What’s funnier than seeing a grown man break down into tears over a poor performance on the links? For starters, there’s having some smug reporter chastise him on-air.
Hahahahah. That’s why you’ll never be on ESPN or CNN.
Not a whole lot gets under the skin of Toronto’s twinkling star Chris Bosh. He’s usually a fun-loving, joke-cracking kind of guy who doesn’t seem to have a problem chuckling at himself or his good friend Bubba, but even the nearly seven-footer has his breaking points; like being compared to Manute Bol.
Chris Bosh has lashed out at a “classless” American broadcaster he feels crossed the line in a personal attack.
Stephen A. Smith, a prominent ESPN analyst known for his loud delivery and over-the-top commentary, compared Bosh to former NBAer Manute Bol on Friday, chastising the Raptor all-star for playing soft and being unable to lead his team to any significant level of success. The comments about the team and the game aren’t what irked Bosh, it was dragging in the name of Bol, a 7-foot-6 beanpole, who was more an oddity than a factor in his career.
“If you have respect for someone, you expect that same respect back,” Bosh said yesterday. “If you’re a classless person like that, I mean, I guess that shows how you are, what kind of person you really are.
“If you criticize basketball, criticize the game, criticize the team but don’t do anything personal.”
But Bosh said he doesn’t need to use Smith’s comments to get him more motivated for the series against the Orlando Magic.
“I don’t have to prove anything to that guy, plain and simple,” said Bosh. “If that’s what he wants to do, that’s what he’s going to do. If that’s what makes him happy, to try to bring other people down, good for him.
“If LeBron (James) wasn’t doing so well, he’d probably dog him, too. If Dwight (Howard) wasn’t averaging 20 and 10, he’d talk bad about him.”
It’s true, S.A.S. probably would be bashing Howard if he wasn’t posting double-doubles like a man possessed. But we wouldn’t recommend it. Heck, even good friend and 6-foot-10, 230-pound freak of nature Bosh wouldn’t recommend getting into a scuffle with the gigantic Howard.
“I wouldn’t say that,” said Bosh. “I might grab him and mess with him, but as soon as he gets for real, I back off. He’s too strong.”
Links:
[TheStar.com]: Bosh takes a shot at ESPN’s Smith
Lots of kids look up to Kobe Bryant. They want to talk like him, dribble like him, dunk like him and attempt to force trades like him. But what most kids don’t have that Bryant does is some serious hops and a crew of special effects guys.
http://view.break.com/487312 – Watch more free videos
Utah hates Ric Bucher more than the Rockets at the moment
You might as well just call ’em butter because ESPN is on a roll. Not only are they calling out baseball players on their age, they are also calling out Mormons for being too happy.
NBA writer Ric Bucher was not very kind to Jazz fans on an ESPN radio show. “They are Mormons, and they are in Salt Lake, and there is nothing else there. You know, you gotta smile and be happy all the time. This is the one opportunity for people to get vicious,” Bucher said.
A day later, Bucher said he was sorry. “I regret making that connection and apologize to anyone of the Mormon faith for having done so,” he said.
The pre-recorded apology only came after KSL and several other media outlets asked to interview him. He hopes it works. “And that all citizens of Salt Lake City will find it in their hearts to welcome me as hospitably as they have in the past,” Bucher said.
ESPN also sent out a statement saying: “We spoke to Ric and he understands that his comments were inappropriate. This type of religious generalization has no place on our outlets and we apologize.”
Guess you were wrong Ric, because now they have two opportunities to get vicious.
Links:
[KSL.com]: ESPN commentator apologizes for anti-Mormon comments
Miguel Tejada came clean on Wednesday and admitted to pulling a Danny Almonte. Turns out that Tejada lied to Oakland when he first entered the league, but after arriving in Houston where they wanted all his information, he decided that he didn’t “want to lie to them.” Oh, and ESPN totally busted him.
“The scout just did it because at that time I was two years older than I (told them). And to play in the Dominican Summer League you’ve got to be like 17. That’s why he changed the year. Because the only change is the year.”
Tejada and the Astros revealed the news after ESPN surprised him at Citizens Bank Park with a copy of his birth certificate, which the network obtained in the Dominican.
Ah, the Worldwide Leader in Backdooring People Into Admitting Their True Age.
Links:
[Chron.com]: Tejada turns 33 in a flash
The NBA playoffs begin tomorrow and it should be a doozey. But before we move on to the drama of the second season, we should remember back to the all good times from this year. Trust us; there have been plenty of memorable moments this season.
Of course, it wasn’t all pretty; sometimes it was pretty painful.
1. Set in stone
While the East has been set for a couple of days now, nearly all the playoff pairings in the wild, wild Western Conference weren’t determined until the season’s final games were played. However, now that the playoff picture is crystal clear, everyone can see this is going to be one heckuva of run to the rings. The one/eight seed matchup between Los Angeles and Denver delivers plenty of firepower with three of the league’s top four scorers going at it in a best of seven series. The seventh seeded Mavericks won’t have far to travel when they go against New Orleans, but they’ll be packing a pitiful 17-24 road record to an arena where the Hornets are 30-11. The No. 3 Spurs are going to have their hands full with the Suns and a championship hungry Shaquille O’Neal while Houston has homecourt advantage against the Jazz in a rematch of the only playoff series to go seven games last year.
2. How it happened
When the Hornets face the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, they’ll have revenge on their minds. Dallas spanked the Southwest Division champions 111-98 behind Jason Kidd’s 100th triple-double. Kidd showed Chris Paul that he wasn’t quite ready to give up his crown as one of the league’s top point guards just yet, scoring 27 points to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Dirk Nowitzki only scored 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting, but Jason Terry came off the bench to pour in 30 points, including 10 during a 32-8 run spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters. The Hornets were led by David West’s 26 points and got solid numbers out of Paul (20 points, 10 ast). The Dallas victory also ensured that Denver would be traveling to Los Angeles for their opening round matchup.
3. The rematch with a little extra Shaq
Perhaps the biggest game of the night played a big role in setting up the biggest first round matchup in this year’s playoffs between two of the game’s most bitter rivals. The Spurs ensured homecourt advantage in the first round by beating Utah 109-80, locking up the third seed. The game was never close as San Antonio rushed out to a 65-39 halftime lead which, coupled with victories by Houston and Phoenix, sets up another instant classic between Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan. Expect another bloody, bruising series when the Suns and Spurs go at it. San Antonio is 33-7 this year at home and after missing three consecutive games, they have Manu Ginobili healthy. And, oh, what a difference a healthy Manu makes! Ginobili played just 19 minutes off the bench in his return but, posted 12 points (4-4 FG, 4-4 FT), six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Kevin Durant @ Golden State 43 min, 42 pts (FG: 18-25, 3FG: 1-2, FT: 5-6), 13 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 2 blk
Buzzer Beater: When Houston defeated the Clippers 93-75 in their season finale, they secured the fifth seed in the playoffs. A couple of hours later, Utah falls to the Spurs and we have a series. Despite having a higher seed, the Jazz must travel to Houston for their postseason opener because they have a worse overall record. Basically it’s a horrible situation for Utah who is 17-24 on the road this year. Luis Scola made Rockets fans say “Yao who?” after he dominated the Clippers with 22 points and 10 rebounds, covering up for Tracy McGrady’s pathetic 2-of-11 shooting performance. People continue to argue about Houston’s legitimacy , but you can’t argue with a record of 35 wins in its last 43 games, including a 22-game win streak.
The mystery that was the smashed crystal football outside Florida coach Urban Meyer’s office has been solved. The Waterford crystal trophy was destroyed last week after falling off a coffee table and crashing to the floor and the program was hush-hush about how it all went down, leaving the door wide open for conspiracy theories galore. But on Wednesday, the truth came out…it was a damn recruit!
Jaws dropped. For once, Plant coach Robert Weiner, 3 feet from the fall, didn’t know the next play.
“We didn’t know what to do, if we should have started picking up the pieces or what,” Weiner said. “It was surreal, like everything happened in slow motion.”
Weiner whispered to Charles (right): “They’re either going to take your scholarship away or they’re going to make you commit to them today.”
Meyer came to survey the scene.
Plant assistant T.J. Lane broke the silence: “That’s a replica right?”
Awkward. But the craziest part of this whole story comes with coach Weiner’s assessment of his clumsy tight end prior to the big crash.
“After what happened,” Weiner said, “I’m sure Urban now thinks I’m an excellent evaluator of talent.”
Links:
[TampaBay.com]: Follow the breaking ball: Plant’s Charles’ bump broke BCS trophy
[TBO.com]: UF Mystery Solved; Plant High Player Admits To Mishap
Being a reporter is a dangerous job. Even in the cushy world of sports things get a little chaotic from time to time, as you’ll see in the opening minutes of this clip which proves pro wrestlers don’t necessarily need steroids to be in a rage.
Compilation of Reporters Getting Owned – Watch more free videos
The fighting game these days is more about kicking and cages than rings and rope-a-dopes. But that doesn’t mean MMA is the only game in town. On Saturday – the same night UFC heads to Canada to deliver the much awaited rematch between Matt Serra and George St. Pierre – Las Vegas’ glitz and glamour will be watching a big time boxing match between Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins. As it is with most fights, whether MMA or boxing, the trash talk was abundant between the two gladiators. But Calzaghe, he just doesn’t give a s***.
“He’s been beaten four times, which is four times more than I have, so I don’t give a s*** what he says.
“He can talk b******s all he likes — let’s see what happens in the fight.
“My dad Enzo is a good caller of fights and he’s told me that if I fight like I usually do, I’ll beat the s*** out of Hopkins.”
Apparently, Joe learned nothing from Kramer. If you go with Enzo, “You’re crazy.”
Links:
[The Sun]: I’ll beat the s*** out of Hopkins
