Author: clay

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Wizard’s blizzard of injuries

Well, now he’s got more time
for bloggin’ and video poker.

1. Agent 0 goes undercover
Washington might be the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but they might as well be sitting on the outside looking in because they are going to make some team the very happy owner of a four game sweep in the first round of the post season. Just days after Caron Butler broke his hand, Gilbert Arenas tore his lateral meniscus and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The Wiz are currently only just one game behind Miami for the division crown but nobody’s going to be cheering in Washington anytime soon as the “there’s always next year” mentality begins to take hold. But it was a great season for Arenas while it lasted as he scored 28.4 points per game to go along with 4.6 boards and 6.0 assists. He also made the All-Star team and threw a wicked b-day bash.

2. Losing ground quick

The Cavs looked dead in the water as their game against Miami was drawing to a close last night, but LeBron James rallied the troops for an 11-0 run to force overtime. However, the extra period would belong to the Heat as they clinched a post season berth while handing Cleveland a devastating loss. The Cavaliers fell all the way to the fifth seed in the East with the defeat after going into the game as the second best club in the conference. If the playoffs began today these two teams would be locking up in first round series with the Heat owning the home court advantage. The only difference between then and now is that the Cavs might have to contend with a well rested Dwyane Wade in the lineup. Cleveland is probably not too thrilled about that possibility, but a Wade/James showdown would be great for the fans.

3. Spurs rise, Suns set
Tony Parker scored a season-high 35 points as the Spurs held the Suns to just 85 points in a late season victory that showed why San Antonio will be a serious threat in the post season. Phoenix put together a late game run to make it interesting but the Spurs basically imposed their defensive will onto the Suns who average 111 points per game. Tim Duncan and Michael Finley both chipped in double-doubles and SA now holds the best record in the league since the All-Star break by winning 19 of 22 games. With the victory, the Spurs are now only two games behind Phoenix for the second best record in the league and second seed in the playoffs. The Suns are struggling to gain momentum before the season ends after going 6-4 in their last ten games, and should San Antonio catch Phoenix they also own the tiebreaker with a 2-1 record against the Suns in the regular season.

Thursday’s Player of the Day: LeBron James vs. Miami 49 min, 35 pts (FG: 11-21, 3FG: 2-5, FT: 11-13), 9 reb, 5 ast

Friday’s Game to Watch: Dallas (62-12) @ Denver (38-36) The Nuggets are riding a three game winning streak after knocking of the Sonics, Lakers and Kings since Sunday. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are really clicking as Melo has put up at least 30 points in his last four contests while AI has dished out 20 assists in two games. The Mavericks are rolling as usual and have won nine of their last ten games and won their last game against the Kings despite being without their superstar as Dirk Nowitzki who had food poisoning. This could be a preview of a first round match-up in the playoffs between these two since Denver is sitting just one game ahead of the Clippers for the seventh spot in the West.

Buzzer Beater: The Hornets have been surging of late as they have now won three consecutive games in an attempt to push their way into the playoff pack. Well, that task just got a lot harder after Chris Wilcox delivered a wicked, inadvertent elbow to the face of New Orleans’ most consistent player of the season, Desmond Mason. The elbow broke the nose and cheek bones of Mason and will probably keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. Mason was the only player to start every game for New Orleans this year and averaged 14 points and five boards per contest. Looks like it will be up to Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler to pick up the slack if the Hornets are going to extend their season long enough for Mason to attempt a return.

Categories
College Basketball

Top 10 Most Gruesome sports injuries: #7 Idong Ibok

[Sportscolumn is running down the ten most gruesome sports injuries. Here’s #7]

It was the first day of this year’s NCAA tournament and the entire country was sitting in front of their TV’s with brackets in hand as they drooled over the endless possibilities of Cinderella stories and last second heroics. But instead they got Idong Ibok flailing on the ground after dislocating his left elbow.

The accident happened when he tried to brace himself for a fall as Michigan State headed down court off a missed basket by Marquette.

It sounds painful enough but CBS went that extra mile and actually showed the television audience exactly what a dislocated elbow looks like. And it looks like a giant hole in your arm where an elbow used to be. At one point you can actually see him feeling around inside the dent, and by the screams he lets out, we’re guessing he does not like what he feels.

Back to #8 | Forward to #6

Categories
College Football

Florida Gator arrested for shooting rifle in the air


In a very Stephen Jackson-esque move, Florida offensive lineman, Ronnie Matthew Wilson, was arrested this morning on charges of aggravated assault, simple battery and use or display of a concealed weapon during the commission of a felony after he shot his gun into the air as he argued with another man. Oh, but this was no regular gun, Wilson whipped out a semi-automatic rifle from his trunk to intimidate the other guy. Wilson told police that he wanted the man “to know how it felt to be scared.” We’re guessing that it worked to perfection.

The victim is claiming that Wilson hocked a big ol’ loogie on him and then slapped him down like a bitch. Wilson admits to the spitting but denies the hitting.

Like any good athlete, the 6-3, 300 pounder is quick on his feet. After firing off the rifle, Wilson made a mad dash into an apartment complex and stashed the evidence at his cousin’s crib. Is it just us or does this seem like it should be in an episode of Cops?

Links:

[TheLedger.com]: Florida player arrested for allegedly shooting rifle in air

Categories
NBA General

Do you really want Charles Barkley handling your tax dollars?

If you put a microphone in Charles Barkley’s hand, you will get a good sound bite. And the candid Hall of Famer didn’t disappoint when he spoke to the Downtown Tip-Off Club in Little Rock, Arkansas. Barkley was invited to speak by ex-teammate and current Arkansas-Little Rock assistant coach Joe Klein, but Sir-Cumference wasn’t there to tell of his educational achievements when he was at Auburn. How could he when he skipped out early to go pro.

One year, I was like, ‘I need to go back and see how close I am to graduating.’ I started adding up all my credits, and I asked the guy, ‘What am I?'” Barkley said. “He says, ‘You’re a freshman.’

Well, in that case, he should fit in just fine with the rest of our nations politicians when he runs for governor of Alabama in 2014 (he has to live in Alabama for seven years before running).

I’m gonna win,” Barkley said. “I was born to do great things. I was born to do great things _ I think my No. 1 goal in life is to help poor people and balance the playing field. I didn’t realize that until I got older. … If you’re born poor in this country, you’re going to be in a bad neighborhood, and you’re going to go to a bad school. That’s unfortunate and sad.

Actually, what’s unfortunate and sad is that the possible future governor of Alabama doesn’t know what side of the globe Argentina is on. At least he knows what Alabama looks like.

Links:

[KVOA.com]: Barkley entertains at Arkansas club

Categories
Soccer

Soccer match delays riot until halftime


Who doesn’t love to wake up in the morning and read about a good riot while sipping on a cup of coffee? We sure do, so we were thrilled to find another soccer riot had taken place in Rome.

For those of you who don’t know, the fans of Manchester United and AS Roma don’t really like each other. In fact, disorder was expected at the Champions League match on Wednesday because a partition had been erected between the sections where the two groups would come in contact with one another. But c’mon, you didn’t really think that could stop the fans from getting into it with each other, did you?

After Roma scored a goal before halftime, the war popped off between the home Roma fans and the group of about 4,500 Manchester fans as people started throwing fists, as well as other things.

I only saw glimpses of what went on. I saw some missiles flying and the police charging,” UEFA spokesman William Gaillard said. “We will be waiting for the delegate’s report and the control and disciplinary body will be looking at the television images to see the dynamics of what actually happened.

We’re pretty sure that by “missiles,” they mean flying objects. Unless, of course, those wacky Euro’s have stepped up their sports rioting defenses to include armaments they bought from Uncle Sam.

But those United fans had it coming, after all they were told to avoid certain areas within the city, and to avoid the metro system because “there is a real danger of being attacked by the ‘Ultra’ fans of AS Roma.” Now, if that doesn’t detour you from a stupid soccer game then perhaps the bloody violence at the stadium’s gates before the game would do the trick. That was where 18 United fans were hurt during fights with Roma supporters prior to the game, including one poor chap who took a shank to the neck.

Granted, this was a big game in the soccer community but don’t these fools have TV’s?

Links:

[International Herald Tribune]: Police and fans clash at Roma-Man United match

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: The Battle of Los Angeles

1. Iron unkind
Kobe Bryant kept his hot string going last night as he dropped 29 points on the Clippers but the Lakers still ended up losing the game by eight points, 90-82. But don’t let the big number fool you, last night was one of the ugliest games Bryant put together all year. The Mamba shot a wretched 13-of-34 from the field, including three misses from behind the arc. LA has now lost four of their last five games and if they don’t turn things around pretty quick, it’s not unreasonable to think that they could fall completely out of the playoff picture. Golden State and New Orleans are both riding three game winning streaks and are now pounding on the door to the post season.

2. Wizards need a dose of magic

If the Wizards weren’t in trouble before their game against the Bobcats last night, they are certainly knee deep in it now. Not only did Washington drop a crucial late season game to one of the laughing stocks of the league, but they also lost their best player to an injured left leg. And with only eight games remaining in the Wizards’ season, this couldn’t have come at a worse time. On Sunday, Caron Butler broke his hand while trying to block a shot and is expected to miss at least six weeks of action. The Wiz appeared to have the Southeast Division wrapped up just a few weeks ago, but they are now sitting a game behind Miami in the division and currently hold the sixth spot in the playoffs. Antawn Jamison has finally gotten healthy, but without Arenas and Butler his health is a non-factor.

3. From bad to worse
The Portland Trailblazers don’t have much to cheer about these days, but, as unbelievable as it may sound, thing just got worse. Portland’s promising rookie, LaMarcus Aldridge has been sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with a rapid heartbeat and having bouts of dizziness. Aldridge had struggled to find his place in the pros for the majority of the season, but had put together several impressive games after taking over a starting spot when Joel Przybilla went down for the season with knee surgery. Aldridge averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks during the month of March, and had his best game as a pro against Denver on March 13, when he scored 24 points to go along with 17 rebounds and four blocks.

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Gerald Wallace @ Washington 44 min, 27 pts (FG: 11-20, 3FG: 1-3, FT: 4-4), 12 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Phoenix (56-18) @ San Antonio (53-21) For the last few weeks everyone has been talking about the games between the Suns and the Mavs. But it’s the Suns/Spurs match-up which has a greater chance of becoming a playoff reality. San Antonio is trying desperately to catch the Suns before the end of the season in order to grab the number two spot in the West. But regardless of who finishes second or third, should both of these teams advance past the first round, they would run into each other in the second round. However, whoever ends up with the second seed will have home court advantage in what could be an epic showdown. Both teams have eight games remaining on their schedules and only three games currently separate the two Western Conference powerhouses. This should be a fiercely contested game.

Buzzer Beater: Everything was going fine for the Hornets as they entered into the fourth quarter of last night’s game with a 13 point lead in their back pocket. By the end of the fourth, New Orleans was staring at the scoreboard as it read 5:00. Yup, the Hornets blew their 13 point lead by only scoring six points in the final quarter, a franchise low. But wait, there’s more. NOKC would explode for 17 points in the extra period behind a seven point outburst by Bobby Jackson to win by nine points, 101-92. Oh, did we mention they were playing the Sonics? That explains the comeback in OT, but there is no excuse for letting Seattle’s sorry D hold you to six points in 12 minutes.

Categories
Golf

Attention Sportscenter: We have found your next anchor


Every year the world’s best golfers head to Augusta, GA, to compete in the Masters. And every year the media coverage descends on the city in droves to bring you all the news that’s fit to print. Columbia, SC, TV station WLTX had a slightly different idea of what the public would find interesting to know about some of the most precisely skilled athletes on the planet. So, they sent their local sports douche, Matt Barrie, down to the links to ask these guys if they use body wash or bar soap. Wow, groundbreaking stuff.

This hick is trying way too hard to be funny when he’s really just a pathetic loser; but hey, the same gimmick worked for Stuart Scott. Now all Barrie needs is a lazy eye.

Links:

[WLTX.com]: Bar Soap vs. Body Wash

Categories
Toronto Raptors

Top 10 Most Gruesome sports injuries: #8 Jorge Garbajosa

[Sportscolumn is running down the ten most gruesome sports injuries. Here’s #8]

After trying to block a shot by Al Jefferson, Jorge Garbajosa landed awkwardly and his fibula snapped and spun his ankle out of place. It might not look that bad when you first see it, but Garbajosa’s shrieks of pain could be heard in the next county and Jefferson’s cringe upon seeing the mangled leg was proof that this was not a normal broken bone. In fact, the entire Raptors bench can be seen covering their eyes after the injury takes place.

Oh, man. I haven’t witnessed anything like that in person, ever,” Raptors swingman Morris Peterson said. “I just had to turn my head. A lot of guys did.

You would think that anybody’s career would be over after spinning their leg a full 90 degrees in the wrong direction but, amazingly, Garbajosa is expected to be sidelined for just six months after the horrific injury.

There was even a rumor floating around that Garbajosa wanted to remain awake during his operation so that he could watch the doctor perform his magic, but that turned out to be a joke. If that were true, however, the doctors might want to consider performing a lobotomy as well as the necessary ankle surgery.

Back to #9 | Forward to #7

Categories
Toronto Blue Jays

Frank Thomas can swing a mean pillow

Frank Thomas can do some serious damage with a bat in his hands, but what about a pillow? Well, according to the Television Bureau of Canada, the Big Hurt is too aggressive during a commercial in which he has a pillow fight with a small boy. In the ad, two boys are having a pillow fight when Thomas enters the room and tells the kids to go to bed. One boy hits him with a pillow and then Thomas takes a swing of his own, knocking the kid off the bed.

The TBC has yanked the ad but refused to comment on why. However, their website has this guideline posted, which could be the reason behind pulling the spot off the air.

Advertisers are cautioned that “it is imperative to keep the best interests of young children and youth in mind when producing commercials. Because children and youth are very impressionable, commercials should not contain any visual or audio portrayals which are detrimental to their well-being.”

The TBC’s website goes on to state that acts of violence, “even comedic violence,” can be found to be excessive when included in commercials.

C’mon, does anyone honestly think that a pillow fight promotes violence? Are they terrified that the country’s kids are so impressionable that they are going start ripping pillows off their parent’s beds and attack bums on the streets?

Hello, it’s a commercial! Nobody thinks the kid actually got walloped by Thomas. Of course, this is the same company that refused to air a commercial with AJ Burnett tossing a small bundle of trash off the head of a garbage man until the words “dramatization” was added.

Links:

[GlobeSports.com]: Swing and a miss for Blue Jays’ commercial

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: King sized comeback


1. LeBron at 80% is better than most players at 100%
After missing a game versus the Celtics on Sunday due to tendinitis in his right knee, LeBron James returned to the Cavs lineup last night in Minneapolis and nearly torched the Timberwolves for a triple-double. King James finished the game with 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals in the Cleveland victory. And LeBron’s performance came at a time when he considered himself to be “about 80-85 percent.” If that’s at 80 percent, just wait until we get to see him run the floor at full strength. Just one game separates the Cavaliers from the Bulls, but if Cleveland loses their grip on the slim lead they would slip from the second seed to the fifth seed and lose home court advantage in the post season.

2. Indiana locks up losing record

With eight games remaining in the season for Indiana, they have already clinched a Pacer benchmark that hadn’t been touched in a decade. Thanks to a 15 point loss at the hands of the Pistons, Indiana secured the franchise’s first losing season since 1996-97, which was also the last year that the Pacers failed to make the playoffs. But, that’s what happens when you go 3-18 over your last 21 games. Jermaine O’Neal refused to talk to reporters after the game as his frustrations continue to mount. This season could be last time O’Neal suits up in the yellow and blue; but a change of venue would be good for O’Neal. Unless he wants to follow in Kevin Garnett’s footsteps and simply decides to sink with the ship.

3. No Dirk, no problem
The Dallas Mavericks were forced to take the court against the Kings without their superstar and MVP candidate, Dirk Nowitzki, due to a nasty case of food poisoning. But the Mavs still managed to stay the course without their stud and defeated Sacramento by four points, 97-93. The loss of Nowitzki didn’t weaken the club, as the Kings hoped it would, but instead it simply allowed for other players to step up offensively and fill the scoring void. Josh Howard led the way for Dallas by scoring 29 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Jason Terry finished the game with 27 points. Oh, but that’s not enough 20+ point games by one team in a game; Jerry Stackhouse came off the bench to rack up 23 points of his own.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Gerald Wallace vs. Washington 44 min, 34 pts (FG: 16-24, FT: 2-5), 14 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Toronto (41-33) @ Orlando (34-40) The Raptors are coming off a close, three-point loss to the Heat last night but are still sitting one game ahead of Miami for the third spot in the East. Chris Bosh continues to impress as he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Miami’s stout frontcourt. But Bosh will have to take on another All-Star big man as Dwight Howard will look to slow down Bosh in the paint. Howard’s numbers have fallen a bit since the season began but he is still only .7 rebounds per game away from becoming the youngest player ever to win the league’s rebounding title.

Buzzer Beater: Apparently, the Memphis Grizzlies are prepared to offer Billy Donovan a multiyear deal. As a two-time NCAA champion, Donovan really has nothing left to prove on the collegiate level so it would make sense to advance his career to the next stage. But, then again, the Gators could probably smoke the Grizz at this point so it’s not going to help his legacy any to jump on the back of the sorriest team in the NBA. In the end, this will be a financially motivated decision for Donovan; the only question remaining is will the cash be stuffed into his pockets by Florida, Memphis, Kentucky or someone else?