Author: clay

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: The NBA Draft wars have begun


1. Kevin Durant didn’t do himself any favors
Kevin Durant was unanimously chosen as the best player in college basketball last season but it certainly looks like he’s going to be playing second fiddle to Greg Oden when the draft comes rolling around at the end of the month. While Oden impressed the heck out of some scouts, Durant couldn’t even bench 185 pounds and finished 78th out of 80th prospects who showed up to Orlando last week. Oden did significantly better in the vertical leap, an agility drill and finished with a better time in a three-quarter court sprint. Looks like Kevin better get used to idea of playing in Seattle. Wait, didn’t this happen to a Longhorn once before? Ah, yes; some guy named Vince Young blew the nonexistent roof off the Rose Bowl and then everyone started questioning him after a pathetic Wonderlic score. Last we checked, V.Y. was the R.O.Y., but only time will tell if Durant can do the same.

2. Ladies and gentleman, Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr made his debut as the Suns’ general manager on Wednesday and his first order of business was to crack up the media with a sarcastic answer to a question of his plans for the Suns. “I’m going to shop Nash immediately,” Kerr said. Not a bad start; but what does the reporter think he’s gonna say. What’s up with all these people saying that teams like Phoenix and Dallas should be blown up because they didn’t bring home the trophy. Obviously these guys came up short in the postseason…again, but teams that win 60+ games don’t need to be blown up. Tweaking is all that’s needed for these guys; tweaking of expectations that is. Just because you win the regular season doesn’t mean your gonna win the postseason; sometimes it’s just a few tough breaks that can cost a series or even a championship. Listen, disappointment is tough but the West is even tougher. But don’t forget that persistence pays you guys, it took San Antonio over a decade of David Robinson disappointment before their big break came.

Buzzer Beater: And we are finally less than 24 hours away from the NBA finals between the Cavs and Spurs and it’s a good thing because we’re getting ready to pop at the seams. For as much hate as the NBA gets, this should shape up to a pretty good series. On one side you’ve got the future of the league in LeBron James and on the other side you’ve got the best player of his generation in Tim Duncan; unfortunately for James, in addition to having a ton of championship experience and some of the toughest defense in the league, Duncan also has another pair of All-Stars on his side of the court. Cleveland has some solid players but there shouldn’t be any doubt in any fan’s mind that the Cavs are completely outclassed. Well, those Cavalier fans might not agree with that but they know it’s true deep down inside. That’s not to say that we’re going to have a sweep on our hands; LBJ is good enough to single handedly carry his team to victory on any given night, but the question is can he do that four times? Probably not; once or twice is more likely. San Antonio knows how important these first two games at home will be because with a Golden State-esque electricity running through the building in Cleveland it’s gonna be really tough to grab more than one victory battling that type of emotion.

Categories
Indianapolis Colts

Come and get you some Tony Dungy history



Who needs a four bedroom house when this
is gonna be your new crib?

Are you one of those losers who collect odd sports memorabilia? You know who we’re talking about; the type of person who combs eBay continuously looking for Barry Bonds’ used syringes, bloody gauze used on Steve Nash’s gashed nose or grass from the field where Joe Montana took his final snap. C’mon, be honest; we’re all friends here. This crap ain’t buying itself. Well, we just might have your newest worthless piece of memorabilia for you.

The boyhood home of Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy is now for sale in Jackson Michigan. Dungy’s sister is selling the four-bedroom home which sheltered Dungy until he left for college for the low, low price of $53,000, which is $6,000 below its value. Are you getting that checkbook out yet? No? Oh, you want more; you greedy little nerds and your collections of crap, always wanting a deal. Okay, well what if an autographed copy of “Quiet Strength” by Tony Dungy was thrown into the deal? Still not enough you say. All right; then how about a football autographed by your favorite Colts player?

Now, deal or no deal?

Links:

[WISHTV.com]: Colts Coach’s Childhood Home goes up for Sale

Categories
Washington Redskins

All of the lies in sports are driving us crazy!!!



Will somebody please take the mic
away from Bootsy already.

What the hell is wrong with athletes and coaches today? Nobody seems to have a mental filter or a shred of meaningful contemplation anymore. There is an epidemic of stupid decisions sweeping across the sporting landscape as player after player are making boneheaded, spur of the moment statements that must later be recanted in a manner that can do nothing but further make a mockery of that athlete. Our latest victim: Clinton Portis.

A couple of weeks ago, this idiot tried to justify Michael Vick and his dog farm of death by saying that:

I don’t know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it’s his property, it’s his dog,” Portis told WAVY-TV. “If that’s what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business.

Fast forward to Tuesday and Portis has this to say:

A couple of weeks ago, when I made those comments I didn’t understand the seriousness behind it,” Portis said. “I didn’t know it would affect that many people, and didn’t think what I said was that offensive. But after doing some research and seeing how serious people take this, I shouldn’t have made the comments. I’m going to just leave it alone and hopefully, it will die down and people will understand that. At that time I had no idea the love people have for animals, and I didn’t consider it when I made those comments.

You “had no idea the love people have for animals”?!?! Give us a break! Listen, instead of wasting our time with this bogus line of B.S., why don’t you just shut the hell up and think about what you’re about to say the next time a mic gets shoved in your face. And that goes for you too Michael Vick, Kobe Bryant and Billy Donovan. We’re getting sick of you idiots’ big mouths and your sporadic moods and judgments. You guys are wasting our precious blog reading time with your recanting of statements and patronizing apologies. This why a lot of people want their athletes to be seen and not heard, you can’t believe a word that’s coming out of their traps anymore.

Links:

[WashingtonPost.com]: Portis Recants Words About Dogfighting

Categories
Golf

Annika vs. Michelle: Let’s get it on!

Despite being a horrendous golfer, Michelle Wie continues to get the hype. But now she’s finally starting to face some harsh criticism as well. Especially after a suspicious wrist injury forced her to withdraw from the Ginn Tribute as she came perilously close to breaking 88; had she broke the magic number it would have prevented her from playing for the remainder of the year. Oh, but that wrist was good enough to smack some balls over the weekend at Bulle Rock.

So, it starts with the fibbing of an injury here and there and before you know it we’ve got the next Lindsay Lohan on our hands. But before we look too far into the future, we want to focus on the present because Annika Sorenstam just put a verbal smack down on the teenybopper.

I just feel that there’s a little bit of lack of respect and class just to leave a tournament like that and then come out and practice here,” said Sorenstam, who soldiered on for four days despite returning from a back and neck injury.

“It’s a little funny that you pull out with an injury and then you start grinding. My doctor told me to rest.

Ohhhh, burn! What you got to say about that Wie?

I’m going through a hard time,” she said. “It’s my first time facing an injury.”

Asked about Sorenstam’s criticism, Wie said nothing was said to her and she had nothing to say back.

“I don’t think I need to apologize for anything,” she said. “I just have to take care of my body and move forward and only think of positive things.

You know what this means, right? Cat fight!!!!!!!!

Links:

[MSNBC.com]: Wie, no longer prodigy, faces harsh criticism
[Golf World]: Tension Convention

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: The Magic Kingdom is getting kinda depressing


1. Doesn’t anyone wanna coach Dwight Howard?
The poor Orlando Magic just can’t seem to find anyone to roam the sidelines for the club. Of course, Billy Donovan left them standing at the alter and made a total fool of himself in the process and now it looks like they might get another shaft from their second selection. Stan Van Gundy has reportedly been offered the head coaching gig but due to contractual obligations with the Heat as a consultant, he might not be able to accept the offer. The Magic might be forced to give up draft picks to Miami as compensation should the Heat release SVG. But even if Van Gundy gets released there is no guarantee he wants to go to the Magic Kingdom; he’s already been on two interviews with the Kings. It’s all gonna come down to the dolla’ dolla’ bills ya’ll but if the ball was in our court, there would be no way we could pass up that boatload of talent down in sunny Florida like Billy the Kid did.

2. Hottest tickets in town

Fans in Cleveland are going absolutely bonkers over their Cavaliers right now, and with good reason; after all, LeBron James has been playing like a man possessed by legends of NBA past as he delivered his squad to the promised land for the first time in franchise history. So, you can understand why fans are willing to do and pay anything for tickets to Game 3 against the Spurs. Some tickets to the game/big ass party are going for a whopping $14,999! Now that’s some serious team spirit. We can’t wait to see how the local radio stations decide to completely humiliate the faithful followers with whacky promotional contests for a pair of seasts but it should be pretty hilarious. We’ll keep you posted. But don’t think for a second that the emotion of making their fourth finals appearance doesn’t have San Antonio in a tizzy. The Spurs front office has spirit and to show it they’ll be giving away 18,797 white “Go Spurs Go” T-shirts to fans at Game 1. Not bad, huh?

3. Rasheed Wallace would eat New York alive
With the Pistons eliminated from the postseason, the rumor mill is working overtime in Detroit and most of the speculation is focused on a specific hot headed power forward sporting a stylish gray spot. And most of that speculation has Rasheed Wallace landing in New York by the time the season tips-off anew in November. Could be a good fit for New York, they have certainly seen their share of bad boys coming rolling through the Garden, but does Isiah Thomas really want that kind of a headache? This is a guy who can self destruct at the drop of a hat and proved it by flying off the handle in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals and not only getting himself ejected from the game but suspended for any possible Game 7 when he threw a typical Sheed tantrum. And he’s probably had more significant structure surrounding him there than he ever has in his career. What Knick is gonna be able to keep Wallace in check? This could take us all the way back to 50-techs-a-season Sheed from his Jailblazer days.

Buzzer Beater: If you’re not quite in finals mode yet then maybe a little trash talking can get you revved up. Bruce Bowen was recently asked about the next big thing, a.k.a. LBJ, and he really didn’t seem too impressed with the challenge. “The No. 1 assignment in the league?” Bowen repeated back when asked about guarding James. “That’s your opinion, that’s your opinion. … There’s a lot of other scorers in this league, too.” And when he was asked about the sensation Game 5 performance against the Pistons, Bowen again hinted that James might not be all he’s cracked up to be. “I think Michael Jordan‘s 60-something points in Boston was incredible. Now do I think it got this much media coverage? No. Did it deserve it? You could say it did,” Bowen said. “Magic Johnson, his rookie year in the NBA, the show he put on in Philly. That is huge. But it goes to show you that if you’re not playing anymore, it’s, ‘OK, well, we’re looking for the next best thing.'” We know that Bruce is probably just playing head games with the kid but we’re guessing that he’ll be singing a completely different tune after this series is over; win or lose.

Categories
Chicago Bears

Tank Johnson gets benched for half a season


After serving a 60-day jail sentence, Tank Johnson was released back into the outside world just a little fatter than when he went in. But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made sure that Johnson would lose some serious weight, and he focused primarily on the back, right pocket region of his ass.

Tank is about to be spending a lot more time with nothing much to do because the new sheriff in town doesn’t play no crazy games and he slapped Johnson with an eight-game suspension that’ll wind up costing him $225,000 in salary. However, Goodell left a small glimmer of hope for Johnson to strive for as he stated that the suspension could be reduced to six games if Tank could avoid getting in trouble with the law and begins attending counseling. And like the other perennial bad boys to step in front of the principal, Johnson took his lickings and responded with a “Yes, sir; may I have another, sir!” type of attitude.

Roger Goodell’s a fair man, I know that, and he took everything into consideration that he and I talked about. He came up with what he came up with. If it’s in the best interest of the N.F.L., then I’m all for it. He’s given me the opportunity to reduce it to six games, which I am very appreciative. I am looking at it like a six-game suspension, because I definitely am very confident that I’m capable of doing everything he’s asked me to do, and more.

In other words, in today’s NFL you do not want to cross the boss. And as fans, we’re loving every minute of this league being scared straight. The best part of all this is that Goodell is only warming up; just wait until we really get to see him unleash a serious hurtin’ bomb on Michael Vick and his alleged dog fighting turned dog slaughtering ways. We’re still petitioning that his punishment must somehow consist of a ferret and his crotch.

Links:

[NYTimes.com]: Bears’ Johnson Is Third Player Suspended by the N.F.L.
[DailyIllini.com]: Bears DT Tank Johnson suspended for eight games

Categories
Soccer

Brazil loves their soccer…some a little too much

Lord knows that we have tried and tried and tried again to tell you just how moronic soccer fans are but then we realized that we really don’t have to do anything to convince people of the sanity or lack there of by these “footballers.” Take 22-year-old Jefferson Ferreira Lima and 26-year-old Jorge Luiz Sampaio Santos; these dudes are a couple of Brazilians who just love their Palmeiras club. In fact, they love their team so much that they were willing to throw a grenade at a bus full of fans from the rival Cruzeiro team.

Is this a joke? A freaking grenade!?! Unfortunately, this the mindset of many soccer fans across the globe after a loss. Hell, this is the mindset of many tackle football fan across the nation, but it’s not too often that you hear of a guy getting stopped in Foxboro with a missile launcher aimed at the Colts’ fan’s booze bus as it heads back to Indy after Peyton Manning leads his team to a road victory.

Listen, we’re all about passion for your team but we just think that trying to commit mass murder by explosive device is a bit overboard. So, soccer dweebs, if you must act a fool then keep it the on-field hijinks like these guys. That way the players can kick your ass for us.

Links:

[MSNBC.com]: Two Brazil soccer fans caught with grenade

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: It’s just the beginning for LBJ


1. MJ says that LeBron is a’ight
If you’re a Spurs or Cavaliers fan then you are having trouble sleeping at night as you anxiously await the tip-off of Game 1 Thursday night. And if you’re not a Spurs or Cavs fan then you probably don’t give two craps about the finals but you’ll be rooting for LeBron James and Cleveland because San Antonio is “boring.” Well, hating on the Spurs is your own personal issue but we can’t blame anyone for getting behind LeBron. Heck, Michael Jordan is even giving the young King some dap. “Making ‘The Leap’ is where you do it every single night,” Jordan said. “It’s expected of you, and you do it. … Not one game, not two games. It’s consistent. Every defense comes in and they focus on you and you still impact the game. I think he’s shown signs of that.” Leave it to MJ to say that James has “shown signs” of making “The Leap.” But his Airness is about the only person on the planet that has the ability to criticize Bron-Bron’s game at the moment. You’re certainly not going to hear Flip Saunders saying LeBron hasn’t made “The Leap.”

2. And speaking of Flip

In case you didn’t know, that’s called a cheesy transition kids. But it’s not without merit because we actually have news on Saunders. Turns out that despite getting swept out of the playoffs after taking a 2-0 lead in the East finals, Flip has reportedly agreed to return the Pistons next year. On Monday, in an AP interview, Saunders said in regards to his return: “That’s never been a question.” That’s good news for Detroit because there will probably be some retooling going on with this organization during the off-season. At least they have their head coach in place. Well, that’s only if you believe he’s not gonna pull a “Billy Donovan”; which oddly enough was called a “Kobe Bryant” just days before Donovan crushed the spirits of millions of Mouseketeers.

Buzzer Beater: So, everyone knows by now that Boston got totally shafted at the lottery, therefore putting themselves in perfect position for another draft day nightmare. But there might be a way out of the fifth pick horror slot. Looks like Seattle might be willing to trade away a superstar in the making in Rashard Lewis for the Celtics’ first round selection. Of course there would be some other pieces involved in the trade but that’s the gist of it. Now, everyone knows that Lewis will probably never be the franchise changing player that Greg Oden or Kevin Durant will most likely be for their future squads, but a Lewis/Paul Pierce combination could be the key to a postseason return. Hey, if they can stay healthy for the majority of the season there certainly won’t be any 18 game losing streaks. And that’s pretty good if you’re Boston.

Categories
Atlanta Falcons

Michael Vick’s house got jacked up!



Where dogs check in but they don’t
check out!

We all know that Michael Vick is the current king of stupid decisions; from water bottles to dog fights and everything in between, Vick just can’t seem to do the right things. And attorney Gerald Poindexter thinks that it was his virtual retardation that got his crib broken into some time between May 7 and May 18 and not some thug attempting to tamper with evidence from Vick’s dog fighting case.

I don’t think it had anything to do with possible evidence,” in the dog fighting investigation, Poindexter said. “I think it was some feuding over the spoils. Some people believe that in getting ready to sell the house, Vick had promised stuff to some family members and other people felt they deserved things.

Now, we don’t know if this person or persons actually were owed the missing goods but, whoever it was, they certainly made out like a bandit by sneaking in to the house through a back window. The crook(s) obviously had all the time in the world to load up the getaway car U-Haul because they escaped with three plasma televisions (a 32, a 42, and a 62 incher), a pair of floor buffers, an upright washer and dryer, a leather sofa and a wet/dry vacuum. Apparently Vick’s alarm was on the fritz; damn technology. You know, this never would have happened if he had a dog or two on his property at the time.

Links:

[AJC.com]: Mixed feeling about Vick in Va.

Categories
All Other Sports

Odds and Ends: Another sports meets rap disaster

Just the other day we were sitting around talking about the history of sports but a funny thing happened when our timeline hit the late 60’s. Turns out we couldn’t remember a damn thing about the world of athletics from 1965-1969. Thank goodness for a couple of Eminem wannabes doing a lame history project and YouTube. And, of course, we gotta give a shout out to the good fellas at You Been Blinded for dropping this knowledge bomb on our noggin. We promise to never forget the late 60’s again, but there’s no such guarantee for the late 90’s. Way too many dollar beer nights!

In other news…

[Golf.com]: Tiger Woods wins this golf tournament too

[SportsbyBrooks]: A-Rod likes to swing and we’re not talking bats, folks

[BostonHerald.com]: Soccer fans get crushed in Zambia

[The Golf Blog]: Is Phil really “Just Like Us”?

[YouTube]: Cubs are already self-destructing

And finally, how big of a Penn State football are you? Well if you’re gonna be the most diehard Nittany Lions fan on the planet then you gotta get your hands on the PSU motorcycle up for grabs on eBay. And all it’ll cost you to have this one of a kind hog is $60,000 if you act fast.