Let’s face it, baseball is a sport conducive to fan drunkenness. In reality, all sports promote drinking while watching, but perhaps nobody does it better than baseball. With all the downtime between pitches and innings and the sheer length of the games, alcohol certainly makes the time pass a little swifter. So, it should be no surprise that parents are teaching their kids the proper ballpark etiquette at younger and younger ages.
1. The new king of the league
He’s got the rings and now he’s got the trophy. For the first time in his career, Kobe Bryant can officially be called the MVP. It took 12 seasons of patiently waiting for his turn in the spotlight, but Bryant ran away with the award on Tuesday, taking 82 first-place votes for a total of 1,105 points compared to Chris Paul who finished second with 28 first-place votes and 889 total points. Kevin Garnett finished in third while LeBron James came in fourth place. Bryant will receive his trophy tonight before the Lakers host the Jazz in Game 2 of their second round series. There’s no doubting Bryant deserved the award with his 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals per game during the regular season, but we’re figuring it was the wins that earned him the trophy. After all, besides winning more games, his numbers are virtually identical to his production over the previous five to eight seasons. If you ask us, there is a distinct bias against young players amongst the MVP voters. It the same bias that kept the award out of Bryant’s hands in the past and kept Paul from winning his first MVP despite posting better numbers than Steve Nash did in either of his two MVP reigns.
2. Knocked off his throne
It wasn’t pretty for King James or his court in Game 1 against the Celtics. LeBron James finished with just 12 points on 2-of-18 shooting as Cleveland lost 76-72 in an ugly, ugly offensive game. Despite grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out nine assists, the game was one of James’ worst ever considering he racked up 10 of the team’s 17 turnovers. LBJ became just the third scoring champion to have two or fewer field goals in a playoff game the same year they won the scoring title. It was that bad. While the grass was greener on the Celtics’ side of the fence, it still wasn’t all that great. Ray Allen went scoreless for the first time since his rookie season and Paul Pierce missed 12 of his 14 attempts, finishing with just four points. Luckily, Kevin Garnett’s 28 points proved to be enough in a tremendously disappointing game for both teams and the fans alike.
3. Mike D’Antoni weighs his options
Chicago might have finally found its next Mike. While Michael Jordan won’t be walking through the arena’s doors anytime soon, Mike D’Antoni very well could be. The current Suns coach appears to be off to the Windy City where he will become the latest person to attempt to make the baby Bulls grow up. Chicago GM John Paxson sounded impressed after a pair of interviews with D’Antoni, but New York is still a possible landing spot. Personally, we think it’s a good move if the Bulls want to put together a European-style, run-n-gun offense, but the defense will never be a priority under D’Antoni. Rick Carlisle would be a much better candidate for turning Chicago around, but it’s sounding more and more like he’ll be heading to Dallas.
Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Kevin Garnett vs. Cleveland 40 min, 28 pts (FG: 13-22, FT: 2-2), 8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl
Buzzer Beater: From the “Too little, too late” file:
The NBA admitted Chauncey Billups’ 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter of Monday’s Detroit-Orlando playoff game should not have counted, but said referees weren’t allowed to review instant replay to determine that.
League president Joel Litvin also said the disputed shot, which gave Detroit a 78-76 lead in its 100-93 victory, could not have been replayed after the clock malfunction was discovered.
“After reviewing the video of last night’s Pistons-Magic game, we determined that the play that concluded with Chauncey Billups’ 3-point field goal at the end of the third quarter took approximately 5.7 seconds,” Litvin said in a statement. “Because there were only 5.1 seconds remaining in the quarter when the play began, the shot would not have counted had the clock continued to run.”
Phoenix’s trade for Shaquille O’Neal didn’t exactly work like they hoped it would. Instead of hoisting another trophy over his head, Shaq is instead, sitting at home after the Spurs sent Phoenix packing after the first round. Quite frankly, we miss the big fella. O’Neal is always the life of the party and without him we just feel empty inside, especially when the press conference’s coming rolling around.
Most people were shocked to hear about Marvin Harrison being interviewed in connection with a shooting last week. After all, this is the NFL equivalent of David Robinson being connected to a child prostitution ring. Most people just couldn’t comprehend the idea that one of the league’s squeakiest goody-two-shoes could possibly be involved in the incident. Well, almost everyone. ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio seems to think that Harrison is basically 50 Cent in pads.
We’ll be the first to admit that we don’t know Marvin Harrison from Adam, so it is indeed possible that he committed this crime. We’re going to reserve our judgment on that one, but we do have a problem with Paolantonio’s comments about Harrison choosing to establish a business in a bad part of Philadelphia. Last time we checked, there’s no law against being rich in a poor area, Sal.
Links:
[Sportaphile.com]: The Sports Media Turned On Marvin Harrison Already
If you thought the biggest news from this past weekend’s Kentucky Derby was the horrible injury and subsequent euthanasia of Eight Belles then you’d be wrong. Move over Beyonce and Jay-Z. Step aside Posh Spice and David Beckham. Beat it Brangelina. We’ve got the next big power couple right here! Or at least Randy Moss’ next one-night stand. That’s probably more like it.
The Patriots wide receiver was caught doing a little dirty dancing with Alysha Harris, a.k.a. Miss Kentucky USA, at a party during Kentucky Derby weekend. Some might call this scandalous behavior, but she is promoting her state. Just not in the manner the crown-givers were hoping for.
Those commitments include promoting the pageant’s sponsors, community service programs, charities, literacy throughout the Commonwealth, awareness of ovarian cancer and breast cancer, and youth anti-drug campaigns. …
In the interview competition, the contestant must talk with judges about her successes, talents, goals and ambitions. Attention is focused on the contestant’s poise, charm, self-confidence and ability to communicate, as well as the substance of her answers.
We think Randy would agree with the judges on Alysha’s astounding “ability to communicate.”
Links:
[SportsWrap]: Randy Moss Gets His Freak On With Miss Kentucky Alysha Harris
[MadisonCourier.com]: CCHS graduate receives crown of Miss Kentucky USA
If you thought Miguel Tejada had it rough after having his true age exposed to the world, try being told you’re a fat ass by an underhanded journalist looking to make a name.
1. Through to round two
The Hawks still shocked the world, even if they didn’t shock the world. Nobody expected Atlanta to make it past Game 4, but the Hawks forced a deciding game against the Celtics in Boston on Sunday. Unfortunately, they forgot to show up. The Cs saved their season by destroying the pesky Hawks 99-65, advancing to the second round where they must now face the defending Eastern Conference champions. LeBron James and his Cavaliers have been patiently waiting to see who would survive the David vs. Goliath battle to the bitter end and can now finally game plan for the league’s top trio. Paul Pierce led Boston on Sunday, scoring 22 points, followed by Kevin Garnett’s 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. Ray Allen was subpar, connecting on just 3-of-12 attempts for seven points, but it didn’t even matter in the rout. Boston’s beatdown included a near record performance, holding Atlanta to the second fewest points scored in a Game 7 since the shot clock came into play.
2. Lakers now 5-0 in playoffs
Kobe Bryant’s first MVP reign has yet to become officially official, but that’s not preventing him from making other players bow down. The Jazz felt the wrath of the soon-to-be NBA’s newest king of the mountain yesterday when Bryant dropped 38 points to go with six rebounds and seven assists in a 109-98 series-opening victory for the Lakers. Kobe converted a franchise playoff-record 21 free throws in the contest, missing only two during the entire contest. Game 2 goes down Wednesday night. The Jazz played a decent game except in the second quarter when they were outscored 29-17. Carlos Boozer (15 pts, 14 reb) and Mehmet Okur (21 pts, 19 reb) each recorded a double-double in the loss and Deron Williams dished out nine assists to go with 14 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Bryant and his buddies. Pau Gasol posted 18 points and 10 rebounds while Lamar Odom scored 16 and grabbed nine boards.
3. Bye-bye Bynum
With a 1-0 lead in the second round of the postseason, everything appears to be ice cream and cherries for the Los Angeles Lakers. Not so fast. The Lakers got some bad news from Andrew Bynum over the weekend when he told the press that a return to action this season is highly unlikely. Many believe Los Angeles needs their true center to compete with some of the West’s forces in the post, but so far, so good for LA. The Lakers have an incredible opportunity to take it all this year, but they have to be concerned about the future. Bynum could be a critical piece to the puzzle over the next five years as the Lakers are primed to be amongst the elite of the league with all their players basically peaking in their careers.
Sunday’s Player of the Day: Kobe Bryant vs. Utah 40 min, 38 pts (FG: 8-16, 3FG: 1-2, FT: 21-23), 6 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl
Buzzer Beater:
To apologize, Papa John’s will sell Cleveland residents a large, one-topping pizza for 23 cents on Thursday. The 23 is an homage to James’ jersey number. The company also will donate $10,000 to the Cavaliers Youth Fund.
The pizza chain’s T-shirts were featured during the Cavs’ games against the Wizards on Friday in Washington. Wizards fans taunted the Cavs, who won the playoff series that night in Game 6.
The shirts started after James complained about hard fouls, and Wizards center Brendan Haywood called him a crybaby.
With the UFC headed to London soon for a Chuck Liddell-less pay-per-view, British tabloid The Sun decided to compile a list of their Top 10 UFC fighters. It was a good effort, but, in our opinion, they should stick to ranking the best cricket players because they apparently know as much about the UFC as they do dental hygiene.
10. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
9. Forrest Griffin
8. Wanderlei Silva
7. Matt Hughes
6. Rich Franklin
5. Quinton Jackson
4. Chuck Liddell
3. BJ Penn
2. Georges St. Pierre
1. Anderson Silva
These rankings are completely arbitrary, but one thing for certain about the world of MMA is that Frank Shamrock is one tough S.O.B.!
Links:
[The Sun]: Top 10 UFC fighters
[YardBarker.com]: Frank Shamrock’s Right Hand of Death
Before Zaza Pachulia got decimated by a Kevin Garnett pick during Boston’s Game 7 blowout, he was already a little loopy in the head. Following Atlanta’s home win in Game 6, Zaza did his best Ivan Drago impression for the crowd.
After getting pounded in Game 7, Pachulia was overhead saying, “He is not human, he is a piece of iron” about Garnett.
Links:
[TiricoSuave.com]: Zaza Pachulia Englishes The Shit Out Of The Microphone