever hear broadcasters say this phrase?  Did a team really lose "at the hands of" another?  Or did they just lose?  Does Villanova really fall at the hands of Louisville, or does Villanova just fall?  Or lose?  It's sort of like the phrase "in order to".  Why not just say, to?  Sometimes broadcasters try to get too cute.  When I hear them say "at the hands of", I think that a player fell into the hands of another.  And if that was the case, I'm not sure I'd want to know about it.

9.  "Get on the same page"

Which page do they need to get on?  I always here sportscaster say, these two guys need to get on the same page.  Don't they mean they need to communicate better?  That they need to make sure that they're both focused on the same thing?  Are they sometimes on different pages of the same book?  And who's further ahead?  Are they playing sports out there or reading a book?

  

8.  Football broadcasters that use baseball cliches

There isn't a particular one that's most often used, but you often hear football broadcasters say, "he's a home-run hitter" or "they need to step up to the plate".  Football has a lot of cliche phrases.  Use your own.  Think about how annoying it would get to cross cliches through all different sports.

7.  "Play Within Yourself"/"Don't try to do too much"

How does one do this?  Maybe more to the point, you do you play without yourself, or play outside of yourself?  This is another phrase that I really don't understand.  And how does an athlete do too much?  Other than in golf, where you try to score the least strokes, in which sport do you not want to score the most you can?  Or make the most assists?  Or make the most plays?  In which instance wouldn't you want to do too much?

6.  "That was some kind of play"

What kind of play was it?  Was it a great play?  A spectacular play?  An acrobatic play?  A bad play? An awful play?  It's the media's job to help us fans interpret what kind of play it was.  And look at the phrase.  What does it really mean? What is some kind of play?

5.  "They just wanted it more"

Does that mean that the other team didn't want to win as badly?  The losing team must have said to itself, "you know?  We really don't have to win.  Let's just let them win instead."  Are you kidding me?  In sports, both teams want it just as much.  Both teams want to win just as badly as their opponents.  

4.  "He's a player"

As opposed to, he's not a player?  If he's playing a sport, isn't he by definition a player?  Whenever someone is having a great game, the broadcaster seems to always point out this surprising and incredible fact, "he's a player."  I know.  He is paid to play sports, or he goes to school to play them.  Tell me something I don't know.  Isn't that your job?

3.  "He lets the game come to him"

Mark Jackson said Friday night about LeBron James outstanding performance against the Celtics, "he lets the game come to him."  What does that mean?  Does that mean when he's playing poorly, he's pushing the game away from him?  I've never understood what that means, but analysts always say that.

2.  "You Talk About"

So many analysts, most notably Paul Maguire, before making his point always says the words "you talk about".  For instance, he'll say, "You talk about a great quarterback, Peyton Manning is a great quarterback."  Do we need to say that?  If you're talking about it, you're talking about it.  Why say "you talk about", when we're already talking about it?

1.  "When He Wants To Be"

I heard Mike Salk on ESPN Radio say "Tarvaris Jackson is accurate when he wants to be."  Does that mean that when he sails one over Bobby Wade's head that he didn't want to be accurate?  I've heard so many media personalities say that players are better when they want to be.  Don't they always want to be better?  What does that even mean?

And by the way, on tonight's broadcast of the Titans vs. Ravens on CBS, Dan Dierdorf, while I'm writing this post said, "It would be cliche for me to say it and it's probably one of the most overused cliches in sports, but I'll say it anyway.  These teams don't like each other."  Greg Gumbel replied, "I'm not sure if that cliche even describes it."  Dierdorf countered, "Then what would you say, bad blood?"

Sports cliches are as much a part of sports as the games themselves.

Crab Dribble, Travel, Who's Counting

Seconds counting down in the Cavs-Wizards game a few nights ago, LeBron James embarked upon a fateful journey towards the rim. He'd beat his man, Caron Butler, get to the basket, get hit, and make the layup.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught, as he was called for traveling (yes, you read that right. a travel call in the NBA, in the final seconds of a close game. amazing, no?)

Of course, Bron Bron, even after seeing replays of the violation, refused to give in. He termed his move a "crab dribble".  

Now, let's be honest here, put all the ole cards on the table. I've been following basketball since I was a little kid. Never, ever have I heard of a crab dribble.  I've looked, it doesn't appear in the NBA rule book, anywhere.  Jalen Rose came on ESPN and said that such a thing did exist (though it wasn't what LeBron did). Still, crab or lobster or shrimp dribble or whatever you want to call it, that's a travel.

Good for referee Bill Spooner for making that call. From the AP, "Spooner explained his call in an e-mail: '3 steps on the move to the basket. Basic travel call.'" And you know what, that's exactly what happened.

If you don't believe me, take Caron Butler's word for it. He plays in the NBA, last I checked, and he can't help but chuckle.

At first, it might seem like payback for distant memories of travels long ago (yes, that too was a blatant walk, but somehow wasn't called).  But, when you watch it again, it simply is what it was, a blatant walk in a league that practically encourages and glorifies those that do.

By the way, if you're looking for a refresher course on exactly what constitutes a travel, please check this informative video out.  

My final thought on this is, has it gotten so bad that not only are players traveling, but they're in denial about when they're doing it?  Am I to believe that one of the best players in the world doesn't know the rule for a travel?  Is he so used to things going his way that he just makes up rules when the ones in place don't suit him?

I know he's the King, but, come on already.  A walk is a walk.  Period.