Categories
NBA General

Knicks are still the most valuable franchise in the NBA


Even Isiah Thomas couldn’t ruin the Knicks, at least on the asset sheet. Despite having the league’s highest payroll at $125M and only 23 wins last year, the Knicks are the most valuable franchise in the NBA according to a list released by Forbes. The reason? They luxury suites at MSG run upwards of $400k each. Still, the Knicks lost $39 in operating profit last year. (As everyone knows, paying Larry Brown to go away costs money.)

In case you don’t want to sit through the Forbes slideshow, here are the 2006 NBA Franchise valuations.

1. New York Knicks: $592M
2. LA Lakers: $568M
3. Dallas Mavericks: $463M
4. Chicago Bulls: $461M
5. Houston Rockets: $439M
6. Detroit Pistons: $429M
7. Phoenix Suns: $410M
8. Miami Heat: $409M
9. San Antonio Spurs: $390M
10. Cleveland Cavaliers: $380M
11. Sacramento Kings: $379M
12. Philadelphia 76ers: $375M
13. Boston Celtics: $367M
14. Indiana Pacers: $340M
15. Washington Wizards: $334M
16. New Jersey nets: $325M
17. Toronto Raptors: $315M
18. Memphis Grizzlies: $313M
19. Denver Nuggets: $309M
20. Minnesota Timberwolves: $308M
21. Utah Jazz: $297M
22. LA Clippers: $285M
23. Orlando Magic: $283M
24. Charlotte Bobcats: $277M
25. Atlanta Hawks: $275M
26. Seattle Supersonics: $268M
27. Golden State Warriors: $267M
28. Milwaukee Bucks: $260M
29. New Orleans Hornets: $248M
30. Portland Trailblazers: $230M

Links:
[Forbes.com]: The Business of Basketball

Categories
NFL General

How to please your man on Super Bowl Sunday

We stumbled upon this little press release today. And while we can’t actually disagree with any of it, we’d like to simplify it into two steps.

1. Give him oral.
2. Leave.

That’s it. Don’t pretend to want to watch the game. Don’t pretend you want to learn about something so “important in his life”. Prepare the food, oral, leave. This applies to every football Sunday but is even more important for the big game. Unless you were a bonafide football fanatic before you met him, just leave.

Here’s a tip ladies: guys might say they think a girl who loves football is awesome but they don’t really mean it. They just think if you actually liked football, you wouldn’t nag him all the time when he’s watching football with his buddies. Given the choice between not being able to watch football on Sundays and having to watch it with you, of course he’d rather watch it with you. But if he had his druthers, he’d prefer to watch it alone or with his buddies. You get about 344 days out of the year, is it so much to just leave him be for 17 weeks of regular season and 4 weeks of playoffs? That is the best advice we can give you. As the esteemed poet Nikki Sixx wrote, Girl, don’t go away mad…just go away.

Categories
All Other Sports

The Youth in Asia finally get Barbaro


In a simple one paragraph AP story, the end of Barbaro was written.

Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday morning after complications from his breakdown at the Preakness last May.

“We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain,” co-owner Roy Jackson said. “It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time.

The Barbaro message board will be out of control with unintentional comedy of people who are a little over the top so check it out now. It’s sad that Barbaro has been put down but, in the end, he was… a horse.

Categories
NBA General

Shaq serves and protects (his own stuff)


Here’s a novel way to meet your favorite NBA star: hit his Escalade and then drive away. According to police, Shaq and his bodyguard Robin saw a man hit his Escalade. They “leapt into the damaged sport utility vehicle to give chase.” They then caught up with the driver and the passenger and called the police.

The two men, Emmnueo Cibrin and Junior Rondon, said they were going to stop but then saw an Escalade chasing them so they kept going. This actually sort of makes sense but that didn’t stop the police from charging them with leaving the scene of an accident.

Can you imagine hitting a car and then seeing a 7’1″ 325 pound guy chasing you and then stepping out of his car. And then seeing that it’s Shaq? First you’re peeing your pants, then you’re wondering if you have a sharpie in the car for an autograph. They’ve gotta figure out a way to build Shaq into the next Grand Theft Auto.

Links:
[Miami.com]: Shaq helps Miami police nab hit-and-run driver

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Move Em Out!

1. Country Roads, Take Me Home
Nothing comes between a Texan and his rodeo, so for the next two weeks the Spurs will have to vacate the AT&T Center as the arena is inundated with denim and livestock.  San Antonio began an eight game road trip yesterday with a close win over the Lakers in overtime.  Going back to last week, the Spurs are in the middle of a stretch with 11 of 14 games coming on the road.  But things could be worse; at least Tim Duncan has been putting up some of his best games of the year of late.  Timmy has flirted with triple-doubles in each of the past two contests.  Against Memphis on Friday Duncan finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high nine blocks; he followed that by coming one assist shy of a triple dip (21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists) against the Lakers yesterday afternoon.

2.  Randolph Shoots and Shoots and Shoots
Portland’s Zach Randolph put up a career-high 42 in a double overtime win against Memphis on Saturday, but the points didn’t exactly come in spectacular fashion.  It took 47 minutes and 40 shots before Randolph finally grabbed his personal offensive record, and he only hit 16 of the franchises’ new record in attempts.  Only one other player has jacked up at least 40 shots over the last five years, the Mamba himself.  Kobe Bryant has done it with regularity as he has pulled off the feat six times in five years.  The only difference between Bryant and Randolph is that Bryant’s 40+ shots usually result in point totals somewhere between 50 and, say, 81.

3. Long Balls
At the end of the first quarter of yesterday’s game between New York and Milwaukee, Knicks guard Nate Robinson shot and made a buzzer-beater from just inside the midcourt stripe.  Unfortunately, the trio of party-pooping refs wouldn’t allow the shot to count after reviewing the replay.  So, with time running out at the end of the first half, Robinson took a pass and heaved up a shot from about three-fourths of the court that hit nothing but net.  Maybe Nate should be in the three point competition instead of the slam dunk contest.  After all, he did go two for two from 35 feet and out, while it took him close to 20 attempts before hitting a slam off the backboard.

Sunday’s Player of the Day:  Antawn Jamison @ Boston 41 min, 34 pts (FG: 13-22, 3FG: 4-8, FT: 4-6), 7 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl

Monday’s Game to Watch:  Phoenix (36-8) @ Minnesota (21-22) Since suffering through a season-high six game losing streak, Kevin Garnett has his team rolling after an impressive road win over the Clippers.  Think that sounds good?  Neither do the Suns.  Phoenix is the hottest team in the league after they picked up their 17th straight victory, which is tied for the fifth longest in NBA history.  The Suns are now over half way to the all-time record set by the 1971-72 Lakers who won 33 in a row.  But don’t expect Phoenix to be grabbing that record anytime soon.  Should they win 34 straight, it would occur against Charlotte on March 7.

Buzzer Beater: Looks like Ben Wallace escaped with just a scare after colliding with Miami’s Udonis Haslem on Saturday.  An MRI on his left knee showed no structural damage, leaving the center listed as day to day.  But the Bulls would love to get Big Ben back soon as they begin a seven game, Western Conference road trip on Wednesday.  Three teams are separated by one game in the Central Division so there’s not a lot room for error; and Ben Gordon can only do so much without a little help defensively.

Categories
MLB General

Jan 29 in Sports History: Inaugural Hall of Fame classes

In 1936: The first members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY were named. The first class to be inducted was Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Honus Wagner. While the term hall of fame was always used metaphorically, the Baseball Hall of Fame was the first of its kind in sports. Now, there’s a Bowling Hall of Fame (St. Louis), a Motorsports Hall of Fame (Talladega, AL), even a freaking Shuffleboard Hall of Fame (St. Petersburg, FL). Although, the selection process has been tweaked over the years, it still takes 75 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA –  sounds more like a porn group on Myspace) to be enshrined.

In 1963: The first class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced on the same day 27 years later. The list of inductees was much longer than baseball’s. It included Sammy Baugh, Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski, Bert Bell, George Halas, Pete Henry, Cal Hubbard, George Preston Marshall, Johnny “Blood” McNally, Red Grange, Mel Hein, Ernie Nevers, Dutch Clark, Curly Lambeau, Don Hutson, Tim Mara and Joe Carr. Each member had to be inducted by a unanimous vote that year. The selection process has changed over the years, and the current voting only allows for three to six members to be enshrined every year.

In 1995: Another year, another NFC team destroying an AFC team in the Super Bowl (I’m telling you, it ruined my childhood). This time, Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers did the honors by beating the 19-point underdog San Diego Chargers 49-26 (in one of the worst non-covers of all time). Young found Jerry Rice for a 44-yard touchdown on the game’s third play and went on to a record six touchdown passes. It was the eleventh straight win for the NFC, and the fifth Super Bowl in as many tries for San Francisco.

Categories
Boston Red Sox

Top 10 Dumbest in-game Injuries: #6 Clarence "Climax" Blethen

[Sportscolumn is running down the ten dumbest in-game injuries in sports.  Here’s #6.]

We’re going old school with this injury.  Clarence Blethen isn’t a name that most baseball fans know, but once you’ve heard his story he’s pretty hard to forget.  Blethen was a toothless 30 year old rookie pitcher for the Red Sox in 1923.  Climax felt that he appeared more intimidating on the mound when he removed his false teeth.  In order to keep his choppers safe while pitching he would keep them in his back pocket.  On September 21, it finally happened; he forgot to reinsert his dentures and while sliding into second base, he literally bit his own ass.

Back to #7 | Forward to #5

Categories
NFL General

The reports of Terry Bradshaw’s demise greatly exaggerated



I’m alive dammit!

We kinda like ProFootballTalk.com but they really screwed the pooch this time. On Thursday, they ran a story with the headline “Terry Bradshaw Dead?” which said, “We’re picking up some unconfirmed reports from diverse sources that… Terry Bradshaw died in a car accident on Thursday.”

Listen, PFT, just because you put a question mark in the headline and say it’s from “unconfirmed sources” doesn’t mean it’s any less irresponsible. PFT makes a good living making up shit… er… reporting on rumors… but you can’t post a rumor that someone is dead. (For the record, Terry Bradshaw isn’t dead, he’s just on vacation.)

One possible source of the rumors is that a TV station in Louisiana reported an accident on the Terry Bradshaw Passway and it was interpreted as Terry Bradshaw passed away. How about a little fact checking? And people wonder why traditional journalists hate bloggers.

By the way, the guy who publishes PFT ran a post where he actually ends up blasting traditional journalists for blasting him cause he screwed up. Now that, friends, is chutzpah… or self-delusion.

Links:
[Philly Daily News]: Blogged to Death

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: The Top Ten


1. Same Ol’ Faces
The fans have spoken and what they said really wasn’t all that surprising. After all, the typical NBA consumer bases their vote on popularity instead of looking at legitimate value over the first half of the season. In the East it’s going to be Shaq, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Gilbert Arenas. The West will be made up of Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. The lineups could be tweaked, but that will happen about seven minutes into the game. At least the fans didn’t overlook Bosh as he remains isolated in the Bizarro World. But in the end, it really doesn’t matter who gets the starting nod. The coaches are going to give everyone some minutes and then play their hottest five during the fourth quarter.

2. Late Rally
Leave it to Gilbert Arenas to provide some last minute dramatics and be on the winning side of one of the closest voting margins to ever determine a starting spot on an All-Star team. Two weeks ago, Arenas was 214,460 votes behind New Jersey’s Vince Carter for one of the Eastern Conference’s guard spots. But in a matter of 14 days, Agent 0 closed the gap and just barely surpassed Carter by only 3,010 votes. This isn’t the first time that Vinsanity has lost his starting spot to a Wizard. In 2003, Carter gave up his role as a starter to fellow North Carolina alumni, Michael Jordan. The fact that Arenas has been talking smack about dropping “84 or 85” on Duke has to make the demotion a little easier to take for Carter.

3. 3rd Times Not a Charm
Three games, three points, three losses. The Nets have got to be getting sick of these last second defeats after dropping their third consecutive loss by a single point. New Jersey is in the middle of a five game, west coast road trip that has started with losses to the Kings, Warriors and Clippers. The first dagger was put in the Nets by Mike Bibby, followed by one of the best plays of the year when Baron Davis grabbed a board, pushed it up the floor and dished it to Monta Ellis who nailed the game winning 17 footer. Then, after making a big comeback, the Nets had their hearts ripped out once again on a Cuttino Mobley 3-pointer with under a second remaining. Jersey still has Denver and Utah left on the trip and they’ve lost Richard Jefferson to right ankle injury.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: Ben Gordon vs. Dallas 44 min, 30 pts (FG: 12-23, 3FG: 0-1, FT: 6-6), 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl

Friday’s Game to Watch: Denver (22-17) @ Utah (28-15) Denver has been rolling lately, especially since Carmelo Anthony made his return. The Nuggets have won five games in a row and Utah will now get their chance to defend the newly formed superstar combo of Melo and A.I. The Jazz had won four in a row before losing to the Grizzlies in overtime on Wednesday, but Utah had some impressive individual performances in the loss. All of the Jazz frontcourt players ended with double-doubles, paced by Carlos Boozer who finished with 39 points and 15 rebounds. Not to be outdone by the big men, point guard Deron Williams dished out a career-high 21 assists.

Buzzer Beater: For a player and team to be so disgruntled with one another, the Clippers sure are turning down a lot of offers for Corey Maggette. The latest team to be snubbed by L.A. was the Heat as they attempted to piece together a three team deal that would land Maggette in Miami. But as it was with the Spurs, Warriors and Kings, the deal fell through. After all the drama that has occurred in the past few weeks, the latest rumor has the Clippers forgoing any trade opportunities and holding on to Maggette. That wouldn’t be bad for Los Angeles as Maggette is a valuable swing man but if he can’t get along with coach Mike Dunleavy then the Clips need to just pull the trigger before it’s too late.

Categories
General Sports

The Return of Poor Man’s PTI

We took most of the football season off but we’re back! We’re going to be broadcasting on a weekly basis now that football season is (practically) over.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 35 mins) or subscribe to the feed.  

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

  • recapping the Colts-Patriots game
  • head coaching vacancies and Bill Parcells
  • How long have Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith been black coaches?
  • Genarlow Wilson’s sad case
  • College Hoops
  • “Fix”ing the NBA Draft

Hope you guys enjoy the podcast.  If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating below so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email ([email protected]) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.